Getting My Groove Back

Goodness gracious, it has been a long time! Life has swept me up and carried my away this past couple of months. So many good things to report, so little time.

For starters, we found out in November, Mister has been excepted into the accelerated BSN program for nursing starting in January! I am thrilled beyond means to share this. With year and half waits creeping up all around us, he was able to still make it in and schooling will continue as planned. Plus, as an added bonus there is an end to our journey, finally! By May of '09 he will be graduated with his bachelors in nursing and we will be moving on with our life. I will survive somehow with him being gone everyday, all day for the next 16 months...I hope! You will all have to encourage me and support me through our grueling last stepping stone here. But, WAHOOO!!!! He made it, he made it, he made it!!!!!!

(I do have to admit, something about a man in uniform...well you know the saying. Growr!)

Milestones a plenty with Jellybeans are next. I know younger siblings typically do things earlier than older ones, but 7 month old already cruising is just blowing my mind and any amount of chores getting done! Which honestly, I don't mind. Play with the baby or fold clothes....hmmmm? Easy one to decided I think. Who doesn't love a good round of chasing the baby down the hall? All the while she is giggling with such infection that she gives herself the hiccups. Gotta love that toothless grin.

Ah, Christmas was wonderful this year! I love the time we get to spend together as a family with only normal, everyday responsibilities to take care of! We swang our selves silly at the park more times than I can count, made a great gingerbread house, plate upon platefuls of cookies that we delivered, caroling with a trombone octuplet, family walks in our oh-so-nice winter weather, visiting the temple lights, Christmas Eve F.H.E.(it is my favorite one!), and snuggling under our comforters in front of a good movie during the cold evening hours with a nice hot cup of chocolate! Mmmmmmmm. Monkey learned almost every Christmas song and sang them every where with her priceless three year old voice. When ever a song came on she remembered she would shout out, "This my fabe-rit!", and sing her version of it. The First Noel is pretty funny when she sings it. Some times it is hard to let go of this season, but alas, it is to be expected. Not to say that this coming year won't be fantastic as well!

As for the older kids, we plug along with our schooling enjoying our new found love of lapbooks! An excellent educational craft that can be tailored to anything being learned with the added bonus of being all age friendly so even the little ones, minus the baby, can paste and cut with the best of them. Granted the tidy level of our schoolroom is some what questionable on those days. :)

Darling Boy now joins us in our reading endeavors so we are consuming every book in our house and the library at an alarming rate! Ah, what I wouldn't do for a unlimited gift card to any bookstore! (Just putting that out in the universe. You never know, right?) Speaking of reading, I have noticed a slight side effect of teaching Girly cursive...she now can read my to-do notes and lists of things. A few surprises have been let out of the bag from me not realizing she could read those. Ooops! Things like dental appointments, which weren't received with enthusiasm, wonder why? Hmmm. Anywho, Christmas was tricky keeping those receipts and shopping lists, hidden from her, and not from myself. I do that often, put something in "a safe place" only to lose it to eternity.

Well enough rambling! I just thought I would let all of you know, I am resurfacing like a submarine getting away from a torpedo! ;) Thanks for hanging in there.