By Nicole

When we were young, my mom had a notebook that she used to record all of the cute and funny things we said.  Of course, she was a single mom of four kids under the age of 6, so there were very few things that actually got recorded.  We cherished that book... each of us had a few written memories, and we would read and reread them to one another.  So, when my kids were born, I got each of them a book.  My intentions were just as good as my mother's... but their books are mostly empty.  I've ended up using Facebook and blog posts more often than pen and paper.  I even got desperate in the car one day and voice recorded a few priceless events.  Here are a few that happened over the last month: We all rush in to the awards night for our Olympic Weight Loss Challenge.  The room is packed, auditorium style.  I have Leilee on my lap.  Jason has the boys on his.  They call up each contestant, say the percentage of weight they lost, hand them their card and check, exchange a hands

This blog post popped into my head today while I was running on the treadmill in a hotel in Seattle.  I linked to my old Myspace post, but then I thought I should just share this oldie with you all anyway.  This is from way back in 2007.  January 31...  My first time abandoning my children to traipse all the way across the country for work.  "Way back in the day, when I lived in Tacoma... I used to run the streets after work. I think I ran on the treadmill maybe once. I didn't like the fitness center - it seemed silly when there were perfectly good sidewalks. And running in the rain is probably one of my favorite things to do. Of course, it rained plenty, so it kind of had to be. Anyway... it was nice. I never worried about being kidnapped or something horrible... I know, in Tacoma? So when I moved to Texas - I ran too -- there were huge fields to run by and the backroads were usually empty. Weslaco was a nice little place - lots of room, lots of wide open spaces.

This is a really old post I found from October 3, 2006.  Grady was a year and a half old.  Leilee is now almost three, and I DO NOT HAVE THIS FEELING ANYMORE... but, it's funny to remember when I did.  "Well, it all began about three months ago... at first I felt fine, I thought I could ignore it, then I would see a baby and this curious type of longing would start in my stomach and vibrate up to my heart and make me feel all squishy inside. How do you describe the baby bug? I am almost tempted to call the bug a virus... the kind that stay in your body and remain dormant until something aggravates them... like chickenpox or herpes (which are actually related, although that tidbit isn't at all related to this) although nothing that dreadful or miserable. I'm almost sure reactivation coincides exactly with the age of your youngest. My baby virus starts acting up right around the time my youngest turns 1. At first I feel just sad that they are growing up so fast.

This has been a glorious break.  Forget the sick kid, the sleepless nights filled with phlegm and seal barks, my frazzled, pj'd attempts to work from home, and the fact that my house has remained in an eternal state of disarray. It's been glorious because I have been able to - be home with my kids for a couple days, forget about "having" to blog daily, have Jason pick up a take n' bake pizza guilt free (we had a gift certificate), register for the Narrows Half on opening day, do silly things like sort through my drawers and get rid of more stuff, eat chocolate, and drool over the Nine West boots I am in love with online, clean off my computer keyboard, snuggle my kids a lot, stay in my pajamas all day. I'm enjoying this so much that I am taking April off of NaBloPoMo.  I decided. Instead of me worrying about blogging daily, this month we are going to  - decorate eggs and then crack them all up to make deviled eggs that look like baby chickens ha