The Moments We Cherish

It has been so hectic around here I really have not had much time to blog. It seems that we are always going somewhere and last week was no exception. My sister and her family came to Florida and we all took a trip down to the Keys. We split up the trip between Key Largo and Key West. It was a lot of fun. We spent our days swimming at the pool or the beach as well as sight seeing in Key West. My sister found a butterfly and nature conservatory that was awesome. It was so cool to watch as Katie realized a few moments after entering that there was all of this motion from butterflies and birds all around her. She had such a sweet, open and serene look on her face. We purchased an acrylic encasement of beautiful butterflies from all over the world. They were placed there after their 10 day life span was over. On it is inscribed the following statement which we absolutely loved:

We Don't Remember Days; We Remember Moments

I realized during the week that our lives have changed so much. It is not that I did not realize it before but when you go away from your home and routines it becomes very clear that life is not "easy" anymore. Since Justin is an adult our life was very carefree before and we were able to go at our whim. Now we need to be mindful of Katie Starr and keep to somewhat of a schedule for her as well as do things that will be entertaining to her. There is much more planning and packing. It is not always easy but moments that we are living with her are so rich and make life so worthwhile. Having our daughter forces us to see things all over again in a fresh new way and almost always with humor. Something as simple as eating an ice cream cone on a hot summer evening brings such pleasure. Watching her splash away in the pool with total abandon brings us such joy. Seeing her interact and fall in love with the people we love and have them fall in love with her brings such happiness.

Life as we knew it is over for now; that is very clear. Our new life is all about cherishing the moments as viewed through the eyes of our precious girl.