Don't give up on me!

I know, I know, it's been a whole heck of a long time since I posted anything. I apologize. I want to post. I think about it every day. I know I have some real good stories to share about this life we're living. The missing component is time. I have no time.

I have no time to do anything but work, pick up after the littles, get prepared for work, rock my baby, go to work, cook every once in a while, and then work some more. My friend put it best when she said we are not living our lives, we are simply managing them. We all know this is not what I want for myself or my family so things will be changing. Must change. I only have four more weeks of work at my far-away job and five more weeks of work at my in-town job and then all I will have is the church job. But until then, I foresee still more overwhelmed and crazy chaotic days.

I am hanging in there. Derick knows how hard this year has been for me and I think he finally gets it. He has been very actively pursuing other avenues and we just have to wait for the right opportunity. He has told me that when that happens I can quit working. He also gave me that same old argument about our homeschool needing more structure. Remember the one last year when he made me put the kids in school? Well, he brought it up again and I was ready this time. I was ready to dig in my heels and tell him to not even go down that road with me. Luckily I didn't have to. I told him that if he wants more structure to our homeschool then I need to be able to be home full-time. He didn't blink an eye but said, "As soon as I find a job that pays well enough." This may seem like a no-brainer, but if you only knew how long I have waited to hear those words. I think he seemed to think that me working part time was a good fit for us, when in reality it has made me miserable.

So anyway- I will probably be scarce around these parts until June or so, when most of my big-time commitments will be done. I plan to take a week or so and do a lot of decompressing. Then I have big plans for cleaning the house from top to bottom and planning curriculum for next year. I can't wait to get started on that stuff.

Quick kiddie update:
Samantha turned nine years old last month. Grandma took her and her cousins with spring birthdays to a restaurant where the waitstaff sings to you and brings you a cake and all that jazz. I challenged our waiter to stand on a chair and sing a solo to the girls and by golly, he did! He sang a version of happy birthday that was like a lounge act- a little Marilyn Monroe-ish but without the sex kitten tone. It was great and when he was done, my daughter looked at her cousins (ages 8 and 9) and said, "I think he's cute!" Oh my goodness, it starts already!

Jeremy will be turning 8 this month and he is still into riding his ATV all the time. He also builds little houses and deer stands and tree forts and anything else he can think of. He lives outdoors-basically from sun up to sun down.

Joshua is 6 and is trying to find his place in our new family dynamic. He loves his baby sister so much, it is really a treat to watch him with her. But he is so used to following Jeremy's lead, that sometimes he can't think for himself. We are watching this unfold and trying to encourage him to step out of his comfort zone a little bit more. He also loves to be outside and doing all manner of manly things but he still enjoys a little snuggle with mama.

Anna is pulling herself up to stand by furniture and I know it won't be long before she is off and running. She is a very happy baby- truly a delightful personality. She only shares it with a select few people though. You have to be a very familiar face before she will show you her dazzling smile.

Ahhh-- you gotta love it- even in the midst of all this craziness, my life is still very, very good.

Blogging will resume on a more regular basis soon!