Wow. I've really been slacking.

Honestly, I'm not sure if anyone even reads this anymore, but it makes me a little sad that blogging has tumbled to the bottom of my "to do" list. It's something that I enjoy, but with everything else I have going on--a blooming Real Estate career, a nearly four-year-old that requires at least 26 hours in a day, still trying to set up the new house, trying to figure out what's for dinner so that we're good and DON'T eat out every night--it's just really hard. By the time we get Noah to bed, and then usually get something to eat for ourselves, it's 8:30 or so, and I'm. just. tired. It's all I can do to finish a library book during the 3 week check-out time (and let's face it--usually I renew and re-renew with the books, and I STILL don't manage to finish them).

So, to recap the last couple of months-- We had a fantastic Christmas in our new house, and were lucky enough to have lots of family to share in it with us. Santa was good to us this year, and there was no shortage of wrapping paper. There was, however, a shortage of ribbon, as Mousey loves to eat ribbon. I guess it's her way of giving us Christmas presents, tiny poops wrapped up in pretty, shiny strands. Thanks, Mouse!

Our New Year was as exciting as it always is--cheap champagne, and going back and forth between the Univision (Spanish Television) countdown and skipping past Dick Clark (bless his heart, but it just makes me want to cry...) to the lesser of two evils--Carson Daly or Ryan Seacrest. It's always a tough decision. But, we rang in the new year, happy to have seen another year come in, and just knowing that this year was going to be great. And so far, it has.

We've had the coldest winter ever (and this is according to a gentleman who's been in this area since God was a child), so yay for the new house & the glory that is energy-efficient windows! We've already had one morning where we woke up to the world covered in white--granted, it was small ice pellets, but Noah still had fun! And then today--holy cow, it started snowing & just didn't quit. We had probably 2 inches in about 3 hours, so I consider that to be significant. And it's a great, perfect-snowball-making snow, too. So, Noah and I went out when it first started, then again when Patrick came home, and I posted some of the early play pictures on Noah's blog (http://noahpic.blogspot.com/) and I'll post some more here.

We're still really loving the new house; we need to set some ground rules for some unplanned visitors, though. We understand that it's cold outside, and you like to nest in our nice, warm house, but I'm OVER hearing your little feet scurrying about. So here's a warning, and I'll only say it once, in my sternest Mommy voice: I'm getting some mouse bait. I'm setting it out. It's your choice--you can eat it and die, or you can leave my house peacefully. I don't care which. I prefer there not to be killing, but if there must, then it's your little heads. I've warned you. I don't want to hear the excuses about your internet connection is down, you can't read, blah blah blah. You have been warned.

Don't worry, Rachel. They'll all be gone by the time you come, I promise.

My business is doing well, and I've branched out into Property Management, for one of my best and beloved clients. I am still amazed, though, that no matter how good of a job you can do for someone, they can still be unhappy over the most incredible thing. But, I guess that's the nature of the beast--buying a house is asking people to plunk down more money and make the biggest purchase of their lives, and if they're not 100% happy--at closing, 2 months or 2 years after closing--it's your fault. I guess it's easier to blame someone than yourself that you simply chose badly. And I'm a big girl--I can take it. I won't guarantee to not be mad about it and whine and complain to my nearest and dearest, though. But, I'll get over it, ready to greet my next clients with a big grin, and my promise to do my very best, absolutely 110% over & above, job for them.

Noah is growing by leaps and bounds--we measured him the other day, and he's 40 1/2 inches tall. He's reading--not complete books yet, but I'm sure by next week, he'll be thumbing through the Wall Street Journal. His vocabulary and memory never cease to amaze me. Today, we were driving around, and he said he wanted to go to Mickey's Drive Through and get a hot dog. Huh??? I was trying to decipher where he was talking about, and then it hit me--on New Year's Eve, we went to Rickey's Drive In for hot dogs (it's also where introduced Noah to A Splash of Orange--Sprite with a little bit of orange soda in it). That, to me, is amazing, that he remembered we had hot dogs at Rickey's!

He's becoming his own person, more and more. He's telling jokes, deliberately being silly, and just charming the pants off of everyone he meets. He is, in every sense of the word, a blessing.

We've started tentatively planning a Disney trip--we'd love to go in September. The temperatures are still decent; schools are usually in session; and that's typically a slow season for Disney, which means 1) less crowds, and 2) cheap rates! We figure, too, that by that time, Noah will be tall enough to ride any ride that WE want to ride! We found some great deals that include the Park Hopper Passes, where you can do any Disney park, any day, so it doesn't just confine us to the Magic Kingdom. Now, for this to happen, I've got to get my butt in gear and sell some Real Estate! We've got a long list of to-dos that require money, and unfortunately we're grown ups, and the dream vacation is at the bottom of the list. Being a responsible adult sucks!

Wow...it's still snowing. I better go ahead & get these pictures posted, and then cuddle up on the sofacouch with Patrick, and watch the opening ceremony for the Olympics. Enjoy!


Daddy & Noah saying "SNOW!"


Mommy & Noah making a snow angel. Noah's not dumb--he didn't want to lay down in the snow, so he decided to lay down on top of me, and let me absorb all that cold, wet snow. Yeah, I loved every second of it!



Such a cutie pie!



Patrick getting ready to throw a snowball at me.



Noah attempting to throw a snowball.



Our front yard.



The pear tree in our side yard.




The yard--it's about 1 1/2 to 2 inches, and you can sorta tell on the chair.