And so she woke up, woke up from where she was, lying still...

Today is laundry day, so that tomorrow can be packing day. This is the "ick" factor, involved in all travel. But, I'll have everyone know (ok, just Aubrey) that I made a PACKING LIST, my first one ever!!! Can you believe it! That was very type "A" of me I think, and we'll see how well is serves me. I'll use this trip as a test case for planning. Anyway, we are so excited about vacation, can't wait to get there, but hate the "getting ready". We got the 3 older kiddos new backpacks from LLBean, super-fun colors, and so they'll have their own "I don't have to fuss a lot on the plane because I have books, toys and fun (non-messy!) snacks to keep me occupied" kits. That's my pipedream anyway, and I'll let you know later how it pans out. I can't wait for my kids to see the ocean. Warren is nervous that we'll be putting him in the ocean, which is not good, because then he might get wet or cold or both. Henry is excited because he might get in the ocean, which is good, and get wet or cold or both. They are funny boys. Ok, well typing here means I am not doing all the "trip things" I'm supposed to be doing, so guess I should go away and get busy.

Pour me a glass of wine, we'll talk into the night...

Its my birthday. And Dave is home. We went to dinner, and stuffed our faces with all the good stuff at the Cheesecake Factory (thanks to Christine's nice gift) and had a great time. Bethany was a great babysitter, but refused to take my money. So, we stopped at the HEB and bought her a case of Mountain Dew. She took it. So, I started to feel a bit old for the first time ever, which I didn't expect to feel. But that led to me thinking about how blessed I am at 29. To have grown up in a family where each one is cherished and honored. To have these 4 sweet children who all love me so much. And to have this man God gave me who loves me more than his own life. Its all too much, and I know I don't deserve it, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Is madness just a hand-me-down?

I'm surviving without Dave, but barely :-) The boys are fussing for him, and I'm ready to give them over. Today, Henry (my almost 3) told me I am not cool. I'm sure that some of you would agree, but as I approach my last "20"s birthday tomorrow, that didn't help. Molly assured me that I am cool, but I think she was just trying to butter me up so she could go play with Joahnen (neighbor girl)...but I'll take it. Dave comes home tomorrow, so hopefully we'll still get to go out for a birthday dinner :-) I feel for single Moms much more after this week!

You're making a mess...Is that what you do best?

This is Carrie, brushing her teeth for the first time! Isn't she super-cute? She loved brushing, so much that if she sees her toothbrush anywhere, she demands to practice good oral hygiene habits. Her 5 teeth are very grateful for her diligence.

Shatter the plate now, crush the glass...

Ok, I'm super-sad and fussy. Dave just left for 4 days, and I'm already lonely. He hasn't been away from us in so long, and I haven't been left with all 4 kids before. We'll see how it goes. I'm definitely not an alone person (no comments from the peanut gallery) so the evenings will be sad for me. Maybe Dok will come over to keep me company. I know I won't get much sympathy from Annie, since her husband has been a virtual stranger (no pun intended) for weeks now. But I still have to whine a bit. All that said, I'm so happy Dave got to go to this landscaping expo in Dallas with Garfield (the friend with whom he's working). There should be a phethora of info and demonstrations -- hopefully a big help to their business. We're grateful he's going....I'll be grateful when he's home :-)

I've got a river of kin, a footbridge of neighbors...

I realized we don't have a picture on file of all 6 of us!! So, this is my 4 kids and me, minus my wonderful husband. We'll take a family pic and get it posted, so you get the full effect. This was taken around Christmas time at the zoo, so a bit outdated, but it works.

I've got splinters from these moonbeams...

Ok, first post on our blog! I'm sure it will be me (Kristen) doing most of the posting, but hopefully Dave will join in whenever convenient. Since my sister CJ got a family blog going, we thought we'd make a Slaughterhouse blog and post the goings-on of us and our 4 great children. Not too much to tell right now....Dave's working with a friend's landscaping business, really enjoying that. We're praying that God will show us whether this is to be long-term or not, but we'd be happy if it is! Next week, we leave for vacation! We will be staying on the Oregon coast, in a beach house with Dave's parents, and his sister and her family. Its been a long time since we've all been together (2 1/2 years), and Steph and I have each had a baby since, so its long overdue. I'll post vacation pics when we get back. So that's it for now. I'll make Dave write something later. Have a great week!