Hello, Friends, It's Been Awhile

Was tricked into a sit.

Wouldn't stop talking.

Brought her own list.

Blogging just doesn't come naturally to me anymore. It's like I've already said all I ever had in me to say :). But I miss my friends, speaking of which, why have I only gotten Christmas cards from like, 2 of you? It it because I stopped blogging so you forgot about me and took me off your list? Put me back!

The holidays are crazy, yo. And not just because of the seven pounds I think I've gained since Halloween. I didn't realize how much my life would change once my kids got to elementary school. Those first five years I got to have my living room buddies and things were kind of slow and mundane--just filled with the usual: tantrums, potty-training accidents, naps and bedtimes.

No I actually have deadlines in my life, and places I have to go, and weird stuff I have to buy all the time. I miss my old life, except for the tantrums and the potty-training accidents. But crazy as it's gotten, I was telling Chad the other day that I think we are at one of the best points ever in our marriage and life: stability in his practice, a beautiful house, three gorgeous children who are all potty-trained (why is this such an important point with me?), no longer high maintenance babies and not yet tweens or teenagers. They still think we're fabulous and obey us 60% of the time. Honestly, it will probably all go downhill from here.

And so here is our 2010 update for you:

Chad is tired, but good. Teaching the seniors everyday in early morning seminary has caught up to him a little, but he is able to catch a nap here and there to maintain his sanity. His practice is going well, and he will frequently come home from work quoting something Dr. Oz or Ellen DeGeneres said. But not the ladies from The View. He hates The View. Apparently having a well informed husband is a good side effect from having televisions in all the operatories. His main struggle is keeping him Christmas inflatables alive. Those darn fuses just don't seem to last as long as they used to. The Santa on the roof needs constant adjusting and Mrs. Frosty's broom just won't stay in the right position. These are the trials in life Chad must endure.

Rylee is in first grade and coming along with her reading. I've seen big improvements this year. I had no idea how miserable learning to read could be. I just remember not reading and then reading big old fat books by second grade. I didn't remember how tedious the inbetween could be. But I think she reached the turning point this year and is plugging ahead. She still has 20/100 vision in one of her eyes. After a year of patching and eye drops to try to make the eye stronger we finally did a retina scan before Thansgiving and discovered that one of her retinas is smaller than the other, hence the poor vision in one eye. This is something that patching cannot fix. Why they don't order this test first before you go through a miserable year of begging your child to wear an eyepatch is beyond me.

Avery is crazy. She has got to be the biggest five year old still in preschool. She is super precocious, which can occasionally fray my nerves, but she'll crack that wide smile at me with those teeth a mile apart and I let it go. Avery, ever my one with the potty training issues, is now taking a doctor recommended daily dose of Miralax to remedy her constant stomach aches from her inability in life to slow down and actually go use the bathroom. Okay, this is turning into a monologue on my kids health issues. New topic:

Izzy. Izzy is still my baby, with freakishly fair skin (compared to her sisters anyway) and a slight lisp. She's a funny mix of strong will (like her sisters before her) and peacemaker. She's been known to tell Chad to "be nice to Mommy" when he's grouchy and is finally old enough to keep up with all her sister's make believe games. She loves getting to be big enough to go to preschool, but still likes to remind you that she is "little."

As for myself, I continue to referee the kids, drive them to soccer and school and attempt to help them with their homework (not my forte, by the way, Rylee's Traditions Poster is pretty ghetto). My only hobby aside from talking on the phone and book club remains decorating my house, which gets me in trouble a lot, so I have to go on frequent hiatuses, haitii? Whatever--breaks, from that. 2011 might find me with chairs for my dining room table that has been chairless for two years now. But probably not. I have been subbing as the primary pianist for a month and a half now--a true measure of their desperation to find somebody to play. I have to walk the fine line between making the melody recognizable, but not playing well enough that they actually give me the calling. Luckily, that's not hard when you haven't played in 13 years.

So that is our update. We miss you all and wish you a Merry Christmas! Send me a card!