It's been a year...

I really have no excuse for not blogging for a whole year. Well, I guess I do. You see, there's this thing called work that consumes my days as well as my nights. And then there's this thing called parenting that consumes my days, nights, weekends, and any other minute of the day. And thennnn there's this thing called having a spouse who has worked for over a year now on the night shift. So yeah.
When I began blogging, it was a way to document my life with my kids and keep in contact with loved ones. That was before Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. I don't feel the need to reflect on here, because it's more time to type out a lot at once rather than post something quick on one of the above mentioned sites.
Honestly I have some other things to consider now too--my two older children are on social media. I have to respect their privacy or at least their sense of pride.  I can't tell some of the stories I used to post on here, because frankly my kids would flip on me.
So here are some things I will share:
I have a son who is now 14. He is a solid five inches taller than I am and is still growing. People let me tell you that gone are the days of worrying about potty training my 'baby' or him sleeping all night. We have moved on to girls, dealing with letting him go to a girl's house and vice versa, exchanging gifts (YOU wait until your son asks you to buy someone a gift card to PINK), and those issues. I won't say much else, because social media is no longer the place. Dear lord where did by little baby go?
I have a daughter who is 11. In the last 6 months, she has swiftly gone from being the sweet amiable child and turned into.....a girl who is starting to go through 'the change.' She is getting quite tall, has bigger feet than I do, and I am seeing her body transform. Again, I am not ready for this. She has pulled away from me a lot, gained a pretty snippity attitude, and is very into clothes and accessories and makeup. (No I don't allow her to wear make up to school)
I have a daughter who is 8. She is trying to find her place in the world and, I think, in the family. She is by far the most tenderhearted 8 year old I have ever encountered. I have learned how to navigate through her dependence on her mom as well as others. She thrives on one on one interaction. She loves deeply. She expresses all the sweet things that I think, but am often too private to say. She works very hard at school, and we are working on her trusting her self rather than needing constant reinforcement.
Don't get me wrong. She has a lot of friends, is loved by everyone, and is a very good student. She just needs a little extra from some of us.
I have a baby who is five. Okay so he's not a baby anymore, but to me he is. It's so strange. When my oldest was five I thought he was such a big boy. Now I look at my youngest and he seems so small to me. I stand by what I've always said, "If I had the money I would have more kids." Anyway, child #4 is about as whitty, charming, friendly, loving, and boyish as they come. I did not know boys could be so loving and snuggly. I love him so much.
Even though I seem to never blog, I still read other posts by you. Keep doing it. Don't be as big of a loser as I am. And now, after taking this little break, I need to get back to school work!