Hello? Is it me your looking for?

Hello long lost blog readers! According to Blogger's stats, 4 people tried to view this blog in the last month - which I think is pretty good since I haven't had a post in almost two years. A few of my friends mentioned to me today that they have been missing my blog and although this hasn't been the first time people have urged me to start blogging again, they seem to have caught me at the exact right moment (a rainy day with only more rainy days on the horizon).

So here I am.  Giving it another go.  I will admit up-front that this may be short-lived - with summer on the horizon and what pretty much amounts to a big question mark in the fall, I can't promise I will have lots of extra time to devote to keeping up to date.

The kids are growing up at what seems like warp-speed.  Ben is now 7 1/2  and almost done with first grade while Hallie is nearly 5 1/2 and finishing up her last year of preschool.  She will head to full-day Kindergarten in the fall which means that after 8 years, my time as a stay-at-home mom is going to come to a close (thus the big ??? for my fall agenda).  When the time gets closer, if I'm still blogging, I'm sure I will have some things to say about this big transition.  For now, I'm trying to focus on enjoying the last bit of this chapter in our lives and keep myself from flinging myself on the bed sobbing and crying "Where have my babies gone?!?!?!"

I can't possibly recap all that has happened since my last post in July 2012 so I am just going to plow forward like no time has passed and maybe fill in the blanks occasionally with special throw-back posts.  And since there aren't quite as many milestones to report these days, I may sprinkle in some non-family related posts here and there (like recipes, things I'm loving, random tips/tricks).  We'll see.

For now, enjoy a few pictures from Ben's school carnival last Friday.  The kids had such a good time at this carnival last year that they have been looking forward to going again ever since.  I guess you can never underestimate the power of games, cheap toys, hotdogs, and cotton-candy to cement a memory!

Game time!

 

So there it is - my return to blogging!  Fingers crossed I can keep at it.  Things are looking good for more posts this week  since the forecast looks like this:  

If I never see snowflakes on my forecast again, it will be too soon.  I haven't been a very hardy Minnesotan for these last gasps of winter.  Sorry MN but I MISS THE SUN!  I don't miss the mosquitoes and box-elder bugs though so....silver lining? ;)