Hi, ladies and gentleman.  I’m back!  And waaay behind.  Wow…the last few weeks have been crazy, busy, fun, and frustrating all wrapped into one pretty great life.  We had a round of a stomach bug go through here.  I didn’t get much blogging done then between comforting my little ones, doing mountains of laundry, and trying to keep the household generally moving forward.  I have a particularly acute fear of illness, sickness of any kind but particularly the stomach variety.  Thank goodness we are usually* a very healthy family.  I was praying with all of my might that I would avoid the tummy bug, and I did!  (*remember the “usually” as you continue to read this post)

After the yucky sickies exited the homestead, we decided it was time to have our first non-family gathering in our new home.  (Don’t worry; we disinfected first!)  We busied ourselves with the usual party-prep activities, but we also set to work hanging some actual wall decor.  What a difference!  Our house looks a lot more lived-in, and we felt great to have some of our new church friends over for ice cream and brownies.  I was so blessed by the sounds of happy kids playing in the backyard and adults chatting around the diningroom table.  Joy!

Then spring break!  I had been looking forward to this trip since September.  Why September?  That’s when my little sister and her hubby announced that they are going to become parents!  Yay!  I immediately started planning the shower.  Happily, our kids’ spring break, my husband’s spring break, and my brother-in-law’s spring break would be the same week.  Perfect.  Living 1000 miles from the party site, I couldn’t do much ahead of time, but the theme and the overall “look” of the shower was coming together in my mind.  There is nothing I love more than throwing a party (well, maybe something, but party-planning is hard to top).  My mom and I really had fun with the details.  We expected to also have a great time with the shopping and setting up, but unfortunately, a new round of illness hit the family.  Everyone got some version of this flu-like bug.  A lot of the party preparations had to be delayed, leaving us a little rushed, but everything came together in the end.  I’ll share more about the shower in a later post.

The weather over our break was unseasonably warm and gorgeous.  Cory’s mom and I were able to take my children and two of their cousins to a park to enjoy the sunshine and to learn a little about the process of making maple syrup.  Good stuff!

While on our visits, Charlotte developed what I call her “hammy smile.”  She does it when someone is going to take her picture, but sometimes she breaks into these gummy grins for no particular reason.  Often, she is eating while being “hammy,” so maybe she is just happy.

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A big Thank You to my mom & dad who spent time with us and met our needs even when the coughs and fevers were at their worst (for them and for us).  Thank you for meals and beds and laughter and all the ways that you make us feel at home.  It’s fun to be with you no matter what!

Thank you, too, to Cory’s parents for transportation and a fun Sunday gathering and lots of other things–big and small.