The Red Sox Are About To Go Back To The World Series

I won't bore you with excuses about how busybusy I've been. While the truth is that I go to bed absolutely exhausted every night and that the weeks are flying by, I haven't been updating because I haven't known what to say.

There is so much going on and yet I don't feel as though I've found my voice here yet and I'm not sure of the direction I want to take this blog. I don't want it to be "another" Mommy blog, and I don't want it to be merely a chronicle of the minutiae of my life, because I'm sure that's not entirely interesting to anyone other than me, and maybe J. I've been getting out with the kids more during the week and experimenting with some new recipes (made a great crock pot beef stew the other night). At night, after we put the kids down, J and I tidy the living room and then we shower and watch something (lately it's been season 1 of Dexter...we joined Netflix and we're more than a little bit in love). I really enjoy the "us" time at night and have been hesitant to disrupt our cozy routine. Some days, the kids totally kick my ass, but everyday I fall more in love with them and with motherhood and I'm just so damn happy and content with my life that I guess I just don't feel compelled to update more often. That said, I am gathering my thoughts on faith and religion and on politics (living in NH means you only get about a year's respite between presidential elections). Also, I'm trying to plan a 75th birthday party for my mother for next summer, and we're trying to get pregnant again...but, this is not a blog about trying to get pregnant, so I don't anticipate writing much about that until I (hopefully!) have good news and I'm far enough along to feel comfortable sharing. So...I do have material to blog about, I just need to dedicate the time to doing so.

That said, I will fill you on in the goings-on of the last few weeks...

My niece, Nurse, came to visit a couple of weekends ago and we had a very full weekend of visiting and reconnecting. She's only 10 months younger than I am, and we were very close growing up, but our lives have taken us in different directions over the last few years and we haven't been able to maintain our relationship the way we'd like. Nurse's visit was just what we needed to catch up.

That same weekend, C's boyfriend, Jeeps, came home for a visit and we all met up with P and his youngest son for the last dinner of the season at my favorite summer eatery (the irony of this place is that it's nowhere near the coast...but it's got great chicken tenders!). It was good to see Jeeps (he's in the Army and has been away training for most of the year) and he and C had a great weekend, too.

Last weekend, J and I went away for our anniversary. The place I chose was nice enough, but our room was street-side, which I somehow managed to miss when reviewing my choices before I made our reservation. Our bed at home is more comfortable than the one in our room was, but we had a sitting area and a nice fireplace and the innkeepers accommodated my request for a special breakfast to celebrate our anniversary (the selling point of the inn for me was that they offered creme brule french toast and J adores creme brule so I asked for it to be made on one of the mornings that we were going to be there...apparently french toast is a Sunday specialty and we were staying Thursday-Saturday, but they happily accommodated the request and it was delicious) . The innkeepers are relatively new to the B&B scene (at least, as far as innkeeping goes - I don't know how often they've stayed in B&Bs over the years) and you could tell, but it was a nice enough experience and the breakfasts were really good (bonus: they left a bottle of champagne in our room, nice touch). Mom, C and A came in to take care of the kids, but next time, we'll just have C do it. #2 gave A a hard time and Little Dog barked his head off to let A know that he was the boss...so it was a stressful time towards the end. We also missed the kids like mad and the weather sucked on Friday (our anniversary and the only "full" day were had up in North Conway). Last Sunday, though, we went on an adventure to someplace new (new to us, at least) and it was a great, great day. It was our first time visiting the farm and the kids loved all of the animals. There's a camel in New Hampshire! Who knew? Next year I think we plan to go for the special pass that allows you unlimited admission for the season.

We went to Shaker Village again today and had a lovely time. #2 threw a fit and insisted on walking everywhere by herself (she won't hold hands and is the squirmiest worm you've ever seen if picked up and carried). It was cute, though, and #1 was content in the stroller for a while. When we got closer to being ready to leave, we took him out and let them both run around. Quite by surprise, P and his wife ended up at the Village, too, and it was more than a bit awkward. They've been separated since May, but she's recently moved back in and they're supposedly trying to make a go of it. I've never been a fan of hers and I don't honestly believe that her motivation for returning is sincere, so I wasn't too pleased to have to try and interact with her after not seeing her in nearly a year. When we left, we took a drive and saw some beautiful foliage (I joked that having kids turns you into a Sunday driver - I used to hate the Sunday drives that my mother would drag me along on when I was a kid...now I look forward to them). Autumn this year has been absolutely spectacular.

So there's a not so quick overview of my life as of late.

I'll post pictures soon (again, there's a camel in NH!)...

One last thing...I'm definitely not an avid fan, but watching the Red Sox lately has been pretty exciting. Dustin Pedroia is having a fabulous night and it looks like the Sox'll be hosting the Rockies Wednesday night when the World Series begins.