No this blog hasn't bit the dust...

... it just went into hibernation mode while the blogger of the family took care of two sick (minor colds) kids as cold weather hit Michigan, followed by a trip to Indiana for Thanksgiving, a sudden last minute decision to go to Phoenix to surprise my parents for Christmas, followed by a week of packing and then a 20 hour trip to...

Tampa.

Yes, that's right. We now live in Tampa, FL.

So instead of spending a winter doing a lot of this...
(this was taken the beginning of December. I've heard they've had nice weather since,
and my tulips are blooming a couple months too early...)

or this...

(because this mom IS smart enough to know not to venture to the beach alone with a toddler that loves the ocean, and a baby that loves to eat whatever is in his hands)

we will be doing a lot of this.
Thanks to my sister who bought us memberships to both the zoo and aquarium. :)

... but for now, it's back to sick kids. Apparently this was all a little too much for Liam. And he got his first ever real fever. And an ear infection. Yikes. And then Aiden got it too. Double yikes. So my official position since Monday has been "Snot Wiper". You would not believe the amount of mucus a 7 month old could produce. Hopefully this will be their last colds for the season, because I don't think we (especially me) can handle sleep-deprived children for four months. :)

As for an update on Joel... He's been working. A lot. Some days far worse then others (aka Thursday-Sunday weekends when he ends up working almost 80 hours just in those few days!). But he seems to still be surviving- although this evening he fell asleep on his knees while waiting for his stubborn sick son to give him a hug.