coming back

There was a time when this blog was a huge part of my life. I posted a ton, documented most of our family events and even shared parts of my heart. Blogging was such an outlet to the outside world as I transitioned into full time motherhood. It all started when we had recently moved back into the area and were new homeowners. We were new parents. We didn't have many friends yet. We were just starting out. And yes, I had many, many more online friends than I had "real life" friends. Some great online friends became dear real life friends in the process. And they're keepers. Really, blogging was a lifesaver for me.

Things are different now. We have three kids...that baby that was published on this blog more than necessary is now 7 1/2! I'm no longer a newbie. We've moved to a new neighborhood. Joel has been at his job for a while and, most importantly, we have-- a network of our people. We are no longer on the outside looking into this community, but we're plugged in and so happy to be here.

Lately I've been feeling the need to write on here. I no longer feel the need to be really involved in the blogging community, but I just want to express some of the things going on in my head. As I (slowly) emerge from the fog of babies and toddlers and into the very different stage of parenting school-aged children, I feel the seriousness of this time of life often overwhelming. It is a different kind of hard. I need to process...not let these thoughts just swim in my head or let them explode on the first adult I happen to be with. I hope this place can be an outlet for me, once again.

I also want to document this good life of ours. I love looking back on our early years and seeing the kids grow up in pictures! I hate that I've had such a gap, but I'm serious about getting back on track. So, hello world, I'm back to blogging. Hopefully.