checking in

hi,
its my first day off since Tuesday, which was the kids first day of school, effectively making it a wash.
Sorry i have been out of touch. The days are longgggg, ironically as the days shorten and its dark by 7!

I am working a ton, as is Dustin and we are just so behind. I keep coming up with little projects and starting them and not finishing and then moving on.
For instance, the other day i found a covered up brick patio in the back yard. Its pretty decent in size, but after a day of weeding and pulling the inches of dirt and grass off it, i gave up! Then i moved onto putting a few coats of primer on the living room. I think today is the day i finish both projects....come hell or come Finn.
Which these days are one in the same. The boy is a NUT! He is in constant motion and even more constant trouble. He is covered in bumps and scabs and bruises and just as ornery as "all get out" or so the saying goes.
I contacted birth to three and had him evaluated and he does qualify for some services...mainly for his speech and his social skills.
He threw the ladies toys in her face!!
Abby got off to an okay start in school. Aside from the fact that she will only wear summer shoes and dresses. Apparently her feet are sensitive to socks and sneakers or even dress shoes after a summer of freedom, and all her skirts, shorts and pants slide down, driving her....and the rest of the neighborhood crazy!
Maddie is doing pretty well. She has turned into little miss responsible and Dust and i have to keep telling her to let us parent so she can be a kid. I think she sense mine and Dustin high stress and lack of sleep and is trying to compensate :(
Sam got his mouth retainer, to the tune of 500 dollars that insurance did not cover!!!! We had to pay for the whole thing and i cannot even figure out how to get it in. We are going today for a lesson in that.
He is already fighting me about homework and chores and TV and man its going to be a long year i c an already tell.

I'm still thinking a lot about Grandpa O'Brien and oddly missing him, even though we were not even in close contact.
I had a horrible dream it was actually Dustin that died and they placed him in a mass grave and the kids wouldn't come say goodbye. Woke up crying when i remembered someone actually did die.

I don't think i mentioned, but we have a new puppy. Dustin went up to New Hampshire and brought home a Weimeraner!! While i was at work. Yup..... an hunting dog, known for its affection for cats and other small fluffy things. When i say affection i mean its love for hunting them down
For now the cats, renamed pink and purple to match their collars, are alive and well and its the puppy, Kaiser that is afraid of them.
At the end of the day i have worked 8 hours, and taken care of 8 small living creatures. I am not, however, getting a good 8 hours of sleep and for now that's okay. Because its finally fall and i come home to a house that's all mine and well, i drink a lot of good coffee :)