Congratulations Auntie Carrie on your PhD! We are so proud of you!

It's been a stressful few days. The weekend was pretty sad as we mourned Mara's passing. The house seems so quiet now, even with two small children making near constant noise. And yesterday was my first day back at work. I'm wondering if I'm suppressing all my stress because I find myself crying in short little bursts about it all. I'll cry for a few seconds here or there before pulling myself back together. I wonder if one good long cry about it all would make me feel better. Either way, going back to work hasn't been nearly as hard this time around as it was with Annika. I think working from home on Wednesdays is also helping to save my sanity. I know that I only have to be away for two days before I get another whole day with my babies. I just miss them so much during the day and am constantly wondering what they're doing, how Kris is handling them, if James is eating, etc. Both yesterday and today James only ate about 3 ounces total while I was away. Who knows how much he gets from me when nursing but 3 ounces sure doesn't seem enough. Yesterday he was crabby for Kris too but today Kris said he was much better. Unfortunately today most of James' naps were interrupted for one reason or another. So tonight he fell asleep at 6:15pm in his swing and here it is 3 hours later and he's still out. Poor guy. I know the three of them will get into a routine and James will get more regular and longer naps. Right now we're all adjusting to the new normal.

Friday after Kris buried Mara we all met down at the Horse Expo. Papa was being honored again as Minnesota Horseperson of the Year (so proud we are!) and we all got to ride on the Priefert 8-Horse Hitch. It was so fun! James' eyes flew open when we took off. And Annika held on to the side of the wagon like a big girl. Daddy held on to her and she wasn't scared at all. Then we went shopping and Annika scored her first pair of cowboy boots. After that she had her first pony ride. What an exciting day for Annika!

Saturday was a busy, busy day for me. I cleaned the house, went shopping, made food, wrapped presents and then co-hosted at my house a bridal shower for Amanda. My feet were so sore by the time the party started! I think everyone had a good time. And after the shower, a bunch of us went out dancing with Amanda for her bachelorette party. It was fun but I haven't been out that late in quite a while!

Sunday we stayed close to home. That was exactly what I wanted for my last day before work. I wanted lots of uninterrupted time with my kids. And that's just what I got since Kris slept for like four hours that afternoon! Annika slept that whole time too so I got lots and lots of time with James and then after Annika woke up I made sure I had some good time with her too. She's been really into coloring lately so we did some of that.

I know there's more I want to write but I'm sleepy and can't think of it all. I need to start writing things down again, especially now that I'm getting even less sleep. Getting up to an alarm again (at least a non-crying, non-hungry alarm!) is hard!