Here's what's happening in our neck of the woods.

Said in my best Al Roker voice of course.

So sorry to my faithful followers who are wondering if I might have fallen off the face of the earth. I'm still here. Just hanging on as tight as I can.

We've been busy to say the least. I guess the best thing to do is share updates on everyone. So here goes!

Teagan: She's doing much better after her major injury. She won't let anyone go near her knee though. Taking the stitches out was a nightmare. It didn't hurt but you would have thought that they were putting more in. Then a couple days ago she said it was hurting and it looked like there might be an infection under the skin. The disolvable layer of stitches are still in. I know this because some of them are still sticking out. When she woke up yesterday morning whatever I had seen under the skin the day before had "popped" and there was a hole. She gets really super freaked out if anything changes because she thinks we'll have to go back to the doctor and they'll mess with it. I did take her in yesterday and she flipped when they tried to pull out the disolvable stitches so they are still there. The doctor didn't think it was infected but guessed that one of the stitches was the cause of the new hole so we got some prescription ointment to put on it just in case. Other than that she's doing great. Reading more and more each day which is always so much fun to watch. She's still doing gymnastics too and even pronounces it correctly most of the time now. I much prefer when she was excited to go to "june-nastics".

Sadie: She got braces yesterday. Just one the front 4 teeth. It's phase 1. First we had the palate expander and now the 4 braces with the wire connecting back to the bands that are attached to the expander. Did I mention this is just phase 1? I'd love to say that she'll just need this but I'm guessing phase 2 will be a must. Good times right? Yep. She's still dancing away and recently took a hip hop masters class. The girl can seriously wiggle. At least one of my kiddos got my hip shakin' ability, right?

Eli: He's got braces now. Did you know that? It's been a while but I can't remember how long it's been since I've updated. He's still got the same girlfriend too. A year and a half. And he's 12. Man. Talk about long term. He's still going strong with his piano and trumpet. Not making his piano teacher too happy because instead of practicing the music she gives him he finds a song that he'd rather learn and dives in deep. I love to hear him play.

Madi: She got her braces off. Her hair has grown and is long and beautiful. She told us the other day that when they filled out the Pioneer Picks for the yearbook last week that everyone was telling her they voted her "best hair". Who would have thought that the little girl who didn't have more than a wisp of hair until she was 18 months old would now have such wonderful thick blonde hair. She's had a couple boyfriends but nothing that ever really seemed to be more than a special friend to her. Until now. She now has a 9th grade boyfriend and she is smitten! I'm pleased to say that I approve. He seems like a really nice kid and is cute too!

Brad and myself: Well, we're just busy running the Stewart household and keeping up with all the activities and everyday happenings! Brad just sold a house and has another couple interested in having him build a custom home for them after the new year. I'm so proud of him. He really is a cool guy. We will celebrate 15 years together in marraige in January. Wow, time really DOES fly! We traveled to San Francisco in the beginning of this month to run in the USA Half marathon. It was a really fun trip with friends and we stayed with SueAnn which was an extra bonus.

And then there is my new business venture which is what has truly been keeping me the busiest. I finally took the plunge and started a photography business. You can find me at www.madiganephotography.com I've been busy for the last several weekends with sessions and then spend a lot of time in the evening editing my photos. It's really taken off and I'm looking forward to what it may (or may not) bring. I don't know that I could ever leave the comfort of the full-time guaranteed job I currently have but I have to admit that I do dream of one day doing photography full time.

So there ya go. That's what's been going on. I promise to at least try to post more. I miss blogging about my daily life. It really is neat to have a record of what goes on around here. Maybe that can be one of my new year resolutions. I'll tag it right along with "eat better" and "exercise".

Oh, and just because I have to add a photo to my posts or they don't feel complete, here's one of Madi schlepping some of my photography stuff for me after a recent shoot.