This is what it is ALL about!

Liam learned three new things while I was in Washington!  He learned to clap, to do "Indian" (don't know how else to describe it!  He will make a noise while you gently tap his sweet mouth or run your finger up and down his lips!), AND to drink out of a sippy cup!  Ok, he doesn't have that one nailed yet but he's getting there!  So darned cute! 

And now I am feeling a bit sad, ya know? 

Not so much because he's learning so much and growing up - even though that is a bit sad.

 But that I missed so darned much of the other three kids!  Holy Cow! 

 I got to see bits and pieces and the girls were really REALLY good at keeping me updated with pics and emails and letters but still, it just missed, ya know?

Like Saturday.  Katie and Kim came over with the boys (I was finally well enough to see them and not worry about sharing) .  Liam showed us his new tricks and Collin was snuggly/cuddly with me (I think he missed ME too!)  Then we were watching Liam try to crawl!  He'd get up on his hands and knees then raise up to his feet with bum in the air!  Then he'd rock a bit and boom, he was over on his side with hands and feet in the air!  We'd laugh, he'd laugh and roll over and try it again. Poppa tried to coax him to crawl by putting a toy out of reach but he didn't want it bad enough to go for it! 

 I hear today that last night, Liam wanted a punch ball bad enough that he just crawled over to it! 
And I missed it!  But I will get to see him crawl this weekend and that is awesome to me. 

And then sad sets in. 

I missed Kira doing that, and walking, and her first words, not to mention rolling over or smiling or ANYTHING!  Same with Evan. We missed seeing him with his first trains, but we got to see him with his first BIG BOY trains at Christmas!   I got to see a bit more of Collin's 'stuff' but not brand-new-to-him type stuff..... just because ALL his grandparents lived in Idaho so they came to see us more often than Heidi and her family got to.  And I understand that. 

But I still missed it.

NOW do you understand why we had to move here?  Why we had to leave good jobs in Idaho and friends and memories to move clear to Southern AZ? 

 Yep, it's a no brainer!