Life.  It’s been extremely busy.  It’s also changed so much this past year.  And, it’s changed for the better.  No, dare I say, changed for the best.

My job is going super well.  I love what I do and I’m pretty damn good at it.  My co-workers are all astounding women, and I am proud to call them my friends.

The gym, even though it’s been hit or miss the past month with all the sickies floating around, has been an amazing influence in my life.  I’ve not only improved my body, my strength, and my stamina, I’ve made more friends; it’s been a wonderful blessing.

My online, social media, life has shifted, too.  These days I’m all over Instagram (@secretagentmama – find me!), and my true socmed love is Facebook.  I love that there are so many different people from my life congregated in one place.  My family (parents, kids, aunts, uncles, cousins), my childhood friends, people I’ve known all my life, old high school chums, social media friends, co-workers, and so many more are all there for me to interact with and share the stories of our lives.   I also love the new time-line, but that’s just me, I’m a sucker for a nice cover photo!

The biggest thing that happened in the past month is we now have (not one, but) TWO teenagers in the house.   Mikey turned 14 and Livey turned 13.   Mikey had a buddy spend the weekend with us, and it culminated in a Minecraft cake extravaganza.  Olivia had a special couple days out with me.  She got a feather in her hair, we went out to lunch a couple times, and we went girl-time shopping.  In a couple weeks she’ll be having all of her closest girlfriends over for a Just Dance Wii Party, complete with pizza and pop and chips and dips!  Invitations are going out tomorrow.

There are a few things I’ve been meaning to blog about, and I have vowed to come back and start telling stories again.   It’s important, and I really do miss it.  I’ve actually been scared to open up this blog again.  I think that silence can do that to a blogger.  We grow silent and it perpetuates, and after a while it’s just not important anymore.   That doesn’t sit well with me, though, because I love to share.  I’m a self-proclaimed over-sharer.  I need it.  I crave it.  I must do it.

So, starting tonight I am going to take the plunge.  I’m going to over-share and I’m going to like it.  *You might, too.

*Three out of four of my biggest blog fans are pictured above.  Someday it’ll be four out of four, but the littlest of my fans is only just learning how to read.

Here are some things that have been going on between the end of last year and the beginning of this new one:

On December 28th, Davey turned FIVE!  Lucky boy, it was Moe’s Wednesday, and we all headed there for lunch.  It’s our favorite place to go; not only because on Wednesdays kids eat free, but we totally love their food!  After a week of having Michael gone, through Christmas, he was home and we all enjoyed our lunch together (which concluded with a visit to the Western store where Davey got one of those cute little stick horses, and I drooled all over the cowboy boots.

Oh, and he named his horse, “Horsey the Bomb”.  Or Bob.  Either or works, really!

Davey requested a cookie cake for his birthday.  Five candles and one for good luck, yo!

During the last days of Christmas break I took each of the kids clothes shopping.  Their Baba & Dedo sent them money for Christmas, and we decided that they would spend it on new digs.

We had a great time each day, eating lunch and shopping.   The only day that was a little crazy was the day that I took Benny and Davey out, together, because, in my opinion, a five year old and an Outlet Mall DO.NOT.MIX.

I also started The Hunger Games!   I’ve since finished it, and now I am waiting for Catching Fire to come in to our library.   I hope it comes in today.   I also want to publicly state that Katniss Everdeen is BAD ASS and totally trumps Bella Swan!

On New Year’s Eve we made a big pot of white beans with corn bread, had Mikey’s buddy over after their bid day of airsoft play, ate chips and dip, and Benny and I went outside and threw pop-its at the ground!  I barely made it to midnight–guess I am getting old—but, I made it and we did out traditional “HAPPY NEW YEAR” shout out to the world from our front porch!

On new year’s day, I found myself in Webkinz hell with Livey and Benny (aka Justice, the evil store that still sells these stuffed animals.

A few days ago, Davey overcame his fear of spontaneously going down the hill on his bike, and rode in the cul de sac for over an hour.  He is a big boy, after all.

It’s been a great start to 2012!

Company’s in town
And Pepper’s definitely
Shown her puppy ass

September 12 – 21