Back in the saddle...

Twenty-two days? Really? Has it been that long?

So I had a little text conversation with my aunt tonight, and it was just the kick in the pants I needed to get back into my bloggy groove.

Did I just say "groove"? Funny. I don't think I ever was in one to begin with!

No pictures on this post, so if that's what you were after, you can go ahead and go about your business now. Go on. Yeah, that's right. Go ahead and press on to a new website. You won't hurt my feelings! I finally got the Internet-capable laptop I'd been whining about, courtesy of my mother, (Have I mentioned that already? See, I can't even remember what I posted about before now!), but I haven't figured out how to get my pictures on it yet. (Cut me some slack...I have a degree in Political Science, not computer engineering or whatever!) But I promise to get some to you soon, what with my impending bloggy groove and whathaveyou.

Just because there are no photos to share at this point, that doesn't mean we've been void of goings-on here in Deesland. And because it's almost 1AM, I shall deliver a synopsis in bullet-point form.

Before I start, a bit of bloggy business? For some reason, in the last couple of years I've decided it was OK to drop caps. I don't know if I'm lazy or what. Maybe I'm subconsciously trying to look cool and unique? Actually, it's probably because, though I do type very fast, I don't type correctly, and it takes too long to shift for the capital letters. I type in all lower-case everywhere else, so why I maintain this "correct" facade on the blog I don't know. So as part of my, hmmm, shall we call it Blog Rededication, I'm officially giving myself permission to drop the caps here too. trust me, the OCD english stickler in me hates myself for doing it, but it feels so good to type with abandon!

what have we been up to? why, i'm glad you asked!

-one of the reasons i'm scarce here is because facebook has taken over my life! honestly, i am on it several times a day, and i post photos almost daily there. i guess there's more freedom for me there. i can just post photos and not feel like i have to write a lot about them like i do here. and not because i think people want to read a short story about each photo--no, it's more about me and my unrealistic expectations. i desperately want to write and record memories in the greatest of detail, but i'm constantly fearful that i'll forget something or won't accurately convey the emotions of the event, so i just don't write anything. and then i beat myself up about not writing. but i beat myself up about writing, too, so it's a lose-lose!

anyway, if you haven't joined facebook yet, think about it! it's a fun little diversion. just don't let it take over your life! and if you're on facebook, please look me up and be my "friend"!

-my man is off for his few-week "summer vacation". and he does not like to stay home, so we're out and about most days. what have we done the most? probably making sno-cone runs in the evening! he loves them. i'm more of an ice cream girl myself. but we make it work.

-we're still adjusting to life with three children. it's a great life, but it takes us infintely longer to get out the door to live it! :0) "stu" is stellar at nine weeks now. couldn't have asked for a more laid-back, go-with-the-flow child! he's been sleeping through the night this week, though he was never up for us more than once a night anyway. little angel!

-my mother was diagnosed with leukemia in early june, so we've been spending as much time as we can with her. it's a long story, but at present she's begun her second round of chemo (she's on day three of a five-day course of treatment), and was released from a month-long stay at the hospital last week. so now she's receiving her treatment as an outpatient, which makes her happy! she'd been at the hospital for a month prior to now because her immune system was so depressed, she had an infection in an IV site in her arm, plus a blood clot in the same arm that the doctors were treating. i found out earlier today that she'll undergo another arm surgery on friday to look at the infection sites to see what's happening internally. and i forgot to mention that the first round of chemo was successful--when she began her second round, her blood was only about 20% "bad".

she's a 20+ year breast cancer survivor, so i'm sure she's going to fight her way out of this, too!

our poor children haven't been able to see her at all since children are so naturally prone to carry germs and illnesses. i feel so sad for them! but they talk to her on the phone a lot. and we seem to be doing a decent job of explaining things to them without sounding too serious. the last thing we want to do is alarm them!

a couple of weeks in all this i wasn't able to go see her either--M had had a rash for about a week, then Rosie came down with a fever early this week.

-J and I have been diligent on his break to work on purging the unnecessary "stuff" that we have. we've been cleaning out the storage bins and boxes in the garage and attic. our closets are looking a little more empty, too! i love making space. to me, extra space is so much more valuable than stuff. i need clutter-free areas. i need empty horizontal surfaces. J doesn't so much care about that, but he bears with me.

-we've spent a lot of time re-evaluating our definition of "necessary" and have been working to downsize accordingly. as drastic as considering becoming a one-vehicle, one-motorcycle family! i love, love, love getting rid of stuff and simplifying life. so i'm ecstatic that God has placed this on J's heart this summer! i am excited about making due and making life work with just the bare essentials. i love a good challenge!

-i've had so much fun cooking a lot lately! i have some new recipes that i'm trying this week, so if i find a good one, i'll be sure to share.

-swim lessons. need i say more? they're only for two weeks, and they're SO important for our children, but who knew that 30 minutes a day could make a parent so tired?! :0) M's been in swim lessons each year since she was about 6 months old. this is Rosie's second year. "Stu" will have to wait longer than the girls did--he'll be a year old when he takes his first class!

-i've been doing some downsizing on the calendar as well. this year i'll let all of my civic/social/organizational commitments run out when their terms expire, i.e. leadership positions i hold in clubs. i don't do this well--i'm usually not comfortable just being a "member". i'm usually in leadership as soon as i'm eligible! but challenging as it may be, i've felt God's call to this for the last year, so i decided it was time to finally obey Him. and so far, it feels great! i don't miss it at all. with three children now, it made the decision that much easier. :0)

-freeing up my time has freed me up to pursue a ministry area that i've always loved: bringing meals to friends. i've signed up to do this any time i've been able this summer. i love to cook, and i know receiving meals when one is sick, has a new baby, experienced a death in the family, etc., is such a blessing! i've always wanted to do it, but i've been overcommitted so long that i've not been able to participate. i hope to change that permanently now! i like to joke that if cooking for other people was a spiritual gift, that would be mine.

-when we can, J and I have had a date night here and there, and we're doing a lot of catching up on our reading.

-i've let housekeeping go during J's summer so i could just enjoy everyone instead of being torn about the cleaning i should be doing. i've done a pretty good job of letting go of it! i've just resolved to start fresh again once J goes back to work. i try to avert my eyes and my thoughts away from the messes and untidy areas and focus instead on the laughter and memories during our leisurely pace of life together this month.

-on one date night, J and I actually did some Christmas shopping! i know it's insanely early for that, but boy does it feel nice to have it started!

-i've begun planning the girls' birthday parties this fall. one of my favorite things to do! M's easy...she's already decided what she wants in a party! it's Rosie that's a little bit harder. she was born on Thanksgiving weekend, so that limits our options quite a bit.

so there you have it...the shenanigans that have kept me away from the blog. if you read all the way to this point, chances are you're related to us! :0)

pictures on the way soon--i promise!

Finally!

It seems as though he's been doing it for weeks now, but I've just never been able to capture it on film. But on Monday evening, I finally caught one!
My "Stu's" first smile on film.

He was laying on our bed after I'd changed his diaper, and we were "talking". He makes the cutest gurgle and coo sounds now, and he gets such a kick out of me when I "talk" back to him in the same way. He's so funny--he gets still when I talk to him, and his face gets this serious look of concentration. And his eyes get so big as if he's really paying attention. So now I make it my mission to coax as many smiles as I can out of him each day!

Having a boy has been GREAT fun so far.