What a month!

I can't believe I've neglected my blog ever since Thomas' birthday. Bad blogger! We have had a very eventful time since then, so at least I have a good excuse for disappearing.

Chuck has been home for over a month. It has been a big adjustment for him and for the kids and me, but we are so happy about being all together again. The "vacation" feeling has been wearing off for him, though, so he's been chopping wood, working around the house, spending extra time playing with the kids, and generally keeping himself busy doing all those "guy" things he now has time to do. Right now he is giving the Suburban an oil change under the watchful eye of a few little boys and one curious chicken. And in his "free" time he is studying for the state licensing exam to sell insurance. He is hoping to be able to complete this process within a few more weeks so prayers would be most appreciated!

In a way I guess you could say that Chuck and I have temporarily traded places. I got a part-time job working at the restaurant in town. I've completed two weeks now, and there are lots of things I like about the job. I'm finding out that cleaning somebody else's kitchen can be a lot more enjoyable than cleaning mine. I'm also picking up a few ideas that will help keep my own kitchen running more smoothly. When there is time I'll be sure to share some of these tips, in case some of my readers might find them helpful. It has been very strange to be employed outside the home again after more than a decade of being "just" a mom. Despite the fact that staying at home is looked down on by most people as a waste of time and talent, I was always really proud of my "SAHM" status. Thinking about it, maybe that is exactly why Our Lord has asked me to give up that status for a while. Another benefit is that I will never walk into a restaurant again without more appreciation of what the staff is dealing with.

And through all this we are seeing just how wonderful our bunch of kids can be. They have really pulled together and been working well through this time of adjustment. We are keeping up with their school work and chores pretty well. Everybody has been healthy, which is just amazing. For this cold and flu season we've had one minor bug that didn't even hit all the children. I am so thankful for their good health! I know it has been a long time since we've put pictures up. I promise we will get pictures just as soon as I have time to take some worth sharing.

We are heading toward spring break-up, but not there yet. There is still way more snow than bare ground out there! We're having highs above freezing, but there is snow in the forecast for this weekend, and we still have the "Easter blizzard" to contend with. Then there will be several weeks where we trade in the snow for mud (not an improvement, if you ask me.) And THEN it will finally really be spring!

I'm sure there is more that I'm forgetting to share, but that's all the update I have time for right now. Thank you all for your love and prayers... God will bless you for your kindness!