For any readers that may be joining us for the first time, allow me to introduce myself and the family you will undoubtedly read about ad nauseum. My name is Stephanie, and I am the mother of two girls.

Izzy is 6 and in first grade.

Missing her two front teeth- classic.

She is extremely sensitive, empathetic, and loving. She is also rather dramatic, theatrical, and loves to sing, read, and write stories. A girl after my own heart. In fact, she is pretty much mini-me, which is a beautiful thing and the source of much angst and frustration.

Sophie is 15 months old.

One of my favorites of the two of us

When she was an infant, she was kind of an awesome sleeper. I was embarrassed because she was so easy, took great naps, and slept for long stretches at night. That abruptly ended many months ago, and now the good husband and I are your typical disorganized, lethargic, sleep-deprived zombies. Sophie is so busy and fun, and is starting to add new words to her vocabulary every day. It’s a good thing she is so cute, because 15 month olds, especially ones who don’t sleep through the night regularly, are hard work.

This is my husband Shawn.

A right old teddy bear

From time to time you may hear an occasional snarky comment directed towards him, but for the most part, he is the best husband a girl could ask for. He is much more patient than I am, swears less, but still manages to be fun. Did I mention he is the most devoted, energetic, and helpful dad ever?

Then there’s me. If you really want to hear about me, check out the About Stephanie page at the top. All you really need to know is, as a blogger I am often sarcastic, make a gallant but often futile effort to limit my profanity, and while I am sometimes tender when discussing my children, I will never sugar-coat my motherhood experience.

You’ll learn to love them.

Effective Monday, I will be resuming my regularly scheduled programming, featuring the above cast of lovable and vexing characters. I hope you’ll join me!