Thought You Should Know...

Family Pics (For the First Time In...Um...A Lot of Years)

Did you get a Christmas card from us? I hope the answer is yes. If not, don't worry, it just means that I haven't remembered to ask you for your address yet. And as long as you don't mind getting something that says "Merry Christmas" in January, (or...er...February) then we are in excellent shape. And it's not because I don't love you. I promise. It's because I was planning on finishing my last class on December 9th, which was sadly extended to February some time. (As if the month of December isn't crazy enough already. I mean, have mercy already!)

Determined as I was to do homemade cards with a hand-written message this year, like I usually try (really really!) hard to do, I figured a photo card was better than nothing. (And nothing is precisely what it would have been without dear old Walgreens.) Pretty much, I figured it was better to be realistic and actually send something out, than to be optimistic and not.

Which brings me to the meat of it:

We got family pictures done! For the first time since Alexa was born! Good intentions, friends, good intentions. My road to you-know-where should be good and paved by now.

Thanks to a sweet lady in our ward who offered to do our pictures for free, (and at the last minute!) I can finally say that we have an updated family pic. I was fine with doing just the girls, but my friend convinced me to do all of us, for which I am grateful. Because, even though I'd rather see the kiddos than myself, these are, as my friend Holly says, "going to be the good pictures some day."

Here are some of my faves:

(see the flash of pink behind the tree? 

That would be Alexa. Running like a maniac.)

Little Van ended up doing something weird in all of these 

walking shots, but this as probably the best one.

 I especially like the way Alexa is marching.

I love these ones, too, only because this is more like what we actually look like:

Alexa's look says "get me outta here!" while my 

mischievous Savanna says, "you are trapped forever, 

because that's what we do to little sisters around here!"

Total lack of cooperation. 

(Just like in half of our family moments.)

Julia trying to be the boss.

Savanna hanging on for dear life. 

(Like in the other half.)

I have so much more to tell...don't give up on me yet! I promise I haven't abandoned blogging for FB. I'd rather eat a pencil.

Stay tuned for more exciting adventures.

Mourning with Those who Mourn and Keeping Things in Perspective

Last week's tragic, tragic shooting in Connecticut has had me, one: bawling my eyes out, and two: thinking about a lot of things. This sounds terrible, but all other horrific events of this nature I have been able to briefly consider and then quickly put on the shelf in my mind labeled "not to be thought about."

This one, though, I simply cannot seem to set aside in my mind.

This one is different. So different. The sheer magnitude of the damage is on the incomprehensibly large side, but that's not even what it is.

It's the children.

As if victims in these types of situations aren't helpless and innocent enough, the majority of these victims were the most helpless, and the most innocent that they could be. They were mere babies in the scheme of things. And, having babies of my own, this tragedy has hit home in a way that no other has before. My heart aches with the thought of the  inescapable void that the stolen lives of these children has left in the lives of their families. It rejoices with the thought of those adults who did everything in their power and laid down their lives to protect them. And my heart greedily, selfishly tries to lock my own children in and keep them safe in a world where we have less and less control over what happens to them.

So, just as I am sure you are, as Christmas approaches and I think of the tiny inconveniences of my own life compared with the abject grief in the lives of others, I am:

hugging my children a little tighter
listening to them a little better
kissing them a little (okay, a lot) more
appreciating their sheer vivacity and presence in a way that I never have before.

And I am remembering, and crying with, and praying for those who cannot.

On Baking and Feeling Stressed

Ugh. I feel like I'm one of those people who doesn't blog anymore! (Yeah, you know who you are.) I had all of these wonderful plans to use my evenings to get caught up on the blog after my class ended on December 9th. Then, with less than 24 hours of freedom under my belt, I found out that I had to get to the end of my "Academic Year" (a.k.a. take another class) before I could actually get a break from the prison that I call school. ( I was pretty down about it for a few days but don't worry--I am dealing.) So much for the "extra time" that I was counting on for holiday baking, card making, and blog updating. Cards are out the window and my usual marathon baking for this time of year has been reduced to a few of Craig's lucky co-workers. Good thing we're new to this area and I can start off with the bar reeeally low. Alas, my two-week break on the horizon has me hanging on and thinking of happier times.

But speaking of baking...

Two hours for tonight's mini-marathon of fudge,

peanut butter bars, and Muddy Buddies.

The diabetic coma should come around in half that time.

I'm not sure how long it took to clean up.

My aching back and feet are 

telling me that I'm still doing it...

Not to advertise or anything, but is not this 

mountain of chocolatey, peanut buttery 

goodness one of the greatest things on earth? 

Chex "yes" or "no"

A Simple Equation

1 unlandscaped backyard + 1 incident of accidentally leaving the hose on + 1 curious two-year-old + 1 five-year-old ignoring the "don't go outside" warning = 1 sad, muddy Lexa and 2 messy, muddy shoes