NOT SURE WHERE TO EVEN BEGIN....

We continue to have so much craziness in our life that I have not been able to get anything posted for so long. I have dozens of picts from all the fun we have been having. I keep thinking "this break, we will have time to..." but then the break comes and goes and I didnt get to one thing on my "to do" list. There is so much I want to journal for our family, and for the kids. Maybe when Summer does arrive, I will be able to find the time and energy to catch up on scrapping and posting our fab photos...sigh.

The bottom of the house looks mostly presentable these days. I am looking forward to summer when we will have DAYS to dig out the upstairs which still looks like a hurricane went through it....We are still mostly eating in shifts, and those shifts have often included snack meals like last night's dinner (zuchinni bread, hard boiled eggs, apple slices, milk) - yes, we did hit all the food groups, but it is a sign of what our days are like.

Preston is finally "home" with us after working more than berzerk hours at the office trying to meet a project deadline. We havent seen much of him though as he has had drill the last 3 days in a row since finishing the project. I keep hoping we will fall into a little better routine where he can be home to spend time with the kids and be part of our home routine once in awhile...I know there are friends out there with husbands gone 24-7, stationed far away, and compared to them I should have nothing to fuss about, but today sure was hard again....

Holidays this year seem to be another thing that just "comes and goes" without any fanfair. When the big kids were little I would decorate every inch of the house, make tons of fun treats, always have a fun holiday meal in the works. This year Preston and the kids decorated for Christmas (which as of yet still needs to be put away and back in storage - yes, I KNOW it is now Easter) Things went so awry with kiddos and scheduling this last few days that the only things we prepared was thawing the ham and rolls and boiling 4 dozen eggs...which are still in the fridge (which now smells very strongly of that particular food) uncolored and are mostly likely going to remain that way. Our traditional family egg fights might be taken on without all the fanfair this year....I think our major crazy weather (hail, rain and sunshine all at the same time, or in literally 5 minute increments) keeps me struggling to just get through each day and not finding the energy to expend to go all out. I often worry that the little kiddos are just not getting my best and are missing out on so much family fun time because I am not yet where I would like to be with my health. Their growing up years and memories will be so different from the big kids...

The Easter bunny came to our house in the way of a multi-family shopping trip during Spring break - bringing with it new "Easter Parade" clothes, including new suits for the boys and fun Spring colored outfits for the girls. Little Kels was the only one who didnt receive something new. We have had so many friends give us darling, floor length dresses for her, that she has a plethera of things to choose from. I think she enjoys picking out her dresses and already has a couple of favorites she chooses often. She is also still very content to wear her "school" shoes, or any casual shoes (like her dad's slippers) like her brothers and really doesnt want anything to do with fancy little girl shoes. I know that will change in the future (maybe?) and for now, she is much more sturdy in her play shoes for all of the running around she does with her brothers...

Guess, that is all for now. I am so hoping to get much posted and much journaled very soon. There is so much to share, so many fun things to tell. For today, though, I am just hoping that we can watch conference with calm, and the minus of major techincal difficulties and hysterical children....Hope everyone has a very happy Easter and enjoys the rest of conference weekend!