Most Wonderful Time of the Year?...sigh

I'm stopping in to try to get a little more in the habit of blogging again. It's just that any time I think about it, I always think of so many other things I should be doing. When I think about all that is on my plate, my heart rate increases a little & I get even more ADD than usual. Does anyone else suffer from these things?

Anyway, I thought I'd stop by & tell you what's going on 'round here.

First, Neena turned 5! It was last month & we had a cute little party for her...however I was sick in bed & unable to attend :( Mom, Chad, & my friend Melissa stepped in to pull it together for her because I was afraid if we put it off (again--we had already postponed a week) we wouldn't EVER have it! I think it went well & Mel has pics to pass to me when we have a chance. We did a princess tea party. I got the idea out of a book from the library & it turned out that several other friends of hers are having tea parties at this age. It really is a fun age.

Well, I say that...there are definitely ups & downs with any age, I suppose. And any personality type. Neena is an expressive and whole-hearted kind of gal. It is what makes her so wonderful & also what drives me crazy! ;) Here are some examples:

We got some of her work home from preschool the other day & the teacher said, "try to work on moderation with glue" to which I just laugh because the last time we tried to use glue at home I banned it temporarily because she poured out half the bottle. Literally. She just can't help herself. If she's gonna sing, she's gonna do it at the top of her lungs. Dance? All over the room with arms flared. Draw? Nothing short of 5 pages IF she keeps it ON the paper. And tool of choice for her art? Sharpie. Stickers? A whole sheet in one use.

[Right here I had posted pics but they had partial child-nudity & Chad made me take them down :( That whole taking-care-of-your-children bit. sigh. I'm gonna post w/out pics of her for now & I'll post more later.]

We keep saying one day it's going to work to her advantage. And I really believe that because she is a decisive person, like her dad. Me? Can't make a timely decision to save my life. And I'm glad she's not afraid to make a statement :) She's also not afraid to love excessively, no matter who she's loving on. I prayed for that; I'm so thankful for that.

And Mr. Isaac. The cute little fella is 8 months old now!

Here's one with him yelling at us. Bless him. It's been rough trying to get into a schedule with that tornado of a sister & whirlwind of chaos. BUT...I think I got it all worked out this week! WooHoo!! I'm on top of it again & it's made a huge difference.

He's starting to get around, although not crawling. He's such a boy, though; gotta figure things out! He is "Mommy's Boy" for sure right now. Sometimes I need a break (because he WON'T take a bottle, so we're stuck to one another like glue, still) but I am thankful to be needed & preferred because this time in your child's life goes by SO quickly! Look how cute, though. The one below is of his first tub (not toddler tub) bath. He had so much fun.

Now, for the rest of us...We made an offer on the white house I posted pics of a while ago. It's a short sale which means it's gonna take a long time. (If you read the article on short sales, the "Consent" portion explains the lengthiness of the process.) We are really hoping all goes well; we keep hearing positive reports from the seller's end.

I am officially a student again. (Insert dramatic gasp here.) Who wouldda thunkit? I am taking it slowly, just a 3-hr class this quarter. But it's got a TON of work & keeping me busier than I expected. But I AM makeing a 99% in the class, so I'm very proud :) I am pursuing an Associates in Accounting. We'll see what happens!

Also, I'm up to my nose in Children's Choir for our Christmas Pageant. I love it. The kids are amazing & even though I get so stressed because of all the planning it takes, in addition to everything else going on, when I get in the Choir Room with the kids, I just feel like I am meant to be there. I am so blessed to be able to pursue such varying interests!! I hope to learn better skills for balancing everything in my life. I feel like Isaac has just gotten to the age for it to affect me; everyone asked at first how life was with two kids & my answer was, "Why not have 4 or 5? This is great!" Hahaha! Not SO now!! (Chad has an appt next month; need I say what kind?)

SO, while I'm on this subject, if you have any words of advice, please share! I am on a quest to succeed, not just make it by, in life & everyday is a battle. I'm so thankful to walk in grace.