No, we haven't fallen off the face of the earth.

Even though it probably appears that way. We are, in fact, still around - just severely neglecting this blog. I have been completely consumed the past 2 1/2 weeks with my new "job" - more on that later - and everything else seems to have fallen by the wayside.

The kids have settled into their 2nd grade routine - and are totally busy with homework, soccer, Awana, piano and football. The bad part about 2nd grade is for mom. They have officially reached the point where hugging mom is NOT allowed in the school building. Or anywhere on the premises for that matter. No more hugs at the classroom door in the morning. Can you hear my heart breaking? I knew it would happen - - just not this soon. Uggh. Payback, right mom and dad?? :)

Meanwhile, I've embarked on my newest adventure with God. And it's a big one. I've done a little calculating and estimate that my new position takes 16-20 hours a week, every week. I've definitely been feeling "in over my head," completely and thoroughly overwhelmed, but am learning a whole lot about TRUST. Trusting that God will equip me and give me the time, wisdom and energy to do this successfully. There's no way I can do it on my own. And trusting that the stress and anxiety I've been consumed by will soon fade . . .?

We've managed to squish in some fun stuff too . . . had our annual pickle canning day a couple weeks ago.

The boys started an NFL flag football league - no practices and they just play a game on Sunday afternoons. My kind of sport - not a big time commitment. They were drafted by the Chicago Bears . . . .

And last weekend, Mark saw one of his dreams fulfilled - a trip to Las Vegas with his parents. He's been begging them to go with us for years now, and in celebration of their 40th anniversary, we all finally made it happen. It was awesome.

We stayed here . . .

And played here . . . .

Happy Anniversary Paul and LaRayne!

We toured the Bellagio's conservatory, which I always have to check out because it's always amazing. They were all decorated for fall right now - check out this tree!

He talked and looked around and looked SO REAL. And here was an 830 pound pumpkin. Real. Wow.

Mark and his mom being the big Beatles fans, we took in the Beatles LOVE show. It was totally spectacular. But of course this was the only picture we got - us at the entrance. We had so much fun over the weekend we sort of forgot to take pictures! :)

There's a glimpse of our lives the past few weeks. We also have a big change in this household coming this weekend - stay tuned!

A Reality Check

Jack and Noah had been in school all of 3 days when Noah contracted a terrible cold. I always brace myself when Noah gets a bad cold, because if HE gets nailed, then we know it's a bad one. (He's usually able to brush these things off.)

Sure enough, Jack was next, and that poor little dude has the worst time with colds. The day his really took hold, I did what every good mother would do and hauled him to the waterpark in Spearfish for the day. I figured it's just a stuffy nose, and heaven knows we have 169 of those throughout the school year.

Ha. Now I'm getting my payback for being such a responsible mother. It's my turn. I haven't had a cold like this in years. I feel like someone loaded my head up with cement. I've been stationed on our couch for two days surrounded by Kleenex, Sudafed, Motrin and Mentholatum. The highlight of my day is when a little fresh air is actually able to enter through my nose. What a feeling.

Anyway, I've had some time now to do a little blog-reading, and was reading through the blog of Mary Beth Chapman - the wife of Steven Curtis Chapman. WOW. (This is the family that lost their 5 yr. old daughter in May of '08). Here's an excerpt from her Christmas entry (sorry if you've already seen this):

How would I have lived differently if I knew that my time with Maria was going to be this short? Regretfully, I would have lived much differently. I would have purposely hugged and kissed more. I would have tried to memorize and lock away in my heart certain smells and smiles. I would have colored more and worked less. I would have laughed more and fussed less. Bedtime wouldn’t have become a chore to check off the list of things to get done. Instead it would have been more of an opportunity to listen about the day and offer whatever words were needed. The swimming pool wouldn’t have been too cold to swim in. The flowers in the garden would have all been picked, and definitely more ice cream would have been consumed!

What an awesome reminder of how precious the moments are that we have with our children - and in the grand scheme of things, those moments are so few. This woman knows that better than most. I soooo want to remember this every day - even in the moments of mouthiness and disobedience and struggle and heartache. We do make very conscious efforts to cherish our time with our kids - and interestingly enough, as a result, have been met with criticism from various sources - but I truly don't care.

And have you heard Steven Curtis Chapman's new song - "Heaven is the Face?" Oh my. I've heard it a few times and have yet to get through it without tears. Go find it! What an amazing family.

The kids are skipping soccer practice tonight. They are worn out and need some mom and dad time. Popular idea with some people? Nope. But I don't care. :)

Conversations with Noah . . .

Today after school while I was at a PTA meeting, Mark took the kids shopping for my birthday.
Which is usually a fairly easy experience for him because he just takes them to my favorite store, the Weathered Vane. One could walk in there and pick out just about anything and I'd be totally happy with it.

So tonight at dinner, I was teasing the kids about their shopping trip . . .

Me: "So guys, what did ya get me?!?!"
Noah: "Nothing. We couldn't find anything. We have to go shop more tomorrow."
Me: "You didn't go to the Weathered Vane?"
Noah: "Yep."
Me: "And you didn't find anything??"
Noah: "Nope."
Me: "Sweetie . . . I want like half the stuff in that store!"
Noah: "Exactly. You already HAVE half the stuff in that store!"

I then asked if they didn't have some cool purses in stock. That's always a safe bet with me. To which he said "No way, huh-uh, you already have 6,000 purses, you are NOT getting another purse." (Mark told me he said the same thing in the store, quite loudly, igniting chuckles from women within earshot.)

When did my kids get so smart?

And what are they gonna get me for my birthday?!? :)

And what's the matter with a purse addiction anyway? There are worse things, you know.