Alright, I'm back

Yes, I know it's been forever. I've heard it from several of you. This is my way of getting started blogging again: by just writing about nothing in particular.
So, let's see. Last time I blogged, J.T. was still gone. We were still basking in the sun spending lazy summer days at the pool. I really miss that. The part about being lazy, not having my husband gone.
Here's the run down of what we've been up to:

Lesley had a fun and not-as-successful-as-I-would-have-hoped run in the tutu business. It was fun, though, and I'll still dabble in it here and there. I still love my photography and I'm trying to focus my "extra" (ha,ha) time on it again.
J.T. made it home from San Antonio and re-adjusted nicely to family life after 2 months of rotating med student single life. In October he did a rotation at a dermatology office that he LOVED, and it turned out to be a major blessing as well. One of the doctors discovered some melanoma on his right ear lobe. Luckily, it hadn't spread too far. He had it removed (as well as a chunk of lobe) and then a plastic surgeon grafted a slice of the healthy ear lobe onto the not so healthy side. He is recovering nicely.
Kassy started 4th grade and is doing wonderful. She played soccer this fall and is currently working on re-gaining her 6 pack that has shifted to a 4 pack since she stopped doing gymnastics.
Bella is in 1st grade and also played soccer this fall. J.T. was her coach, which she was pretty excited about. She's taken off in reading and is working hard to get through as many "Junie B. Jones" books as she can.
Trista played soccer as well and was pretty cute out there. She caught on nicely after she got over the "Ooh look at the butterfly" phase. She has mastered her alphabet sounds this fall and is beginning to read simple words. She loves to draw (as evident on my walls, furniture, doors, and other children.) We have to pry the crayons out of her hands most nights at bedtime.
Ava, oh my Ava. Ava turned 3 last week. She is my fashion queen, modeling no less than 4 outfits a day. But only dresses, mind you. Pants aren't "pretty." We do occasionally manage to get pants on her on the really cold days, but most days it's not worth the fight. Ava still loves her books and being the boss of everyone else. It would be harder to deal with if she wasn't so dang cute.
Aria is a very healthy baby. In case you didn't catch what I meant by "healthy", she weighed 21 lbs 8 oz a month ago at her 9 month appointment. She's so happy and crawls and climbs everything. She's either very smiley or showcases a serious scowl with a knit brow while she is figuring someone out.

So, there's what would have been a brief re-cap if I didn't have such a large family. New pictures are downloading as we speak, so my first "real post" should follow shortly. I may even feel creative and insert a few pics into this post later.