Ha

This is the longest I have ever gone without posting. I was toying with the idea of quitting blogging. But then I realize that I need this space. I need a place to ramble on about my kids and post pictures of our fun adventures and vent about my worries and stresses. I'm back, my friends.

I'll have to do a random bullet point post to do a quick catch up.

• We did our first 'real' family vacation in September. With another family, we rented a house on the cape for a long weekend. It was wonderful. We usually use our vacation time to visit family or stay home and do projects, and this trip made it apparent that we need to get away more often. The kids had a BLAST and it was a perfect weekend.
• I turned 38 on September 18th... and had a perfect day. I took the day off work, was woken up by two sweet kids that were VERY excited to give me presents, I spent the morning at a spa and the afternoon shopping. Alone. And then shared the evening with friends and had cake.
• The fall has gotten us back into the swing of things - school is back to normal, and the kids have started new activities. Cam is old enough for town soccer and Aaron is coaching. Maggie is taking dance class (which I swore she would never do, but she is LOVING it).
• One of the reasons I swore we wouldn't do dance is just because it's only taught during the week when I'm working. But I have a friend with 3 girls around Maggie's age, and she was willing to take Maggie. Now it's Maggie special thing, and she LOVES it.
• We've also started up at church again (we are Unitarian Universalists, and we really don't have formal church in the summer) and both Cam and Maggie have joined the Children's Choir. Maggie was all in Day 1, Cam took more convincing and still isn't 100% sure he wants to sing in front of the whole church. But the woman in charge is smart - she gives out cupcakes at the end of practice. After a couple of weeks of watching Maggie get a cupcake while he didn't.... all of a sudden Cam was interested in singing.
• I ran the Craft Table at our annual church fair again and it was a big success. It's a lot of work, but I'm glad that it's taken off. In year's past, the craft table barely made $200. The past 2 years, we've got it over $1000.
• I have of course already figured out the plan for the kids birthday parties and ordered invites. Cam wanted to have a small party at the house. So Aaron is planning a whole Ninja Training day with his very best buddies at our house - which will be the Saturday after his actual birthday. I usually invite a few neighbors over on his actual birthday for pizza dinner. I realized that we now are friends with so many neighbors - that if I only invite the people within walking distance, it's 13 kids plus their parents. So I got the genius idea to call the nearby McDonald's (they have a playspace) and see if they still do birthday parties. I know to an adult it sounds lame - but to a 5 year old? Heaven! I still remember going to a McDonald's birthday party when I was a kid. I loved it.Turns out not only do they do parties, but they give you 'minimal decorations, a cake, 8 Happy Meals and a little gift bag" for a VERY reasonable price! 
• So yes, Cam is basically having two birthday parties. Whatever. I think it's awesome.
• And Maggie will be having a petting zoo and a pony for her party. Which will blow her mind.
• We went to a birthday party this weekend at the most amazing place. It was for my niece, and it was an hour drive - but WOW. Only downfall was that they had a game where you can win betta fish. And guess who won? Both my kids! Yippee. So I had to go and spend $100 to get fish tanks for the free fish. But I'm fine with it. I feel like fish are a right of passage to some degree.

OK - that is about everything I have to share that I can in quick blurbs. I promise to post more regularly!