What happened to the two months?

Has it really been TWO months since I last wrote??? Where has the time gone? There is so much to catch up on!!!!

Our lives have been busy with work, school and church responsibilities. We seem to have gotten by with a very mild winter - so much so that the bike shop has had some business (yay!). It seems to have slowed down in March, which is a bummer, but I am hoping for a stellar week to finish off the month.

I decided to enroll in classes again, I am very close to getting my special education certification and I was offered two free classes, so I jumped at the opportunity.

Jordan's basketball is over so he is able to spend more time repairing and building bikes, which is a huge help.

Ethan has some trial hearing aids, I will have to do a separate post on that. We are trying them for 6 weeks, but right now he is only wearing them at school.

My niece came to stay with us for almost seven weeks while our office manager was out having a baby - it was great to have her come and work in the shop and spend time with us. We were sad to see her go.

Megan, Jack and Claire came on March 7th to visit. They will leave on April 2nd. Brian flew in on Saturday to stay the last week and fly home with them. It has been so much fun to have them here.

I am trying to get things ready for a garden this summer. "Never Give Up" has become my motto. Eventually I will have a successful garden!

I am giving backyard chickens a try - they are living in the front room right now and are darn cute.

I only have a few pictures to post as I can't find my camera battery charger (what's new there?). I will look for it and be more faithful at keeping this ole' blog up-to-date.

We were so happy to finally have Megan, Claire and Jack in Arkansas!!!

Jack, not so much. (At first, he has warmed up to us)

Journee helped air up tires during a big bike delivery.

Jordan in Big John's hat that he left when he was living with us. Thanks a ton, John.

It was such a beautiful day when they arrived, we played in the yard the whole afternoon!

Jordan has been practicing the "dunk".

The next thing we had to do, of course, was go on a bike ride!!

A walk in the neighborhood on the way to church.

The Little Things

We have been so incredibly busy here, I don't think it is healthy. Somehow we are managing to hold ourselves together, but just.

I tell myself this is just a cycle and those wonderfully slow, relaxing, peaceful days will return at some point.

Just let me keep telling myself that - it gives me hope!

Pretty telling when you reflect back to a household of young children and call it slow and relaxing, lol.


As I was getting dinner in the oven, cleaning the kitchen, folding laundry, bathing Ethan, unloading the dishwasher, and trying to study I saw something that gave me the feeling that I was getting "a break." I was folding the last clean towel in the pile and all that was left was socks. I scooped them all up and put them in the "sock basket."

(not my actual basket)

Now the "sock basket" may seem like an unorganized, chaotic mess, but to me it is bliss. I DON'T HAVE TO MATCH SOCKS!!!!! Honestly, matching socks is stressful. I am sure all of you out there have perfectly matched socks every time you wash, but that has NEVER happened to me. Not-even-once!

Despite the fact I have been leaving the house before the sun is up and we all get home well after dark, I am making plans for an early spring garden. Thanks to a suggestion from my sister, I have procured barrels and am looking for dirt. My goal for this summer - NO WEEDS. Although you may be intrigued, you will have to wait until it is set up and then I will take pictures. Considering I haven't stepped foot in the back yard since October, don't hold your breath! :-)

Now, enough fun. Back to work it is.

The Party Goes On

Even though the holidays are in the past and we are all preparing for the New Year before us, Ethan is clinging to the fun.

He woke me up excited and couldn't wait to show me his room:
It was time for a party!

Yesterday after we closed up the shop he told me he was tired and wanted to go to my bed. Hmmm, I never let him sleep with me (because I wouldn't get any sleep), but after dinner and bath I let him crawl in my bed to look at books.

He is way too heavy to carry when he falls asleep so I told him it was time for him to get in his own bed and I went to pull down his bed covers.
Now I know why he wanted to stay in my bed.

In case you need interpretation - those are Santa's sacks.