Okay, so here's the real deal people. This blog is suffering. You know it and I know it. It's downright pathetic.

The problem is this: when you decide to be more accountable for your time, you end up, well, being more accountable for your time. yep. In the past, something funny, bizarre, or interesting happened in our lives and I willingly and happily blew off my children's care, supervision, education, and occasionally even their need to eat to share it with you. I was happy...you were happy...the kids were poorly attended, ignorant, and hungry but otherwise happy. ;-)

Now that Tim is here and we're back to homeschooling the medium-sized members of the crew while chasing down the wee partners in destruction and death-defying stunts, in addition to the neighborhood ministry, it's so much harder to blow hours on end staring at this computer. In some ways, this is a good thing. In other ways -it stinks. I don't get to keep you all up to date with the minutiae of daily life, I'm probably losing wonderful memories of the kids, having no written record of them now, and I rarely get to Skype with one of my best friends on the planet. (I love you, Chris!)

Maybe just maybe, some day I'll find a perfect balance for all of this but in the meantime I'll have to do the best I can and lean heavily upon the gracious and forgiving nature of my reading audience. =)

Here are a few moments that I've wanted to catch you up on:

Halloween Party 2009! We had a great time with lots of food, tons of candy (thanks to all who donated), crazy karaoke, and Monsters, Inc played on a big screen outside.

Melissa in her Pippi Longstockings costume.

Mamoune and Mia in their 80's punk get-ups.

And here's Tim is his ever so creative costume of himself. Party-pooper.

Yet, despite his lack of participation in our fall festivities, the boy built me an amazing potting bench out of a door and an old beam we dragged off the side of the road. Oh yes, skill and resourcefulness! It makes me proud.

And lastly for this long overdue post -a moment compliments of Bella. She's been potty-training herself for awhile now but was recently suffering from a back up in the system. While enjoying some quality time sitting in front of the toilet waiting for her "movement" this conversation ensued:

Me: Poor baby, I can hear the gas rumbling around in your tummy.

Bella: Dat's not gas. It's pwably the monkey in my tummy.

Me: uh, you have a monkey in your tummy?

Bella: yep.

Me: Okay, well what does he do in there?

Bella: Sometimes he eats my breakfast but he just had a snack so pwably he's doing nothing.

Goofy kid. But on the bright side, next time your feeling a little gassy, you can just blame it on the monkey in your tummy.