I'm a slacker.

Life has been very crazy, exciting, harsh and complicated this past year. It's no excuse to have excluded blogging about it, but to be honest I just lost track of the time. It's already January of the new year. JEEZ!

In May we rented a house, that is closer to the kids' school district, and I love being 7 minutes away from their school instead of a 25 minute drive, one way. The house has plenty of room, and the yard is HUGE. Did I say HUGE - it's on a double city lot, the best part about it is that it's fenced in and there was a garden already done. Okay that's 2 things.

I started doing daycare in June with a family. They have 2 kids, a girl and a boy. Who of course stole my heart and that of Nana's right away. Then I started doing drop in care with friends' kids, who all also stole my heart right away...am I a sucker for little kids, or just an easy target? lol. I NEVER in a million years thought I would love doing daycare. I love that I'm home for my children, and I love being here to nuture other people's children while their parents have to work. At least they are in a loving, fun, safe environment during the day.

I discovered that I'm Gluten Intorlerant this summer. That has been an interesting journey, but I'm so thankfully to finally know what's making me sick all the time. :) It's been really tough trying to not cheat this fall.

Then a part of my world fell out this past September. One of my favorite uncles (Greg) had a brain hemorrage, and went several days without being found or getting the medical treatment he needed. That happened the 1st week of September. It will always be one of the longest weekends of my life. Being told to say your good-byes, that the staff didn't feel he was going to make it. BUT he has beaten the odds and has survived. He is not like what he used to be, but how could a person be after such an ordeal? It's a miracle that he even survived as long as he did without medical help. He's now at a facility that works with people that have TBI's and helps them relearn skills to live on your own. He's in Red Wing right now, which is forever from us it feels, but I need to see him. I miss him so much. You wouldn't believe how much of a help he was to mom and to myself, especially when Jessie was gone out of town.

That same weekend unbeknowest to us, I got pregnant again. It would take me almost a month I think it was to find out. I was so tired and run down. Cycle-wise everything was fine or so I thought. I was SO tired all the time. So I went in, thinking it was my thyroid or a cold or something. None of that...just pregnant. It was a shocker to say the least. Then I was worried because I was still taking my Ritalin, I had several drinkers earlier in September, and wasn't taking care of myself, other then trying to lose weight. Which on a side note - I lost 30lbs from January '09 to the 8 weeks of pregnancy. It was something we WERE NOT planning, yes, most people know that I had always mentioned that I would love to have 4 or more kids...then I started doing daycare. :) I get ALL the kids I want/can handle, and then at the end of the day or during the weekend it's just my 3 kids. I was really starting to enjoy that. No diapers (Cyril potty trained in August) and no major "stuff" like pack n plays to bring with us. It was really nice. BUT now we have child number 6 on the way. Yes - I said child number 6, because don't forget the twins in Germany.

Cyril is in absolute love with my belly, he tells people that it's his baby. He knows that when the snow is all gone baby will be here. Dawn & Spencer are excited too. Both want a sister. Dawn is tired of being the only girl, so she says. But now she wants a brother so she doesn't have to share her room. lol. Spencer wants a sister for the sole reason -he wants Shelby to have to share a room and understand what it's like. :) Time will tell. I was so sick for the 1st 15 weeks of pregnacy. Not only did I have the normal all day "morning" sickness, but in October, Cyril & I got the H1N1 virus. Thankfully Jessie and the other two did not get it.

But the fall had it's joys too. Dawn LOVES being in middle school. She started learning how to play the flute, and has continued taking her piano lessons. She is very musically inclined that way. She also tried out and made the local college Cantabile girls choir as a choirster. (The younger of the two girls choirs). She loved it, but didn't love it. She's still in girl scouts, I can't believe she's a Cadette already. But for now there are no sports or boyfriends to report.

Spencer is doing really good this year in 4th grade. His teachers have been very good, keeping things very structured at school. He's still a little behind with his fellow peers, but at least he really likes school this year. He was very excited to make a DS safe for his 4th grade Inventor's Congress, but he got sick the day of. We've all been battling the Norwalk(?) virus this week. He started seeing a counselor this fall to help with the issues he has due to his TBI, but I'm thankful for that. He's still doing OT but that will be for awhile, I believe this we get his sensory issues under control. They've been bad this year. :( I'm just totally drained by them, I can only imagine what he feels.

Cyril is a 3yr old ham, and charmer. He has tranisitioned very well, to having to share mommy with other kids. Now if I can get him to be okay with playing with kids when I'm not right by him. I think would be great. I've been thinking of putting him in preschool in the fall but we'll see.

I think that's it for now...this has gotten really long. ;)

God Bless.