Oh the Bliss!

How can I ever move ?

It's really quiet at my house. Too quiet. Like, "have I lost some children?" quiet. In fact I HAVE lost some children, 66.7% of my brood is gone for 3.5 days. How'd we swing that, you ask? The amazing Papa and Gma (Mom and Dad Fitzpatrick) along with the ever fantastic sis-n-law Amy are running Camp Papa-Gma this week in Simi Valley. Sunday we said goodbye to Ben, Addison, Troy and Mia and drove home in a very, very quiet car. Here are some things I'm noticing during their absence... ~ Less dishes. (Yay!) ~ Gabe is the equivalent of a little lost puppy. (Boooooo!) ~The couch cushions and pillows are exactly where I left them when I leave the room and return. ~ Norah is unfazed. ~ My quiet time with the Lord is lengthy. . . and quiet. :) ~ Bedtime routine takes about 3minutes, max. ~ Mark and I have really good conversations in the car because we can actually hear each other. (Speaking of car... I am getting anxious for our next vehicl

Can I just start by saying IT'S A GIRL!!!!!! Whaaaaaaaaaaat??!?!?!?! I did NOT see that coming! Well, actually I did, for about 7 months, then BAM months 8 and 9 rolled around and I was so certain it was a boy I brought only boy clothes to the hospital. My basketball stomach screamed "It's a boy!" and EVERYONE told me it was going to be a boy; the old ladies at Trader Joe's, the nurses who saw me during my false labor, the ladies at the nail place, my doctor even guessed boy. (Oh wait, she also guessed I'd be two weeks early...) So it was beyond exciting when the baby came out and, sure enough, our girl was born.  I woke up early that Saturday morning, two days past my due date, with the same ol' pains I'd been having for weeks. Except they weren't the same. They were intense every time, and took my breath away. During a contraction I was convinced I needed to be at the hospital, but as soon as it was over I was totally fine and figured it was