That's me. I don't know what happened to me, I tell ya'. I just can't seem to get back on track since all of our travels. We spent Monday and most of Tuesday roaming the areas surrounding Albuquerque in search of the perfect house. At least the one God has picked out for us. That will make it perfect. ;-) We found one that we're really praying about making an offer on, but we really need to get our current home on the market first. Especially since we intend to make an offer way below the asking price of the other one! It seems like two strikes against you to make an offer way, way below the asking price and then follow that up with, "Oh, and we can't buy this anyway until we sell our own and we don't even have it on the market yet, but I'm sure..." Ha! Anyway, I could talk HOUSES for page after page, but I'm so tired of talking houses. It's such a huge decision when you're planning on selling your house and purchasing another. There are so many things to be considered and it just sort of consumes all of your thoughts. In fact, the other night James sat up in the bed and started talking about the lot the house sits on and the zoning and, and, and... It didn't make any sense at all and I finally stopped him and said, "JAMES. I am interested in what you have to say. But do we have to discuss it at 4:30 in the morning?!" "Oh, sorry--I thought you were awake," he says. Trouble was, he wasn't! Ggrrrr.

Anyway, no more house talk. There will be way more of that in the future, I'm sure.

We got home sometime after midnight Tuesday night. Yesterday was spent unpacking... again. And getting the house all cleaned up. This morning Stacey brought Hershey Dog back to us. It's good to have him home. It's so weird to be here when he's not! I wonder if that's how he feels when we leave him home alone?!

James left this morning for Colorado. Our church in Craig has paid off their building and they are having a mortgage burning ceremony this weekend. I feel really, really bad about not going--we've tried to make it to Craig two or three times and have always gotten snowed out! I would have enjoyed being there and part of me feels guilty for staying home... but not guilty enough to make me go! We just got back from a 3 week trip, were home a few days, took off to Albuquerque, just got home from that, then there's the service in Craig, then right after that is our Minister's Retreat. Our family is on the go all the time and the kids are good travelers, but it's still really hard on them to have everything so "unsettled" all the time. It helps so much to have something NORMAL for them in between trips. We just need a little bit of time to get into the groove and be at our very own home and do some school and just add a bit or normalicy to their lives, you know?! Not to mention mine! With all of the trips AND an upcoming move, I just had to grab some home time while I could.

The kids have been cracking me up, but as usual I can't remember anything because I haven't been taking notes. We've been having some real attitude issues to them, too--which has not been cracking me up. In fact, I've been in tears a few times! That's another thing--they are always sooooooo out of whack when we do a bunch of traveling! I've had some real issues with Katie, but she seems to have leveled out the last day or two and has been being such a good girl. Sweet and cheerful and helpful. That's my Katie girl! Sam, too, seems to be doing pretty good right now and has been much more compliant and agreeable than he had been, so that's good. Joe, on the other hand, has been pushing every limit he can find and then some. I don't know what's gotten in to that kid, but he's been soooooooooo bad. Just a bad attitude, mean and stubborn--and talking back and arguing about everything, big and little. We've tried all of the usual forms of training we usually employ, but we were getting absolutely nowhere with him. We thought maybe he just needed some special JOE TIME--like he's just gotten lost in the crowd and in all of the busyness and such and maybe he just needs some good ole' one on one. So James took him to Odessa yesterday to run errands with him. They did the necessary things, then James took him to the store and bought him a hard case for his guitar and a strap for it. He took him to Denny's for lunch (Joe loves Denny's) and ordered him a hot chocolate to drink. A great day! Got home and Joe lapsed right back into the same attitude problems. He had had a big fun day with his dad and got lots of great stuff with his guitar... and then was upset because Katie and Sam each got a new guitar pick, too, instead of Joe getting all three. Can you imagine?! James calmly told him to put his guitar away and informed him that he was done with his guitar and stuff for the rest of the day. He was also done with his weapons and cowboy stuff. And no comic books the rest of the day and nothing to draw on. No toys at all. He was being selfish and completely ungrateful for everything, so therefore he would have nothing. I was thinking it was all pretty extreme (what's the kid going to DO for the next five hours until bedtime?!), but as it turns out it seemed to do the trick. He couldn't touch any of the toys, even in the bathtub, so he just watched Sam play. And he got innovative and found himself playing with a pillow or some such thing. And... for the first time in a long, long time, he was happy and content and agreeable... My old pleasant, easy-going Joe! ~sigh~ What a relief. I've been praying and praying and praying since we've been home from the Assembly trip--it seems like all of the kids had just fallen apart and were having such huge attitude problems! I was at the end of my rope and just desperate for things to get better. So I've been praying and praying and praying for God to give us wisdom in how to deal with them and mostly that He would do in their hearts what I can't do--no matter how hard I try! We've still got plenty of work to do, but God has been so good to give us help these past few days and I'm just soooooo thankful. I've got such great kids, but it's going to require constant effort and attention to see that they grow in the right direction. I'm grateful for the hope God has given me this past week. I know He'll keep helping us if we keep trying our best and crying out to Him for guidance.

Ramble, ramble, ramble. Nothing much fun to share tonight, so I'll slap a few pictures up here. I'm wa-a-a-a-a-ay behind on pictures! Here are some from the Pennsylvania leg of the trip...

Katie & Joe shooting the .22 with their Dad

With the Grandparents just before we said goodbye--you can tell by Grandma's eyes! ~sigh~ It's always so hard to leave there!!!