If Ever There Was A Time To Start A Blog ...

I've thought about writing a blog several times before ... when we had our babies, when we went to Disneyland, when we moved to a new house, and on and on.  And although those are all big events and milestones in our life, the McCartney family hit a pretty huge one last week.  Our youngest, Mallory, started middle school and our oldest, Macy, started high school.  That's right, one started middle school and one started high school.  I mean seriously, could there be a bigger, more monumental transition going on in our household right now???  We have 2 teenage girls, both with all the drama, craziness, loudness, and full on EXTREME range of activities.  Don't get me wrong, or take that in a negative way.  All of that busyness is good and positive (most of the time) but that doesn't mean that it isn't exhausting too!  The first week of school has brought us volleyball tryouts, tests, projects due, memorizing the Spanish alphabet, basketball parent meeting, buying school supplies (can I just say it is hard to find the right colors of folders with holes punched!), ordering books for English class, first church youth group night, and all the usual things like getting backpacks and school lunches ready for the next day.  I'm exhausted just thinking about all of it again as I type!

And as exhausting as it can all be on any given day, I am also thankful as I think back on the past week.  As crazy and busy as this season of life is, and just when I think I have had as much as I can take of the EXTREME high and excitement and the EXTREME low and despair in ONE DAY PEOPLE ... I think about how grateful I am that we get to live out this stage of life to the fullest with our girls.  And believe me, we live it to the fullest.  The McCartney girls have never been known for anything less.  We have girls that want to do it all and with that comes a range of emotions in the biggest way that can run the gamut within a few seconds.

So moms of teens and preteens ... love on those babies.  Yes, babies.  Because as grown up as they like to appear, they are still little ones trying to figure things out in this great big world.  And they need us, and we need them.  Because in just a short little while, they will be off and what will they remember most?  That we loved them well.

First Day of School 2007

Macy - 2nd Grade

Mallory - Kindergarten