Spring

okay.  so, i need to update this more often.  i've heard from several of you, who shall remain nameless, i get it, i get it. and i totally agree.  if i'm going to be a real "blogger", my posting history just isn't gonna cut it.  and, here in cyberspace, i solemnly swear that i will be better about posting.  this second trimester thing has me totally wiped out after getting the kids fed, bathed, homework done, kitchen cleaned (okay, not every night) and the living room picked up. not to mention, if jon and kate plus 8 is on, i'm on the couch glued to the tube.

so, by now there's a lot to catch up on.  i'll give the kidlet update first.  sam:  totally swamped with homework, obsessed with renovating his fort in the forest, enjoying youth group at church on thursdays, usually found surfing the internet shopping for an air soft gun he is attempting to earn with an a/b average, walking the neighbor's dog p.k.  ethan:  baseball, eating tons and getting taller, doing his homework before he's asked, playing basketball with matt down the street, chasing audrey and making her laugh, desperately wanting to go to the air force academy. olivia: riding her scooter or bike up and down the cul-de-sac,  spending time in her new room playing dollhouse, asking to help in the kitchen, doing her homework for fun, writing sticky notes with  "i love you's" to her daddy and placing them around the house, looking for bears.  audrey:  constantly looking for deer while on our walks, saying 100 new words a day i swear, playing with her baby doll who's always sleeping so we get "shh-ed" a lot, calling for "sisser" to play with her, gave up her pacifier without much ado, taking one long nap from two.

daddy update:  working lots but passionately enjoying every second, keeping quite busy down on the south end of town, sitting out on the deck and enjoying the scenery with a cup of coffee in the morning, earning the respect of his training officers and co-workers, taking his wife out on awesome dates that he even plans! usually twice a month (this needs to be weekly), completing his honey-do lists and more, painting like a pro, taking the kids and i 

hiking almost every weekend, laughing at his wife who thinks if we're in nature he should be packing heat (mountain lions).

mommy update: getting a big belly, feeling much better, trying to focus on finishing the upstairs decorati

ng before jumping into the main floor, working magic with a shoestring budget and totally determined to cut the grocery bill in half, baking more after learning how at 7200 feet, working on a book project with the ya ya's, using cloth shopping bags (i'm reverting to my tree-hugger ways out here), tr

ying to keep up with laundry (ha!), missing friends and family, looking forward to visiting there and visits here, happy knowing school is almost over, considering adopting a dog (not puppy) from the shelter.  yes, i go through this every time i'm pregnant.  it will pass.

so, life is busy but good.  spring has sprung in colorado.  it was 80 degrees here one day and then next it snowed 10 inches.  i guess we'll get used to it.  the snow melts in a matter of hours and when you walk outside all you can hear is running water.  the saying goes "if you don't like the weather in colorado, wait five minutes and it'll change."  kind of feels like life inside here.  i think we need the summer to regroup, look back at all the changes we've endured and enjoyed, reconsider what we need to start or stop                                               and just relax.

oh-our house does not have air conditioning.  and it was built in the early 90's!  so i've been told, we won't need it.  that the late evenings cool your house down, the mountain air gets in and does the job of a.c.  while i feel great about the positive effect on our budget and the environment, i'm a little nervous.  i'm from the suburbs of chicago where without a.c. people die!  the locals have also told me there's no mosquitoes.  have we found paradise?