Another list of things I never thought I'd have to say before I had kids...

1. No, I'm NOT going on The Biggest Loser because I am NOT obese, I'm pregnant!

2. You're right that it was never a rule before, but from here on out, please consider "do not put the cat in a crate and push him down the slide" to be one of our house rules!

3. Do I even want to know why this week's laundry contained 13 pairs of your socks, but only 4 pairs of your underpants?

4. It takes months and months, and the right conditions, to make wine! You are NOT making wine in my kitchen! Now be quiet and eat your grapes!!

5. No one is allowed to wear the toilet plunger as a hat. I don't care if your brother did it last week.

6. Are you sitting on my orange? (In the kids' defense, this was directed at the cat, and yes she was. I washed it and ate it anyway. I was hungry.)

It is a disturbing fact that numbers 2-6 were all uttered by me today.

Bliss: A late-breaking Thanksgiving blog...

Hello, world! I'm still alive! It's been a crazy couple of months, and then I just couldn't think of anything to say, or how to say it. So I'm plunging back into the world of blogging with a blog about things I'm thankful for. (I know, prepositions are no words to end sentences with!) The world seems to have gone crazy lately, and it's hard to get into the spirit of the season when everywhere you look is gloom and heartache and worry. Instead, let me tell you about what's GOOD in life!

My children are hilarious. They make me laugh, and they have great smiles. The amount of mischief they cause on a daily basis is nothing compared to the joy they bring me. If you've met them, you'll realize that this is saying A LOT! I'm once again enjoying Christmas through their eyes. For them, it's still magical and amazing. They don't notice if times are hard. It doesn't bother them what the news reports. They are firmly convinced that nothing bad that happens today could possibly carry into tomorrow. Unless, of course, like Gabe, they are still being forced to clean things as punishment for something particularly heinous that they've done. Like making Little Brother kiss the cat's butt. But I digress...

I'm thankful for my family, my friends, my pets, and all the things that make me smile. Timothy would like to interject that he's thankful for his booster seat and checkers. So see, there's still plenty to be thankful for! I will do my best to get some pictures up and catch you up on what's been going on around here. In the meantime, enjoy the Eve of the Eve of the Eve of Christmas Eve! Have some eggnog, bakes some cookies, and enjoy a few moments where all's right with the world!