Testing...Testing...Is this how this works? Happy New Year!

I know I've completely dropped off the bloggers face of the earth for two years, but I'm contemplating jumping back in for 2017. I found myself reading through old blog posts recently and realized that I don't remember 1/2 of what I posted from 2009 (heck, the kids were talking Friday night with friends about this funny part in a movie...I asked what movie it was and they said it was the one we saw earlier that day. haha  Memory issues much?!?!) I'm so glad I have blogged so often over the years so I can have a record for the kids one day. Unfortunately, they will have only pictures from 2015 and 2016 with no story to go with them.

But oh the pictures they have....so...so...many. Here's one from Thanksgiving. Aren't they cute?!?

Haven't changed a bit from the header here, right?

Anyway, what better time to start something "new" than a New Year?!? New Year's Day is one of my favorite times of the year. I haven't screwed up anything too terribly just yet and the possibilities are endless. I really could have a clean house in 52 weeks (just have to actually read those emails I signed up for) or lose that baby fat before summer (shut up that my baby is almost 12, k?) or not yell at the kids (not todayyyyyy!) or ruin their education (do all homeschool parents worry about this?) or be addicted to my phone (hang on, just got a text....).

You get the idea.

The potential for 2017 is there...waiting for me to snag it. So I'm going to jump in with both thumbs...and the other 8 fingers too, unless I'm blogging from my phone, then it's all thumbs, baby and document our circus we call our lives.

I hope you'll visit me and chat with me and keep me accountable when I get busy and forget to write about it.

As a quick update......we still homeschool, foster, travel, oil up, and love Jesus. So really, like the kids' picture, nothing has really changed. As my fave saying from my time is Cambodia goes, our life is "Same-Same...only different."

same - different

homeschool - We no longer do CC, which we was a huge part of our lives for 7 years,  but homeschool at *gasp* home with the help of some good friends who we join up with a few days a week for accountability and some social time...cause you know we don't get much socialization as homeschoolers.
foster - We are on our 6th child, who we have had for one full year as of Dec 28th! And before you say my pet peeve...yes, it will be hard to let her go. ;)
travel - We are so blessed to be able to travel. Big Daddy travels for work often so we like to schedule intentional time together vacationing and making memories. Since I've blogged, we have been to Disney, Colorado, a Cruise, Branson, Georgia, Alabama, New Orleans, and Captain C and I even got to go to Rwanda, Africa!  We love traveling and are looking forward to our adventures in 2017.
oil up - We are still daily users of oils and love them. I've learned so much in the last three years of using them to improve and maintain our family's health and continue to learn more each day.
love Jesus - This won't change. Jesus is it. Yesterday, Today, and Forever! He is our reason for everything!

So there ya go. Life goes on. Kids grow up. Things change but also stay the same. Looking forward to this new year full of new fun and learning. And maybe by blogging again, I'll actually remember it.