i feel like we were dating, blog readers - and then i didn't return your phone calls for three months.
well...ring ring. ring ring.
i'm so sorry for being blog-AWOL for so many weeks - but no worries, things in the schans household have been moving along as they have from the beginning.
my blogcation aligns with the discovery that matt and i will be expanding our family again - yep, the worst kept secret in the world is that we are expecting baby #4 in march! almost immediately after finding out our news, i began to feel the symptoms of this growing blessing! never in my life have i been sicker than throughout the first 14 weeks of this pregnancy. the truth is, on the quiet nights where i would normally blog about the day's funny adventures, i would instead sit motionless on my giant beige recliner in a battle with my body - trying not to lose whatever food or drink i had ingested that day. yeah, it was that bad. slowly though, the symptoms have waned and i am officially a functioning human again with only the occasional bowt of sickness to dampen the day.
in a quick summary of what the 2nd half of summer looked like....
1. we went on a fantastic vacation to oconomowoc, wisconsin (please see the announcement above...be warned about vacations and alcohol-induced decision making skills.) and nothing will ever be the same again...in a good way. :)
2. tinker bell made a pit stop at our house when she was in the neighborhood. she was kind enough to take all of ellee's passies to divvy out to new babies as she sees fit. as a reward, she left sophie and ellee new fish - it was adorable until the fish died three days in. thanks, tinkerbell, for that life-lesson.
3. i was sick every second of everyday in august.
4. i started a new job! what company doesn't love it when their new employee shows up pregnant on the first day? and how awesome to use ALL of your vacation time within the first three months on hospital visits and sickness spells. whoohooo. seriously though, the job is a whole other blog...i'll get to it another day.
5. matt's parent's came for a visit. please see #3 for my level of participation and involvement, but from what i hear, they had a great time going to baseball games, dinners out and going for walks. the kids LOVE having their grandma and grandpa schans for visits!
6. sophie started preschool! she loves going three mornings a week - and although she got in trouble once for hiding under the table when it was 'clean-up' time, things seem to be moving right along quiet nicely...i'm really hoping for a scholarship in her future. she may be our only hope as ellee cannot master dressing/undressing or potty training and casey still refuses to speak. books for sophie, balls for ellee and casey. don't judge. i'm kidding...kind of. but seriously, the amount of time spent on the mentioned activites above has been pretty significant this summer (and fall!) and they are works in progress for our two littlest loves.
7. i got h1n1. yeah - that was another 7 days of sickness.
8. matt proved his worth again! in a post-rage moment (brought on by my inability to find a clean king-sized pillowcase) matt reminded me that it's ok that our house is a mess and that it will be for the entirety of our foreseeable future because at this point in our lives, we are in survival mode. phew - honestly, this new revelation is my life's most application mantra and i use it daily. i am in survival mode - now please don't look in the laundry room, it's dangerous.
so there it is - our summer in an instant. at times it felt just that fast. as usual, though, it was an adventure to be sure and our blessings are many.
i have missed you, my blog, and i am happy to be back.
