I am still alive!!!

So, yeah…it has been a while! Like two months! What is that all about? I still check everyone’s journal every day…but for some reason I have a hard time taking the time to post. I think it is because there is so much to say, but yet….not enough time. I don’t know. But who cares? I am here now! LOL

Let me give you a person-by-person update before I get to me!

Gracie
Well, Gracie is growing up so fast! She is talking a lot and just changing and developing quite the little personality. She is so strong-willed and such a little pistol. I just love her to death, but there are moments that I could just strangle her! She is a screamer…she screams when she doesn’t get her way…and she likes to torture her brother and sister. But then she will also do the cutest things that just melt your heart. So, she is something else!!! She is still pretty tiny comparatively speaking….but she holds her own!

Faith Anne
I have enrolled my Faithy in Kindergarten! Can you believe that? She goes for her screening at the end of this month. She is so ready to go….but I am not sure that I am! I just can’t believe it is that time already! She is such a little drama queen. Everything with her so melo-dramatic. But she also has a very loving side….she is my cuddler and just likes to be held and told that you love her…over and over and over again. She seriously wants like 10 hugs and kisses every night – from everyone. The other day I was at Target with the girls and they were both riding in the cart and they had been hitting each other (SHOCKER) but then they started singing the “I Love You” song from Barney (HATE that show) and hugging and kissing each other. It is moments like that….I cherish and hope they really do end up being the best of friends like I am with Jodi! Oh, and Faith Anne regularly tells me that she wants to get married too. What a funny little girl! She is really liking gymnastics and looking forward to starting soccer and t-ball soon! Of course she will have to have all pink stuff…cleats, shin guards, ball, bat, glove, etc. And then she will be cheering for football too. So, she is going to be busy! But it is her turn…she has been to all of “Isaac’s Stuff” for the past few years…now it is her turn too!

Isaac
Well, Bubby-Man is doing really good too. His grades are slipping a little bit at school (not all “A’s”), but he is doing good. His biggest problem at school is talking too much (really?) and being too concerned about everyone else and not just himself (again, really?). But overall, he is still doing good in school and still really likes it. His teacher’s husband passed away, so that was rough on him because he has really grown to love his teacher and he was sad when she was out for a few weeks. His basketball season is now over…he LOVED playing! His team lost one game, so they had a great season and a lot of fun. At the last practice last week, they had the kids play the parents and so I got to play! That was a lot of fun…even though he fouled me a lot. He is excited to start baseball too and he is really excited that football season is getting closer. It was funny because in football, he just isn’t very aggressive…well, in basketball, he was almost TOO aggressive! If we can just get him to switch that, that would be great! But he always keeps us busy! He is such a “pleaser”….a lot like me, actually. He just wants everyone to be happy all the time. When Gracie is upset…or even Faith Anne, he wants to do whatever it will take to make them happy. He is just a sweet, sweet kid. Don’t get me wrong, he teases his sisters some too….but when they are really upset, he is always the one to go get their favorite book or toy or try to take their punishment for them. They are blessed to have such a great big brother!!!

Scott
Well, he is doing great at work, in spite of the economy. I guess that people are home more now, so they don’t want to give up their cable. So, that is good for our budget! We still don’t see a lot of each other, but I am assuming that most people our age with kids our ages are like that. One day we will get to enjoy each other again! I am blessed to have a hubby who is so good to me. He really takes care of me and the kids….and he doesn’t complain about it…too much! LOL He spoils me! He has been very busy at home the last few weeks because we switched bedrooms for Isaac and the girls. So, that involved a lot of painting and repairing walls and re-hanging curtains and pictures and stuff. They look REALLY nice and we are SO glad it is done! I wish we could afford a bigger house, but I do love what we have…if only we had one more room! Some day….

And me…well, I am doing good. I had a big scare with my job in January. We had a big shake-up here and did some restructuring and down-sizing. There was about one week where I really, really thought I was going to have my job eliminated….and honestly, it still could happen. But for now, my job is safe and it has changed some, but I still have a job! In this economy…that isn’t something to take for granted! I have a new boss…a woman! I really like working for her. She has a very annoying voice, but she seems to be a good person to work with and she is very appreciative of what I do. So, that is work!

I am still losing weight….but very, very slowly! I guess that I am okay with that because they say the slower it comes off…the longer it will stay off. But I do wish I could just wake up skinny and at my goal! That just isn’t happening as fast as I would like it to! I have about 25 more pounds to go to my goal. At this rate…I might make it there by next year. LOL I have decided that I am really going to try to just enjoy where I am at in this journey instead of always trying to move faster. I am way healthier now than I have ever been…way more active than I have ever been….actually wearing smaller clothes than I remember wearing since high school...so I guess I can’t complain too much! I have learned a lot about myself on this journey…but still have so much to learn. I don’t think you ever “arrive” when you are someone like me, who has had a weight issue my whole life. The moment you think you have “arrived” is the moment that you start gaining back, I think. So…anyways….that is going good! I hit a pretty big milestone in my journey last week and it felt GREAT!
I have some fun and exciting things coming up! This weekend, the girl cousins are all going to Kentucky to Jodi’s house for a baby shower. The shower is on Saturday, but we are all going down on Friday night and having a slumber party at Jodi’s house! I am so stinking excited! We are going to play karaoke and just have a great time laughing together! I can’t wait!!! Then, we are going on vacation to Disney World the last week in March for Spring Break! That is so very exciting too! I am dreading the drive down there, but I can’t wait to see the kids’ reaction to the Magic Kingdom! We are going to go there two days….and that is all, at this point as far as the parks go. Mom and Dad and our whole family and Jodi are all going…so it will be a blast! This is the last year that we can go with Gracie being free…and I was able to get 20% off the tickets through work, so it won’t be TOO bad. But I can’t believe how expensive it is!!!! So, that is exciting! Then in April, the cousins are all going to Women of Faith…and Mandisa is going to be there…WAHOO! Have you heard her new song…LOVE IT! I need to get her CD. And then the weekend after that….is the Vera Bradley Trunk Sale! I don’t know who I am going to that with or the details of that…but I WILL be there….that is FOR SURE! Oh….and then one other thing I just thought of, my cousin Michael and Kami are getting married in June and Isaac is in that wedding. That will be fun and all the Oklahoma crew will be in town, so that is another exciting thing to look forward to! And Tessa is getting married in May….just lots of exciting things on the horizon!

Well, I am sure you are bored with my rambling by now. I know there is so much more to tell you, but I will bore you with that another day! I do ‘lurk” every day! It is part of my morning routine when I get to work! Love and hugs to you all!!!!!