It's been a long time!

Gasp!  It's been 11 months since the last blog.  So much for my good intentions of chronicling this family's adventures.  So, the Reader's Digest Condensed Version?  Okay!  Fall went by nicely, Christmas came and went way too fast but finally the days started to become longer.  We spent a week at Disney, I love that place.  I started spending all days on Thursdays at Ariel's school where Belle was welcomed in the classroom all day.  Belle's speech therapy went very well and she was deemed "cured"!  Then spring was upon us.  We had a beautiful spring!  The mud season didn't seem to last too long and I don't recall anyone getting a vehicle stuck.  An amazing feat in these here parts of the woods.  Summer was beautiful, just amazing, especially compared to last summer and all the rain we got.  Hubby would call while he was hard at work in June and ask what we were up to where I would hesitantly reply, "sitting by the pool, watching the kids swim".   I had a great tan going before July hit.  Oh, my, what a whirlwind!  We had a blast visiting my parents and cousins while hubby was doing his army thing at West Point.  That sounded irreverent.  I'm very proud of my husband.  He is a battalion commander in the Army Reserve.  He was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel a year early this past January.  His battalion instructs at West Point.  Their mission has changed recently, but I don't seem to be up on all the details.  But while he was away, it was nice to have some r&r at mom & dad's.  All of August we were out and about having fun and soaking up the sun.  It all came to a screeching halt when we pulled into the driveway the night before school started.  School cramps our style!  I could have had at least another month of summer vacation.  All the good intentions of having the kids do worksheets to keep school in their heads went by the wayside mid-July.  Now that they are back into the swing of things, I don't think they are any worse for wear.  Ariel started 3rd grade.  Eek!  I was reflecting back on September 11th of 2001 and in the midst of the heartache going on, I felt Ariel kick me for the first time.  What an amazing miracle God gives to us.  I still don't know how I deserved to be blessed with two wonderful, healthy children.  There is so much to be thankful for.  Belle started kindergarten and fell asleep on the couch while watching Wipeout at 6:30.  She woke up in the morning and told me she didn't remember going to bed.  We all got a good giggle out of that.  I asked her how she liked her first day and she says, "That was not my first day!  I went to school last year!"  I guess her one day a week in the classroom while I volunteered got her all prepped for school!  I am so thankful for our school and the teachers.  Not only do they care how my kids do academically, they truly love my kiddos and care about how they are developing emotionally and spiritually too.  I'm a lucky girl.  Having two in school three days a week leaves me with lots of time home.  Of course it has only been two weeks and I haven't made it through all my closets with my organization goals, so it's not quite awful, but it's awful quiet and lonely.  I'm glad to get all my stuff done so that when they come home I can focus on them.  It's made days not so chaotic.  So, here's to another new beginning, a new school year and a renewed sense of wanting to keep up with our adventures!