Can I get a re-do?

Seriously.  Here we are, 23 days left in the year and my last post was to usher in the new year...in April?! 

I think it's safe to say that I'm no good at blogging.  But, I still love it.  So I'm jumping back in.  I need somewhere to share my thoughts, and I am to the point now where I really don't care who reads them - they are real, valid and dangit, I shouldn't have to pretend like everything is peachy all of the time.  Right?  Right.

Catching up, as I do in each quarterly (at best) post - We'll hit the big points.

We bought a house!  We are now knee-deep in tile, grout, paint and just about anything else that needs to be done around here.  We moved in at the beginning of August, and so far have painted the entire upper level, gutted and remodeled one bathroom, replaced light fixtures, ripped out landscaping...  the list goes on.  It's a labor of love - not always something we're thrilled about, whether we're referring to the cost, mess or commitment, but one thing keeps us going.  This is our house.  Forever.  And we love it!

The kids are doing great, and are growing entirely too fast for my liking.  The boys are thrilled with their new school.  They've decided to attempt some different activities this year as a means of testing waters to see what they like, what they are good at, and what they may never want to do again.  They are signed up to begin wrestling in January.  That is likely to be entertaining.  And hopefully not something that brings injury and/or large medical bills.  The girls are at ages where they are now best friends or arch enemies, sometimes both within a 5-minute window.  They both enjoy 'pretend play', whether they are cooking in their kitchen, playing "I'm the Mom, you're the Dad", playing with their dollhouse, dress-up..  It's safe to say they have fabulous imaginations - of which Bailey reminds us daily when sharing her latest story. 

Chris is still with Knife River, currently enjoying his layoff season by moonlighting as a handyman around the house!

And I am stuck in (secondary) infertility hell.  We have officially been "trying" for over 2 years now.  I have been seeing a fertility specialist (RE) since May, and feel that while there are days I seem to be spinning my wheels, I know that this is a journey that will either bring us another blessing, or leave us feeling stronger, and hopefully not defeated.

That should about cover it for now, hah!