So, we had a nice trip to Pennsylvania.  It was great to see family and friends again, but it was also very long and draining.  After three weeks of leave, Mike had to go back to work feeling even more tired than when he left it.  We were all pretty exhausted.  Next year we are considering taking some time out for just us instead and either not going anywhere or just going somewhere in Alaska.  I will miss the family greatly, but I think we need it. 

We spent time with Mike's family and went to James and Stephanie's wedding.  We spent some time in Erie with mom and got to see some old friends there.  Eric was able to come down for a short visit, so we had a cookout on the peninsula with Gammer and Gaffer.  It was a lot of fun!  We spent some time in Sharpsville with Gammer and Gaffer and got to see Aaron's property.  We ended up running (literally while we were out on a run hahah) into an old friend in Sharpsville and having lunch with her, so that was really nice!  Sarah was going to try to make it down to see us too, but an inconvenient cold put an end to those plans :(  We went back to the eastern side of the state and celebrated Juliet's first birthday with the Swanns!  Then we celebrated Alaina's birthday the next day so we had lots of cake.  Finally after sleeping in three different beds over three weeks of travel, we got home and collapsed into our WONDERFUL bed that I missed so much!  There's just nothing like your own bed, really.  The down side is, just as the leaves were really starting to turn beautiful in Pennsylvania, we came home to bare trees and snow in the forecast.  It was like fast-forwarding through Fall, which is just not OK with me.  

Now we have been home for a couple weeks and I am getting back into our routine again.  I got to spend a fun night with some of the neighbor ladies playing dominos and cranium.  It was some much needed time away from the kiddos, though I love them more than anything.  Now my friend Megan has me reading "Twilight" because I agreed to go see "Breaking Dawn" with her in November and she wants me to know what is happening.  I can't say I'm very impressed, but it's not wholly unentertaining.  You never know until you give something a try, anyway.  I've been trying to keep myself in a good mood, but with winter darkness encroaching in on us and Mike's impending deployment next fall, I have to admit I've been having some down days.  I really need to not think about it too much, but you probably don't have any idea how hard that actually is.  

The kids are doing great.  I was happy to get them back into cloth diapers after three weeks of disposables while we were traveling.  There's really nothing fun about diapering, period, but when it comes down to it I really wish I had done cloth sooner because I much prefer it to disposables.  I am attempting to start potty training with Nathan, but I can already see this is going to be a big challenge.  That's probably an understatement, really.  Nathan is already in 3T clothes, and they fit him pretty well for the most part!  His legs still aren't quite long enough for 3T pants in most cases, but I think that it's only a matter of a short amount of time.  We had to buy him a whole winter wardrobe when we got home, coming from shorts and T-shirts in 70 degree weather to long pants and sweaters in 30 degree weather.  So, of course, we made a stop at Once Upon a Child...my favorite used kid's clothes store.  I have to admit, it's probably because I prefer to buy brands like Carter's and OshKosh, but we can get him a ton of barely used clothes for a 3rd of the price we would have to pay for new.  I should check out Goodwill, but in my experience there tends to be a lot of grungy stuff to sift through before you may possibly find something worth your time.  Ayla is getting bigger and bigger.  I packed away her 0-3 month clothes and all her cute little summer dresses that I only got to use for those couple weeks :(  She's back in fuzzy sleepers again, the practical option for cold weather and ease of diaper changing.  I've never been one to use impractical baby clothes very much, so I always find it funny when people have their newborns dressed up in little pants and shirts and socks and shoes and an assortment of other things (little stockings for girls).  It cracks me up because I remember when I thought that kind of thing was going to work, but ended up realizing very quickly that a onesie or sleeper is SO much easier.  Babies don't need shoes, and who really wants to clean poop off of a little pair of stockings, or attempt to keep a pair of socks on a baby's feet.  So, sleepers and onesies it is.  I know, how boring!  

Well, I best go grab a shower while I have the chance!  More to come later!