Peck Family Reunion

We had our annual Peck Family Reunion this year out at Shaun and Kerry's house. We mostly spent time visiting and letting the kids run around. Most the family set up tents outside Shaun and Kerry's and stayed the night Friday night. Saturday morning we ate breakfast, hung around and visited, and then went to Hyrum Dam. It was a fun time. I love being with my family so much. I always hate when it ends. We had all of us together but 5. It was SOOO big! I have photos I will post later.

First Day of the Rest of Your Life

It seems appropriate to say it like that, because really...kindergarten is a HUGE step! It's the last time I feel like a parent gets of the "baby" years. It's when you realize that babies don't stay babies for long. It's when you feel a little ache in your heart at the thought of trusting a bus to get your daughter to the right place at the right time, safely. It's when I realized that I have just enrolled my daughter into government control. ick. I realized this upon sitting in on her class today for the parent hour and hearing the teacher say "your child can only have 5 unexcused absences." I was a little upset about that...I should have the choice to keep my daughter home, or take her on an extended vacation any time I want to without it making me feel like it means I'm a bad mom. Don't get me wrong. I realize how important schooling is. But it ISN'T everything. I am pretty sure that most of the stuff Aspen is going to learn in kindergarten, her dad and I have already taught her. (Well, to be honest, mostly her dad has taught her. I wasn't blessed with school smarts.) I am excited however, for her to learn the social aspects of school a little more. Learning discipline, respecting adults, respecting time. Not that we haven't taught her these things, but sometimes I think a child learns better from another source then from a parent when it comes to this, since parents aren't always considered the "cool" adult. I remember being embarrassed lots of times of my own parents (shame shame) but was so influenced by other adults around me. I hope she makes good friends and great memories.

And I will wipe away a tear and let my baby grow.

First Day of Kindergarten photo. I know it's crappy...had to take it on my phone...notice how she likes to accessorize? It took me 27 years to learn to dress cute and accessorize, and Aspen picks out her own outfits and accessories. She is big into necklaces right now, and if she doesn't feel cute enough, is sure to tell me she needs something cuter. She is so much fun! Love you little big girl!

Photo Site

I finally did it! So many people kept asking me for my website when they wanted to do sessions with me, and I just haven't ever taken the time to put anything together where I put my photos and information. I decided since I am picking up more families, it was time. So if you want to follow me there, I will start posting all my photos there and keep this blog as my journal. I guess it's not super professional to have them combined! I will still be updating it and making it better, but for now this is it.

http://photographybyshandalynn.blogspot.com

Please leave me some comments and let me know what you think!

If I could save time in a bottle...

Today Aspen begged to spend the night at her Grandmas house. Something she has done A LOT in her life. She adores her Grandma Peck and spends many hours making her do her bidding. She can be a very demanding child, and Grandma more often then not lets her get away with it. Grandma gave her the ok to spend the night, and as I was leaving my moms, the realization struck me that this would be one of Aspens last weeknight sleepovers until summer. She starts kindergarten next week and will have to wait until the weekends to have any more sleepovers. It was such a strange idea to me that I had to stop and take a deep breath. I know that everyday she is growing older, but there is a small ache in my heart for how fast it is all going. It's hard for me to picture her as a baby anymore. She was so tiny! I thought she'd never grow, and then it happened so quickly, I hardly noticed all the changes. When did her hands stop being tiny cherub hands? When did she get tall enough to reach the sink? I wish so much that I had the time to watch all these tiny changes, but time never slows for long. So often I wish I could just still time, make it so I don't miss a moment of her growing older, but I know by tomorrow I will have work to go to, dishes to wash, books to read, letters to write, a house to clean, and all the while she will keep growing. I hope that I am making what I can of the moments I have with her. I know that so often I don't use my time with her as wisely as I could. So often I am so exhausted when I get home from work and school that I just want me time...But i'm never going to get these moments with her back. It's made me stop and rethink some decisions I'm making in my life right now. I'm desperately trying to decide if I'm going to go back to school this next semester. i still have at least a year and a half to two years of schooling left. But Aspen will be in kindergarten this year. The last year she will ever only go to school half day. If I take classes, to fit it in my work schedule I have to go early mornings and late nights. When does that leave any time for Aspen? So I'm thinking I might take this year off so I can get off work at 3 or 4 and spend the rest of the day with her. It's a hard decision. It will put me way behind my graduating class. I will have to put a lot of thought and prayer into it. I just don't want to lose out on the rest of her "baby" years. I don't know if Kindergarten still counts as a baby year...but to me it does. Anyway, lots of thoughts. The words to the following song kept running through my head today.


Songwriters: CROCE, JAMES

If I could save time in a bottle
The first thing that I'd like to do
Is to save every day
Till Eternity passes away
Just to spend them with you

If I could make days last forever
If words could make wishes come true
I'd save every day like a treasure and then,
Again, I would spend them with you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with

If I had a box just for wishes
And dreams that had never come true
The box would be empty
Except for the memory
Of how they were answered by you

But there never seems to be enough time
To do the things you want to do
Once you find them
I've looked around enough to know
That you're the one I want to go
Through time with

just for journaling

Today Aspen and I went on a hike with Michelle and her family up Logan Canyon. Aspen declared that she is going to marry their little boy hayden AFTER he goes on his mission. I'm glad she is being supportive of boys going on missions already! That's my girl! We had a fun day with them and went for Ice Cream after, then to the Smurf movie...which wasn't really my favorite...but it was worth seeing I guess. And then we went to Olive Garden per aspens request. It was a good day, it was fun to spend time with her and visit with her a little bit. I still can't believe how big she is every time I look at her. Where did my baby go?

Out of the mouth of Aspen

We were shopping for backpacks for her and she saw a Dora one and announced to the store "Dora's not even cool anymore"

She has a hard time making decisions because she wants to do and have everything. I'm always telling her she needs to make a decision, and she always tells me there are too many. Isn't that the truth about life!

"I don't want to be called cute anymore! I want to be called Aspen the Beautiful!"

Talking about her stuffed animal, "He's a nocturnal by day animal and a nocturnal by night animal...have you ever HEARD of one of those?" No aspen, I have not. But Nocturnal is a very big word for a little girl

"You lift one side, and I will lift one side. That's cooperating mama!" Oh how I love her!!!

Today we went to McDonalds and I bought her a happy meal, and she says, "Thanks for getting me a happy meal this time mom, last time you got me a sad meal remember!" haha. She thinks when I get her fast food and I don't get it in a "Happy meal" that it's a "sad meal"

She makes my heart sing. She is always saying and doing the cutest things and I just love her so much. We read a chapter book together every night, and I cherish the time with her. This is the first year she has allowed me to read her a chapter book. Before she has been too bored with it. When we first started out reading the chapter book a couple weeks ago, she threw fits about having to listen to a book with no pictures, but now she insists on it every night. I love her more than I can ever say! I went to girls camp the past 3 days (more on that later) and I didn't realize how much I miss her when I'm away from her, because I normally get to at least talk to her on the phone every day when I'm gone, but this time I didn't have any service and didn't get to talk to her for 3 days and I was really homesick for my little buddy.