Still here.

After an extended hiatus, I'm back.

It was nice to ignore the blog for awhile--I think it was starting to feel like a chore. And really, how many times can you blog about the snow and feeling gigantically pregnant?

But I know Micah and Nana have been checking in regularly looking for an update, and I was feeling a little guilty about that. In the end I think it was Bekah's heartfelt request for new reading material during her time of need (finals week) that put me over the edge.....I just can't deny the needs of my loyal reader(s).

It's been a busy month. We've had lots of company passing through. It all started with Kristy and Andy, then my mom came, then Thomas and Margaret, then my dad, Thomas and Margaret left, Jenn and Hannah came, my parents left, Gayle came, Jenn and Hannah left, and then Gayle left a week ago. Got that? It all added up to 4 1/2 weeks of continuous help, which completely spoiled me.

Now I have to do my own laundry and make my own food and pour my own drink into my special insulated cup with the straw that my mom got to help me to stay hydrated while nursing. (It totally worked, everything tasted better in that cup...until it melted in the dishwasher). But in the end, two kids hasn't been nearly as hard as I anticipated. Finley sleeps 4-6 hours at a stretch, so I'm getting good sleep. And some days we all three take a nap together (which is great until I wake up plastered between two sweaty little bodies).

Skylar had her much anticipated third birthday. I can't believe she's three already. Next thing I know, I'll be taking a picture of her first day of school. And then her prom. (Oh how I hope that puffed sleeves and banana clips are back in style by then).

Her party was 10 days before her real birthday to make sure she got her special day. It turned out to be just in the nick of time, because Finley came a few days after the party. She got to choose three friends since she was turning three. It was the perfect size party (and all I could handle at that point), and Skylar got to spend time with each of them.

In the end, the thing she cared the most about were the cupcakes....she requested "granola" flavored (that would be vanilla--she can say "Massachusetts" and "Afghanistan" but she can't say "vanilla").

The decorations took all of about 45 minutes of effort. I made her pom-pom flowers after she went to bed and left them on the dining room table. The next morning she woke up, found them, and crushed/ripped them all. The survivors were looking a little rough for the party, but that's okay, I was the only one who cared.

I wonder how many years I can get away with the tutu/number shirt combo. Micah says that if I home school her, we might be able to keep it going through middle school because she'll be none the wiser. (When I was eleven and home schooled I was shamelessly dressing up like Laura Ingalls Wilder and playing "olden days" in the yard. I even made a covered wagon and dug a well. True story.)

On a different note, every day there are new flowers popping up in the yard. Obviously I didn't plant any of them, so it's a surprise every time. Yesterday I looked out the kitchen window and saw these. I can't wait to see what else is going to bloom.

We had perfect spring weather today. I just let Skylar run amuck while I pulled some weeds...
She was a muddy mess, but she just kept saying "This is a berry beautiful day in my neighborhood. It's a berry awesome day. It's berry, berry sunny." It makes me a little sad that sunshine is such a novelty to her.
Finley got a little Vitamin D too. Yesterday Skylar said she didn't want to be a big sister anymore and told me to take the baby to her friend's house to live. But today she likes him again, so all is well.

And I managed to do this whole post without an interruption, isn't that amazing?