Bad Blogger?!?! Not me!

I have been a bad blogger lately. Really bad. Easter has passed, baseball season is here and I haven't even posted any pictures from Christmas! Like I said - bad blogger! And I'm not sure where to place the blame. I could blame the kids, the husband, the cats, the house, the dishes, the job, the weather, the neighbors, the computer, the mailman, the economy...the list could go on and on. Oh, and don't forget facebook. But that probably wouldn't be fair - would it? It's been a long, cold, snowy winter but we are emerging victorious. The snow is all gone now (finally) and we are looking forward to a glorious spring and summer. Hopefully. But a couple days ago it was like 30 degrees, rainy and windy. Today it is 70 and gorgeous. So who knows. Tomorrow we could have another blizzard and be snowed in again like we were for Christmas. And New Year's. And Valentine's Day. And President's Day. And St. Patrick's Day. Ok, maybe we weren't snowed in on St. Patrick's Day, but there was still some snow around. The others are legitimate.

All in all we are good. Joey is doing well - his walking is quickly turning into running and it is awesome. I will chase him to the ends of the earth if I have to and enjoy every minute. He loves to go to school, be outside and take a bath. He is mastering the hand gestures to itsy bitsy spider and will start his 4th season of horseback riding therapy soon. Every day it seems he learns something new - and it generally brings tears to my eyes. He's come a long way.

The other kiddos are good too. Emma and Abbie are always a team - when one is doing something the other is usually involved. Emma turned 5 in March and is all registered for kindergarten this fall. Abbie will be 4 in May. John and Tommie are in the midst of baseball season. Keeps us running all over but wouldn't change a thing. Too soon and they will be heading off on their own. Not sure if I like all this - it means I am getting older too and the kids will be gone before we know it. But I will hang on to them for as long as I can.

Shawn and I are alright too. Usually exhausted but holding our own. Sometimes we don't know if we are coming or going but it's all good. In March I got a phone call from one of the radio stations in Omaha. For those of you who don't know, I am a huge fan of Bon Jovi. I have loved them since I was a teenager - their music never gets old! Shawn knows full well that if Jon Bon Jovi ever comes knocking on my door, he's out and Jon is in! The DJ told me that a good friend of mine had contacted them about our family and said they had two tickets for their concert that night! I was ecstatic to say the least! It was overwhelming! The concert was awesome - it felt so good to be young again and forget our worrys for a few hours! 25+ years and Bon Jovi can still rock the house! Thanks Brenda - what you did and that night will stay in my heart forever!

For now, we keep pretty busy. I can't wait for our trip to Dallas in June for the 2010 CdLS Conference. I am so excited! Got the registration forms sent in, got the hotel room booked, and now I am searching for some low airfare from Omaha to Dallas. It will be so good to be with our CdLS friends and families - see some familiar faces and make new friends too. When we went to Chicago in 2008 (our first conference) it was fantastic. The conferences are life changing and give us just what we need to keep going. It is so good to know we are not alone and everyone feels like one big family. If you are a CdLS family reading this and are undecided about going, please go if you can. It's not to late to sign up. You will be so happy you did.

Here are some current pictures from Easter. When spring is in the air, I have no motivation to post Christmas pictures - too many snow memories! Hopefully one day soon I can put together a slide show of pictures from the last few months. You know, in my spare time. In the meantime, I promise to get back to blogland and catch up with what everyone has been up to. Happy Spring!

Joey has figured out how to work several door handles...

Our five with our niece and two nephews on Easter...

Emma, Abbie and Joe with our niece Aubree and nephew Cooper...

Tommie and the girls...

Joey WALKING with his Easter basket hunting for eggs in Grandma's back yard...

Leaving the Easter egg hunt with baskets of candy...

Joey and dad looking for eggs at one of our local hunts...

The 3 little ones with the Easter Bunny...couldn't convince John and Tommie to go

Tommie got confirmed on Palm Sunday at our church...

Emma and her birthday cake made by Grandma Jerry...she and Joey are now 5 together for a few weeks

A picture of Jon Bon Jovi (my first love) from the concert we went to...