A Tribute to my Mom

So here I sit feeling slightly 'special' as I browse around trying to make heads or tails of this "blogging thing." BUT I was challenged today to make this and I said "I'll have it up and running by tonight" so here it is.  I keep my promises !

For now I will address the name of my blog "Making KoDaK Moments."  

How did I chose this title you may wonder ?  Well its thanks to my amaZing Mom (Donna Livasy) and over the years I have made this my life's mission.  

When I used to get frustrated by the demands of having 3 small children, just every day mundane 'stuff' my Mom was ALWAYS there to encourage me and pick me up.  

One day she just looked at me and said "Well, Tiff you can always CHOOSE to turn these situations into KoDaK Moments, or you can CHOOSE to keep letting them get to you."  Or thats how I remember it anyway.  :p  

And sure enough I slowly caught on to making the most of even the worst of things that happen into Kodak Moments.

Like when on a family vacation for example... Picture hot, humid weather, sweaty, sticky, tired, cranky children all three age FOUR and under, two stressed out parents, and a wonderful loving Grandma out touring the streets of Virgina Beach.  

three

When all of a sudden one of those three precious children, suffering from the heat index, gets sick.  

We're not talking just any sick, we are talking projectile, exorcist style head spinning, puke fest.  

On me, Randy, Courtney, Camden, the stroller, his clothes, the ground... you name it he(Kyle)covered it. In that moment, though I knew he didnt do this to me on purpose, and my heart was hurting for my baby because well, he was sick,I'll be honest I.Was.Not.Happy.  We started reaching for wipes, extra clothing, bibs, spare sox, anything we could get our hands on to clean the mess.  

I looked to my mom for help and see her doing the most unconscionable thing ~ she was taking a picture of this mess and to make it worse she was SMILING.  

My first thought was 'how dare you, do you not SEE what I'm dealing with' but instead I said (quite lovingly I'm sure) "MOM this isnt the time to snap pictures we need help."  And she said "Oh but it is, I'm taking a picture of this "Kodak Moment."  

I wish I could say that at that moment I 'got it' but I wont lie, I was irritated as heck with her.  Of course after her photo op that seemed to last a life time, she came and calmly took care of Kyle, and helped with the mess.  All the while smiling her 'I have inner peace' smile while, I was still fuming, which of course, made me even more irritated.  

I am here to tell you however, that not only did I survive that ordeal (and you'll be happy to know that my Mom survived to hehe) but I made it through MANY more trials, and testing situations.  

My mom was right there with me through them, be it literally, or on the phone, instilling in me that whisper of This To Shall Pass and it IS a Kodak Moment.   

She is and will always be my number one Balcony Person.  (if you haven't read this book yet I highly recommend it)  In other words shes my personal cheerleader...

Now, years later, those same kids that I thought would NEVER grow up are growing SO fast (another thing my Mom warned me about) almost too fast... but not fast enough that I cant with the flash of a shutter, catch glimpses and pieces of all the wonderful memories they have given me, and that we have created together. 

So I guess I said all this to say, I dedicate this, my first blog post to my Mom ~ with out her I would still be fuming at 'those' moments and I'd be missing out on the Joy, just pure Joy, of living in the moment, going with the flow, and yes, snapping away at those Kodak Moments, one beloved puke fest at a time...  Dont be afraid to just MAKE your own K.M.'s ~ in fact I encourage and challenge you to do so.  You will thank me one day, just as I thanked my Mom ~ Trust me on this.

I love you Mom, I hope you know you mean the world to me ~ and this little family would NOT be the strong bonded unit we have become with out YOU !!!