First and Last

I'm sentimental about "last time" anythings. I'm also a bit nervous about "first time" anythings. This week was full of both. Wish me luck and don't forget to congratulate me on my bravery. Seriously, a pat on the back is all I need sometimes.

Our last splash in Dallas and the first time Brigham didn't slip on his head.


Not my first move to an unfamiliar city - nor my last. But my first move, by myself, to an unfamiliar city (and house I met once during a hurricane), with three kids and only what I can cram in the minivan. Unknown - here we come!

The first and last time I'll buy a house with all hardwood floors. Sorry Briggs (on behalf of mostly Isaac) for all your bonks and bloody lips. And hopefully my nerves will recover soon from the acoustics of a house with no furniture or carpet. . .

Not my first time without a TV. Nate and I didn't own a television the first year of our marriage. But this is the first time living with kids without a TV. Showering is harder. So is making important phone calls. But I am entirely heartbroken to miss the Olympics, the National Conventions, The Music and the Spoken Word, and the season premiere of The Office. (But hey! at least I still have the internet - thanks Mark!)

My first time making an entire meal with one sauce pan. (I used it as a baking dish to bake the chicken, as a frying pan to carmelize the almonds, as a sauce pan to make the dressing, as a mixing bowl to mix it all together, and as a storage container to store the finished product in the fridge.) And that's the last time I plan on cooking until I get the rest of my kitchen stuff.

Clayton's first day of Kindergarten. Isaac's first day of real preschool. And Brigham's first time driving the shopping cart car by himself.

Not my first time with a two-year-old at home (I've had three of those). But my first time with ONLY a two-year-old. When Clayton was 2 I had newborn Isaac and a full-time job. When Isaac was 2 I had three-year-old Clayton and newborn Brigham. Now I just have Brigham at home during the day and I feel like an incompetent first-time mom for the first time. . .

My first time at Chuck E Cheese's (after 31 years, how did I ever miss this place??) and the last time I'll spend $20 on tokens and let my 2-year-old play video games all night.
Not the first time Nate and I have been apart. But the first time I have missed him THIS MUCH!