So, it's been awhile....

Well, hello there. If you're reading this, then you are probably bored out of your mind and scanned your favorite list and decided to take a chance to see if me (or my sister) had updated our blog. First, sorry that you're bored and, second, I have!

I'm great at making excuses (it's one of the things that I do best) so I already have mine ready to go as to why I've been absent. Once Pressley got out of her milestone/baby stage, it was hard to think of things to write about. I mean, let's be honest, I know most people that read this are here for my cute kid (and she's still a doll!). My life is also pretty boring so I didn't think many people would actually want to read about how I went to a six-hour movie marathon of Twilight, New Moon, and Eclipse. But I was at my family reunion today and about three people mentioned my blog and how they had stopped by and I realized that I needed to jump back on my blog bandwagon.

And here I am. At four in the morning. I had to get up to go to the bathroom (more on that in a second) and after I got back in the bed, thoughts of my blog consumed me. Okay, that's an exaggeration, but I'm still sitting here nonetheless. It's hard for me to find time to write because Pressley wants my attention ALL OF THE TIME. She doesn't take naps anymore and pretty much stays up until I do since it is summer, so writing at 4 AM is about the best that I can do.

So you're probably wondering what is so important about getting up to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night. Well, come November, there will be a baby making us a family of four so going to the restroom in the middle of the night is something of a routine for me.

And that is going to be the main subject for my first return blog post. YAY! A baby!! Words can't express how blessed I am to have this child join our little family. After two miscarriages, feeling this baby kicking around is just so awesome. Let me answer your first question. I've no idea if it is a boy or girl. Most people look at me like I'm crazy when I tell them that, but my dear husband wanted the gender to be a surprise and I'm going along with it. It is more exciting, even if I don't have a clue how to decorate the nursery or have a stitch of clothing bought for this child yet.

Your second question? Yes, Pressley is very excited. When I go to the doctor she asks, "Are you going to get my baby?" And it varies day to day (sometimes hour to hour), as to whether she wants a brother or sister. And, lastly...names. I *think* that we are pretty set on Jackson for a boy. I thought we had a girl's name but a couple of days ago, Benjamin decided that he didn't like my name, which was Emerson. Addison now seems to be the front runner, but Audrey, Payton, and Blair are contenders. But don't be surprised if that changes before November (the second is the due date, if you're curious). The middle names will be family names and I'm keeping those a secret for the moment to surprise those people (so if I've told you then, shhhhhhh).

I've also had a couple of people ask me about my book since I posted an excerpt here. I'm still working on it. As previously mentioned, Pressley doesn't give me much time to write, so I work on it here and there. I'm currently rewriting the beginning because it didn't flow as well as the middle and end. I joined an online writing critique group and I've gotten some good reviews on the chapters that I posted so that's nice.

I guess the only other big thing is that school is about to start. Normally, I'm ready to go back, but not this year. I haven't enjoyed teaching as much the past couple of years. I'm not sure if it's the disrespect that you get from the kids and, unfortunately, the parents or if it is seeing all of this gang stuff going on, but it wears me out. Plus, this year I have an extra class to teach and they have reduced our planning period by half. Not sure how I'm going to manage that since Pressley makes it impossible to bring work home. Not that I want to anyway.

Which brings me to my closing. Ahhh, Miss P. Words can't describe how much I've enjoyed this summer with my little girl. It's been a little bittersweet because, even though I'm very eager to welcome this little baby into our family, I knew that this was my last time to enjoy it just being Miss P and me. And even on the days where we didn't do much, it's been fun to wake up and spend the whole day with her. From day one, I haven't wanted this summer to end.

I'll be posting again soon. I promise. Oh, and the pictures of Pressley are from Easter.