I tried

2 things about adulthood continually surprise me.

1. How tired I am.
As a child, I can remember my parents saying how much they wanted to take a nap. But I thought they meant every 5th Sunday for 30 minutes when they actually laid down. I didn't know I would grow up to covet a nap at 11 a.m., 3 p.m. and 7:30 every day for years. Is this normal?

2. How forgetful I am.
I will get Alzheimer's. I am convinced that I can take Vitamin E, fish oil and do cross word puzzles until I am a slimy swimming synonym genius but my genetics and something about our modern world (and maybe something to do with my exhaustion) makes it inevitable that I will forget all things. Except I hope - one amazingly hilarious story... maybe about the time I peed my pants at the age of 14... or perhaps the never ending hike up Mount St. helens.. or my 4 hours in Budapest. All I am hoping for is that I am a hilarious old person.
But I didn't think I'd be so forgetful now. At this rate I'll need this blog for a planner and not a journal. Note to self: pick Jude up from school... again today... just like yesterday... same time... same place... it shouldn't come as a surprise every day.

So yeah, I forgot to take pictures. Well, I'd remember as the events of the week were ending, or if some gracious person said, "Shouldn't you get your camera?" Thank you people.

I have no brain. Maybe it is napping.



Toni had to remind me that maybe I would want to take pictures of the super cool helicopter uncle Brandon brought "for the kids" as it zoomed around the room hitting people and scratching our walls on Monday night. I mean how often does one have a helicopter in their house?


May i say I have super cute kids who are seriously enjoying their holidays?




I thought to pull out my camera for the amazing spread of Chinese "Hot Pot" only after I saw the girls taking photos of their work themselves. It was amazing... and I love our little family more and more each day.



And of course my mom reminded me that we might want some photos of my brother Randy's baptism. I did. I hope I never forget his laugh and "oh boy!" excitement. Congratulations Randy!!!



Not pictured:

Hett Thanksgiving of over 100
Walmart black-friday midnight craziness
Jude's WHOLE CLASS party... and the aftermath
and so much more
so much to be thankful for!!

Note to Self:

Take pictures when interesting things are happening:

Exhibit A: The great pie crust fiasco of 2010. New recipe, ten pie crusts. Do I really need that much lard? Surely not. They're ready to go in the freezer.
Out of the freezer.
OH, Yes I DID need that much lard because now I will be cursing myself throughout the entire holiday season. OH – except I solved the “flakes under the pin – not in your pan” problem by dipping – yes I said Dipping – the crumbling mess in melted butter. If, perchance, we cross paths at any holiday potluck this holiday season – mine will be the food wafting with fat fragrance – and not looking so pretty. But flaky we have. Discovery – the real reason American's BUY pie crust is not because we are lazy it is because we really don't want to SEE the lard we put in our yummys... and on our tummys – we want that to remain a mystery.

Exhibit B:
From the kitchen, trying to use my mom's kitchen aid for the first time,
ME: AHHHHHHH!!!! I just threw pumpkin pie ALL over the whole kitchen.
From the living room, pausing from a vibrating power chisel,
JAROD: Ummm, that's ok I just threw brick ALL over the living room.
ME: Well, I can't clean it up because I have pie dripping from my pants...
JAROD: Well, I can't come get the broom or I'll grind this rock powder into the wood floors.
BOTH: JUDE!!!!!

Holidays A LA construction zone.

Exhibit C:
Trip to california.... 3 cute kids and 2 photographer(ish) people... and still NO photos.

Exhibit D:
A church full of my favorite people, talking, laughing, eating, chasing kids all over, singing in voices so off key and high pitched that Sunjin questioned if that was normal, crying (oh wait – that was just me) and talking about the good, bad and ugly of the year through the eyes of a loving God – who despite how it might appear – has cancer, debt, families, and even deaths orchestrated into a great plan of love and glory.


Exhibits to photo dairy this week: last session of kid yoga, monday family dinner, school thanksgiving meal, an “all class” play date at our house, Hett Thanksgiving, early morning black Friday city shopping with international students (yes, that would be ME – doing THAT), and probably a food coma by Saturday.


HAVE A WONDERFUL THANKSGIVING – and take a photo or two – you know you won't regret it!

wow!

Wasn't this blog template transformation amazing?!

The template is called 'awesome' and the font is called 'trebuchet' - you can't get much better than that.

We're waiting online for a phone call from Honduras, so you can thank David and Olga and Central American appointment times for the update... (by the way - their daughter is adorable!! and I think i'll just go cry myself to sleep now missing them!)

Also you can tell by the photo I chose I don't plan to update the blog look often. The kids just change too much to be in a static header.

Me?
Well, I'm always like that.
really. that happy.
Honest.
I wish I lived with that perky, awesome girl on my blog.


P.S. Just for fun. Last night Jarod and I were watching 'House' and as always their patient had this super cool disorder - only this time he would "mirror" the Alpha in the room. So all these people got glimpses into their own inner thought life by the patient reading their actual opinions of every situation. I ask Jarod what he would say if he was mirroring me. He's lame - so he wouldn't (either that or he figured there was no way it would end well). So mirror me - what am I actually thinking in that photo?

Ode to motherhood

On September 12th Joslyn Quinn Gaudry was born in Cabridge, Massachusetts.


On October 11th Levi Duane Denham was born in Hays, Ks.


On October 21st Anna Hunt McCann was born in San Pedro Sula, Honduras.


On October 28th Elliana Faith Bernard was born at Loma Linda, in Southern California.


On November 3rd Ezra Randell Hankin was born in Morristown, NJ.

On November 9th Eugene received official word that he will be adopted into the Lowery family.


I love these children's mothers. In turn I have stocked their various pregnancies and journeys into motherhood (or re-motherhood) over the last 9 months (or two years in Gene-o's case) with awe and prayer. The women who have born these children in the last two months couldn't be more different, but I respect each of them deeply for the unique perspectives and strengths they will raise their children with. I am overjoyed at their safe arrivals, and though I may have been horrible at keeping track of due dates (and wrote this blog so I would have a written record of the births) I am thrilled to be surrounded, even at a distance, by such strong and wonderful mothers.

Let's just say it like this. It is really good to know that at 4 a.m. when my kids are refusing to puke IN the bucket but rather on the 16 stuffed animals they insist on having in their bed – there are women who can understand that in complete empathy and compassion I can firmly say, “Now lay down and puke HERE.” And when they are teenagers... we will be there together too.

Dear new babies - welcome.

Dear new mommies – you've got my number.

P.S. Sam and Andrea.... photos? Maybe a mobile upload even?
P.P.S. If I have already messed up your kid's birthdate please email me the correct one... it got a little confusing :)