13 on Thursday!

1. Ted returned home Friday evening, having graduated from his deployment training at Ft. Dix, NJ.  He caught an earlier flight, and we were delighted to pick him up in time to enjoy a family dinner at the Cracker Barrel.  (Yes, we did cheat on our diet again!  But not too badly.)
2. Despite my fantasies of hiking and picnicking as a family during Ted's week off, the weather has put a literal damper on any outside activities.  In fact, we had to kick the heat on a couple of nights.  Curse you, La Nina!
3. Various things have been checked off the honey-do list...just a few more to go.  Mark my words, though, the biggest things will happen AFTER he leaves.
4. Lucan has been beside himself to have Daddy home again!  Life has seemed almost "normal" this week.  I'm trying not to think about how confused the poor li'l guy will be next week...
5. I got a nap 3 days in a row!  And I've been sleeping in until 6:30ish!  I'm trying not to think about how poorly I'll sleep next week...
6. The kids were so excited to watch the finale of The Amazing Race (which we DVRed) once Ted got home.  It was a rather disappointing finish for us, as our favorites had dropped out in a line before the final 3 teams.  Ah, well.
7. On the other hand, GO BOSTON ROB!!!  (The kids did NOT watch that finale with us...we're pretty protective with TV time, and Survivor is not on the docket anytime soon.)
8. Owing to the fact that it has been cold and/or rainy most of the week, the boys have been delighted to play Wii with Ted, who has obviously become addicted to the Lego Indiana Jones game the boys bought with their spending money just before his training.
9. Kenna and Lucan have, quite possibly, heard more stories this week than in the previous 2 months combined!  Between Ted and myself having extra time to sit and cuddle, they are loving all the attention.
10. Ted and I got away for a quick date last night.  Eilene offered to let the boys come over to play for an evening, so after dinner was over, Charis got to experience her first official babysitting job!  Armed with our cell numbers and Eilene's home number, plus instructions to help the evening go smoothly, she very capably organized a fun evening for the younger two, successfully put Lucan in bed, oversaw the final chores and clean-up, put Kenna to bed, and was enjoying some reading time when we returned home after seeing Soul Surfer.  The movie was incredible--but coming home to a bubbly, confident Charis and hearing her tell about her evening as Babysitter Extraordinaire was just as wonderful!  I can't believe our baby is so mature and responsible!!  I feel so grateful and blessed!
11. I've been trying to take advantage of our relaxed week to catch up on some scrapping.  I completed our 2008 family album Stampin' Up! style using the My Digital Studio program.  (To see pictures of the pages, go here.)  I've even begun working on our 2009 album!  I have high hopes of finishing it this month as well so that I can get a good discount on the price of printing the books with the special going on this month.  But even if I don't finish that one, I can at least print the 2008 book and know that I'm well on my way!  Digital and DONE means more to me than beautiful, hand-crafted pages that are only designed in my head!  I've had to face reality...and my reality includes 5.5 wonderful children. :-)  So here's hoping that I can set aside more time to capture our memories!
12. Lots of errands this week...got my hair trimmed, eyebrows waxed, one-hour glucose test completed, OB appointment, groceries, blah blah blah.  It's nice to be able to leave the house with OR without kids!
13. While it's not fun thinking about what's just around the bend, I'm so thankful for God's peace and sovereignty.  A recent ladies' Bible study I was involved with delved into the topic of FEAR.  (Appropriate timing, eh?  Amazing how God works like that. ;-)  One of my favorite quotes from one of the ladies was, "Feed faith, starve fear."  I've gotten back into the routine of memorizing and meditating on Scripture, and I fully intend to feed my faith this year and not give fear an opportunity to get its claws around my mind and heart.  Will you pray the same for our whole family?  We would certainly appreciate it.