Hi there!

Well, hello again! I'm here somewhere. We went home to visit and I really don't have access to a computer much when I'm out and about. I really missed my blog though. I was like a crack addict (or a candy addict) having withdrawals. I kept thinking about what I was going to write when I got home and about all the funny things that I have to report. I was worried about my "peeps" too. Where would you all go for your daily dose of crazy? Well, wonder no more because I'm back in business! Of course I can't remember many of those funny things that I was going to blog about 'cause I have slept since then. And I have children.



We had a nice time visiting. It was a whirlwind trip. Vince was teaching a class and we just tagged along with him, so we didn't get to see many friends. Mainly just hung out with the fam. But when we come home for Christmas we should be able to see more people. Sometimes when we go back home, it's like we're celebrities or something. Everyone wants a piece of us. We went to a high-school football game in Vince's home town and they announced his presence! Funny. It's a long trip down there I tell ya that. Three kids in the car for 14 hours is just about too much. Poor Sam decided on the way home that he'd had enough. I nursed him when we stopped, but he started screaming on the road so we stopped on the side of the highway to let him nurse again to see if he would fall asleep. He ate for about 15 minutes. We put him back in his seat and he started screaming again. We tried to let him cry until he fell asleep, but an hour later when our heads were ready to explode from all the noise between him crying and the girls playing and watching a movie, we decided that I would switch places with Audrey and try to sooth him. He wanted nothing to do with me until I broke out the baby food. By the last bite, he was half asleep. Apparently we had been starving the child. The good news is we made it there and back in one piece and we didn't have to make good on our promise to strap any unruly children to the top of the vehicle.

Geez, did I eat while I was there. Vince's mom always buys tons of food and I try my best to eat it all. Honey buns and sweet rolls for breakfast, chips and guacamole to snack on...it's no wonder I look fat in the pictures we took! His dad always says he likes it when company comes because there's food in the house and Mom cooks! Since we've been back I've had to hit the gym. I'm going to boot camp 4 times a week now and squeezing in my other classes sometimes too. I have also been volunteering in the drop-in nursery there so that we can get our membership for free. We go Thursdays from 8am to 1pm. It's very tiring because I have my 3 in there as well as everyone else's kids. I'm not by myself of course, but it can get pretty busy in there. I don't think I could work there and do that every day all day. I have enough trouble not beating my own children and I birthed them! Today we were getting ready to leave and I was packing up all my stuff and gonna go run and get the car since we have to park at least 4 blocks away when I looked over and realized that Katie had climbed into one of the beds and gone to sleep! Great. She got almost 20 minutes by the time I got the car, loaded the other 2 in and came back to get her. Then of course she wouldn't lay down when we got home. I guess 20 minutes was enough for her. Not for me. She has been cranky all night. She was pretty funny at Grandma and Grandpa's house. They were naked, running in circles around the living room and Katie had one of her Daddy's hats on. She would tip the hat and say, "Howdy, partner." It was just hilarious coming from a little streaker like that. She never broke her stride.

Since it has gotten cold here I have had to unpack all the winter stuff and try to find stuff for Sam. I discovered a big box of boy clothes that I had forgotten about. I put it in the back of the closet when a friend gave us the stuff because it was 12+ month stuff. Well, he can wear most of it now. I swear this kid has more clothes than Mariah Carey. He could wear a different outfit every day for a month I bet. I'm not complaining though. Most of his clothes are hand-me-downs or borrowed from friends so I didn't have to shell out any money for his wardrobe. That's awesome.

Here I am blogging as if my life depended on it while my house lays in ruins. This place looks like a tornado blew through here. Vince came in this afternoon and told me he's been in crack houses that looked better. We were too big for this house when we bought it and we have just kept on growing. I literally have no room for lots of stuff. There are things just sitting in corners and on my counters because we have no more room to put it. It's so frustrating. I can hardly walk in here sometimes. It doesn't help that I am the world's worst housekeeper. I would rather just leave so I don't have to look at it than be here and have to see it or worse yet, actually clean it. It's a vicious cycle. The dirtier it gets, the less I want to clean because it looks insurmountable. I don't even know where to start. That's why I like that show "Clean Sweep" because it makes me feel better about my own house. There's always some place worse than this.

Speaking of dirty, I was just informed that there is a poopy diaper that needs to be changed. I guess that's my cue. Lucky me.