I am THAT mom...

You know, the kind that makes conventional neighbors want to put up a fence so their kids can't see how much fun we're having at 9pm on a school night... doing shoulderstands with each other and looking like carny folk.

I'm that mom who cut my hair off and dyed my bangs green just like my daughters because we all thought it was fun.

I'm that mom who knows how to make delicious food from scratch and grow beautiful, nutritious food that everyone loves. I'm that mom who doesn't always have the energy to do that anymore but who finds the time to nourish one child's desire to learn to do it for herself.

I'm that mom who always takes my children seriously as the fully-formed people they are and encourages exploration of their own life paths even when they differ from my own. I'm that mom who always views my children with eyes of amazement and wonder at the people they are and the people they are becoming.

I'm that mom who no longer has small, dependent children and is grateful for this next phase of our lives that allows me more time and space to explore who I am and who I'm growing into.

I'm that mom who dances like a crazy fool to the Black Eyed Peas even though I don't like their music all that much.

I'm that mom who will go rock climbing, kayaking and surfing with her kids even though I'm old and not that great at it. And I'm that mom who will free climb half way up a rock when a child gets scared to talk them down and reassure them even though I'm afraid of heights.

I'm that mom who follows her passions fully and freely and invites her children along for the ride.

I'm that mom who's learning to play a musical instrument for the first time in her life and loving the passion for music my kids are developing alongside me. I'm that mom who buys her kids a ukulele and a djembe and a keyboard so we can make crazy mishmosh music together without harping on them to practice.

I'm that mom who plays World of Warcraft and runs dungeons with her kids and enthusiastically shows them her new drake mount and lets them fly it all around. I'm that mom who will spend her morning helping a child level up a character while they sleep soundly in their beds.

I'm that mom who's cool and kinda crazy and will talk openly, honestly, and from the heart about anything and everything, admitting freely that I don't have all the answers but that I'll always have a whole lot of love and compassion.

I'm that mom who always lets her kids play in her closet and dress up in her clothes.

I'm that mom who no matter where we are or where we go will always give her children a sense of home and comfort in her hug.

I'm exactly that mom I always said I'd be even when my own mother told me it would never happen and I'd know better once I had my own children.

Soooo much to catch up on!

Gonna have to start doing a series of catch-up posts... kind of a photo documentary. I'll start with some great climbing photos from this fall: