I swear I'm still around

Why is it I feel guilty for not posting lately or, even worse, not reading everyone else's posts?  It isn't like I've got an obligation to do either, right?  Still, I'm cringing over my lack of presence lately.  All I can say is that I've been rather busy.  With it being summer I'm spending most of my daylight hours outside, even though it's hot as blazes this week.  Plus, the band has been busier.  All in all, Wednesday was the only night we didn't have something going on.  Add in a sick kids, potty training, and attempts at exercise, my plate has been full.  I've missed ya'll.

This whole guilt thing (aside from being ridiculous) got me thinking about why I started blogging.  Blogging is one of those activities that occurred because a couple of different things happened at the same time and seemed to randomly intersect.  I was going to a counselor at the time who instructed me to reconnect with former passions that were non husband and non kid related.  She suggested I set up a creative space in which I could write.  So I did, and it just sat there collecting dust.  I would sit down and not have a clue what to write.  It was an exercise in frustration.  About that time my cousin came to visit.  She's an incredibly intelligent, delightfully quirky individual who was, at the time, working on an advertising degree.  As she was showing me some of her work she asked if I ever wrote anymore.  I went into the whole 'funny you should mention that' spiel.  That's when she introduced me to blogging, going so far as to create my blog for me.  She even came up with the name (she asked what I had to say about motherhood, and I answered that I'd never imagined that I'd spend so much time picking somebody else's nose).

Blogging has been a wonderfully expressive and entertaining thing for me, but it wasn't until I started playing softball that I realized just why I so love the blog world.  It is the sense of community, the feel of being a part of something again that keeps pulling me back.  Until playing softball, until being a part of a team again, I was unable to put words to why the blogosphere provides such joy.  When I realized that part of the draw of softball was the sense of unity, of shared purpose, I got it.  I think that may be part of why I feel guilty.  Blogging is something I do for me.  It's one of the things that incites my mind and feeds my intellect.  If I am neglecting it, I am neglecting an important part of my mental health.  Or perhaps I'm trying to rationalize what I see as a bit of ridiculousness.

I have an exciting weekend planned.  I have a softball game this evening, unless it gets rained out.  The band plays tomorrow night so I've arranged for a baby sitter.  I intend to go out with several of my friends, nibble on some cheap bar food, drink a little water, and watch the crowd (always entertaining).  Sunday, if the weather cooperates, is going to see us hosting a cookout on our new deck.  I hope you all have an equally wonderful weekend!

I took this last weekend.  He looks so serious...

Here's my little imp.  She's her daddy's angel.

Here's Connor with a friend of mine.  It was his first pool experience.  He seemed less than impressed.  I thought this was a fairly decent shot of how round and rolly he's getting.  I smooch on his cheeks all the time-they are perfect!