Dear long lost friends,
I won't waste time with apologies and long explanations for my hiatus. Basically, I have just been uninspired to blog and even considered shuttin' her down. But instead (!) I discovered this fun new template last week, and it encouraged me to give the ol' blog another try. Cute, huh? I'm not making any promises to do better, because I refuse to set myself up for failure. :) But I certainly hope to. Thanks to those who have kept up your blogs...I've been reading and have enjoyed keeping up with you. So we've been connected...you just didn't know it :)
We all enjoyed nice, long breaks from school during the holidays. It feels like I've hardly been working between Christmas, New Year's, parish-wide inservices, and now MLK. The girls have loved being home, sleeping late, and riding their bikes on our days off. AK finally put aside her fear of the bike sans training wheels--with lots of tough love from her dad--and is now enjoying riding in the open air! I soo remember the feeling of independence and freedom that came with bike riding and I can see that same rush in her when she rides. It's been a milestone for us! (Meanwhile, Elle's dominating her training wheels.)
After a month off, Rafe started back to school last week and the end is in sight! He finished last semester with very high marks, though he won't be quick to tell you that. I will do the boasting for him, however. He's done great.
My house is finally back in some semblance of order since Christmas. I think all the new toys have homes now. Speaking of toys, the grown-ups got some pretty sweet ones for Christmas this year--namely, a new camera for me (*YES*) and a new computer, both thanks to the generous, selfless people on this Earth I call my parents. Neither gifts were necessarily needed, but both are very much being enjoyed and appreciated. Having two computers has been quite the luxury--it's especially wonderful to work side-by-side with Anna Kate while she plays online with her Webkinz. I'm loving the Webkinz thing--what a great concept!
Little AK is about to be 7 (!) on the 14th of next month. I've scheduled a party at a paint-your-own-pottery place and she's so looking forward to it. I'm accepting clever ideas for party favors if you've got 'em. Like I said...unispired. Creativity has escaped me here lately. By the way, Bekah should post about the fabulous pajama party she threw for Emily--it was so fun...so many cute ideas... and Bekah was sooo laid back with all those hyper girls running around her house.
Elle is doing great...still as silly and insanely charming as ever. She is obsessed with knowing who is good and who is bad, who is nice, and who is mean. Jesus and Santa are the top two on her nice list, and I'm on there somewhere--she tells me at least 20 times a day, "Oooh, sweet little momma, you're so goood." Which is nice to hear :) She is liking school, and is not the least bit humiliated by the fact that she still sucks her first two fingers when she so much as thinks about her blanket. Which is all the time. It's sort of an issue. But only sort of because, really, why sweat the small stuff?
Rafe went camping this weekend as well, so I really hit the jackpot for "me" time. (I hate that expression, but am using it anyway.) I missed him, of course, but there is something so satisfying about sleeping diagonally in the bed. Don't tell him I said that.
So nice, too, to crawl in bed with the laptop and watch all the ABC shows I've missed in the last month. Not that there were that many...I'll be so glad when the writers' strike is over. I NEED my programs. Ha.
Oh, wow, this is such a rambling, random, all over the place post. But if I worry about that, I'll never post!
Stay tuned for pics and funnies from the little girls.
Love,
Lauren
Oh, wow, this is such a rambling, random, all over the place post. But if I worry about that, I'll never post!
Stay tuned for pics and funnies from the little girls.
Love,
Lauren
