I don't have a lot to say lately, but...

I'll tell you why Out of the Office October was a success .... the kids and I had fun ... and Jake, too, on Saturdays.  We've been studying, learning, homeworking, Halloweening, eating, creating, exploring, with very little cleaning or laundry mixed in.  I could work on the last part, I guess.  

Abbi seems to be doing her thing with more confidence in herself.  She knows what she likes and what she wants (to do or have).  She loves working along side me in the house and she loves time to herself to paint and create.  Abbi got into the after-school program twice a week and she loves it and looks forward to it.  All the while, she's face a red-headed challenge at school, but it really hasn't phased her too much.  She is still excelling in her academics and staying true to her good girl self.  I have loved watching Abbi really come into herself lately.  It makes me feel so proud of everything she is.

Noah has become a pretending-machine.  Everything he does includes an invisible sword, bad guy, or food.  He moves about the house doing his thing with whoever it is he pretends is along side him - whether it's Wreck-It Ralph, bad guys to fight, or Diego.  He looks forward to preschool, his best friend is Elizabeth, and he expects Jeremy to take him to "Airplanes" for lunch on a regular basis.  Noah remembers everything, whether you said it to him or he was just within 100 feet of you.  He repeats it all the time.  He's a learning machine - which I hope will serve him well.

I have felt so blessed and happy.  Jake is my love and I wouldn't be complete without him, I don't know how I was before.  He takes care of me and the kids so well and without complaint.  I find groceries and a full tank of gas in the mornings to save me the trip.  He cares so much about me and about how the kids are doing.  He loves them so much, and they know it.  I am so blessed to have a devoted husband.  Jake works so hard to provide for us.  His sacrifices for us are large and small, but he does it with no question.

Being at home to experience this season of our lives is the best opportunity I could ever have or ask for.  My blessings surround me.  I don't know how or why I am where I am, but I'll never be able to be thankful enough.