Glad you enjoyed your trip back home and made it back to your family safely! 🙂

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that stallion! the mini version is on Oklahoma Universities campus just down the street from my house. It is controversial here too 🙂ReplyCancel

My parents just moved away from the home I grew up in too! I went through all of the things my mom saved — from pre-school through high school. I'm not sentimental at all, so it wasn't hard for me to get rid of most things. But at the same time, it was really cool to go through things (some of which I'd never seen) and re-live the memories.

I took pictures or scanned some things like old artwork, I threw a lot of junky stuff away (stuff that was cool when I was 15 but not cool now, like my huge box of stickers from all the warped tours I went to), and I kept things like: prom pictures, a couple senior projects, a couple report cards — things I think my kids will like to see when they're a little older.

Good luck! Have fun and remember, a lot of it is just stuff (according to my non-sentimentality 🙂ReplyCancel

Just last month I had to do the same thing. I agree with all the suggestions especially the one about taking pictures. I did a video of the whole house and yard. Since I won't be going back to the area (everyone I know has passed away or moved) I also took video of my schools and hang outs. It was really bittersweet. I found letters from all of my deceased relatives. I kept some pictures and had fun reading love letters from old boyfriends. My mom saved EVERYTHING! When I asked why she saved all my elementary school papers through high school, she told me it made her feel closer to me. I cried but I also had many laughs too. Don't rush through your stuff. You never know what you might miss. What surprised me was finding a letter and an autographed photo of a San Francisco 49er. I apparently met him and he was obviously quite taken by me. I have ZERO recollection of meeting him. He even wrote me a few times. What's up with that? Oh well. I hope you have a wonderful trip. Stay positive and enjoy your trip down memory lane! ReplyCancel

I had to do that when my parents moved to Abu Dhabi when I was a sophomore in college. It was hard, but the process of going through it all was really essential for me- a rite of passage of some sort. It's hard when your home base is uprooted, but I realized its the relationships, not the places or things that make life so meaningful, and those relationships are eternal. That realization helped me let go of a lot of "stuff". Hang on to the things you'll get a kick out of years from now, and things that will help your kids know the child version of yourself. And yes, take lots of pictures! ReplyCancel

My parents moved to a new house while I was in college. I was born and raised in the house they moved out of. It was SOOO sad. I understand how you feel! I hope it went ok!ReplyCancel

Siblings are awesome. What a sweet duo! Love this post.ReplyCancel

So extremely beautifully said, Miggy. It brought back memories for me of my now 20-something-year-olds–memories of when they were little. My special needs son had a wonderful playmate in his older sister. Lamp is so fortunate to have PSP. What a loving sister she is. Thank you for sharing this with us, Miggy.ReplyCancel

Totally got me choked up. Love it. What a sweet little duo.ReplyCancel

U have me all teared up now. I have 2 boys whom I could have written a similar post about. Although my oldest is going into third grade and my youngest is 4. So we have been through what I call "back to school withdrawal" before:( little brother certainly has withdrawal from big brother every year when school starts….and so do I. Kinder was the hardest though for me. I feel for u.ReplyCancel

i loved how you said it's like you're living in their world. so so sweet.
childhood is magical, and there's nothing sweeter than observing your babies loving each other.ReplyCancel

So precious, these two. And that zoo!!!!ReplyCancel

Thanks for making the last few weeks of my time with O that much harder. It's definitely a different relationship between my O + E, more like Tom and Jerry. One minute they're playing nicely, the next E is scratching and pinching the snot out of her. I will miss the former. You've got two sweet girls there. And I love that you documented all those quiet moments.ReplyCancel

All of that was pretty adorable. ReplyCancel

Awww. So, so, sweet. I get what you are saying…nobody is dying…but it is the end of an era…and that is always a bit hard…and wonderful in its own right.

That zoo is AWESOME…and so is PSP.ReplyCancel

Simply beautiful. What an amazing big sister lamp has. Close enough in age to play together yet far apart enough that there is also a motherly protective role coming into play. How lucky they are to have one another. ReplyCancel

wow.
so very sweet. yeah, def. high fives to HF! He is good.ReplyCancel

You can just tell how sweet those girls are. BEautiful smiles. Yours are beautiful as well. We have a park somewhat similar to yours….it is all outdoors though. It would be nice to have some of it indoors……we do have something like that nearby but so expensive to get in. So glad that you have friends that you adore.ReplyCancel

So happy for you to have found a family who can identify with your own family's journey and who you all can lean on for support when you encounter tough times that no one else might really ever understand. My daughter has a form of profound hearing loss and and now has bilateral cochlear implants. I feel so fortunate to be able to know other moms whose life experiences include standing in a supermarket with a child whose "ears" have stopped working because they forgot to change batteries/bring along a spare . . . Thank you for your blog. Having a child who is differently abled is an adventure and it is not always easy to see that you're not alone in the adventure. Your special needs spotlight entries help me remember that I'm not the only mom struggling to balance the extra weight of an adventure that I hadn't planned on with the regular life adventures that all families go through.ReplyCancel

this is awesome! so happy for both your families to have been lead to each other. these four girls are all so darling. and i love morgan's wonderland! how cool that you happen to live close to a park made to accommodate ALL children! another high five to Heavenly Father.

PS – i never had a chance to comment on your post about your playdate where the kids were all asking questions, and you kind of wanted to punch them in the face. i say punch in the faces of those moms that didn't come help explain and teach their kids these tricky ideas!! sheesh! where were they in all this? ok, i'll lock up my mama bear, but for reals you're the coolest and you're the coolest to share your experiences with all of us so we can all learn and love!

also – i'd love to hear about times that you appreciated how other kids/parents reacted or things they said, how they explained things to their kids, etc. i always want to help my children love, understand and not judge or feel afraid of people/things they don't understand so any tips you have to share, i'd love to hear!ReplyCancel

We understand and we will be here when you return.
Enjoy your girl, children grow way too fast!

PS Beautiful pics. Your dress is lovely.

Liseli (a faithful reader, although it's the first time I comment because I can read your language, but to write in English is a lot harder…).ReplyCancel

I completely understand..and feel the need to do the same thing – take a blogging break for a bit to really spend time and connect with the kiddos before they're off to school again. Cheers to being a Mama…and loving it. 🙂ReplyCancel

You guys ALL look fabulous! I love Rachel's style. Did you know her and Grant bumped into me in Boston one day while I was doing a photo session! I later told my clients how much I love her work. Should have told her, though, huh?:)ReplyCancel

I think you look lovely in the pictures, and totally understand the choice to take a break and soak up the last days before school. That's a wise and inspiring choice, I think!

And I for one will be here when you come back. 🙂 Your blog has been an encouragement to me.ReplyCancel

I'm dying that she's got black tights over her head and on her arms. I think these kitties have their mom's sense of humor and creativity written all over them. Did they happen to ring the doorbell at strangers' houses and just wander in when the door was opened?ReplyCancel

Such cuties! I cannot get enough of Lamp and the ring pop! It makes me tear up (in a good way) every time. On a different note…has your oldest, PSP, seen the movie Dolphin Tale? My daughter who is almost 6 watched it and I immediately thought your family would enjoy it too.

~AnitaReplyCancel

Love seeing Lamp's hand! Not sure if I hadn't noticed it before or if the hand is new, but it is amazing!ReplyCancel