catching up ...

I've had some blog posts brewing my head, but then I got sick, so I haven't done much of anything for the last 36 hours. And the 18 hours before that I tried to pretend I felt good, even though I didn't. I ached. I had a sore throat. I had absolutely no energy. But I did have a husband who basically let me use a sick day and take some time off from motherhood yesterday. Gradually, I feeling better, I think.

Now, if only my throat would stop hurting each time I swallow.

So, before I got sick, I made a 37-hour trip to the Louisville area late last week to celebrate my parents' 60th birthdays and meet Simon.

The kids were glad to see Granddad Hill sample some of the white chocolate flakes from the top of the cake ...

Jax was tired. But he was awfully sweet cuddled up with Poppy while they read a book.

And then I got to meet Simon, who is three days shy of being exactly nine months younger than Ben.

While I wished I got to meet him sooner, I was glad to have seven hours Friday with my long-time best friend Katie. Our visits are never long enough and they certainly aren't frequent enough. Of course, our friendship started when she was 10 years old and I was 11 years old and we were neighbors. That was 20 years ago, this month. Now, we're 30 and 31, each with two children, each stay-at-home moms who challenged daily but in love with our families. And we love being together whenever we can. We even managed to have 45 minutes just talking while sitting on the couch while all four of our kids slept.

The night the kids and I got home from our quick road trip, I woke up feeling achy and sickly. I tried to press through Saturday like nothing was wrong, and I probably did too much. Although I'm glad got some family pictures taken. And I'm pleased with how they turned out.

And now I have chores awaiting me while I have a little energy.