i take one step forward, you take two steps back...

please tell me you are singing it?  You know, the Paul Abdul song Opposites Attract and I certainly hope you are picturing that creepy cat dancing up and down the stairs. 

We are not exactly losing ground.  We are just sort of hanging on.  Let's just agree to pretend that we am keeping our heads comfortably, measurable if only slightly above water, ok?  Not to say that we are sinking, but we sure have been diving deep and holding our breath while trying to balance all of this stuff in our crazy paced life. 

And stuff has happened people.  Lots of stuff.  Stuff I should remember but I don't.  Not in any sort of systematic way anyway.  Some of it has been pretty freaking awesome.  Most of it has been more of the same.  But in all of this there are some stories that I need to get out because my head is too full most of the time to remember them for any length of time (and especially not when I need them most). 

But here are some highlights. 
we went to the fair:

It's not the same as when I was a kid.  We spent all of our time in the animal barns.  We enjoyed it.  My kids just want to hang out with the carnies.  Although Aidan humored me by checking out the reptile guy and Nadia milked a goat, but still, it's not the same.

As per tradition, we went to Sausage Fest.

And the Gravel Pit Championship to get our annual dose of rivalry sporty stuff out of the way. 

Aidan loves middle school.  Whatever they are doing there they need to keep it up.  There have been a few hard lessons but it has been mostly smooth and pretty fantastic to see him liking school again.  Ok, not mostly smooth but not the bumps I thought we would have.  He is loving Scouts too, especially when they go on campouts. 

 

Nadia is hitting her groove in 5th grade.  She has started orchestra and is enjoying playing the violin.  She is in choir...for the moment...annnnd the moment passed.  It has been tough giving up every recess to balance the two.  She is on the Girls on the Run team mostly because they have awesome coaches but also because she has great friends on the team too.

Tony has been Tonying. 

Tinkering and building and working overtime and being SAHD every Friday that he can because our kids love him to pieces. 

I ran my second half marathon.  I didn't do as well as I wanted but the training was way more fun this time because of the one and only Lindsay Bates! 

AND there is more, people!  Much, much more. 

Like stuff with friends ...

and birthdays that were celebrated ...

and weddings...

 and fun stuff and stuff that should have been boring but wasn't because of people we love. 

An loads more every day stuff.  The real stuff I want to remember.  The funny stories and the important moments and the conversations ...

(because WHOA, we have had some real conversations as these little people are becoming big people) ...

the moments that someday my kids will ask me about and I won't remember because I was too frazzled. 

So I am going to catalog more frequently.  Even if it is just a picture that helps us remember.
No really.  I am.