Time Flying By....

Kate, my sister-in-law, pointed out to me the other day that I haven't updated my blog in awhile.  I shamefully nodded my head, muttering "I know".  There are no excuses - I mean, I could go on and on about how busy I've been, that I've been sick (actually the whole family has been sick), that it was March Break, that we've had a dozen birthday parties and celebrations, that I'm getting ready to go back to work, that I'm getting Junior ready for daycare- blah blah blah blah blah.  Bottom line: I want to keep with this blog, so I'm going to!  No excuses people, I promise to update more!  :)

My gosh, so much has been going on, where do I begin....

Since Keith and Barkley get shafted most of the time in my books, I'll start with them  :P
My hubby has been sick with a bad cough for over a week now, generously spreading his germs to his son, then his wife, then his daughter.  Thanks Keith.  So our house has been a infected with runny noses, fevers and a horrendous cough that I'm hoping we get rid of pronto.  Otherwise, Keith has been his usual self: always up for playing "school" or "school bus" with Breanna, spending quality time with Junior and helping me in general around the house.  Kate asked me the other night if Keith helps me with laundry, and I was able to answer with a yes.  I've come to realize, especially since I've been sick as of late, that my husband does step up to the plate when necessary.  Just the other day, to my surprise and delight, I came home to find both kids sound sleep and all the dishes were washed and the house was in order.  It was a reminder to me of why I fell in love with Keith.  He is simply amazing.

Barkley continues to be the smallest yet loudest member of our family.  If we were better able to control his barking, he would be the world's best dog.  But no, the little fur ball feels he must protect us from all those who dare enter our house.  I think we cursed ourselves when we named him Barkely.

Breanna, oh Breanna.  Where do I start with this girl?  She is all about her friends these days, asking regularly to go on play dates and have friends over.  Keith and I had another parent-teacher interview where we learned that Breanna and her "possy" of 5 friends at school are tighter than ever and that her teachers have never witnessed such a close group of girls in all of their years of teaching.  They find it fascinating how bonded the girls are to one another and that the concept of friendship is so developed at such a young age for this core group of 5.  Lately Breanna is also in singing, dancing and most of all, giggling with Daddy and Junior.  If there is one thing that is always consistent with Bree is that she is silly, right down to her toes.

Junior, our little baby, is not so little anymore.  He is cruising along anything he can reach and boy is he fast when he wants to get to something!  He also LOVES to watch me cook.  As soon as he sees me standing in front of the stove preparing dinner, he boots it on all fours and is tugging at my pant leg to reach up to see what I'm cooking.  So I often let him watch for a bit while I stir something on the stove, or a give him a little peek at a dish I'm preparing.  The look in his eyes is pure fascination and the look on his face is always priceless.  I call him Curious Junior all the time because he is SO curious about everything!  He also started daycare last week and we are so proud of him for not even crying once on all 3 days he went to daycare.  So far, the transition has been going well, so we hope it continues this week as he spends Monday and Tuesday with Grandma and Grandpa, then Wednesday, Thursday and Friday at daycare.

This is my last and final week of Mat leave.  Although I am sad, I'm ready for this next step and next chapter in my life.  I'm starting a new job with a new company, so I'm excited but also a little nervous.  A part of me is going to miss spending my days with my babies, but I know their independence is just as important as mine.  Reality is kicking in that this could very well be my LAST week EVER of Maternity Leave...who knows what the future holds.  Many people have asked if we are going to have a third child and the answer is, I don't know.  We are over the moon happy with our family of 4 and Barkley - adding another to the mix just doesn't seem to be in the cards right now.  But can I say with a definitive NO to more children...no.

Right now, I'm happy with my sweet 3 year old daughter and my soon to be 1 year old son.  We had an amazing birthday party for him over the weekend - a full update to come this week with pictures!

Thank you to everyone for supporting me in this blog.  I promise to update more frequently, I promise!

Pictures to come, I'm just in the process of uploading!

xo
Caralen