Today

Today is the start of a new schedule for me. Actually, the new schedule started 2 weeks ago, but due to illness it wasn't fully implemented until today. I now have 2 days off every week--Tuesdays and Wednesdays. It's so nice. Granted, my M-Th-F can get pretty hectic, but it's worth it. Oh, so worth it!

Tuesdays Lilly is in school, so I only have Mikayla home with me. I have been able to start volunteering at the school Tuesday morning, something I've wanted to do since Alayna started K, but I haven't had any set days off to commit. Now I do. I volunteer in Alayna's room first thing in the morning, then get to Lilly's class around 9:30 to help with centers and library. I come home around 11 to an afternoon with only Mikayla. I love that I'm able to dedicate some time to each of the girls as individuals!

Wednesdays we still go to storytime at the library, where I help organize the various monthly themes and activities. I also read once a month. It's been a strange, and nice, change to only have my own kids along for storytime, to not have to add extra carseats to the vehicle and only have 2 kids to get across the street instead of 4!

So needless to say, my posting should be back on track. Things are calming down now that the holidays and birthdays are all over. However, my posting will probably be more regular on Tuesday and Wednesdays, when I don't have a small army on my hands.

A Story

Once upon a time, a family had 3 little girls. They were very busy with work and church meetings and 4H and school things. They sometimes didn't have time to go to the bathroom, let alone blog or check things on-line. Eventually it will all slow down a little bit and then they'll be back. The End.

9 Years Ago, We Became Parents

Nine years ago today, at just after 9am, Andy and I became parents to a beautiful little girl we named Alayna. Over the years, she has amazed us with her intelligence, compassion and beauty. Even now, 9 yrs later and with almost the same smile (teeth missing), she continues to amaze us with all those things and more. She taught us how to be parents. She's the oldest, the one that has life so unfair, but yet loves her little sisters and basks in the joys of things she gets to do that the others don't.

Happy Birthday, Alayna! We love you and are so very proud of the

person you are and the person you are becoming!

Alayna at about 6 months

Alayna at 2 yrs

Alayna at 6

Alayna at 8

Alayna at almost 9 on Christmas Eve

**I don't have as many pics of her on the computer for the earlier years, since there weren't much for everyday digital cameras back then. What I have has been scanned...

Normal is a Relative Term

The Christmas trees are de-decked and sitting on our back porch, waiting for a campfire to turn them to ash. The winter stuff is still out, while the Christmas stuff has been picked over. The ornaments and lights and beads are all sitting in their plastic totes, tucked away for the next 11 months. Those totes...are sitting on my piano bench, and the family room floor, and next to the door to the basement.

They all need to be brought down to the storage room and fully tucked in, but there were other things on my mind this weekend. Don't get me wrong, I want the New Year. I want a fresh, clean house. I want the clutter gone. But want is much different than actually getting it done. And these past few days, we've been doing other, more important things. Like playing games as a family while the totes sit there, waiting. Or having a date afternoon with my husband to watch the Packer game while my girlfriend watched the girls.

And today is back to "normal." Alayna is in school, extra kiddos are here and those totes are screaming at me that they want to go to bed! Today is the first day of normal for 2010. And next week, my "normal" changes again. But until then, I'm going to work on watching some kids, cleaning some house and getting things back to normal...as normal as that can be, in this house.