Let's try this again, shall we?

It's been a long, long time. I really sort of got sick of writing and have been resorting to little facebook blurbs and writing in my journal now and again. But after reading through some older entries, I feel nostalgic. I want to resume posting, if for no other reason than to document my kids' lives. I'm viewing this as an opportunity to improve!
I came downstairs on this Sunday night to pay bills. How exciting. And then I got sucked in, and have spent the last hour drying my eyeballs out and giving myself a headache from trying to update my stinking blog settings. But, I'm done. It is what it is. I'm no good when it comes to HTML, nor am I crafty or artistic, but I am committing here and now to write more, so I can remember and articulate some of the details that would otherwise wither in my mind.

Today was such a great day! I love my life. I love my kids. (Here they are, posing delightfully in a recent photo shoot in Elfreth's Alley.)

I love the salad we had for dinner (well, a couple of us ate it anyway...) I love Nate, even when he surprises me by telling me he has a moonlighting shift tonight, tomorrow night, and Tuesday night. Hummph... (Really though, that man works harder than anyone on the planet, and does a darn good job as SuperDad, too...)
For a very brief update: We went camping on Friday night with 7 families! I forgot to bring half of our food, but good thing our friends made up for that. It was a much more excellent meal with all their goodies anyway! The boys' highlight was definitely the 45 minutes they spent splashing around wild and free in Scott's Run Lake. It was a picture-perfect day and, though a desperately short amount of sleep had me feeling sort of intoxicated, we all had a fantastic time.
I feel very grateful for wonderful, talented, and intelligent friends who surround me and inspire me. I feel grateful to be the mother to three intense children who make me laugh and think hard. I feel grateful for my calling as Primary president in our inner-city ward. This opportunity has been one of the most joyful and stretching experiences of my life. I'm grateful for summer nights, good music, sneaky early-morning runs, and the prospect of clean sheets waiting upstairs. Let's see how I do this time around. (I'm wishing myself luck.)