Yes, I voted as a Registered Republican in the state of Pennsylvania. Although, admittedly, I was rather put-out that our race is so much more boring than the Democrats'.  I mean, really, how revolutionary and exciting is voting for John McCain today? Exactly. This fall, it will be [hopefully] much more so, but today, I was almost bummed I hadn't switched parties just so I could take part in the fun and suspense of watching the results come in and seeing if the candidate I voted for was going to win.

Although, when I went to vote, I was rather surprised to see Huckabee and Paul still on the ballot. So I voted for Paul, because I just wanted to mix it up and do something different. And also because when the election results come in, I can proudly claim to be in that 1- or 2% of voters who went for Paul. And that is about as exciting as it gets around here on April 22.....

Oh, and I also saw that our excavating contractor's wife is running for some small office, so I voted for her too. Because they are good people, and I like them, and... that's about it. Yep. I told you. Pretty boring.

The kids are all asleep, and the kitchen is clean. I am "off duty" for the time being. It is a nice feeling.

Dan and a friend (actually, a guy I've known since I was little) decided to go quadding tonight. I am glad they got to go-- I know Dan misses the excitement and adrenaline of police work, and while quadding isn't exactly that, it is at least somewhat daring and adventurous. (The way they drive is, anyway. Last week Dan rolled the quad in the river and got completely soaked. The week before, two buddies flipped their quads on the same exact hill climb. So I think it's dangerous enough to be exciting while not exactly suicidal. I hope. )

So I'm home "alone", and honestly, loving the peace and quiet. I can hear the waterfall out back, and it's been warm enough lately that we can sleep with the windows open, which is lovely.

Tomorrow is Hallie's third birthday party. (She actually turns three on Sunday.) I can't believe she's three already. I know I say this at every birthday, but it is still true! Where does the time go? She has been requesting a "Strawberry Shortcake" party for months now, so that's what we're doing. She is so stinkin' excited about her party tomorrow, it's really cute. It makes all the extra planning and prep work and food prep and decorating totally worth it. After all... you only turn three once. *sniff, sniff* My baby girl's growing up!

Here are a couple pics of Hallie and her best bud/ cousin Abby from last week when we were at Abby's house. (H & A are just 6 weeks apart.) As you can tell, they are: a. very good mommies and b. very well-prepared mommies. No possible needed item was ever left behind when making a move from one room to the next. And surprisingly, their spats were relatively few and far between. The older they get, the more they play well together, which makes this mommy, (who grew up being the best of friends with her same age cousin), very happy.

The girls in their matching jumpers made by Mima (Dan's mom). They both have great fake smiles.

Halfway through a long journey... from the living room to the toy room.

Setting up house in the toy room. (Apparently Abby got hot at this point.) Too cute!

I'm back again... and it's not quite been two weeks.

The weather today was absolutely beautiful!!! Mid-seventies and not a cloud in the bright blue sky. We had a picnic lunch for the third day in a row, and are planning another tomorrow. Tristan, in particular, loves being outdoors. He really, really loves it, and he'll play for hours outside, even after the older two are getting chilly or bored. It's super cute. This kind of gorgeous weather makes me itch to go outside and dig in the dirt. I can't right now, (we live basically on a cliff by a waterfall in a guest house... I know, great for kids, right? But so far we've been ok.) I am already dreaming of being in our new house next year, and planning out my gardens. Yay for springtime! I am so glad that winter has decided to call it quits. Though mid-April here has been known to spring a surprise snowstorm on us, so I'm just enjoying each moment as it comes.

Remember the birdfeeder issues I wrote about a while back? Well the few birds we had coming have dropped off considerably. I think it must be warm enough for them to find food on their own. But we do have a grey squirrel and a red squirrel who have taken to frequenting the ground under the feeders, scavenging for dropped seeds. Unlike in Missouri, where you could easily look out any window and see 10 or more squirrels scattered about the yard, these two are the only ones I've seen since we've been here. They are pretty funny to watch. There is a small patch of rhododendron bushes outside the kitchen door, and I've taken to tossing the ends of bread out there for the birds & squirrels. One day I saw the grey one run up, grab a piece of bread in his paws, and then waddle off on his hind legs, holding it in front of him, then he sat on a log munching away on it for awhile. The kids get such a kick out of watching them out the windows. I think I like feeding wild animals-- it provides satisfaction and enjoyment, and I don't have to clean up after them!

Our new house is really coming along. They'll be starting the roof soon. We took the kids up there the other day, and walked around all the framed-in rooms. It's so strange to see in reality the rooms that I've been looking at on paper for so many months. Maybe it's me, but the mental image I had is nothing like what's actually there! I guess I can't visualize blueprints very well.

I got the kitchen mopped tonight after the kids were in bed-- my big cleaning goal for the day. But, really, it was just too nice outside. Who wants to stay cooped up inside when it's sunny and warm and just calling you to come outside? Certainly not me. Tomorrow morning I'm meeting a friend to walk a few miles w/ the kids, and then we're going to let the kids eat picnic lunches together and run around outside while we chat. I love spring. Have I mentioned that yet?

Wow, so it's been like a really long time since I've posted on here. I told Dan last night that I don't think I've gone two weeks w/o posting since I started posting regularly like 3 years ago. He was slightly aghast that I actually post that much, I think.

The trip to Missouri was great. It was so fun to see all Dan's family that truly is family to me. And I love seeing all the cousins play together. There are 10 cousins right now (and the oldest is 6), so whole family get-togethers at this stage are usually loud and chaotic much of the time. (The parents greatly anticipate bedtime when all the adult fun begins. ) Anyway, besides a few minor bouts of sickness (Hallie and Tristan had a fever for two days, Hallie threw up and Will had a cold that Tristan has just now caught...) that actually were not as hampering as they sound.... (thanks, ibuprofen. ) we really had a terrific two weeks. We are all getting together again in 3 months, and I am already stoked. Yay for family fun!

One thing I discovered while in MO was that two of my brother-in-laws are using an online envelope cash-management system for their family budgets. I am the finance person in our family, and at one point (before kids) I had us pretty well on track with Quicken. However, all that entering and tracking got sidetracked with kids (plus I got bored with it.... and didn't really care too much about where our money went after awhile......) Anyway, all that to say that once again, five years later, I am again tacking the budgeting issue. Dan and I do pretty well with spending within our means, but I honestly have no clue how much we spend on gas each month. Or groceries. Or anything for that matter. And I when I say no clue, I mean NO CLUE. It could be $100 or $400 on gas or whatever, I really have no idea. All I know is that what comes in every month usually goes out in the same ratio. So as boring as all this probably sounds to most of you, I am happy to feel like we might be getting a handle on what we are spending where for once!

I packed a picnic lunch today and took the kids out to play. It was a lovely, warm, sunny, blue-skied day, and it was so great to be outside! I think a spring picnic is one of my very favorite things in the whole world.

More to come-- I have much more to say, but dinner calls.

On Monday I am taking the kids and flying to Missouri for 2 weeks. I'll spend the first five days in St. Louis, staying with my in-laws, seeing friends, going to playdates and visiting our old neighbor. (I can't wait!!) Then I (and Dan's mom) will drive 5 hours west to Kansas City, and spend the next 4 days with Dan's sister, her hubby and their 2 kids. Their daughter Abby is just Hallie's age, so I'm excited to see their relationship take off again. The girls are so cute together!! Then we will drive southeast (4 hours I think?) to Springfield where Dan's brother and his family live. Will is sandwiched between their boys, Noah and Nathan, and he has already been talking for weeks about this part of the trip. (In fact, when I first told him we were going to visit Noah, he replied, "But how do you know how to drive to Springfield?") Then it is back to St. Louis where the rest of the family (Dan, his brother from DC, sister from OH and sister from CO) will all arrive and meet up for a Block Family Weekend. Should be a lot of fun! And if I arrive home anything other than exhausted, I will be amazed. But really, I am so looking forward to seeing so many people that I haven't seen in six months or more! The babies all will have grown so much, and the toddlers will all be talking so much more.... And my sister in law and I are already planning a "girls night out", so I have every reason to be excited.

I am online at faucetdirect.com, looking through hundreds (yes, hundreds) of bathroom faucets, trying to outfit our new house bathrooms for the plumbing bid guy. You would think it wouldn't be too hard, right? Wrong. Very, very wrong. Either I am very indecisive, very easy-to-please, or I am... something else... because I am finding this very difficult. You would think, how many options can there be, right? Well let me tell you. There are a LOTLOTLOT. So many options that if you know exactly what you want, it's great, but if not... well.... welcome to my night.

*ahem*

To make my job easier, I keep doing very helpful things like checking my bloglines feed, and my list of scrabulous games, hoping that just maybe, it will be my turn, and I can escape faucet world.

Okay. Back to work.

Yesterday Will woke up with a fever, saying his head and eyes hurt. He spent most of the day sleeping on the couch or in my bed. As much as I don't like having sick kids (and as much as I try desperately to keep the germs from spreading! ... whatever that means...) I love being the care-taking mommy. I love making honey-toast and oatmeal with raisins, rocking and singing and scratching his back, offering sippy cups of juice and carrying him piggyback up and down the stairs. I love putting my cool hands on his warm little forehead, feeling him wrap his arms around me and hearing him whisper, "I love you so, so much mommy. I love you the same as you love me."  And even though the housework falls behind, I don't really care. I'll catch it up next week. It's times like these that I'm most thankful to be able to stay home, and that I don't have to ship him off to day care as soon as he's "better." It's really... such a blessing.

Our house is making noticeable progress! I was up at the site today, and they have all the first-floor framing done, and have started the 2nd floor. It's so fun to walk around the floor plan, for the first time putting visuals to those impossible-to-imagine-in-real-life blueprints. I spent two hours this morning at Home Depo, working on kitchen design and layout. Thanks to a very forward-thinking sister-in-law, I have lots of great ideas to work with from a Better Homes & Gardens sub she gave me for Christmas. I have a binder with pages I've ripped out (also her idea) to save all the ideas I really want to incorporate into our house, which is already coming in great handy. I'm having a lot of fun with it so far, though the kitchen is my first "project". I've yet to tackle any other room in the house (though I do have some ideas for paint), so I may very well be sick of this whole project by next month. I'll be looking for volunteers to help me plan.

I have decided, as of today, that I absolutely love daylight savings time!!!!! So far this fall/winter, when Dan has gotten home from work, we have been scrambling to bundle up the kids and get outside to play/walk/whatever before it gets too dark. I've been unable to go for even a short run w/o getting home after dark, which means I haven't gotten out much at all, which has been a little frustraing. However, both yesterday and today, I took an hour-long walk with one or two of the kids (in the stroller or backpack) and have arrived back home to make dinner while it is still fully daylight out! Yayyy... I feel so MUCH better after having been outside in the fresh air getting exercise! I can't wait for spring to arrive so I can really take advantage of it!

Tristan has slept through the night---10 to 11 hours--- for 4 nights straight! I finally "had it out" with him, and started giving him a sippy cup of water when he would wake up at night (instead of nursing him), and... I guess he figured that that wasn't really worth waking up for, so... he gave it up. I am very happy to be sleeping through the night for the first time in... I have no idea how long... And also... this is the first time that I have a walking, almost-weaned baby and I am not pregnant! Much as I look forward to having another baby someday, I must say that I am really loving being able to enjoy this stage of my kids' lives without dealing with exhaustion and nausea! (And I'm still wearing all my normal clothes! )

For some reason, I feel like when I was in STL, I always had a ton to write about. I probably could have written an entry (or two) a day; in fact, I remember trying to "pace myself", and not post too frequently. And I don't know why... but I just don't have a lot to say anymore. Maybe I'm busier (but I would think that would just give me more to write about!) I just don't feel the "bug" to write on here like I used to. And I really don't know why.

Anyway, have a great night, y'all!!

Back in early January, I bought two big birdfeeders and a sack of birdseed. I filled & hung both feeders outside our house (which is so in the middle of the woods) and the kids (and I) eagerly watched the feeders off and on for signs of bird activity. Weeks passed, and there were no birds. Not even one! I was really bummed-- I felt sort of personally slighted. Was the seed I bought not good enough? Not the right kind? How can there not be any hungry birds in the woods? And with all this snow on the ground? I mean.... what gives??? I asked a lot of people for advice, and didn't get much help. Finally, after a month or so, a nuthatch showed up. Just one nuthatch, and he only came to one feeder. I was assured that since the feeder had been "found" now, more birds would show up. But they didn't-- that one nuthatch slowly ate his way through an entire feeder of food. He came all day long, every day for weeks on end, and it was fun to watch him flit from the trees to the feeder and back again. But the other feeder sat untouched, and I still wondered why, after 2 months, more birds weren't around.

Yesterday we returned home after being gone for a week, and this morning, the first thing I saw was three chickadees at the other feeder! And the first feeder was completely empty! I was so happy-- I felt something akin to a mother's pride at all these birds showing up. (I don't know why; it was obviously nothing I personally did to bring them in!) All day today, several chickadees (and that one nuthatch) have been at the feeders, and I am so happy. I am not sure why, really, but I get such huge satisfaction out of feeding these little creatures. I like that they, in some strange way, rely on me for seeds and nuts-- sustenance to get them through the cold days and nights. So... even though I am working hard to get out from under the frustratingly predictable pile of laundry/mail/cleaning/phone calls/unpacking/shopping etc. that being gone for a week invariably brings, at least I can watch the cheery little birds, hopping and pecking and cocking their heads just so, while I do it. And, really, that makes my day so much better.

:: Hallie is turning three in about 7 weeks. She has requested a "Strawberry Shortcake" birthday party. I am not sure how she even knows who/what Strawberry Shortcake is! Though just now she came up to me, grinning and proudly waving a tattered box of band-aids in my face that have (you guessed it) Strawberry Shortcake on them. She immediately sat down, announced that she had a boo-boo, and began searching her legs for this band-aid worthy scratch. Dan saw a group of girls her age doing come sort of ballet/dance class last week, and he thought she might like it. So we go on Wed. morning for her first class. I can't believe I'm already at the stage of ballet classes-- good gosh! We talked about signing Will up for t-ball this spring, but due to wanting to preserve my own sanity, we decided to wait another year. I would like to put him some sort of Y tumbling class, though. I think he would have a blast. Though the last thing I want to be doing is running around all week long... so we'll see.

:: Tristan is walking. *sigh* I've been denying that it is so, because... well.... isn't he my baby? Couldn't he wait just a little longer? But no. It's official. He still crawls a lot (he's way faster at that) but the times he chooses to walk are becoming more and more frequent. And his balance is getting better and better. He is so cute, squawking and grinning and making sure we all are watching and cheering him on as he launches off a chair or table leg. Right now he's crawling around with a sports car in each hand, giggling to himself. He absolutely loves anything with four wheels-- it's really cute.

:: Will is very into projects, whether it's beads, Play-Doh, Duplos, Thomas the Train, Tonka trucks in the snow or any combination of the above. We've been letting him stay up late once a week or so to do a special project with Dan. So far they've built a model airplane, and a wooden toolbox, of which Will is very, very proud. Sometimes the "project" is actually just staying up and watching a movie together (while I take the evening off and read or whatever...), and a few weeks ago, they watched Cars. Will is now a huge fan of anything Cars related, likening himself (and his speed, muscle strength, etc.) to "Lightning the Queen". He and Hallie both are addicted to making those bead things that you melt with an iron (I was too, way back when!) Hallie this morning filled a whole shape almost by herself. She was so pleased with her "diamond" and even though the end result is lame (a melted little useless piece of plastic) the satisfaction the kids get out of making them (and the way it keeps them occupied for hours) is really worth it.

:: This Saturday my dad, two sisters, a brother, and Dan and I are going to a night-before-the-opening black-tie-dinner thing at the Philadelphia Flower Show. I am super excited about this, but... it has been probably ten years since I have been to a black-tie event. Or more. And even though I found a cute dress (on sale for 1/2 off!) and have decent shoes and bought a little black purse... there is a niggling worry in the back of mind my mind that I will inadvertently commit some fashion paux pas. I know I shouldn't worry about it, but... this is just so out of my league! Dan got his tux, which is, or course, timeless, so no worries there. Why can't girls dress so easily? *sigh*

Anyway, will let you know how it all goes when we return. And maybe post some pics! I know it's been forever since I put pics up.

So I will leave you with this picture of our cute walker-boy. (Taken last week before his I got rid of his mullet and the hair in the eyes. But still cute.)

was a good day. We all went out for breakfast this morning... actually I take that back... on the way to the car, Will saw Gary out plowing, and decided that he would rather help plow than eat with us. So plow he did! Gary lets him push the lever to raise and lower the plow, which (of course) Will thinks is just the best thing ever. The rest of us ate breakfast, which was quite good. We were the only people in the whole cafe' though! It was snowing, which makes people stay home, I guess.

Anyway, Dan is working late tonight, so he didn't have to go in till 1 or so this afternoon, which was a nice treat. The kids (and I, or course ) always have a blast when Daddy is unexpectedly home from work!! The kids were tired and cranky, so I put them all down for early naps. By 2:30, they were all up, so I decided we should all go outside and make a snowman. Well, even though there are 6 or more inches of snow on the ground, it is really powdery and not at all sticky enough to make a snowball/ snowman. So we made snow angels and pushed Will's trucks around in the snow for awhile. Then we got the Mule and went for a ride up to the lake, and drove around (only around the edges where it's shallow-- even though it's like 2 feet thick, I was still scared I'd crash through!)

Tonight we went to a missions awareness conference (the kids and I did-- Dan is working). I was a little uneasy about the whole thing-- my kids are usually in bed by 7- and 8 o'clock sharp. This thing started at 6 and ran till (supposedly 9) but we didn't actually get home till 9:40. (And I almost got stuck on the hill. I had to back up and restart like 4 or 5 times. I was praying and gunning it and hoping we'd make it ... and we did!!) Anyway, the kids were so well-behaved tonight! I was so proud of them-- not like I take the credit for it-- but they really did a good job. I was expecting Hallie and Tristan (especially) to crash out, but they all played quietly, didn't have any melt-downs or toy-wars, and were generally pleasant and easy-going. By the time they all got to bed at 10, I was really shocked that they were all still doing so well. I mean... I don't know... I guess I expected them to just get way more tired and cranky than they did. And it was great for me, b/c I got to listen to the whole presentation by the missions guy. He (and his wife/kids) lived in Gaza City (in the Middle East) for three years. They started a Christian school there, and are reaching out to the Palestinian Christians as well as the Muslim families who want their kids to get an education, but can't afford one. (Their school is free.) They are going back this summer to continue the work with the school, but he will be commuting this time, b/c since the elections (last summer, when Hamas was elected) it is not a good time/ place to raise a family in Gaza, so they'll be living in Jerusalem.

I thought it all was so intriguing. The culture is so foreign from our own, and all the things they deal with on a regular basis, as a way of life, are just so unheard of here. It's just... crazy.

Anyway, the kids are all in bed, asleep. (For all their good behavior, they sure crashed quick at home!!) I am going to bed as well... I'm not sure what time Dan will get home, but I'm tired.

---------------------

I realized, while writing this post, that I use anyway a lot. A lot when I write, and a lot when I talk.

...anyway...

I am also addicted to the facebook version of Scrabble, called Scrabulous. It is probably the best game ever invented, especially for me. While I am at home with kids for most of my days, it is super fun to pop online and play a mean (as is tough, not... mean like mean...) game of Scrabble. It's fun just to use my brain. (And be a little competitive, too. ) (And apparently I should just quit right now and go to bed, b/c my brain is on shut-down mode. Mean as in mean?? What is with that...)

Anyway, that's all for tonight.