Thinking this may be then beginning of the end

Well it's become very apparent to me that I just don't have time to keep the Ballons.com website up-to-date anymore. I haven't posted any new photos or updates in about 4 months and I have such a back-log of photos to upload and share it's now almost overwhelming. Add to that the fact that almost all of my family is now on Facebook, which I do keep rather up-to-date, and I'm starting to wonder if efforts to keep the website alive are all in vain. I will definitely keep my web server/hosting going and probably keep the domain name since I like to keep my portfolio online and still host 1 or 2 family/friend sites.

And if there are any major objections from family and friends really wanting me to keep the site going, let me know. I do it for you all, really.

In the meantime, if you really want to know what's going on with us, get a Facebook account!

Spring is in the air

We had a wonderfully warm weekend and it's gotten me in the mood for spring! Of course with that comes a nice long to-do list in order to get the back yard ready for a long season of outdoor play, as well as starting to pack up the winter clothes and pull out the spring/summer clothes, etc., etc. This all just seems overwhelming when just keeping up with the laundry and dishes wears me out! Perhaps with this warmer weather will come some renewed energy?! Well I can hope, can't I?

Hannah and her best friend Marcus had a big birthday blowout the other week. Although her actual birthday isn't for a few more weeks, Marcus's birthday was the end of Jan., so we thought a joint birthday party at the end of Feb. would be a good idea, especially since they're in the same class and have most of the same friends. It was a lot of fun for a lot of kids, and I've posted pictures for all to see.

I also posted photos from January, including a visit with my oldest friend, Mary and her little girl, and photos of the kids playing in the snow.

I have no doubt what's left of March will fly by with a visit from Grandma and a small family party for Hannah's actual birthday. Then comes Easter, which I look forward to as I see it as the official mark of spring, warm weather, and of course Starburst jelly beans!

Getting caught up on photos

I'm finally getting caught up on all of my photo uploads and have done a dump of the random photos I had on our second camera (which is rarely used anymore). So here are some photos from the fall (including Halloween), as well as photos from my business trip to Cancun (yes it WAS a business trip) where I managed to squeeze in an afternoon of sightseeing and went with 5 colleagues to the historic Chichen Itza. It was a 2.5 hour van ride each way and we only had 1 hour to tour once we got there, oh and did I mention it was raining, but it was one of the most awe-inspiring sites I've ever witnessed. The photos really do not do the famous temple justice of the magnitute of its size and grandeur. So anyway, be prepared to see about 30 photos of mayan ruins!

Happy New Year

OK, so it is almost 20 days into the new year, but at least I got a happy new year post in during January! The grandparents will be VERY happy to see updated photos to the website. I hadn't uploaded anything from Nov. and Dec. yet. And since my husband is determined to beat me to the punch and upload photos to Facebook, I decided I better get the gymnastics/dance photos of the kids from last week up, too. Of course I STILL haven't uploaded photos of my trip to Mexico from Oct. But they're on a different camera, so it's easier to forget to do that. But it will happen eventually, in case anyone is even interested in seeing me standing in the rain in front of Chichen Itza!

We're all getting adjusted to the new schedule of David being back at work full-time, and working nights. How lucky have we been to have a parent at home, at least part-time for the last 5 years? I'm so thankful for that partnership David and I have had in sharing that responsibility over the years, and that we each got to experience it. Of course the kids seem to have adjusted much easier to life with two full-time working parents than the adults have...but it will get better with time, I'm sure (or so everyone keeps telling me).

I partly wish I could be downtown for all of the inauguration festivities this week...I even contemplated taking Hannah out of school for the day and going down there so she could experience this history in the making. But if the huge crowds and long lines weren't enough to deter me, this freezing weather we're having certainly is. So I guess I'll have to set the Tivo tomorrow and watch it when I get home from work. But what an awesome, awesome time it is to be an American!

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and that your 2009 is off to a good start. One of my favorite things about Christmas is getting the Christmas cards from old friends and extended family, many of whom this is the only yearly communication. And I'm embarrassed to say that I still have about 20 cards left to send out, as I ran out and had to order more. So if you didn't get a card from us, that's why, but it's on its way! What can I say, I have three little kids and work full time! I can still use that excuse right?

So enjoy the photos from the holidays and of our three little monkeys at gymnastics/dance class. And I'll try and post another update in early Feb. (hey, at least I'm being realistic that it won't happen in Jan.)

P.S. if you're viewing this note in Facebook, this is from my blog, which I have linked. So to view the photos go to www.theballons.com