Back from Hiatus - The New Normal

So you may have noticed that I've been on hiatus for the last 8 months or so, not for lack of anything to write about, but rather because I haven't had the time! While I love to keep you all updated about the ongoings of our daily lives, spending quality time with my kids and Matt is priority numero uno, and this has had to take a back seat to tickle fights, snuggling, finger painting, walks, and family dance parties. To quickly catch you up on what has happened... We had a baby boy! Callan Robert Worthman Welch was born on April 29th, after 2 long days of labor! The summer was spent adjusting to our "new normal" of 2 kids, and a lot less sleep! Despite the adjustment in our sleep cycles, we were still able to enjoy pool time, family vacation time on Hilton Head Island, and lots of barbequeing. And, more importantly, Piper Jayne got potty trained! I went back to work in early August and our "new normal" changed again as we adjusted to our busy schedules and the stress of having more to worry about than just "has the baby pooped yet today?". Labor Day weekend flew by as did our 4 year anniversary - which was celebrated by taking the kids to see Sesame Street Live! What selfless parents we are! Our little Miss Independent had her first day of pre-school and to this day hasn't cried once about going - we get more of a wave and "cya" as she runs off to play with her new friends! We went on our first camping trip as a family and our marriage miraculously survived the debacle of the first night - arriving late and trying to pitch a brand new tent in the disappearing sunlight while trying to corral 2 kids and get dinner fixed (over open fire) before 9pm. And while it wasn't "celebrated", the one year anniversary of my father's passing was spent with my mom, as we did some retail therapy, went out to lunch and then spent the rest of the day on our own remembering what an amazing man he was. Callan has now had many firsts, but the one I'm still waiting for is a night without waking! Matt survived the last week and a half with just the kids as I ventured off to China for a business trip. We both deserve the "Parent of the Year" award this time around for his being a single parent for that long and for me doing everything I could, including switching flights from China and driving through the night from Toronto, to be home with them before Hurricane Sandy hit. In a nutshell, it has been one hell of year so far and if I were to try to catch you up on all the fun stuff we've done, I would never get around to updating this blog. So, it's time to start with a clean slate and TRY to keep this sucker updated on a somewhat regular basis. If I slack again - feel free to give me a hard time - I do this as much for your benefit as I do for mine. It's a great way to look back and remember.