2011....

Okay, I really didn't fall off the face of the earth.  I am still alive and most importantly, I survived 2010.  Oi what a year it was!  Broken elbow, broken finances, broken jobs, broken house,  on the flip side, fixed house, new job, happy kids, healing elbow, ending so very well.  I am happy, my family is happy, life is truly good once again.  2011 could be a pretty crazy year.  There are some exciting things in the pipe line...all of which I will share more about as they come clearer!  But here is a quick re-cap on where things are since September!!

LOVE my job.  Love working with the youth and using my creativity to plan and write and share my faith.

LOVING my house...at long last.  Floors are refinished, I have my first grown up couch, new stove and microwave...now I just need to deal with the mess!

LOVING my kiddo's.  They are all thriving in their own ways.  M still wobbles between big girl and little girl. ( May 2011 bring potty training and soon!) and is all girlie girl...at last!
J-dog is a wonderful almost as tall as me soon to be teen.  We really have fun together and it is a blessing.
Z-man is finally finding his stride and is doing so well!!  It is great to see him settle into life and flourish!
B-bear is hilarious.  He is ALL boy and such a hoot to be with.  And he still cuddles...I love it!

Things to work on....I will soon have a list of 100 things...things I am going to accomplish in the next few years.  It is still a bit of a work in progress, but hope to have it on the blog soon...and I am pledging to blog more this year.  Time isn't the easiest to find these days, but if I took a little of my facebook time and put it towards the blog, I might be able to keep up!

Happy new year one and all !!

And then he was teen....

Oh my goodness.  Who took my child and made him a teenager?  I am pretty sure I was just a teen myself and am surely NOT old enough to have birthed a child who is now a teen.  Yiekity Yiek Yiek Yieks!  So in the last two weeks said teen has...gotten a Facebook account, gotten a cell phone, run wild with his friends at the football game, shopped at Aeropostle , needed oxy clean for zits, started algebra...the list goes on.  My sweet, sweet baby boy...the one who changed my world in so many wonderful ways.  He is still wonderful.  Still responsible and sweet and truly a friend to me.  He is the perfect mix of his dad and I and brings strength to all those qualities.  I pray the teen years are good to him, because wow, what a great kid!

Still Alive and Kicking

I am still alive.  I know I sort of missed most of summer.  It really has been a wonderful whirlwind of fun and craziness.  I have written a million blog posts in my mind, but not so many here.  Life's pace has picked up considerably and it is great, but nuts.  So here it is in a nut shell:

Summer was good.  Great lake time with both sides of the family.  Time with my family of origin, by myself in Seattle, for my nephews most amazing baptism.  Hail storms and new roofs, carpenter ants and a garage demo, cleaning and purging and lawn mowing, minimal garden tending, children chasing, pool swimming, fire-fly watching, boat riding, water-ski-coaching all in all a good time.

The kids are all launched back into the fall routine.  Thank the Lord!  Good teachers for everyone.  Can't quite believe I have a Jr. Higher...wow.  Meron is in full time daycare and loving it.  She loves hanging out at "Beff's" house (Beth!) and has even started taking naps again.  WOW!  This weekend we will celebrate her 2 year Family day.  2 years ago, we were picking her up in Ethiopia.  It feels like a lifetime ago.

And then there is ME.  Yes ME!  I found ME again and it is wonderful!  For the first time in more years than I can count, I am remembering who I am.  Not mom, not wife, not maid, not cook but me.  I LOVE my new job and the people I have met and gotten to work with.  I love using my brain and going to work, by myself.  I love creating and thinking, and hanging out with my youth group kids.  It really is wonderful and I am loving getting to know me again.  I missed her!

So there ya go.  Life is good, kids are good, I am good.  :)  God is GOOD!

The Lake

I'm pretty sure heaven is a lake in MN, with the loons singing, children laughing, and a comfy floaty, riding the waves, sipping a diet coke, sunshine kissing my cheeks.  We are at the lake.  This is the first of three weeks at various MN lakes for me.  This week with E's family, next week with kids from church, and the next week with my family of origin.  I can't imagine a better way to enjoy life. Miss sunshine loves the lake this year.  She mostly loves the boat and asked several time today..."we go in the boat and go bumpy bump fast and I will go Yipee!!"  She is hillarious.  She loves fish and enjoyed holding worms and sunnies.  Such fun.  J-dog now has his boat license so he can drive...pretty proud.   And Z and  B are thriving on the sun and the sand.  I LOVE THE LAKE!!

One Week In

Well, one week under my belt.  What a good week it was.  Spent most of the week cleaning the office, sorting files, trying to make it home...since I hope to spend many happy hours there.   I woke up this morning feeling so peaceful.  What a wonderful feeling.  To know all is okay, to be happy, to be satisfied!  Still having a little trouble relenquishing full control at home, but so far so good.  The kids had a great first week off.  There was a little too much rain, but other than that, it was good.  I think the summer will fly by.  Here are a couple of office pics...still no desk, so it is a little makeshift at the moment!

Now it's off to make a plan for Saturday.  It's raining cats and dogs...so we will see what transpires. 

"NO! I non't wan tooooo"

Hard to believe such a sweet little face could scream this at the top of her lungs.  But drive by on any given day at any given time, and there is a strong chance that this is what you will hear!  We hear it loud and soft, whiney and defiant, with tears and without, in full tantrum mode and with a laugh behind it.  Ahh yes, we have entered that lovely stage between 2 1/2 and 3 1/2.  This is the ONLY stage so far in raising all of the kids that I honestly wonder whose child they are and why I ever thought I was a good mother.   They are caught between big and little, wanting to do so much, but not wanting to grow too fast.  It could be a long summer.  At least all the brothers are home to take turns with her.  I made the silly mistake of taking them all to the mall with me today.  What ever was I thinking.  I love to shop with my kids, one at a time or maybe even two at a time, but all four? That is a ticket straight to the psyche ward! We must have made quite a sight for other mall goers.  A stroller being pushed rather haphazardly by a distracted 7 year old, a slightly whiney 10 year old, a 12 year old who kept trying to catch his reflection in the store windows and a little sprite of a 2 3/4 yr old weaving in and out, singing the "no, no, no song"  Ahh what an adventure.  Target will never be the same.  

I start my new job in the morning.  I can't wait.  I am a little nervous, but mostly just really excited.  I haven't worked full time in 12 years.  I haven't gotten this nice of a paycheck either!  It will be wonderful.  The kids and I were talking about the changes and I told them that it wouldn't change that much for them....just that they would have a happier mom.  That will make all the difference.  To finally have the chance to do something I love, that makes a difference to others is a great feeling.

Must head to bed...gotta get up and go to work after all.  I will hope to post pics of my office makeover, and settling in over the next few days!

Pictures~

Mama got a new camera and boy is she having fun with it!!  Here is a little peek....

I love capturing these adorable faces~  Now if I can just figure out how to get them to upload quicker!!