Marathon blogs?

I feel I should apologize for the length of my blogs... it was gently pointed out to me by a very good friend the other day, and I hadn't really ever thought about it, to be honest.
I often get carried away and want to say everything all at once.  What I am learning about this blog, though, is that it is a journey on so many levels.   I will think about something to write, and then a million memories will come flooding back to me.  I thought it would be fun to add some photos, but I realized that most of my photos from these years are at home in albums on the shelf.  I will get to scanning them at some point, but for now... that is where they are.  This morning, I spent over an hour looking at photos from the moment Emily was born onwards today.  She woke up in time to join me for the shots of her walking for the first time and Zachary's birth... such a joy to see the look on her face while sharing these memories with me.  Zach was just as pleased to see himself finally joining the photos.   Here are a couple shots from our trip down memory lane.

I think what struck me most about looking at these photos was the change that came about with the addition of these two amazing children to our world.  The challenge of going to a new place, adapting to the new language, culture, environment... it all became so much more challenging with children.  We no longer have only ourselves to worry about.  I know this seems like such an obvious reflection, but it really didn't occur to me before having kids.  I'm not sure what I thought would happen, but I didn't foresee that things would be so incredibly different.  
Jordan and Saeideh are here visiting us right now, and we enjoyed a ladies afternoon at the spa yesterday (with Emily of course).  I was hit with a sudden wave as exhaustion as I was waiting my turn, and Saeideh was shocked at my surprise by this.  She didn't see how I could be surprised... with all the energy that I expend every day without even realizing it.  This is really the big difference I guess... that I naturally put the needs of the kids before my own.  A mother naturally puts things aside to make sure that her kids have all they need - physically, emotionally and developmentally.  I am learning, little by little, to care for myself.  I have been so blessed to meet such amazing people in my time overseas.   In every place that I have been, there have always been incredible women who have inspired me, challenged me, and taught me so much about being me.  I am grateful for them. 
As my mind starts to drift towards Canada, packing up here in Bogota, and moving on from the amazing friends we have made here, I am filled with mixed emotions.  That is the problem with moving on.  I need to make sure that the next three months are spent making memories with the ones that really matter to me.  That is my goal; to live in the moment, and enjoy every minute of it.