Gonna climb back in the saddle... or at least try

For the last seven months I've been telling myself, "It's time, it's time April, get blogging again." But I don't like being bossed around. I've been a bit obstinate. Or maybe I've had my reasons. Reasons like waiting for a new camera, waiting to get settled, waiting to be in the right mood, waiting to figure out my new camera, waiting for the world to end? ... I dunno. I've just been waiting.

But alas, here I am. And I must be honest I do it in frustration as Ethan has been shouting at me, beyond my limits of patience I might add, that he is only hungry for candy. CANDY!!! He's been crazy about candy from the day he popped out of the womb. What am I to do? I told him he could have some ice-cream after he eats some carrots and pasta. He has compromised to carrots and candy... Sad to say he must get this from me as I'm sitting here rembering the other night at a steak house all I ordered was salad and cheesecake. At least I have the excuse of being pregnant!

So how 'n the heck do you catch up after 7 months of neglect? Long posts describing all the particulars? Or just a list? I like lists. I choose list.

Here it is, I hope it's sufficient:

• Lived in a one bedroom apartment in Littleton CO for 7 months. Aug. '09-Mar. '10.
• Fun living near parents and closer to siblings, grandparents and old friends. Fun not having to clean a house or do yardwork. Fun having a heated pool, hot tub and gym right out the door. Fun to walk to the library and the lake. Fun to meet new friends. Fun to take kids to Waterton Canyon, Red Rocks and Deer Creek Canyon. Fun to finally get nice teachers at school who don't yell all the time. Fun to get pregnant with the 4th. Fun to take trips to Utah, San Diego, Ohio, San Francisco and Colorado Springs. Fun that Isaaac and Ethan played basketball and loved it.
• Not fun that winter came super early and we had to spend alot of time in a one bedroom apt. Not fun that I hate winter. Not fun that Dave was never home and was stressed to the max (opening practices in 3 states, never sleeping, and trying to provide and be with us, poor guy!). Not fun that I slept on the floor of the dining room and my closet was the puny coat closet by the front door. Not fun that we were having a hard time getting pregnant. Not fun that we had mice (no, not pet mice). Not fun that we didn't know if we were going to stay or leave Colorado.
• We left Colorado Mar. 7th. Luckily the weather was great and we didn't have much to move. We'd left most of our belongings in Missouri in storage when we moved from Florida.
• Fun that Dave is around a whole lot more! Fun that we now live in a house with rooms to spare. Fun that we have neighbors with 6 little boys all under the age of 7. Fun that our ward here is welcoming. Fun that the boys have adjusted well and enjoy school and life here. (It's really meant alot to them to have their Dad around now!) Fun that we are closer to Dave's folks. Fun that there is alot to do here. Fun that 2 kids are gone all day at school (who was I kidding thinking I wouldn't like all day kindergarten?). Fun that we found out we're having a girl baby. Fun that we are back to family walks again. Fun that we've been eating lots of spinach shakes and homemade fruit&squash leather. Fun that I got a Bosch mixer plus an excellent wheat bread recipe from a friend, and am grinding wheat and making bread that the whole family loves. Fun that Dave is doing P90X and Isaac tells him he sounds like a dying dog while he's working out. Fun that Dave's business is growing. Fun that the frogs in the pond in our backyard mysteriously left and we've resumed being able to sleep through the night. Fun that we've seen red foxes in the yard. Fun That I got to go to Oklahoma for a girls weekend with some college friends. Fun that Dave and I took a trip alone to San Antonio TX.
• Not fun that since I'm gaining weight and enjoying pregnancy acne I decided I might as well get braces too. Though I look delightful as you can imagine, I must constantly remind myself that really, this is only temporary!
• Update on Isaac: he claims he hates all the attention he gets at school from the girls but he eats it up, he too has braces but only on his front two teeth, he hates riding the bus because he's gotten in trouble a couple times, he still loves reading and does well in school, he has invented a recycling club and fixed up the attic into a clubhouse for him, his brothers, and the neighborhood kids, he is always trying to come up with some kind of project (recent ones: make a stuffed cloth spy jet, make nintendo ds and laptops out of strawberry cartons and other trash, make a pool table out of our kitchen table, make army guy 3-D murals, create Helicon cards that he wants to sell at school for 10 cents each, and on and on... there's always some project he's trying to talk me into!).
• Update on Ethan: reading like a champ though it's been frustrating for him at times, learned how to ride his bike w/o training wheels, still adores Isaac, has a growing love for raccoons and still loves anything soft or silky, has gained a closer and friendlier relationship with Mason, is still the most honest and true boy I know, loves to draw me pictures with lots of hearts and "i love yous," he's getting so big and growing up so fast, he has really nice handwriting and is working on his "s" sounds, he told me the other day that when he is scared at school he sings the song that goes "how could the Father tell the world...", one of his new years resolutions was to play golf so we have all signed up for lessons, he's such a good boy.
• Update on Mason: he is the most cheerful and genuinely happy child around, he overcame his couple month anger phase and is now the most delightful, smiley, warm child ever, he is always singing really cute songs that he makes up, he's learned his letters well recently and sounds out everything he can but backwards :), he's still a light weight and loves to be held and tickled and snuggled, he loves to give hugs and kisses and kisses the baby aka my belly all the time, he is the very helpful on his own (the other day I turned around to see him picking up the couch cushions that his brothers had messed up and putting them back on the couch!), he, like Ethan, loves to wear "cutie" shorts (silky basketball shorts) and no matter what the weather always insists on shorts and t-shirts but a bonus is he is very punctual and thorough about dressing himself.
• I still love my boys (that includes Dave) with all of my heart.
• I am very grateful to a kind Heavenly Father who hears and answers prayers and to my Savior who makes all good and truth possible.