Back from the Blog Dead

Okay, so it's been since November 24th of last year that I last graced this blog with a post. I have no viable excuses. I've tried to find one. I really have. I can't use the "I have 5 kids & am crazy busy" excuse, because I have (almost) graciously accepted the fact that many women with 5 or more kids are fabulous at updating their blogs on a weekly basis & frankly blow me away with their posts & pics! (I have to stay away from those particular blogs when I'm feeling blues-ey, which has been hitting me pretty hard about once a month.) I can't use the "I have nothing interesting to post" excuse, because, as we all know, blog-worthy material presents itself several times a day - it's just sitting down & choosing the "spin" I want to add to the stories that seems to be my problem. I can ALMOST use the "I'm simply too tired and worn out" excuse, but, then again, those other darn super-mom bloggers thwart that one too. The excuse I am SOOOO close to being able to use is that we have but one computer (poor me) and the time when it's most convenient for me to use it - namely after most of the kids are in bed - happens to also be the time when it's most convenient for my 13 year old daughter to finish (or begin!) her homework, which often requires a computer. Sigh. What happened to the days when ALL of my kids were in bed by 7:30 or 8:00? Oh, that I could have appreciated and SAVORED that time a little bit more! Now, I savor the times when Kirsten actually wants to talk to me - most of which also happen after 9 PM. It's all worth it in the end, of course, but does nothing to improve my poor blogging habits.

I'll end this blog with a random list of stuff that's gone on in our family since November 24th, 2008. Please note this is purely stream-of-conscience & has no rhyme, reason, or chronological order to it:

• Road trip to Texas and Oklahoma for Christmas & New Year's. Great to see tons of family (I miss them!!!), cried when I saw our old house, fun to have dinner & park dates with friends, sold our 9-passenger Suburban & replaced it with a 7-passenger mini-van (that was TOUGH, but money - or lack thereof - talks), came home to Utah & it literally took 3 solid hours before we could pull into our driveway due to excessive snowfall & a well-meaning plow that had come down our street & then freezing temperatures that had frozen the huge mound of snow at the base of our driveway into a huge mound of ice.
• Kirsten & Rob on basketball teams. Jeff ended up coaching Rob's team (Kirsten as the assistant) because he was in the (un)fortunate situation of being the only dad at the first practice when it was announced that no one had yet volunteered to be the coach, & the first game was 5 days away. Jeff came home almost in despair due to his lack of coaching skills, but he did a great job, kids & parents loved him, & the team tied for first place in the league. Not bad for a rookie!
• Although not currently a fan of snow (come on, it's March 9th, & it's snowing outside right now!), have loved building snowmen, having snowball fights, & going sledding with the kids. Our current budget is is too restrictive to go skiing, but looking forward to that in the future. Not a big fan of shoveling snow. The first thing I calculate after a big snowstorm is the time it will take to shovel - and how to bribe, cajole, force the kids to help. It is awfully good for them, though, (you know, character building and all) and 5 snow shovels are a heck-uv-a-lot cheaper than a snow blower!
• My sister Bekkah had triplets! They were born at 30 1/2 weeks (she was devastated, but when you're dialated to a 10 when you get to the doctor's office, what are you going to do?). Cliff, Ava, and Jennifer are at last all safely home (they came home one at a time), & Bekkah and her husband Mike are completely exhausted & utterly happy.
• I'll reserve an entire post for Huntington, the business we came here to open. It would be too much information for this post.
  
• Seth turned 8 & was baptized. He is our third child to be baptized, & at each baptism I have felt the Spirit & a deep love for the child being baptized. It is an edifying & sanctifying experience for which I'm grateful.
  
• Went through the Draper Temple Open House; since it's in our temple district, Jeff & I also took some time volunteering. What a beautiful temple, & a remarkable, memorable experience to be in the Celestial & Sealing rooms with your husband & children. As close to heaven as you can come.
• Kirsten in in the musical HONK Jr. put on by the Sandy Arts Guild. Dress rehearsals & performances are this week. I'm glad she's had this opportunity. I'll be VERY glad on Saturday when the closing curtain drops. Then I'll be able to drop. Talk about play overload . . .
• Emma is in 1/2 day kindergarten & it's driving me crazy. But I love her & she loves life! She has all of the energy I lack & then some. Keeps me on my toes.
• Caleb wishes he was in school & is constantly zipping around our hard wood floors on his trike (with snow on the ground it's a little hard to send him outside, although I've tried a few times). He's an absolute joy & tons of fun & completely exhausting.
  
• Hundreds of other things.
• Okay, has this list legitimized my excuses for being a bad blogger? Maybe just for me, but that's good enough. Tomorrow is another day!