So I sang.....

And danced. and did this thing she called "rock". Later in life we played fruit basket beds. We all slept in one room for an extended period of time too.

Retrospective on a life well lived and positive thoughts for living well in the future.

It was a chore to get our Molly. We were married a long time before she joined us. I could easily have died during the labor process (I was very sick). She was so worth all the effort. Abby was a surprise blessing - one of those OMG the thing is pink moments - while standing in the utility room door holding the home pregnancy test. She took us by surprise - she still takes my breath away.

When Molly was just learning to talk - I taught her to call her daddy's name first. In the middle of the night, she would stand in her bed and call him. Of course he got up with her. They would eat grill cheese sandwiches and watch Barney videos...... midnight snacks during a life well lived. (note here - he was on to me when Abby was learning to talk - he taught her to call me in the middle of the night and we ate pop tarts)

Molly would ask me to "rock" and add "quarter song" -- that did not involve a chair at all - it meant hold me and dance me to sleep listening to Travis Tritt's Here's a Quarter playing over and over on the cd player (thank God for the repeat setting). For hours we shared those moments in the course of a life well lived.

Molly had a ton of jet black hair at birth. The one thing everyone commented on. When she finally caught up in growth with the hair, she would preen and run her hands through it trying to draw attention back to the hair. An early moment of vanity in a life well lived.

Molly helped us name Miss Abby. Her middle name is Victoria and Molly came up with that all by herself because a little girl at daycare had that name. Moments in a life well lived.

Abby was 4 days old when the new big sister shared her potato chips with her. It did not hurt the Abbs at all and it gives us a fun story to tell about a life well lived.

We decided to redo our bedroom and Abby was just a toddler. All of us slept in one room while we did this. A toddler bed, a baby bed and a double bed - all in one room together. How great for birth control were those moments in this life well lived.

We also lost Abby during that renovation - she climbed a 10 ft step ladder and annouced just how "high" she was. A moment of fear in a life well lived.

Later each of the girls wanted one of us to lay down with them at bedtime. It goes without saying that all of fell asleep in beds that were not our own. At some point during the night, me and the Man at Our Address would move sleeping princesses into the correct beds and crash back into ours. Fruit Basket Beds - part of my life well lived.

Abby disappeared in the Louisville, KY airport on a Friday night in August of 1996. Frantic searches by all us adults and one very sweet old lady who said "are you looking for the little girl behind that column." Seems she could scoot around and stay just out of site of us - she was giggling, but I was not amused. Fear - replaced by joy then anger - a moment in a life well lived.

We as a group of girls set on torturing the Man at our Address - have a theme song. I Feel Good - by James Brown - not on cd or any other media - must be sung loud and proud at random occasions but especially in the car so he cannot get away from the noise. Lots of moments in a life well lived.

The College Freshman is now off creating her own moments - some she will share as stories with us - some she will share with those who are a part of the action. Her own chapters in the book of a life well lived.

The Softball Princess in no way can appreciate how important the friendships she shares with classmates and teammates are. She is slowly preparing her support groups for her own life well lived.

Here we are right in the middle of it - looking back with fondness - looking forward with anticipation. Millions of moments lived and to be lived in this thing I'm calling a LIFE WELL LIVED.

Sorry no MaggieGrace goodness today - I just wanted to celebrate a few moments for me and my girls.

Come on ya'll celebrate some moments - leave your blog link in the comments so we can all join in your celebrations.

Have a life well lived kind of day.