growing up.

Ten years old.

This one has been a big one for us.  It seems like just yesterday we were living in a little two-bedroom house in town and I was revealing to Matthew that we were expecting a baby.  That was June of 2006.

Fast-forward a few months to September.  We purchased our current house and started to make it work for what was to become our family of three.

And on December 30, 2006, a little girl came into our lives.  Harlee Kathleen.  Our oldest daughter.  

And now she's ten.

Back when she was six weeks old (like in this picture), she let me dress her in pink.  Now...pink is definitely NOT her favorite color.

She prefers athletic shorts and basketball shoes to skirts and dresses.  

She prefers work jeans and boots to capris and "cute" tops.

And this week, she attended her first multi-day away from home basketball camp.

Granted, she went with my two nieces and my sister-in-law.

And she stayed in a hotel at night, instead of the dorms.

But still.  It has been a lot for this mama to handle.

My sweet baby girl is growing up.

We're over halfway to 18.

I. Cannot. Handle. It.​

These last three days without my oldest baby girl at home really has me reflecting on our day-to-day life.  

I get so caught up in the "stuff" of life that sometimes I forget to take time to enjoy my kids at the stages in life they are. 

I spend time on laundry and dishes and school tasks and... the list goes on and on.

But what will my kids remember?

That Mom spent all of her time cleaning?  
That Mom doesn't like nail polish and mud pies because those things are messy?  
That Mom is always busy with photography or teacher tasks or housework?

This isn't what I want them to remember.

And I think that's one of the reasons that the farmhouse is so exciting to me. 

It's a reset.  We can start over.  We can be very picky about what we take into the new house.  About what we choose to give our time to.  Because our time raising these sweet babies is precious and limited.

Less stuff, more life.