Our life today:

Today, specifically, we are lazy. We have nothing going on because, like the rest of the country, it's too stinkin cold. Wednesday's are one of our busier days but our activities have been canceled (except for GNO!) so we'll just use today as a day of rest :)

Generally speaking, our lives today are filled with so much excitement! At home, as Queen of the Household, I have been trying to clear our "marginal space" to allow for more downtime - time to go freely about as a family, flex time. This actually increases the excitement around this place. It's pretty cool to step back and look at what I have going inside this little haven we call home.

Robbie is in his 5th year at Ozarka, and loving it every bit of it. Duck season just came to an end, but there's determination to extend the overall hunt season - I see this through all the conversation on Sandhill Crane. Last week Rob started back at the school routine. This was something I was dreading, but it's actually working out quite nicely! He is making some additional sacrifices in order to be here more - and for that, I am SO thankful :) And so is Drew. Robbie is also discovering that he's been mislead on the all the "great" things about "cold weather." His desire to live in the Northeast - "where it's so cold all the time!"- is slowly fading as we get a glimpse of what it's really like up there. We have the mild portion of the blizzard, yet its TOO COLD for us!

Danielle is keeping busy with all sorts of things. I really dislike talking in third person so I'll switch gears. I have been SO incredibly blessed to have the best of both worlds taking place in my life. I am a stay at home mommy all the while having an out-of-the-house job :)  I've opened my own enterprise here on Chilton street. There are goals, there is a mission statement (or 5), we are a brand, I could create a logo (hmm, maybe I'll will), it is work, and it's full of rewards...I call it Crain & Co. As far as I'm concerned, it's the best job there is. I am really enjoying my time staying connected in the "Mom World". Currently, it is with Mop's, a Bible Study, and playdates. I hope to get back to the sewing class this semester, we'll just have to see. There's another little world I play in, usually during nap time or once the boys are asleep: I have re-entered the legal scene! I have been doing contract legal work for an attorney here (who, he and his family, have become very special and important to Crain & Co.!). I have always been "weird" in the sense that I like work. I like all the pens, binderclips, colored tabbies, pink post-its, etc, but it goes beyond that, so I am feeling VERY happy about this setup.

Dillon is almost 7 months old. Although just months old, he has accomplished a lot in his young-buck age. He has been working right along side me in the office for a few months now. I am sure, if he could speak, he'd be able to tell you the difference between pleadings and discovery. He is beginning to crawl, although can't quite sit on his own. In this month, he has tried a lot of new foods: squash, zucchini, butternut squash, sweet potatoes, prunes and peas. He loves all of them except peas. When he eats peas, his faces squishes up tight and in a matter of seconds they are pushed out of his mouth. He loves to play, and everything he get's his hands on goes strait to his mouth. His absolute favorite thing in the world, and it couldn't be more obvious, is his brother.

Drew is a busy one himself. He is in a part-time preschool at our church, which is home away from home for the whole family. The program and it's people are something special to us. At "school" he plays with his friends, enjoys music class, chapel and LOVES the days he goes to Kids in Motion. In the next two weeks he and his friends will go on their first field trip (I'm sure the bus ride will be the best part of all), they will have "Special Friends Day" (where a special friend comes to play with them at school), they'll have a costume day (where he'll dress up as what he wants to be when he grows up), and a Valentine's party. Outside of school, Drew goes to KidsPraise (or choir) once a week. At the end of the semester they will have a show. If I can figure it out, I'll post the video from last semester. Every week, Drew looks forward to his Sunday School class...especially now that he's joined a new one - one that some of his school friends are in. At home, he loves to "play trains", read, make up stories, boss his stuffed animals around, work outside with daddy, cook in the kitchen with mommy and hold baby brother.

I am grateful to the Lord and all he has given me and my 3 boys. I am proud to wake up to the responsibilities I have and I am grateful for all we've accomplished when I go to sleep.