So... It's been a while!

So it's been an incredibly long time since I last posted on my blog. Like a really, really long time. It's actually been a gift from me to you, a gift of silence and reflection on my blog. It's hard to go many places and find that these days, especially with kids! I hope you enjoyed it, and are feeling refreshed! 


Here's what's happened in our household since February 2015: 

1. We went on vacation to Florida in April 2015 to watch my brother-in-law compete in a Half-Ironman race. 

2. I found out I was expecting bundle of joy #4 (due to arrive in December 2015) on that particular trip to Florida. Note: My #3 was 6 months old at the time. Do you feel a wave of terror and insanity wash over you? I did!

3. I resigned myself to the fact that life would be crazy for a while, at least until baby #4 was six months old-ish. Knowing this, I stepped back from everything in life that I could, including blogging, volunteering, and most (not all!) homeschooling.

4. I began writing with only one space between the end of a sentence and beginning of a new one. I learned to type using two spaces, and have since read that you should now use one space. Who knew?! I was once staunch in my support of two spaces, but in the interest of time and the character limit on Twitter, I switched to one. It's shocking, I know!

5. Photography is a love of mine. I love taking pictures to preserve memories, and when you have kids, an enthusiastic pursuit in photography just makes sense. My hubby upgraded my equipment to a full frame Nikon DSLR for Christmas 2015, and I'm learning more about it all the time. I'm always looking to perfect my craft, and love doing so!

6. Baby #4 came on December 7, 2015! And boy is he a cutie!! Meet my little Levi Isaac Richard. Levi means joined in harmony and Isaac means he laughs, and he lives up to both of his names!

7. And now, the time has come and Levi is six months old tomorrow. Just as I hoped, I'm just beginning to feel like writing again. So here we are!


Time has flown by. I'm getting old (35 years old later this month!) and my body hates me for having two babies in 15 months. I have moments where I wonder if I'll ever recover. And moments where I'm sure that I won't. I do know that I'll never again have my 18 year old body. (Oh, do I wish I could tell 18-year-old me how beautiful she was, and for as ugly as she thought her body was, it was actually pretty smokin' hot.) But one goal or resolution that I have for the rest of this year is to get to a comfortably in shape after-baby body. One I don't despise. I know that weight loss is just simple thermodynamics, calories in must be less than calories out. Now to put it into practice is tougher. Can't wait to see how that goes! 

In as far as other goals, we are homeschooling this fall. Isaiah will be in First Grade and Annika in Kindergarten. I may start early to give myself a cushion to get comfortable with two big kids and two babies under two. I wondered which way to go with school this fall, to start early to give myself more time or to start later to let the babies grow up a little. I made a decision to start early, but I'm not sure how it will work out yet. I'll let you know when I figure it out! And anyone with experience on this one, please save me from my predicament and give me your advice! 

I am super excited about our homeschooling journey because we are actually doing a curriculum from Timberdoodle, and a mini co-op with friends. I tried to get into a local co-op that was expanding into my area, and it was full for the fall. In April. Six months before they are to start. While it made me quite sad, I realized that I have an awful lot of friends that are homeschooling who would want to do a co-op together. Enter our mini-co-op. I have no idea how it will work, since it's a work in progress, but I think it will be fun. 

I also have a goal to read a few fun novels this year. I have always loved reading. Always. But it's been a few years since I read for fun. I have read self-improvement books in the past few years, and they have been helpful. I also read books about raising babies, helping them sleep, and various other aspects of childhood.  But as far as pleasure reading, I read one book about crime and the history of the Mormon church, and I remembered how much fun it was to read... for fun! Not sure what I'll be reading yet, but when I know, I'll post about it!
So if you have tips and tricks for instant weight loss, easy homeschooling with four littles, and some great suggestions for summer reading, please get at me! Until next time...

Alayna 















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