Still Here, Y'all.

Okay, y'all. I'm here. 

Life, oh Life, how busy you have been. 

And Blog, oh Blog, how neglected you have been.

Let's play some catch-up, shall we?

1) My Mother and I took a girls' trip to IKEA in Frisco, Texas, which is about a four-hour drive from my house. We had the girls with us, so manuevering through the maze that is IKEA was a little tricky and we were all quite tired when it was done (please note the cookie-devouring that is happening in the picture below), but it was fun!

I bought some stuff to re-do the entryway. The Farmer's Almanac is calling for a bitterly cold winter, y'all. Time to create some boot storage.

2) This big kid turned five.

FIVE. I can't believe my oldest is FIVE. PawPaw made him this special pancake, since his birthday fell on Friday, which is the day we eat pancakes with the kids' great-grandfather. Cub was pretty stoked. (We have had major health concerns with the kids' great-grandparents lately and the ups and downs have been tough, so I treasure our Friday breakfasts.) I am so proud of this kid. He refers to his sisters as "my sisters" all the time. "My sisters needed a snack, so I got it for them." "My sisters are ready for bed, I think." Obviously, duh, they are his sisters, but I love hearing him talk about them. He loves school, loves learning, is obsessed with anything that has to do with building things. Next goal: Tying shoes. You're on your way, buddy. You're on your way.

3) I ran my first 15k of the season and beat my time from last year. Yay! Also, I'm super red and sweaty in this picture. Gross. I have learned the value of a good ice bath. Even though I was cold, I plunged (fully-clothed) into a tub full of cold water with a bowl of ice dumped in and I wasn't sore at all the next day. I credit the ice bath. And maybe the double-cheeseburger I ate that night. Maybe.

4) I made a Pinterest dessert that DIDN'T FAIL! And the angels rejoiced! The girls and I had a little baking day while Cub was in school. We made some (boxed) pumpkin bread and when it cooled, we sliced it and used a leaf cookie cutter to cut a leaf shape out of each slice. Then we lined the "leaves" of cooked pumpkin bread in a loaf pan and dumped (boxed) cinnamon bread batter on top of them and baked it. After pouring softened cream cheese frosting on top and covering it with a crumbled almond/brown sugar topping, we finished. And it WORKED!

5) My husband surprised me with a new dishwasher. I almost cried. Ten years ago, it was flowers. Now, it's a dishwasher that doesn't sound like a roaring waterfall when it runs. We can actually ... have a conversation? Watch TV? when the dishwasher is running and it's amazing. Oh, how he speaks my language!

6) Remember the double-cheeseburger mentioned above? Yeah. Running makes me hungry and thusly, I eat. Like a bear. A big bear. And put on pounds. Yes, yes, I gain weight when I run. Ha! So, I've tried to cut back on the bear-ish eating. One of my favorite not-so-bear-ish lunches is a cilantro-lime shrimp dish. I sauté shrimp in lime juice with cilantro and once it is browned, I mix it with a tablespoon of guacamole and a tablespoon of pico de gallo. DELISH.

7) This is a pic of Naomi and I from last night. Our Thursdays have turned into sleepover days with the kids. Naomi and I sleep in the master bedroom while the boys take up residence in the guest room (Lydia still sleeps in the girls' room at this point, ha!). We watch a movie and eat popcorn. Sleeping with a three year-old is a lot like sleeping with a ninja, but I love when her little hand finds my face, and I love the sweet sounds she makes when she sleeps. And I love that she actually loves to do sleepovers with me. It's the kids' favorite night of the week and we love it, too.

Of course, these are all of the happy highlights. There have been some rough patches thrown in there, too, that add to the craziness of life right now. But I am reminded, over and over again, of the good things with which God has blessed us. And I am so thankful for them and humbled by His grace.

Have a lovely weekend!