MIA

Has it really been almost 2 months since I last posted?  How is that possible?  Clearly summer has not turned out to be the quiet and relaxing season I had imagined during the spring.  There have been visits to the lake.  We have been thrilled to host family members we do not often see.  There has even been a weekend away without the little ladies (can I get an AMEN!).  There have been movies to watch and surgeries to attend.  I would love to say that the blogging drought is going to be cured for the rest of the summer.  However, that is not in the cards.  In the next six weeks I am taking two week long trips and one very long weekend away.  Thus, it will continue to be spotty.  However, when I am here I will do a better job with my updates.

I have read so many books lately, I do not know where to begin.  Hopefully tomorrow I can choose one to review for you.  Most have been good reads.  I have even had some variety in my choices.  Of course I have read some interesting fiction, but I have also read a book about eating well to manage hormone levels.  More on all of that tomorrow, hopefully. 

This has been a summer of contrasts.  The temperatures have been blisteringly hot, but the weather has been amazingly wet as well.  Old friends from far away have moved to town while more and more local friends have moved away.  I have been working very diligently to improve the overall health of the family.  We have started eating healthier by embracing organic foods and shunning processed junk.  However, I am currently battling my second case of strep throat.  We have not paid a babysitter all summer, yet we did get out for our 9th anniversary and enjoy a weekend with friends (sans kiddos).  I am constantly amazed by the amount of life we have in our home.  While some of that life is due to the two doggies and four fish, it is mostly the product of two adorable little ladies who embrace each moment to the fullest.  However, on Saturday morning we are driving 1100 miles for a family funeral (more discussion on that later).
One of the highlights of the summer has been Mother's Day Out.  Panda Girl has been attending MDO at this location all year, but it was new for Sweet Pea.  I was unsure how well she would adjust.  It turns out I had no reason to worry.  As usual, she adapted easily and happily.  I have been blessed to be able to take them somewhere fun while I get a break two days a week.  It makes me a better mom to be able to run errands and exercise and just sit on the couch and read without the constant interruptions small children bring with them.  MDO has kept my sanity intact and my children well cared for and well loved. 

On Saturday morning, very early, the little ladies and I are joining my mother and sister on a two day road trip to visit family.  I have a great uncle who recently passed of Alzheimer's disease.  It has been a long and difficult road for the whole family.  Thus, I am thankful he has been taken home where he can be free of the burden of such an insidious disease.  I have been wanting to take the little ladies to visit family for over a year.  However, we have been waiting for this funeral so we could see as many family members as possible at one time.  Thus, the long car trip. 

I am not a road trip person.  Typically after about four or five hours, I turn into a pumpkin.  I get grumpy and snippy.  My children have never spent more than a couple of hours in the car at one time.  It seems I am asking for trouble with this decision.  However, I have spent time in prayer over this and I can't get the idea of driving out of my head.  Each time I consider flying I get a really bad feeling.  I have no idea why I am feeling led to drive, but I do not want to ignore what I am being told.  So please keep me in your prayers on Saturday and Sunday as we undertake this crazy adventure.