Hello. My Name is Nicki. I have a blog.

Wow.  I can't believe how long it's been since I posted.  I feel awful.  Guilty.  Sad that I may have missed some time to capture in words and pictures some of what our family is doing.  Oh well, I guess.  I think the whole idea of going back is overwhelming, so for now, here I am.

Here's Jack.  He's getting huge compared to the most recent pictures here.  No baby here.  He talks non-stop.  Loves cars, trains, planes, firetrucks, garbage trucks, race cars, tractors...anything with wheels and the potential for speed.  I've tried sparking an interest in something like animals, but outside of dogs, he is not interested.  He talks so much and is so fun as he learns to talk, that I wish I could keep him from growing more.

Here's the rest of the crew.  Everyone is in school all-day this year and that's been a change that I have mixed feelings about.  I truly miss my kids and struggle to realize that they are growing up.  I miss the time with them.  However, I really enjoy spending more one-on-one time with Jackson.  I think that with these three kids so close in age, I kind of missed the joy that is a two-year old.  Not that I didn't love and adore these guys, it's just that when Brooklyn was Jackson's age, I had Tyler and Sadie too.  Whew.  It's hard to even imagine that now.  Selfishly, I also am much more mentally stable and truly happy with having just a bit more time "to myself". No, I'm still not doing any of the crafty stuff or sewing things that I would like to do, but my house is cleaner and more organized, my meals are healthier, and my "to do" pile is more manageable (though maybe bigger...I just get through it faster)