Wrapping up 2008

Hello there...

Kay so, its been like 100 years since my last post, so I thought I would finally say a thing or two about the recent holidays. They were delicious. They really were.

My sister Kristen came from Texas with her hub and little ones to stay at my parents house basically down the street and up the other street from us. We pretty much spent every moment together eating food, talking, and letting the tots play. Kristen is 2 1/2 years older than me, she is super pretty and tall and slender and really, really nice. She is married to Kevin who is a Pediatrician (in his last year of residency) and they have three little kids whom my kids love. Alot. Cousins have a really good time together at family gatherings. It's the way it goes. I had a really good time with my cousins who were my age. Until we all grew up and entered the wonderful world of Junior High where my girl cousin was head cheerleader, had the perfect big-roll bangs, and wore pink lip gloss and my boy cousins were super-cool football player/surfer/skater punk guys. And I was home-schooled and still had glasses. Awesome. Not that I'm complaining. Home-school was wonderful: being taught at home by my patient and kind mom, sleeping in, doing lessons on the backyard grass in the sunshine, and taking off all week so that she could teach me to make Thanksgiving dinner (I remember that the best!). Loved it.

Anyhow.

The week before Christmas was spent going crazy cleaning the house, baking, shopping, presents, getting Christmas cards done, and getting pictures taken for said Christmas cards. We went to all-you-can-eat tacos at Burrito Loco on Monday night and all-you-can-eat pizza, salad, and bread sticks at Klondike's on Tuesday night leading up to Christmas which was fantastic for the padding on my hips. But it was pretty dang good.

Adam, who is multi-talented, took pictures of Kristen's family for them in my parents backyard. I really wanted a ton of us too, you know all artsy and cute with Adam kissing Annabelle's cheeks in the sunlight; Jamie and I looking in the same direction thoughtfully as we cross a bridge holding hands. But, that would require me getting my act together and there in lies the problem. What is with holidays and me running around at the last minute trying to put it all together? Does this happen for everyone, or am I a shame to Mormon women? Something with trying to get the house all cleaned up and presentable, and making everything perfect and nostalgic and wonderful for my kids that is just so overwhelming. And then you read everyone's blogs about how they did the craftiest cutest thing EVER and their kids are the better for it and they single-handily made Christmas brighter this year for the world....and you're like ohhhh. I'm a dorkface because I'm not as super cool as that person.

Anyone? Anyone else in the same boat with me?

The good thing is that I always LOVE the holiday while it is happening though. Leading up to it, I'm a mess. But the holiday itself is beautiful. And there is no amount of stress or craziness that will ruin it for me.

So for the family pictures this year, I stressed out about outfits and had a freak-out trying to figure them out. I can do a really good freak-out too. Poor Adam was thinking: why did I take the week off? I was so overwhelmed about it all that I just gave up and went over to help Adam take pictures on his wonderful Canon of my sister's family, and in so doing, felt happy and calm and renewed. It had to do with tromping about in the fresh air for an hour amongst fallen leaves, warm sunshine, crisp winter air, my smiling family, and my two little ones trying to sneak in to their family photos. So renewed, in fact, that I ran home, grabbed clothes, tossed the camera to Kristen, and had her snap a few of us. It's nothing perfect. But they are us. A document of what we were this year. A daddy about to say good-bye to his 20's, a mommy right in the middle of them trying her best to keep control of her always-moving tots while still looking calm, a little boy about to be four who is very full of vim and vigor, and a soon-to-turn two year old little girl who is just as sweet and adorable as the best of them. This is us this year.

Hate my profile. Love Adam.

Trying to figure out the light. I am being used as the model because the children don't stand still.

Good, minus the chair. And Jamie's scowl. I shall crop that out.
The chair, not Jamie's face.

So, there you are. And who knows? Maybe my sister discovered a love for the camera. She did a pretty good job, I'd say.

That is all for now. It's 11:50 and I must go to bed.

Much more to follow. Hold tight.