I couldn't resist

I just had to show you guys the amazing work that our friend, Shannon, did with our family pics.

We were just hoping for one decent pic we could slap on our Christmas cards.

Instead....

She's left us in an incredible dilemma. What to do with all these great pics!

Tough problem to have, right?

You might even wonder why I posted so many.

You actually got lucky! There were 192 to pick from

I especially loved the ones of the kids by themselves. We were about to go to one of the shops at the mall and I'm SO glad Shannon stopped me.

It's going to be SO FUN to have these more "real" shots of the kids as they grow up.

I'm sad I forgot to tell her to crop ME outta this one because I want to use this one as Quinn's portrait.

The look on his face is PRICELESS.

She took several ones of us walking down the sidewalk in front of our house. I love all of them (except of the ones of us walking away... no 37 year old wants a pic of her rear) but they are the sweetest shots. And our neighborhood is so photogenic, even if you have to crop the SWAT team out of the pic.

So anyhow, a big shout out to Shannon. If you're in our area, I'd highly recommend you looking her up. And a shout out to YOU too for humoring me. If Simon Cowell were here he'd probably call me "self indulgent," which reminds me.. the countdown to American Idol is ON! What a glorious time of year. Even if it is a bit pitchy.

While visions of sugar plum (faries) danced in her head

I'm snuggled up in my home, as the winds blow 50 mph gusts past me. There are flurries in the air and I'm taking a much needed break after yesterday!

Oh my goodness, what a fun and exhausting day. And for the sake of keeping it interesting I thought I'd re-cap in rewind mode.

At the end of the rainiest Christmas on Campus, EVER, we ran into these girls. Our intention was to see them on stage, but due to some typos (or something) in the schedule, the hour got late and the rain got harder, so we were making our way back to the car. Just when these young ladies were about to take the stage. Olivia got to meet them (which was probably better than watching them dance.) She got all shy and stuff but talked about them the whole rest of the night. "Why did those ballerinas want to be so nice to me and take their picture with me?" So sweet.
Because we wanted to be on campus when things got started, we left our house at 5 and skipped dinner. Pretty much, Olivia's entire diet yesterday consisted of sugar. In various forms. Candy, cookies, hot chocolate and punch. Don't judge me. What can I say? I'm a firm believer in 'tis the season.

Our friend, Katie, who is a senior this year (and follower of this here blog... hi Katie!) joined us as we walked around campus. It was fun because along the way we picked up 4 other of our student friends and had quite a little entourage for some of the night.

This experience for Olivia is really unique and a highlight for me as a parent. I love exposing Olivia to so many quality role models and I think it also, in turn, blesses the college students as they are away from their families.

I just wish it hadn't been raining cats and dogs last night. I ended up needing to carry O back to the car because the puddles were like small ponds. (About a 10 minute walk. Ugh.) She insisted on wearing her sparkly red Christmas outfit shoes. Never let your 3 year old pick out their shoes when you know they should really wear boots and be done with it. Another practical lesson on "Whose the mama?"

We began our ride on the crazy train yesterday with the cookie exchange.

I made a bunch of appetizers, hosted about 15 girls and laughed a lot.

Each girl brought a batch of cookies, impressively, most handmade. We stood around the table and each person took a turn telling the story of how their particular cookies came to be. It was fun and interesting. I highly recommend adding this element to a cookie exchange if you are hosting one. Several girls stayed for an additional hour and just hung out.

Since having kids, I've struggled between campus ministry and being a mom. This year I've allowed God to stretch me as I've tried harder to integrate the two.

You know what, it has been super fun for our family and I think for the college students too.

The noise and chaos at our house tend to make me want to run for the hills but I forget that's mostly because I don't get a break. Most of the students are craving a little family kind of chaos and welcome the break from their dorms and drama.

Well then, by all means, come and join our drama. There's more than enough to go around!

fa la la la losing it

Holiday madness is in full swing around here. Friday night was a Christmas party with the women I work with, Sunday night we hosted a leaders' meeting with the students we work with at UD. Last night was our annual student party on campus (something that is a highlight for me every year.) There was an ugly Christmas sweater contest. Life did not afford me time to hit a thrift store, so I wore antlers instead.

But this is my friend, Anne, she won the contest with this dress she made herself. It was a doozey.
We always do a white elephant gift exchange at the party. With college students, you never know what you're gonna get. This year the hot ticket item was a hobby horse. This freshman guy became the *lucky* owner. Its always a good chance for Steve and I to unload some crap from our attic. This year was no exception! We really need to move so that we can get rid of some of the stupid stuff we've accumulated over our lives. Either that or have a Christmas party with college students every week!

This afternoon I'm having 20 student girls over for appetizers and a cookie exchange. It's going to be super fun but I need to clean, set up, prepare appetizers, pick Olivia up from school and get the boys lunch all before they get here at noon. Yet, here I sit blogging. Ahhhh... priorities.

Right after the party I have a chiropractor appointment and then I'm turning around and heading back to campus for a super fun event I'm taking Olivia to. They call it Christmas on Campus, and it's mostly for inner city school kids. The college student *adopt* a kid and buy them a gift and then take them around campus where there are tons of things to do. Crafts, snacks, games, performances etc. They school bus the kids and then bus the kids back to their schools where their parents pick them up. The event is also open to people who work there and their kids. But they don't get to be taken by the college students. So I'm taking Olivia and some of our student friends/babysitters are meeting us to walk with us.

Then the week goes on with more parties and Saturday, the Nutcracker. Its a busy week, but filled with super fun things.

By the way, the pictures on Friday went really well! Shannon did a great job. I'll probably post a few of the pics here in a few days. We are using a few of them for our Christmas cards and have a few to use for our kids' portraits. Yay!

Wish me luck

This afternoon, our friend Shannon is coming over to take some family pictures. And I've got my panties in a wad! The house is a mess, I've got a party tonight that I've got to bring a "dish to pass" to, what will I wear? - for the pictures not the party. What will the kids wear? My hair needs highlighted (or is it highlit?) Oh the pressure. I'm just not sure I can take it.

But you see, we are desperately behind on our Christmas card thing. Steve really wants to send out a picture card. I'm always a bit concerned. Are we really fridge worthy? I find it hard to throw away some one's Christmas card when it has their picture (or worse yet, just their kids' picture) on it. But lets face it, some people just aren't fridge worthy. Not YOU! No, you for sure are fridge worthy! I'm talking about other people.

Back to this afternoon though. We've had several attempts since Quinn's joined the family at getting a picture of all of us. Not a lotta luck so far. Forget the goal of everyone smiling. I'm over that one. I'm just hoping that everyone will be looking in the same direction. And that no one (and by no one I mostly mean Olivia) is screaming/crying/throwing a tantrum.

Here's hoping we get a decent photo, without a very large dust bunny rolling through the shot and that Sam's Club or Target or some equally large entity can print up our card in time for us to get 'em out by the first of the year. You won't mind getting it a little late, right? Yeah, that's what I thought. Just be kind and don't tell me when you throw us out!

Smoke and mirrors, my friends

As you glance at these pictures it will appear that our Thanksgiving weekend was calm, cool and filled with small children getting along. But don't let my slick photography skills fool 'ya! 5 kids, 4 and under just doesn't end up that way.

I was shocked, though as I looked over and realized that 3 of the kids at the "kids" table were actually mine. I mean, wasn't it just a few years ago that I was at the kids table? Geez!
I almost didn't put these Thanksgiving day photos up because by the time the holiday is nearly a week past, it just seems pointless. But then I had a moment of clarity. It occurred to me that I am still making up for lost bloggy time. Even this morning I remembered that I hadn't checked in on McMommy and her family yet. I raced home from our weekend away to see how Kelly and Melanie had fared over their holiday.

I talk of these ladies as if they are my friends. But sadly, they are not. I'm pretty sure at least 2 of the 3 would really like me if they met me. Even if I am a Yankee. (I have an odd obsession with blogs written by Southerners.) Go figure.

So I figured, if I had a *need* to check out their holiday pics, someone out there (can I get at least one hand?) might want to see a picture of my boys looking at a ceramic tree (which they promptly broke several minutes after this picture was taken.)

My love for spying (its surely not voyeurism!) began in college as my roommates and I discovered an addictive little show called The Real World on MTV. I know you know it! There were Saturdays my roommates and I didn't even get dressed because we would be enthralled in a Real World marathon. If you don't know what that is (bless your heart) it is when MTV decides to own you for a day and show backtobacktoback episodes of the show *in case* you missed a few along the way. After 8 hours of tv watching, your mind becomes utterly useless and its time to go to the bars to help bring some clarity back.

NOT some of my finer hours. In fact, I remember the cloud of depression that hit the day I realized, I was in fact, now too old to apply to be on the show (I think you can be no older than 23 or something like that. Go figure.)

Anyhow, I was reminded of my start to reality obsessions last night when Steve and I had some friends over.

Somehow (our friend Scott was roommates with a guy on The Real World, Philadelphia) we got to talking about the show and how certain people on the show become *friends* and yada yada yada.

I might have divulged my college obsession and found that Scott and I had a similar affinity toward the second season where they lived in L.A. (can I get a witness?)

At which point, Scott whips out his cell phone and scrolls down to Jon Brennan's phone number. (It's another long story of how he got it and I won't go into it. Suffice it to say that his ex-roommate, the Philly Real World guy comes in handy!)

Somehow, I reverted to my 20 year old self and may have let out a short but deafening scream. YOU HAVE HIS NUMBER???!!!

And then, with my husband sitting across the room, I may have also yelled, "Ohmygosh, let's call him!" And then I belly laughed like I haven't for a long time. Because I think I might have been serious for a few seconds.

Well, all of that to say, I have a deep rooted illness with all things reality. Blogging is just my 37 year old, stay at home mommy version. But hey, if MTV wanted to move me to a mansion in some sah-weet city with other SAHM's I'd totally be up for it.

So, MTV...call me, okay?

Comedic update

Apparently when you're a 3 year old diva...
THIS is what funny looks like!

(Can you hear my sigh of relief from there?)

And then can you hear my best fake laughter quickly following? She'd better stick with the career in dance, 'cuz comedy may not be her thang.

A blind eye and a deaf ear

My daughter is yelling down from her room that she has "done something funny." If its *funny* "haha" then I'm cool with that if its *funny* "naughty" not so much.

Concurrently (oooo, doesn't that make me sound smart?) my second arrived (can't say born) son is up in his room yelling, "mama, mama, get down." I've turned the monitor down as low as it goes, but I can hear him when in the kitchen making dessert for dinner tonight. Sound proof walls, that's what I'll put on my Christmas wish list!

It's only 2:11 and I'm not ready for naps to be over. I've slowly been losing ground over the past month or so. And I'm fine to institute *rest time* rather than nap time. Good thing, since that's pretty much all I get from O these days. But I just need an hour and a half to maintain my sanity.

Which I'm pretty sure is gone, just like Turner's shoe and the Snow White Halloween costume. Shoved in a drawer somewhere. Sanity will turn up someday when I least expect it. Much like the shoe. By then both will be outgrown and I'll be loving my room at the funny farm.

If all I get is one hour of "me" time, is that really so bad? The challenge is to figure out what is my highest priority for that hour. (It used to be 2 1/2... ahh the good 'ole days.) Apparently, today's priorities included: cleaning my bathroom, putting away toys - the ultimate definition of insanity, they are bound to wind up all over in about 5 minutes-, make a chocolate/peanut butter pie and blog. Of course blog. Because the Internet is where sanity is found! Thank you for keeping me sane. It's a big job but some body's got to do it!

I'm off to discover which brand of funny is happening upstairs. Wish me luck.