One month down...

It has been one month, practically, and I have not graced this blog with stories from our lives. My apologies, but life has just taken up my time (as it does to us all!). The other day I was sitting in my car driving to work, and I glanced over at the passenger seat to make sure I had everything I needed. As I glanced at my purse, I was rather shocked to see it busting out at the seams with "stuff". Then I started thinking about something. Have any of you ladies out there noticed that purses have increased in size over the past few years? Years ago, all you could fit was a wallet, some gum, maybe a mirror and lipstick. Now all you see are women of all ages with purses that look as though they are ready to go away for the weekend at a moment's notice. Sadly, I have become one of those women. But truthfully, I need all of that space! It is not only amazing that I have a purse so large, but that it is actually filled. To me this means that we are living in a day and age where we have so much to do, so much we need and so much that we carry as burdens, literally, on our shoulders. I have two calendars in there, one for work and meetings, and one for personal things. Of course my phone, for who can live without a cell phone? Admit it, whenever you accidentally leave yours at home you feel as though you are missing a part of your anatomy. There are pens, random receipts, hair bands, and a make up bag. On occasion there are burp rags, bottles, diapers, wipes, and spare pairs of little girl's underwear in case of any "accidents". And of course emergency snacks to be given when you need to just get through the check out line at Target, and your little one is fussy and getting loud. In a nutshell, our new large-and-in-charge style purses are filled with the essence of daily life. As my good friend calls it, the "mundane" parts of life. When did life get so complicated!?

This complex daily routine is truly the reason for my lack of blogging lately. Too much to do, not enough time, and when that happens blogging is too much of an indulgence. Thankfully, I decided to finally give in and blog! After all, I need this outlet as a way to vent, communicate, remember, share, and celebrate the happenings in our lives.

This past month a lot has been going on, and since my last blog we have had Halloween (Gracie went as Audrey Hepburn, I thought it was cute but Keton said she was one of those kids that had the dorky costume that no one recognized because it had too much "thought") and Gracie got a little candy that her father happily devoured when she had her head turned. We enjoyed the evening by seeing my mom and my husband's family, which is always a good time!

I even penciled in the eyebrows...too cute! That same weekend I ran my first ever race, a 5K in the local area for education. My goal was to finish running, and I did! It felt great to accomplish something and try something new. I am running my second 5k on Thanksgiving morning, and the goal is to break my previous time! It has been great to get back into shape, and I have been truly feeling the wonderful benefits of daily exercise. Marathon, here I come??? Who knows...but for now, this is enough!

The next weekend we took Gracie, Stella and their cousin Isis to the zoo, and they had a blast seeing all of the animals and habitats. Okay, so maybe Stella could have cared less, but the other girls thought it was the greatest! It is always fun to go to places like the zoo with little ones, because they help you to see it in a way that you used to when you were a little child. The day ended with a carousel ride, how could anyone have more fun?

That same weekend we attended my husband's first cousin's 21st birthday bash, and aside from her turning 21 making us feel old, we had a great time.

So yes, we have been busy little bees...I am sure you have too. Stella has grown so much, and I sure at her doctor's appointment on Monday she will be "off the charts" yet again. We have grown to just LOVE her beyond words. Her manner is so peaceful and calm. She definitely takes after Dad!

So keep checking my blog when you can, and I promise to do my best to share more than once a month!