4 years ago

 (Woah - check out my short hair!)

This picture kinda rocks! This is Harper.

Four years ago this was my world. This girl and my hubs.  These pictures were taken at Seaside in 2008 after my first year of teaching at Dubach.  One girl. Now I have three! Now I have so much more than I thought I would ever have -  three lives to mold.  I am my mom! I used to hear people say, "Judy and her girls," like we were some kind of girl group. We were! And that is exactly what I want for my three girls. I want inside jokes and touching feet under the covers. I want beach trip memories, break up stories and family sing-a-longs. I want my girls to be cheerleaders for one another. To celebrate the highs and bunker down in the lows. I want them to stand together at weddings, be present for babies, and hold hands through heartbreak. I want them to LOVE and I want them to LIVE! Intertwined. Encompassed. Unified. I really like the sound of that, "Mandy and her girls."

lots of random

I have so much to say so I think I'll ramble:

It's been a year...A YEAR.. since Harper entered the hospital. In the middle of that journey I wasn't sure if I'd ever be able to smile, relax, and laugh again. One amazing year brought so much incredible change to our lives: renewed faith, awareness of our support in Ruston, a new home, a new baby and so many new ideas! To quote Phil Roberson from Duck Dynasty, "I'm Happy. Happy, happy, happy!"

 
 While riding high on that grateful wave I made the most of my last few days before returning to DHS.  I made a trip to TX to see my mom and BFF for our Hunger Games date.  My girlfriends celebrated my new babe circled around tables on the porch of the yogurt shop in Longview.  Hugs and gifts and catch-up stories bounced back and forth among the oldest and dearest friends in my life.

 There is nothing like the feeling of being surprised.  When Tricia, Mary Ann and Grace piled out of the car at my mom's, unexpectedly, of course, tears of joy took over. I just passed out hugs and wept happily.  I love my family!

 This year I've dabbled a bit with my love of photography.  I've done several sessions with Senior's from DHS.  I was pleasantly surprised with the shots, but mainly I felt gratified when I saw the looks on their faces.  It does a heart good to make someone feel pretty and to capture that moment for them.

 My girls are growing quickly so I've felt the need to capture each expression, smirk and nose crinkle.

 Thanks to all of my friends who shared their "advice" with me.  I can't wait to share more about that book with you in the future. I have a lot of projects up my sleeve and I will take you along with me on my literary journey.

Still feel frazzled and random but at least I got some cute pics up.  Have a great weekend!

Stuff we want them to know

Hey blog friends,

I need your help! I'm working on a book for my girls. It's a book of all the stuff I want them to know about life. Crazy I know - like I can fit all of it into one book!

I've compiled my list of important life stuff but I want to know your thoughts.

What one thing would you tell your teenage daughter? What do you wish someone would've told you? It can be serious or funny. For example, I remember being told to always wear hose to a funeral. That's important. I also wish someone would've told me that the bride shouldn't pay for anything on her wedding day. Shout out- sorry I asked you to help pay for donuts on your wedding day, Allison. I'm ashamed!

So you get the idea. Please leave your lesson in the comment box or email me if it needs a lengthy explanation! This should be fun and educational.

Mi Familia - Casa de Cauley

It is hard to repeat what someone has already said so well.  Please read Tracy's "Mama Mandy" blog to fully understand how special this session was to both of us.  Tracy captured these sweet moments of my family as a gift to me. Thank you, Tracy - priceless.  The best compliment I can give is that she truly captured "us!" When I look at the photos I feel like I look like I do on any normal day - not too done up, hair kinda frizzy, happy with my girls and where I am in my journey.  I love these photos and I hope you do as well. Be sure to think of Tracy if you live in the DFW area or are traveling there.  I have a feeling she will be hard to book within a few months!

Good Reads

Hey Friends,

Just thought I'd take a minute to share some great reads with you. From time to time I get free books in the mail with one simple request from the author and publisher: "If you like it please share." And so I shall.

I absolutely LOVED this book! I had it on the shelf for a year before reading it and I am sick about it. I read it during the last few days of my pregnancy, in the hospital and the first week of Josie's life.  The story follows the lives of three different women who are all related, literally, while the reader is taken on a mysterious journey through England while trying to uncover the truth. I was on the edge of my rocker near the end and looked forward to nursing so I could hold the baby and read. Yes, I managed to hold a nursing baby with one arm and steady a novel with the other. You will not be disappointed with this book and like me you will want to read her other works.

This one also collected dust before I cracked it open. Again I am ashamed. Set right here in my neck of the woods, the lively heroine with have you laughing and crying. Mothers will hold their daughters tighter and glance at neighbors with suspicion. I'm just saying. I was spitting venom near the end. I could feel it that much! Not so much about father, Samuel, as it is about daughter, Swan, who is reminiscent of sweet Scout Finch.  Read it.

Last one:  set in the Gilded Age, our protagonist seems annoying and flaky at first. However, her mother's plot to have her suitably wed over seas leads to unexpected trouble. By the end you will be rooting for our girl as she learns to use her own two fists. I was delighted by the growth of the lead girl.

I'm Loving This

I've been so busy loving life that I haven't stopped to blog.

My schedule goes something like this..

Get out of bed around 6am after nursing the baby in the wee hours. Get Harper ready for school, toss a sleepy Baylor and quiet Josie in the car and deliver Harper to school just as the bell rings.

Sometimes I take Baylor to school right after Harper, but sometimes, like today, I keep her home with me.

Then I return home, or go for a quick work out, relax on the couch with Josie, nurse her, then have lunch and nap on the couch with Josie on my chest taking deep breaths of sweet baby scent.  I may run a few errands before or after lunch and then I pick up Harper and return home. The big girls play in the creek while I nurse Josie on the porch and then prepare dinner. Josie usually cries as soon as I sit down to eat, typical, and then I bathe the girls and get them ready for bed. Throw in diapers, laundry, and a few chores and that sums it up.  To sum it up - bliss. I'm loving this and the thought of leaving my baby in a few days causes the water works to start up. I'm not ready. But, I have to. I'm a big girl and I can handle it, but I don't wanna!

Life is good. And swift. And I know I soaked up the sweetness of each of my girls as infants. But where did it go and why was I in such a rush for the next phase? Maybe it's because my journey has brought me to a new place. I know I am different than I was six years ago when I first held Harper in my arms.We all are; we all change. That is the only constant in life, right? Change.

Okay, heavy stuff aside, I have fallen in love with "The Tudors"  reruns on BBC, Smash, and Awake.  I recommend "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton along with "The Lucky One" by Sparks. Totally different but both are good reads. I'd like to borrow "One Night with the King" if anyone has it.

Happy Friday, friends!

coming soon - North Texas Christian Writer's Conference!! Can't wait!

Baylor turned three and Harper danced with Daddy