i know, i know...

i am horrible about keeping up this blog. i have great intentions, but somehow after putting the littles and the middles to bed, straightening up the house, chasing sam off facebook and folding a load of laundry, my bed is much more enticing than the desk chair.

now that we're almost half way through april, i have a dilemma. do i try to catch up from christmas until now? impossible. frankly, i'm not sure i can even remember february and march at this point. the days are just full. full of the usual: homeschooling, cooking, laundry, laughing at the littles, managing the middles and savoring these years with old man sam. full of the unusual: audrey trick or treating in march, ev using watercolors as eyeshadow. i guess i can just cover some of the highlights.

we've celebrated another birthday! clark david wonky aloysius grizzwold ("grizz") was two years old in january. he's one of our favorite things about "home". an amazingly patient and loving dog, totally trustworthy and as loyal as they come. most days he can be found in the yard with the kids, chewing on a stick and waiting to hear the coveted word "treat". or at the fort with the boys investigating the woods, searching for deer poop like truffles. ew. and when we can get away, being the best running partner a girl could ask for. (scroll down to see the video at the bottom of the blog!)

grandma came in january and graciously allowed marcus and i to escape to the broadmoor for an overnight. time away from the kids, just the two of us, is so precious. let's just say it gives us hope and we see a faint dim light at the end of a very long tunnel. did i say that out loud? then jessica our old neighbor in westchester came to visit with her adorable 2 year old miranda. the zoo, playtime, snacks, giggles. it was lots of fun and evelyn is still asking for her friend "'randa". a sock hop at church, a valentine's day brunch at a friend's home, a renovation of the laundry room, a father daughter dinner dance for liv, winter camp with church for sam, out for dinner for marcus' birthday, spring break with a day trip to denver, watching 5 dogs over spring break, and most importantly, ev is potty trained!

lest you think we are now in the witness protection program when you try to call, baseball has started. when we're not at home, we are most certainly at a ball field watching ethan, our lefty pitcher, throw strikes!

there are days when marcus and i look at each other in disbelief over the pile of dishes in the kitchen, the shoes by the front door, the constanly revolving doors, the entire neighborhood's bikes in the front yard, the craft supplies and maple syrup on the kitchen counter. we are so in the thick of parenting and it can be really overwhelming at times. but we know we are blessed, they know they are loved and what happens in this house on a daily basis is eternal. so, we do the best we can, ask each other for help when we need it and we try to take time to marvel amidst the monotony and the little moments in this crazy, good, good life.