A Moment of Silence Please...

I am embarrassed, ashamed, mortified, distraught

 and all other words like unto it.

 It has been 7 months since I have blogged...7 whole months.

 Pitiful...

 There is someone to blame. 

Her name is instagram, and OBVIOUSLY she is a temptress.

 As if I couldn't see her coming from a mile away, 

one of my very last blog posts was about her. 

I feel sorry for my little bliggity-blog,

 but am comforted by the fact that

 every single solitary day of my life 

is still being documented.

(often more than once each day, I gots it bad...)

Ms. Instagram is not only a temptress but also

 habit forming, addicting, familiar, recurrent

and all other words like unto it.

So...

 as to not leave out all those many months

 and BIG occasions that happened in our little world, 

i'm going to do a quick recap.

It's probably not going to be quick, 

grab a soda and get comfy.

We were using the pods as storage units 

while they were still sitting in the driveway

Once they got picked up,

I felt like we were moving all over again.

Stacks and stacks of boxes 

in every nook and cranny of the house

Oy Vey...

APRIL

After weeks of pushing said stacks of boxes 

from corner of room to corner of room,

I finally got some things workin in the littles' rooms

Then came Peter Cottontail, 

Hoppin down the bunny trial

Hippity hoppity Easter's on it's way...

MAY

Track season is here,

and I can faintly make out

 the sublime musical score of 

 "Chariots of Fire" 

in the distance.

Our oldest baby Dre qualified for the HS State meet. 

Forget about raining cats and dogs, 

every animal on old Macdonalds farm 

was dropping from the ominous skies.

Despite frigid temps, intermittent hail storms, and all those angry falling varmints,

he ran like the wind.

"Me thinks that the moment my legs begin to move,

 my thoughts begin to flow."

-Henry David Thoreau

Then there was

The Beehive Bazaar.

It is such a fantastically hip show,

 I feel privileged to be a part of it.

Then I chopped my hair.

What was I thinking???

And then,

 as if someone suddenly pushed the fast forward button,

our oldest baby was graduating.

Surreal...

JUNE

This month brought balmy days and birthdays.

A ten year old Blythe and a Sibley who turned 12.

JULY

The celebratory month of Independence 

started with a bang 

unlike any other... 

A mountainside all ablaze, 

that was far too close for comfort.

The fire was soon contained and

 we were reminded to be forever grateful 

to those who

 fight for our safety, our independence and our country. 

Our summer was filled with shave ice...

and skating, swimming, and strategies...

and ended with Sundance.

AUGUST

That pesky fast forward button got pressed again

 and we were dropping our biggest brother off at college.

The littles were nearly swept away 

in a flash flood of family tears.

Daddy almost had to break out the scalpel 

in an attempt to surgically remove my death grip.

And i suddenly felt as if this boy 

couldn't possibly be my "little man"

who just yesterday 

was littering the floor under his highchair with Cheerios

 and perfecting his name in  purple sharpie 

on the living room wall.

But it IS him,

and we will miss him 

every minute of everyday.

Our boys started football 

and our Blythe went to soccer camp.

And then,

just before the CRAZY fully set in,

the countdown was on.

 6 DAYS UNTIL SCHOOL STARTS!

Only 6 more days yo... 

AND THEN THAT GLORIOUS THING CALLED SCHOOL WAS HERE.

Sibley was the first to go,

 as all new 7th graders do.

Today she didn't die

Today she didn't forget her locker combination

Today she didn't get lost

Today her teachers weren't mean

Today no one said her hair was "puffy"

The manic early morning tears were in vain.

Today was a good day.

A day of firsts for our little big girl.

The next day

 the rest of the school joined the seventh graders.

Christian had a good talking to 

about the responsibilities of being

 a kind and helpful 

big brother.

I think he will step up to the job

(or else)

an hour later 

the littles were off...

(new shoes make you run faster you know)

Only having 2 in elementary school is crazy.

My babies are getting old.

Which in turn means 

so am I...

 a perfect segway into 

SEPTEMBER

and my birthday.

And was it ever a birthday!!!

9 scavenger hunt filled hours.

I went from destination to destination, 

each time receiving an envelope filled with 

witty words and crazy clues

leading me to the next 

landing place.

A different friend awaited my arrival at each spot. 

It was beyond delightful.

Got my toes did

Saw "The Words"

Ate lunch at Zupas

Got my nails did

Indulged in some soy chai, 

while I indulged in the likes of

 Austen, Dickens, and Burnett

(quite possibly my favorite gifts)

Then on to 

"an establishment where it takes a keen eye to hit your mark"

TARGET of course!

Met up with my lover 

(the mastermind behind this adventure)

for dinner at our favorite place to eat when we were courting.

And finally

home to our anxious babies 

for cake, ice cream, and kisses.

This man of mine knows me well.

Just another reason why he is

my favorite and my best...

Then I started crafting

and crafting

and crafting some more,

so that on the first day of 

OCTOBER

i could fill my neglected little etsy shop

with Halloween goodness.

and thanks to so many of you,

it's nearly sold out.

My heart is full 

(and needs a vacation)

You likewise,

 are probably in need of a respite

(or at least a quick nap) 

for making it to the end of this post.

A post that brought my little blog back to life.

A post that quite possibly only a mother could love.

 A post after 7 loong months 

and that is cause for celebration.

 If you've made it this far,

you've seen a glimpse into our crazy happenings.

And maybe,

just maybe,

want to stick around awhile.

So here's to this blog,

ramblings, grammatical errors, run-on sentences and all.

Welcome back...