Paging Mama, Where are you Mama???

Apparently I went MIA and didn't realize it until I got a lovely email from my friend Lynette today asking if I am ok because I haven't been posting to the blog. *oops* How does time slip by so quickly. I was STUNNED to see it has been 11 days now since my last post. I'll wait while you all have your collective gasps. *smile*

I'd like to say I have something monumental to show of my time since I've slack off on blogging. But, alas, no. I've been reading more -- it's a winter thing for me, somehow. I had not been able to read for a long time after Ellie came home (time, people, time!!) and so I hit a blue streak around Christmas and I think I've read eight or nine books. That took a little time from blogging.

Then, I've been trying to keep my work more current. Honestly, work has been such a struggle since Ellie came home and I think it's because I never had a real steady daycare schedule and so DeeAnna and I worked out a schedule that works so much better for me. Ellie goes to DeeAnna's house Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday from oh 8 or 9 (depending on what I have to do work-wise that day) and I meet DeeAnna to pick her up right as school is getting out. Having four days to get work done and to do the paperwork has made my life ever so much better too. I don't have to try to work when she's home now and it's much less stressful AND my work is getting done on time so I'm not losing bonuses. Win-win.

Josh continues to play basketball, but honestly, that's not a drain on my time -- a few hours on Saturdays is pretty much it. He seems to have slimmed up quite a bit since the season started as his jeans are falling down on him now (pants on the ground, pants on the ground -- if you don't watch American Idol you have NO clue what I'm talking about; if you do, it's funny!). He wants to try out for middle school baseball and rec baseball sign ups start in February. THAT will be a big drain on my time.

Ellie ... ahhhhh Ellie. Now there's where a lot of my time goes. I'm certainly NOT complaining about it, because Lord knows I love her to pieces. That girl, however, can take a room apart in three seconds flat if she's in the mood. We joke that three armies couldn't put things back as quickly as she gets them out. But, there's also the times when she'll lay on the floor or sit in her chair for a half an hour and not make a peep. She has certainly blossomed into a "two" lately. I can tell her birthday is quickly coming up on us because almost every day we have an emotional meltdown from her. There is never a good reason that we can fathom, and often it will last for quite a while and then she's just done. Usually it involves large crocodile tears, some throwing of her body onto the ground and a few good shouts at whoever is nearby. Since it happens a lot in the afternoon, I suspect she is just tired and finds it sometimes hard to acclimate from one environment where its her and Addie to another environment where it's a bunch of loud tweens. Poor girl!!

Her speech has rapidly blossomed. Almost all the signs she knows she can now say the words to. I counted the other day (quickly) and think that she is between 25-30 words now. Considering most of this has come in the last few weeks, I think she is "getting it" finally. Granted, I continue to remind myself that she was a couple months premature, so developmentally, she is twenty-months, not twenty-two. Her favorite "game" to play is the "MAMA" game where she says, "MAMA" (think loud), and I say, "Yes?" and she says, "MAMA" and I say, "What?" and she says "MAMA" and I say, "What Ellie?" and she says "MAMA" and it goes on and on and on until she is finally satisfied and quits. It's the sweetest sound in the world. MAMA.

She hit a huge growth spurt of some sort. I haven't weighed her or measured her, but we pretty much can't wear any of the 12 month clothes any more -- she's too tall. Tall, you say?? Yes, too tall. Keep in mind, though, we ARE talking about 12 month clothes on a 22 month old toddler, so moving up and into the 18 month clothes is not a bad thing. Today I spent several hours taking clothes out of her closet and putting them into tubs for consignment. She was at the point where it didn't seem like she had any clothes to wear (IMAGINE -- the Princess with no clothes!!!). When I finally got everything sorted and put together some different things (did you realize if you put leggings with a dress that's too short, it makes a great top?? *smile*), she's got plenty to last her until spring. I also got into the attic and dug through the tubs up there and found the last tub of clothes I bought while we were waiting and the things others have given to us. Can you believe we are down to one tub of clothes left? Say it isn't so!!! She has a lot of stuff to get her through this summer and I found a few more outfits to get her through until summer, so we are good.

SPEAKING OF CONSIGNMENT, check out the Encores and More North website. My all-time favorite consignment sale is coming pretty soon. If you want to participate and get your clothes sold and out of the way to make room for new ones, get your consignor number NOW and start pricing.

Tomorrow, I'm tackling Joshua's room. It scares me. Honestly. I'm doing it while he's at school so he won't offer to "help" and then leave, thus just making me mad, and then come back half way through, dig through it all in the spirit of "helping" and then leave again with a bigger mess. I work better alone. *smile* He wants to redo his room this summer and I suspect it's about time. He needs a closet organizer and we need to paint. He's spending more and more time there. I remember wanting to be alone more at that age. I have to respect that wish of his so I want to help him make his room a comfy place that he will like.

And, the last thing that seems to be taking a bit more of my time is Kevin's job. Seems ironic to say that, doesn't it? Well, as many of you know, Kevin took a job in Tullahoma which is an hour and a half drive (three hours roundtrip). Because he spends a lot of time driving and usually doesn't get home until later, I'm spending more time doing things with/for the kids, cooking dinner, cleaning the kitchen, laundry, etc. that he used to help out with. This, in turn, has made me a bit more tired, so I tend to head to bed earlier knowing we have to get up earlier these days to get it all done on time. That was the time I used to blog.

So, all in all, there just have been a myriad of reasons that I haven't blogged -- none of which have been that I was sick or that anything was wrong.

I'll do a double post today and post a few pictures I've taken during the month of January. I haven't done much of that either.

Pinky promises that I will do better.