She joined us last weekend… was found by a friend who couldn’t keep her, and she’s kind of grown on us. Figure she’s somewhere around 2-3 months old.

So far, she’s survived being mauled by all the kids, so its a good start.

And AE thinks its cool that now we could do our own LOLCatz pictures.

You can vote online every day until August 31st, and you can also Vote once daily from your mobile phone:
Text* 101439 to Pepsi (73774) *Standard text messaging rates apply.

(This would help the 1p36 Deletion Awareness Group be able to raise awareness of the Syndrome EK has among the medical community, who is sadly undereducated about it!)

We had a lot of fun on our trip: saw California, Disneyland, SeaWorld, Universal Studios, family in Utah, pulled a trailer full of stuff home while we had chains on the tires, and the highway patrol was closing roads for blizzard conditions behind us! Quite the adventure, including blowing a tire on the trailer only 2 miles from home!

(If I ever suggest a three-week roadtrip-style vacation over Christmas again, please feel free to remind me of this trip! LOL)

I finally got in for the back xray he ordered last month (bad me) this afternoon, and — tho I haven’t seen the xrays yet, because my computer doesn’t have a cd drive and I’ve not been able to chase the kids off the other computer — they made me a little nervous. Asking questions about if I’d ever had an MRI of my back, and making comments about diffusions, and air in my stomach which is commonly seen in people with chronic pain. Probably ought to follow up with the doctor again, I suppose.

So. No new answers. Still spasming and twinging and numbness and “wrongness” in my lower-mid back. It probably can’t be good.

Took the kids to the pool. Weather: overcast and all of 65 degrees outside! (The pool is heated!) Not many other kids there because of the weather, so I got some pics while they were swimming.

Went to the massage therapy guy yesterday; left feeling much much better. Today, not so much. But that is normal. I usually have a couple of days of ache and pain after the fact, then things are much improved for a few days, then worsen again before I go back the following week. Sleeping last night was horrid, tho; back kept twinging, and going numb in a couple spots. Blech.

I’ve been working on finishing up second socks that are on needles. Finished up my green broken chocolate bar socks, finished my aqua trilobite socks, and ripped back and am finishing up my evergreen lotus socks. Need to find the other skein of pink tulip yarn to finish the foot of the socks I’m knitting for GC, and a new knit-along is starting on the Hazel Knits group on Ravelry for shawls out of the HK yarns. Trying to decide what yarn and pattern I would like to use for that, as well.

Today has started off slow; but I’m enjoying the overcast and threat of sprinkles! I know people in this area have been complaining about the “June-uary” weather we’ve been having, but I for one enjoy cooler, wetter weather around my birthday! I think someday I’ll spend my birthday in the southern hemisphere, just to get winter for my birthday! LOL

A quick photo collage of our goings-on the last 10-ish months. Click for a larger version!

This summer has started off busy, but I’m slowing making progress rather than just being dragged along on the rush of stuff happening to me. I’ve managed to sort through kids’ outgrown clothes and actually get the stuff to a donation drop-off spot. Cleaned out the truck and washed the inside windows. Organized the kids to pull weeds in the overgrown flowerbeds and trash all the old school papers they’d brought home and dumped in the centers of their rooms. I figure if I can take on mini-projects one after another, eventually they will add up and I won’t be overwhelmed. I even upped my antidepressants and got dr-ordered weekly massages to help with back nerve pain and tension. Maybe it will all make things a little better in the long run?

Anyhow. Welcome back to my life. Still just as chaotic, still the cute kids. Its just a year later!

many updates to be done; photos and fall and knitting. unfortunately fall cold season has taken me out and all i want to do is sit on the couch and wrap up in a blanket with a hot cup of tea and warm socks to knit…

more soon, i promise! hope the twitter updates are helpful to some!