"Lately"...as in, the last 7 months.

Like dialing the number of (or, let's be a bit more current...searching FB for) a long-lost friend, I can't tell you how many times I've wanted to pick up the keyboard and write but just couldn't make myself because I felt too much time had passed.  The guilt that has hung over my head over dropping the ball on this and my other blog was almost bad enough to make me want to delete both accounts.  Almost.  

But then I remember that I love writing and chronicling my family's life this way.  And that twenty years from now, it won't matter that I missed a few (okay, seven) monthly recaps in the span of what I hope will be a years-long story.  Or maybe it will matter.  But I can't fix that and I've finally decided not to let it prevent me from picking up and starting again.  Though it may be the longest dry spell, it's not the first time I've disappeared from you and won't be the last.  But I'm willing to ignore the OCD perfectionist that tells me not to bother as long as you're willing to tune back in and read.  Ready?  Let's go:

So we moved.  In case you missed that.  Without pigs actually having to sprout wings.  It finally came through and we closed on December 11th and our first night in the new place was the 12th.  I pulled off Luke's 9 month check up and AJ's class Christmas party the day after we moved in with the help of my amazing husband and my co-room mom.  Somehow in the two weeks that followed, we got most decorations up, every card out, and all the presents wrapped in time. We had a great Christmas, albeit thrown-together and full of viruses.  We managed to uphold most of our traditions in the mayhem and make Luke's first as special as possible.  Santa brought Audrey a new dollhouse, some books, and some play-dough.  He left Luke a Racing Ramps garage, a crawling ball, and a book.  We put up a huge new tree that was given to us by a sweet friend's mother and filled it with old and new ornaments.  It was all a little disheveled, but we were in our new home together, and after the six months prior, that was all the Christmas miracle we needed.  On the 30th, my 30th birthday snuck up on me and I did manage to write a few thoughts about it here.  We are still so grateful for the friends and family that showed up to knock out a ton of projects (30, in fact!) at our new place as a gift to me and then celebrate with cake.  

January and 2013 rolled in and just as I got all of the Christmas decorations packed up, I hauled out every Rubbermaid container of baby clothes and gear we owned and began preparing for the huge consignment sale that is held at the fairgrounds twice a year.  I worked 2-3 hours a day for a month straight pricing 500 hangers' worth of stuff.  It was insanity, but when the check came a month after the sale, I realized it was well worth it.  Audrey started at her new school and took them by storm like we knew she would.  I still recall one of her teachers telling me the story of how she walked in on her third or fourth day and calmly told the Director that was monitoring the hall, "My name is Audrey Sinyard, I'm new, and I'm going to need some help finding my classroom."  Make no mistake, the child new exactly where she was going.  She just wanted to practice what I'd taught her in hopes she'd impress someone and get an extra smile out of a grown-up...it worked.  My sweet friend Kara and I also began a new semester of co-leading our women's bible study in January.

As soon as I got the consignment sale over with at the beginning of February, it was past-time to focus on Luke's first birthday party.  We were also trying to finish unpacking and doing lots of home improvement projects to make the house more presentable for the guests that would be coming since so many of them would be seeing it for the first time.  There was a roof leak and its subsequent water damage to the garage that had to be repaired, a hot water expansion tank that was replaced, the painting of the deck and play place (which we "outsourced"), and a ceiling leak in the kitchen.  Not to mention the actual cosmetic stuff I was trying to accomplish.  I think I began pulling his party stuff together approx. five minutes before the first guest arrived.  Actually, that's not true, but it's way closer to reality than I would have liked!  Still, it managed to be a wonderful time celebrating our big boy and everything turned out perfectly:  The train-themed decor, the warm bowls of chili with corn muffins for lunch, the gorgeous train cake my sister-in-law made, the hand-glued candy trains and "Little Engine That Could" book favors for kids,  the cotton candy "train smoke" favors for the grown-ups, the giant cardboard train cutout in the basement, my photographer friend that captured it all.  And, of course, the family and friends that came out to celebrate and shower him with gifts, hugs, and kisses.  We sent year one out with a bang.

In March, we appreciated our teachers, celebrated Christ's resurrection, dyed eggs, hunted eggs, endured a stomach bug (not related to eggs...I think), put Audrey in a new big girl bed, and ran a 5K.  David traveled for the majority of three weeks straight in March, so most of it is pretty much a blur.  

April brought about minor outpatient surgery for David, a massive master bedroom makeover (new paint, furniture, bedding, and pictures), AJ as flower girl in a friend's wedding, celebrating my nephew's 5th birthday, and a trip to a farm where AJ and I both milked a goat.  I'm sure there was an ear infection or cold in there somewhere, too.

In May, we celebrated Audrey's "pretend" birthday with her preschool class and also had a sweet Mother's Day tea there one Thursday morning.  My brother, sister-in-law, Mom, and I walked a Susan G. Komen 5K in celebration of my mom's early detection and felt so proud watching her jog across the finish line.  I got my annual day off around Mother's Day and spent it at Ikea, The Container Store, and the outlets before meeting David and the kids for dinner.  (I also decided I agree with a friend who recently declared that Mother's Day needs to happen about once every three weeks.)  The kids both got hand, foot, and mouth disease, which was awesome to hear Audrey tell everyone we ran into.  David began what turned into a ridiculous month-long cold to round out our six months of sickness.  I weaned Luke and felt all of the emotions that come with that chapter closing.  Audrey finished school a week before the "big kids" and I tried not to panic about the vastness of summer that stretched before us.  We cleaned out the spare bedroom and turned it into a craft/hobby room.  David was ecstatic to get his guitars back out and have a little real estate in his own home again.  We hosted a cookout for some friends from high school/college and loved seeing them and all of our chaotic kids we've added to the mix.  At the end of the month, David turned 32 and we took a glorious night away in Dahlonega while the kids stayed with his parents.  We shopped, saw a movie for the first time in almost two years ("The Great Gatsby"), ate delicious uninterrupted meals, slept 9 consecutive hours, hiked in the North Georgia mountains, and took a nap on a dock.  It was fantastic.

June was my big girl's 4th birthday, and we tea-partied our hearts out.  She dressed up in a pretty blue and white floral print sleeveless dress with fancy ruffle socks and white patent-leather mary janes.  Of course she added a boa, gloves, and a hat from her "accessorizing corner" we set up and then made a jeweled bracelet with her friends.  There were petit fors, finger sandwiches, chips, and fruit kabobs for the kids and chicken salad croissants, fruit, chips, and Italian pasta salad for the adults.  She sat tall in a pretty white wooden chair and opened gift after gift.  Afterwards, we let the kids take turns swinging at the pinata Audrey requested (I managed to find a teapot one!) and finally, after multiple unsuccessful attempts, let David break it open.  Then we chowed down on the gorgeous teapot cake my sister-in-law Jenny made.  The little guests left with a Fancy Nancy Tea for Two book and chocolate pretzel stick and the grown-ups got a teacup, saucer, bag of tea, and honey stirring spoon.  It was a blast to put on and Audrey loved every minute of it.  In June I also ran my first solo 5K and came in first in my age group...who cares that there were probably only 150 people in the whole race?!  We painted the dining room, removed the hideous basement mirrors and painted the main room down there, and did some major pruning and trimming in the yard.  Audrey started a six-week ballet class with several friends through the parks and rec department and also took a week of swim lessons at our neighborhood pool.  Of course one of the best moments of the year so far happened on the 7th, when 15.5 month old Luke finally decided to take his first steps.  Oh my mother's heart was so thrilled!  To keep up with those two, I joined a gym for the first time since 2008.  I figured after spending four of the last five years pregnant or nursing, it was time to take my body back.  Or at least salvage what I could.  We topped it off with a case of 5th's Disease right after Audrey's party and an ear infection somewhere in there for both of them.  

So that has been a very brief summary of our lives over the past seven months.  While rereading and proofing it, I realize several things 1) we've been sick a lot 2) we've had a ton going on and stay very busy, BUT 3) we've also been doing some really cool things and making great memories.  I love our new house.  It's really starting to feel more like home.  And the people in it?  Well, I wouldn't trade them for the world.  

Hope you'll come back soon for what I plan on being much more frequent updates.  In the meantime, check out the Picasa links below.  Yes, I updated the gallery too.  You're welcome.  :)

May 2013:  https://picasaweb.google.com/112482511844513189984/May2013?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCObshaTRn8ucag&feat=directlink

Audrey's 4th Birthday and Tea Party: https://picasaweb.google.com/112482511844513189984/AudreyS4thBirthdayAndTeaParty?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCKTBoMPsyMfo1wE&feat=directlink

June 2013:  https://picasaweb.google.com/112482511844513189984/June2013?authuser=0&authkey=Gv1sRgCO6L2Z3Y-8DFKg&feat=directlink