Marmie

We have about 2.5 days left in Bellingham.  The house is empty.  Boxes packed. Work is done (for Matt - 2 more days for me).  And goodbyes have begun.  It's funny though, because of the chaos of moving, 2 small kids, and a major eye surgery we really haven't had time to process it all.  There have been few tears but I realize this is silly because we really are only moving like an hour away.  And hello, we have Facebook to keep in touch every single second of the day.  But still, some goodbyes are definitely harder than others.

One of those is Marmie.  Marmie has been the kids' childcare provider since Carter was 4 months old.  It was a random February night about 6 weeks before my maternity leave was over and we realized we should probably figure out childcare for when I returned to work.  Trying to be funny, Matt suggested we look on Craigslist.  I said, "Are you nuts?!?  There are crazy people on there.  I'm not having some stranger watch our child!"  About 30 seconds later he read an ad for Marmie's Place - a gentle loving Grandma providing one-on-one in home care.  It sounded perfect.  We met with her 3 days later and never looked back. 

Over the last 2.5 years Marmie has become a part of our family.  She knows the kids better than anyone else (sometimes, I think, even better than me!).  She has become like a mother figure to me, a mentor and friend.  She has been my constant support during these first 2+ years of being a mother.  And, we love her. 

When I went into labor with Lucy, she was one of the first people we called.  She let Carter spend the night at her place so we didn't have to worry about him while I was at the hospital.  She graciously allowed us to take Lucy there when I went back to work again and has always just loved our kids.  

It'll be hard to not see Marmie and our friends each day.  

So, to say thank you, we decided to take some pictures.  It wasn't easy.  But we tried.

After Lucy got bonked in the head we decided to wait another day and try again.

And...they were done!

 Thank you, Marmie, for loving my children and providing a safe place for them to learn, grow and laugh.  You will always hold a special place in our hearts.