Yes, I Am Still Alive

Hello blogging world! I think this is the longest I have gone without posting since I started my blog. We have been in somewhat of a funk around here for the last few weeks, but we are finally crawling out of it. On January 19 Taylor left for Ethiopia for 2 weeks.  He had a wonderful experience and has some neat pictures on his blog.  I felt ready for the challenge of him being gone and was determined to make it an enjoyable 2 weeks for the kids.  Instead it turned out to be barely tolerable.  I joked with him that one or all of us would get sick as soon as he left.  He had not even arrived in Dallas when Sophie started running fever.  Her fever continued for 6 days.  Not a fun first week of him being gone.  Thankfully, my Mimi was here to help out and we made it through the week just fine.  We spent the weekend in Weatherford with my family when we went to the rodeo.  We came home to San Angelo alone and once again, I was ready for the challenge.  Unfortunately, freezing cold weather and an ice day home from school trapped us inside for three days.  Needless to say Mommy wasn't her best after being stuck at home alone for three days straight.  I tried to make it fun with movies in front of the fire, but we were all a little on edge.  I started feeling like a sorry mother and just all around sorry about that time.  That was when the sore throat started.  I had pictured the reunion with Taylor last Friday night in my head.  We (the kids, myself, and the house) would all be clean and looking nice, snuggled up in bed watching a movie together when he came home.  Instead, I was so sick by Friday I could barely pull myself out of bed.  I'm not sure what I had, but the next few days were not pleasant and not the homecoming either of us had pictured.  Taylor was jetlagged, but jumped back in to full time Daddy immediately.  Anyway, these are the life events that have kept me away from my blog lately.  We are all well now and things seem to be getting back to normal.  Tonight we all piled into bed, watched Mary Poppins, and ate popcorn.  It was the reunion we didn't get to have last Fridy.  I am thankful for Taylor and that he is back home with us.  He was greatly missed.  Here are some random pictures I took over the last few weeks.