Hi.

I'm so far behind on this blog, I'm not sure where to start. The fall was so busy for me with my market business. I had NO down time. I've been taking a break since December, but I'm taking out the sewing machine again next week. AHHH! Josh has also been a lot busier now that his private practice has started picking up. I'll give the highlights of the past few months. These are pictures from my camera. I have more on my phone, but we have smart phones now and my phone is so smart that I'm not smart enough to figure out how to upload those thousands of pictures all at once. This is my super edited version of the past 6 months. Get ready...

My babies are all in school! This was the kids' first day. It has been a huge adjustment for me. Now that the school year is more than half way through, I finally feel like I'm grasping a routine. I feel like I've graduated from my first phase of parenthood. Josh and I have a lot of fun/quiet lunch dates! It's strange, but good. I can complete tasks/thoughts without interruption. I can go places without packing bags or loading and strapping in kids. It's pretty sweet. I like this new phase. A LOT! It's really hard for me to do chores while the house is empty though because I'm so used to having the interruptions. Sometimes I wait until the kids are home before folding clothes, then it feels right. Still adjusting...

 Mom & Dad visited for a while in September. We took a trip to Ponchatoula to visit with my cousin, 

Court and his fiancee, Kristen.  

 We also visited my childhood friend, Amanda, and her grandparents. 

They used to take me with them on their family vacations, because Amanda has two brothers and needed a buddy. We have so many great memories-climbing trees, playing kickball, and making mudpies!

Court was usually playing right along with us, too.

After Mom and Dad left, I got busy sewing and barely looked up from my sewing machine until November, when I finally had enough inventory to hold me through the rest of the markets. At that point I was able to sew just one or two things a week instead of 40!

Afton attempted dance class either cried or sat against the wall,

so we decided to wait a while before we introduce that again. She wears the dance clothes around the house, so at least that money wasn't totally wasted.

The entire Montessori program from Pre-K to 5th grade took a field trip to the aquarium in New Orleans, so it was fun having all three kids on the same trip!

  Halloween, 2012 was so much fun. Here we are in front of our neighbor's "Frankenstein's Monster" for the 7th year. Sheesh, we've been living in our house for that long??

I found a dress for Afton that came with a matching doll dress. She was beside herself.

 Ian couldn't wait to decorate the tree for Christmas, so he did it all by himself and I left it just the way he decorated it, because he was so proud!

Afton was proud of her ornament hanging skills, too. 

Ayden was too busy playing one of his Wii games while I cooked dinner and his siblings decorated, 

so he put the star on the tree. 

That's all I have for now. When I figure out the phone situation, I'll do a post on our trip to Utah/Idaho, and get through January/February. Then I can randomly post as I please, just like old times. For example, Josh and Ian's birthdays! I'll be back super soon. PROMISE