Sorry for the long absence...

Alas, computer time is hard to come by these days. Our clothes dryer broke, which was no surprise, since we bought our first one when Zooey was a week old and got our second when Edyn was around 2 weeks old. So this dryer conking out when Laurel was 3 weeks old should have been expected, right? The replacement dryer (a refurbished Maytag) arrived yesterday, and I am thrilled to not have socks and underwear drying in front of all the heat vents in the house for a change... Too bad we had to pay for the thing out of our savings meant to cover doctor bills. But my husband has a potential recording gig coming up in the next month that should save our budget -- a Christian worship team wants to do a short-run CD and my husband is just the guy to handle engineering & production for them.

We also now own a minivan. We had expert advice that said we could fit three carseats across in the backseat of the Toyota, but we couldn't make it work (and I've had 4 hours of training in carseat installation). So, the old vehicle went bye-bye and my husband came home with a 2000 Toyota Sienna. Car payments aren't bad -- actually, they are a bit cheaper than what we had before. But the guy at our Toyota dealership whom we buy from is a real character. He's always fumbling around for prices, quotes, financing rates, business cards, you name it. Most people would find him irritating, but we've found that working with him goes to our favor. We got the last vehicle for $4,000 less than anybody else said we could, and then he gave us a nice trade-in value and a decent price on the Sienna, so we're pretty happy.

Except for the fact that we now own a minivan. But man, with three kids all still riding around in carseats, you just HAVE to have a third-row seat.

Other updates...my brother-in-law celebrated his 31st birthday on the 24th. I always find it significant that he was born just two days after the Roe v. Wade decision, particularly because he was adopted by my in-laws. I wonder how many kids conceived just a few months after he was didn't make it?

His birthday was shadowed by still being unemployed and continuing difficulties with Heidi. She's taken a shine to motherhood again, which is a two-edged sword at this point. For one thing, she's enrolled their daughter in daycare here in town, which means my brother-in-law -- though he's home most of the time because he's still unemployed -- has much less time with Madeline. Certainly, Heidi is attempting to reduce his influence on their daughter. But the price -- not only is Maddie in daycare, Todd is alone and depressed. As my husband says, it's his fight and he's not fighting. Something about the continuing unemployment, I suppose, rocks his confidence and makes him feel like he can't stand up and say no dice, since Heidi does have a job. On the other hand, Heidi's renewed interest in being a mother again might be the source of her salvation from the shady lifestyle she's been living. Having Maddie around more often and having more responsibility might just make Heidi see the error of her ways and shape up. But in the meantime, I must pray for Madeline's protection, because who knows what the child is going through at daycare and at her mother's apartment.

My brother-in-law intends to put the house and acreage up for sale in March. I told him I was sorry to hear it, knowing how much he loved the place and how much work he has put in the renovation. But he told me he was sick of it. "The house was meant to be for the family," he said. "But that doesn't really mean anything any more."

I really ache for him. He had two job interviews last week...hopefully at least one of them will lead to a second interview and gainful employment soon.

As for us, we're fine. Well, Edyn has a cold, but other than that, we're all okay. Laurel passed her weight check on Thursday so no more weekly visits. And I'm finally getting my strength back.

I head kiddos crying upstairs so I'd better go rescue my husband...

--Sparki