i'm back....at least for the time being

i really don't know why i stopped blogging. i really enjoy it. i could give a million reasons why, but it just boils down to life happened. so over the last several months life has happened. some good and some bad. the bad stuff always has a way of keeping me from doing much of anything. i have been in a funk but now i think i'm out of it. i have even been scrapbooking like a crazy person again. year to date i have done 77 layouts. that was a good year by the way. life has been crazy. briefly here's a run down on the boys:

• baylee: played basketball with lee as the coach, had his 9th birthday, getting ready for the TAKS and it is stressing him out big time.
• tayte: loving kindergarten and is reading. he looks at so many things and will tell me what they say. he chose not to do basketball, but wants to play hockey. we haven't been able to convince him he lives in the wrong place for hockey. don't know where he came up with that one because we have never seen a hockey game. he told the teacher "i'm pest" had to come up with a sentence using pest and that was the one.
• payton: keeps saying he is ready for school, he is tired of going to the store with me, but we have lots of good times. his favorite thing is balloons. he can blow up a balloon on his own, which is great because as soon as he does he just lets it go.

i'm sure as i look through pictures again i remember other things that we have been doing.

the best thing we have done lately is start praying as a family. i don't know what made me think we needed to do this, but i'm glad i did. at first it was really hard to get the boys to understand what we were doing. but after a while they all got the idea and it has been really great. i used to start the prayer and then each boy would add their prayers, with lee ending it. now it is a fight as to who gets to lead and who ends. we have set up a system that they take turns. lee and i are both amazed at how payton changes his prayers based on if he is leading or just taking his turn. here is the typical prayer from each boy.

• baylee: dear lord thank you for this day, thank you for the many blessings you have given us. please help all those that have lost someone, please help the people of haiti.
• tayte: if the people are going on a trip that they have a good day, that they have good food, and that they have a good day to their old homes. that the teachers teach the kids what they need to and for very, very, very, very good friends.
• payton: beans and beans, and macaroni cheese, for houses, clothes, tomatoes, and mckenzie. (he hasn't gotten the idea of what to pray for but he is asking for help for some and showing thanksgiving for his favorite things, so we'll leave it for now).

so, now that i posted once i'm planning on posting more often. i have been trying to get into a new routine and think that blogging is going to be in that routine. plus i always have stories to tell, even if they are just for me to remember while i scrapbook.

tara