Yes - I'm Still Alive - and So Is Charles! :-)

Wow!  Has it really been 2 weeks since my last post?  It does seem like an eternity - but then it also seems like yesterday.  I know I sounded a little psycho in my last post -- sorry!  I was stressed and very sleep deprived - which we all know is a bad combination!  Charles has recovered nicely from his surgery.  He's starting to ease back into "normal" life - whatever that is!  He came home the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  For the first time in our marriage (12 years), we had to skip our traditional Thanksgiving dinner at his grandmother's in Oxford.  We hated missing out on the best food EVER, but fortunately, his brother and mom brought us leftovers.  

Thanksgiving seems like forever ago.  We are now in the throws of the Christmas season.  I feel like I have just topped the first massive hill of a roller coaster and am soaring out of control at top speed to the bottom.  My eyes are closed, and I am holding on tight!  This time of year is just insanely busy - which is probably why I actually dread it every year.  I know - how horrible!  Let me just give an example...this week involved 3 nights of karate (that was just by chance), school program, trip to Wolfchase for Santa pics (which deserves a Prozac for everyone!), Zachary's b'day party, another b'day party for him to go to Saturday....and then there's next week.  Karate Monday, rehearsal for the church Christmas program Wed-Fri for the boys (btw - Josh has a major solo and I am floored!  I never even knew he was interested until he tried out!), and I work Mon, Thurs, and Fri.  Charles will LOVE that!   We have another b'day party next weekend, as well as the church staff Christmas luncheon, and the Christmas program.  I'm HOPING things will slow down the next week.  We need to have a couple of nights of just loading up in the car with hot chocolate and going to look at Christmas lights.  Sarah gets so excited about the lights, and she loooooves her Christmas tree!  I had resigned myself to the fact that we were just not going to have one this year.  That is Charles' project - his baby!  No one helps him because things have to be placed "just so".  With him having surgery, there was no way he could get everything out of the attic and I sure couldn't do it.  He went last weekend and bought a skinny little tree that is really cute!  A far cry from the massive one that normally ornates our living room!  We have this one in the den, right next to the t.v. - a good thing because Ava has to be watched like a hawk!  She really doesn't mess with the ornaments - only the candy canes (which have now all been moved to the top half of the tree!) Our little "chihuahua on crack" (as we so affectionately call her) quickly discovered that they can be easily broken and eaten!  Sarah really doesn't bother the tree - thank goodness!

Well - it is getting late and I am working a little while in the morning, so I need to get some sleep...I promise not to wait 2 weeks before my next post!  I hope you all have a great weekend!