At last an update

Whew! I've been on what feels like a tremendous hiatus from the blog and I think it's time for a few fresh photos and a family update.

My break from posting has been due in part to a fabulous visit from Nana and Auntie C. During our week together, our kiddos grew to adore these wonderful ladies more than ever and I continued to feel so blessed for in-laws that I can not only stand to be around, but actually consider to be some of my favorite people on the planet. Little L and C just got to feel so much extra love during their visit, too. Nana always had another simple treasure hiding in her suitcase to share with L and Auntie never tired of reading copious selections from the Disney story collection the rest of us just can't bear to hear ourselves read anymore. Mr. C loved having extra faces to smile at and solicit attention from. Nancy and I enjoyed a two-day Beth Moore engagement downtown--powerful as always and gave us shreds of wisdom to sew into our daily spiritual walks. We practiced lots of volleyball in the backyard to get Auntie C ready for her league. And N and I even got to have a late-night date at a local bistro where we shared some great fried appetizers and I sipped a fine pomegranate martini.

Now back to the daily routine and enjoying the joys of springtime. During the past week I've felt pretty rundown from my mothering duties. Mr. C is growing and teething and learning oodles each day. All of these feats lead to frequent night-time sleep disruptions (his and mine) and I've been battling some painful nursing issues to boot. Alas, we're soldiering through and are in great anticipation of L's 3rd birthday this weekend. To surprise her on Sunday, N is assembling a shiny red Radio Flyer two-wheeled mini bicycle with training wheels, chrome fenders and a real bell. She's been coveting the neighborhood kids' trikes and bikes for months, so we're certain she'll be delighted. This is really the first big present we've ever purchased for one of our children, so we're giddy, too. We enjoyed a hand-crafted cake ala Papa with lemon-butter-cream and fondant flowers while Nana was here, and we'll have a little birthday playdate with friends on Friday. Birthday celebrations span at least two weeks in our family.

In other news, my dad received a nice honor from a local service organization for his decades of work as a volunteer fire chief in my hometown, including some nothing-short-of-heroic rescue efforts during the flood in December. I'm really proud of him and this article includes some good pics of the work going on in our house to get it back up to par. As a side note, my uncle just published a book of his memoirs, which I helped him edit a little in his earliest stages of writing and he's giving any proceeds he earns to the Boistfort Valley flood victims. It's fun to see my name on the acknowledgments page of a published book even for the small bit I was able to offer him. Way to go Uncle D!

I tucked in a few pics of Easter and egg-hunting. I love that my daughter is the one in row of southern belles who has the tiniest bow on her head and a ring of chocolate around her mouth. So refined!

Time for sleep now. Tomorrow promises many attempts at luring Mr. C away from the litter box, which is just the best little indoor sandbox a tot could hope for and I have the lead role in our daily all-day production of Charlotte's Web, which means I will be corrected at least 25 times when I slip up and call Miss L by her given name instead of "Templeton the Rat." These days are exhausting but they are filled with fleeting treasures. Thanks for checking in with us!