still here...

...but taking a bit of a break. between school starting back up, a massive landscaping project, gus' recovery, paco's recovery, rich working too much, me trying to figure out what the hell my name actually is (more on that later), and now sophie possibly battling hand, foot and mouth disease (we're off to the pediatrician tomorrow), things are more than hectic. much news to tell once i can stop for two seconds in a row and tell it. in the meantime, here is a picture of sophie on her first day of school...what a lovely, happy, chipper, enthusiastic kindergartener!