A Very Blurry Christmas...

My camera is on the fritz. Whenever I go to take a picture this annoying icon comes on like there's too much shaking going on. Even when I set it on something stable ... shaky picture. It's just plain weird. Well, I've decided to run with it. We are now an action shot family. We are so active that you can barely see our faces. (PollyAnna moment, right?)

So, here you go, my sister Amy and her family called the eve of Christmas Eve and said they were in Utah. WHAT? They live in Texas! Needless to say we had a good time with them. Alyssa is also here with us and I must say, she is one of the most pleasant teenagers I've been around. Don't get me wrong, she gets cranky sometimes, but for the most part, she's helpful and fun to be around.

Well, take your Dramamine because here comes the ACTION!

Friends-Past and Present

It's been awhile since I've written anything of substance, so here goes.

Who are your friends? How many friends do you have? What types of friends are they?

I ask because I was talking with my mom about not feeling like I had any close friends that live by me anymore. I mean, I have acquaintances up here in my new city that I like, but none that I've gotten BFF close with. When I used to live in North Salt Lake I had girlfriends. When I lived in Moscow I had some BFF's. But I can't seem to make friends up here. It's weird, right?

My mom expressed some of the same concerns with making friends. She hasn't moved from her house since 1987, and that's a lot of time to make friends, but she was always more concerned with our family (I came from a family with 10 kids). I suggested that she start a club. The "My last kid is going to kill me club". She thought I should start doing a book club like I always want to.

I want your opinions. How do you make close friends? I can take constructive criticism on ways that I have scared you off if you've wanted to be my friend. Really. I need the help! This is a desperate cry for opinions and ideas, not ego boosts! Really.

Two Months old

The Day of His Blessed Blessing

As I sit here thinking about what to type to explain the day that Ellis was blessed, I am stumped. I mean there are things that happened, there were family and friends involved, but more than that, all I can think of is how I felt. I felt grateful. I felt a gladness and pure joy in my heart. Grateful that I am lucky enough to call this little guy one of my own. Glad that he is part of our family. And just knowing that this is the way it is supposed to be. It just feels right. This spiritual high lasted a good week almost.
Sure there are things about this newborn stage that I hate; lack of sleep, the baby barf, changing diapers in the middle of the night when I'm about to fall over, and general fussiness. But it doesn't change the fact that I love the snot out of this little boy.

Sometimes...

Sometimes when the kids are at school or they are home from school and playing together somewhere else in the house, I can sneak off and have a nap with Ellis. This is the best part of my day. Not only do I get to recharge my batteries, but I get to just look at the miracle that this baby is. He is his own person, and by that I mean, stubborn and fussy for most of the day. But when he sleeps he is an angel. I don't have to walk around trying to calm him, I can just lay there peacefully. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to be a mother and to have children. I think some of us who are mothers forget that there and lots of women out there who can't have children, myself included. Anyway, that's my two cents for the day, take time today to love your children and if you don't have any, love your parents, because they love you.

The Littlest Dude

It's crazy to me that Ellis is already 3 weeks old! But he is and we are adjusting to life with him. The other day I could hear the kids debating something downstairs and so being the nosy mother I am I listened in. It went something like this...

Evie, "Well, I think Ellis is cuter."

Ethan, "Well, Shelly is cute too and she doesn't cry all the time."

Evie, "Yeah you're right, but baby Ellis is cuter."

So, there you have it, Ethan likes the dog better than his brother. :) Just kidding. Evie really adores him right now, but I think Ethan will show more interest when he can do more than the normal newborn stuff. Like play with Legos...or smile.

I Can't Stop...

taking pictures of this kid! It seems like I can't get the angle right to capture his true essence or something...But here are some of the ones that are pretty cute anyway. This first one I threw in because it looks like he has a magical mist surrounding him. I have no clue how that happened, it's not because I tried to do it on purpose, that's for sure!