The Js have settled-in in Bay St. Louis, just a few blocks from the beach. Doesn’t that sound like fun? Young, newlywed and living on the coast. Yum.

We celebrated Halloween with the whole gang at home.   It was great fun! The Js drove up from the coast and New Mom and her little fam came, too. So everyone was under one roof for a little fellowship, good food and fun.

We had a campfire for roasting wieners and marshmallows as our traditional Halloween celebration. A little frisbee and yackleball. Some old-school Nintendo, but the big hit was the five-way game of  Halo. Yes, the video game freaks had a blast.

Obligatory pic of the campfire

The Newlyweds

The Oldy-weds

New Mom & New Dad

Real Estate Mogul

Obligatory pic of food...see it...the wiener on the fork.

Ahh, Good Old Nintendo

Five-Way Halo!!!!! Woo Hoo!

Old Aunt and Nephew...just 8 years apart. Funny, huh?

No petting zoo, clowns or herds of sugar hyped unruly toddlers…. just mommy, daddy and birthday boy… and the [cup]cake! Although to be truthful, we had at least planned to celebrate with other family members, but our schedules just wouldn’t allow.

I don’t know which Aiden enjoyed more, fixing things with his new tool set, or the [cup]CAAAKE!!!

-new mom

Well, my mother-in-law celebrated her 70th birthday this month. Now, darn it. Why does that make me feel old? Okay, okay, I won’t go there again. Back to the birthday.

The entire family gathered at a local ‘fish camp’ to enjoy seafood and fried catfish in honor of Granny Sue. I think  catfish may be a ’southern’ delicacy (for those of you who may have never heard of this delicious treat). And the fish camp is not really a camp, more like a very casual restaurant. You know; shorts, blue jeans and flip flops.

Plenty of fresh cole slaw, sweet iced tea, hush puppies and french fries to go around. All you can eat, as a matter of fact, in true southern style. Enough good food to just simply make you eat more than you should until you are miserable. But the biggest treat was the delectable cake made by our local  and famous recipe queen, Lorie.

Alas, this cake is not one of Lorie’s contest winning recipes, but one of her recipe-contest-winning pal’s. Lorie did a superb job on this cake and if you need a simply wonderful new dessert for an extra special occasion, well just click here and print. Chocolate Toffee Caramel Crunch Cake with Peanut Butter Meringue Frosting. It is a true delight!

While everyone else was enjoying the eating-too-much-fest, I was at home on the couch with a strained back muscle. But my sweet family delivered a to-go plate to me along with a nice size slice of that birthday cake. Yummmmmy!

Oooh, and look! The cake matches our new blog look! Thanks to J or J for the great change! It is much easier to read than our previous look.

So, what exactly caused my check-with-reality? This beautiful birthing story. No, it is not a friend’s birthing story as it would have been in the past. It is the daughter of my friend! Ha! How old does that make me feel? Well, maybe even older than when my daughter birthed my beautiful grandson two years ago. More on that in a bit.

As a Le Leche League Leader for many, many moons; I have read stories by the old-wise-ones concerning breastfeeding and birthing as it related to their grown children and grandchildren. But as a young mom, I just could not really wrap my brain around the reality that it would happen to me.

Really Now! No one ever told me that my children would really grow up. It just seemed impossible during that flurry of busy-ness where it seemed that nothing ever really got accomplished besides a lot of nursing, laundry, an occasional bath and maybe even a good meal every now and then. But, I suppose a lot of growing up was happening. sigh.

Well, here I am with a completely new identity and I don’t even know when exactly it happened. I am still learning to embrace the ‘new me’. These days I rarely think of birthing or breastfeeding when comparing to the all-consuming thoughts of yesteryear!

Don’t get me wrong, I like the new me and she showed up just in time; because I don’t think my back and joints could walk a sick toddler around all night anymore. But I am also sad that it is over. It was such a sweet, sweet, precious time even if it was busy, busy, hard work.

So, I spend my days homeschooling my three daughters, running our websites, helping Caleb with his lawn care business, and renovating old homes with him and my husband for rental property partnership. Yes, it is busy, busy, busy…but oh, so different.

Yes, I am the Old Mom in this blog venture. My daughter is the New Mom. And sweet little Aiden made us so. It is a good change after all!