Trials & Tribulations

Hey guys. Long time no post but for those close to me, you know I've been going through a rough patch with my neareast & dearest husband. Things are smoothing out now but it has been a rough couple of months & I just didn't have it in me to write. I do have to say though, it is times like these when you realize who your true friends are. Nancie, you have been my rock through all of this & your words of encouragement mean so much to me. And the support from my family has been amazing. Sometimes it takes a crisis to realize how truly lucky you are.

That being said, on a good note, my brother finally made it home for the first time since he came back from Iraq. YAY! We were all so excited to see him & the kids ate up every second with their favorite uncle. He is honestly the most awesome guy in the world & the greatest uncle. And I'm not just saying that because he's my brother. The kids adore him & he is so good with them, taking them to the park & stuff. They had a blast. He was home for 3 weeks this time but as usual, the time flew by. We took a walk to a nearby park & the kids had so much fun running relays with him.

On his way back from Iraq, they had a layover in Ireland & he grabbed a bunch of souveniers there. My favorite being this awesome rugby shirt he got for Gavin.

Yes Gavin's hair is quite long. Kinda gives me an idea of what my daughter would look like. Jim has been bugging me for months to cut it but Gavin freaks out anytime we get a pair of scissors near him. But I finally bribed him the other day & he looks like a boy again.

As for the boys, Vinnie is doing great in school. It took awhile but he is finally adjusting to the new area & actually likes it. Jamie & Kieran too. Jamie is in the process of gearing up for braces. It's going to take awhile to get him there but we started by removing 2 teeth last week. God love him, he was a trooper & didn't complain once. I was so proud of him. And Kieran has firmly established himself as the class clown. His teacher now sets aside a few minutes at the end of the day for him to tell a joke or do something funny.

As for me, I've been a slug. I haven't scrapped in months & am finally getting that creative urge again. I recently started taking more pictures & am trying to get my motivation going. Sooner or later I will get out of this rut & get back to normal. Hopefully sooner because this sucks!! One good thing is the kids keep me going & give me a reason to smile everyday. I am so fortunate to have these little people (and one big Vinnie) to love me & feel special. I am truly blessed more than I ever realized.

Happy Valentine's Day!!