2008

I've been trying to find photos to sum up the year. But it really can't be done. The year held too much. We've felt hopeful and broken, there's been extreme hardship and extreme joy. These pictures don't show all that, they just remind me of the good: that I love Andrew more now than I did a year ago, and that these kids, with all the work they bring, are a source of incredible joy, and joy is always welcome. Here's how we started, and then finished, the year! I have managed to actually have at least one shot of me with each kid this year! These 2 have become great friends this year... ...then this little one joined them... ...and they decided it was okay for him to be around. Hey Nick, can you do this? good friends... The three kids tonight, on New Year's Eve I love this man.

Tagged

Apparently when you have been tagged in the blogging world, you must comply. So my cousin Shelby tagged me. Here goes:
I Am: looking out over the ocean from the 28th floor.
I Want: to sit here all day long.
I Have: peeling shoulders from a sunburn, dumb.
I Miss: my father-in-law.
I Fear: more loss.
I Hear: the ocean.
I Search: my photos for good summary pictures of 2008.
I Wonder: what we will have for dinner.
I Regret: not reminding Laura to go to the bathroom earlier... !!
I Love: cups of tea in bed.
I Forgive: Laura for weeing on the carpet.
I Ache: for the day when i can start and finish a book in one day.
I Always: let my tea go cold.
I Try: to remember to put my keys in the same spot when I come in the door.
I Am Not: routine oriented.
I Seem: to always be taking care of kids.
I Know: that's my job.
I Feel: thankful to Andrew for providing for us.
I Dance: whenever no adults are watching!
I Dream: of playing the guitar and singing with the kids.
I Give: because I have received (i know, i changed it, maybe that's not allowed, but oh well).
I Listen: to music really loud when no one's in the house.
I Sing: to help me relax.
I Laugh: too loud!
I Can't: imagine life without the kids.
I Write: to process my thoughts.
I Cry: because I feel deeply.
I Sleep: whenever I can.
I Am not always: presentable.
I See: the ocean and it seems so peaceful.
I Need: more time.
I Should: finish this and read my book before kids get up and my tea goes cold!
 * Jill, you're tagged!

Christmas

Christmas Day family shot. A fun family day without any real agenda - we had a great day, but really felt the absence of the one person missing now. We miss you so much Rudie.

Hemispheres

Just to show you the difference in Christmases between the hemispheres... --- Mom and Dad's house in Oregon: Our Christmas time here on the Gold Coast in Australia: MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

2 months old

Nicholas is over 2 months old now - time flies as we all know... He's starting to really recognise and smile at Daniel and Laura, and they love him to bits. Even 2-year olds melt when a baby smiles at them.

December's winning quote

Looks like it's been a pretty bad month for blog posts... don't think the next 2 weeks will be any better either. Oh well, there's always January. In the meantime, here's the line-of-the-month from Laura, said to an adult: "I'm going to tell my mom that you are annoying me." and then the next day, to the same adult: "Why are you always telling me what to do?" Now, don't for a second think that this adult was doing anything even slightly out of line. No, we just obviously are doing a marvelous job teaching our kids about respect for adults. Mmmm. Now I know I post an awful lot about Laura and her defiant/confident/stubborn comments, which does make it look like she's difficult all the time, but believe me she is not. She is loads of fun, but does take a bit more work to win over than does her older brother. Mind you, the stubbornness in her is paying off very well right now as she is virtually toilet-trained in 2 days, telling us now when we ask her if she has to use the potty, "I will tell you when I have to do it." Still a couple accidents, but fingers crossed it is going well.

Welcome Felicity

How good does she look?!! My friend Lisa just had baby girl #3, Felicity. I am feeling very sentimental about a few friends now that have 3 girls in a row - it reminds me of my family and how special it was to have sisters. Under-appreciated through some of those teen years maybe, but so great to share a sister bond, especially now.

Thrilled

My sister-in-law is getting married! Don't they look suited to each other?! He's awesome, she's lovely... Stu is a great match for her and we're all thrilled. Sharon is, of course, taking it in her stride, but we're all jumping up and down and happy for her.

A good performance

At the risk of being redundant with posting about smiles... it is always great when a video actually manages to capture the moment. Thought this was a great performance for 7 weeks!

More smiles

(don't worry, we don't put him in the laundry basket normally, even if he IS the 3rd child)