a good dozen

So I've got these 12 extra people.  You know besides my non-desperate-housewife-responsibilities to the 2 kids, husband, parents, etc.  And I think I have the best dozen a girl could hope for (granted they are all a bit strange).  I've got the six guys at Bethesda and the six students in the house.  And I think everybody (at least housewives) should have an extra dozen people or so to take under wing.  I think everyone's life would be better.  Maybe an old neighbor or "that kid" from your kid's class, or a foreign family, or a single parent, or that family that-has-had-too-much-cancer, or maybe I could be included in someone's dozen - you know, "that poor crazy girl who can't always handle her own dozen:) ".
Anyway - life isn't at all cheaper by the dozen. Just better.
Jesus had a dozen.
I should have a dozen.
Ok - that's my bad exegetical summary for the day.

I'd like to introduce my dozen for this year.  Not a bad one in the bunch.

(Ok so between what I wrote above and finding these photos I got side tracked for 7 hours.  I think that is what happens when you have a dozen.  I think that is why Jesus didn't have a blog. Please excuse the second logical fallacy for the day.)

(Also, in going through the photos I realized my "dozen" have fuzzy edges... so please don't count the following people - then numbers may not come out right.)

This is who lives in our house right now.  Lucy is behind the Carnival mask.

I love this picture of our house because we are all so easily lined up for introductions. (left to right)

Kahlad, Saudi Arabia:  I love Khalad because he is so gentle. 

Allen, China:  I love Allen because he plays chess with Jude while I cook dinner.

Lucy: I love her because no one has ever made me laugh so hard.

Me:  I love myself because Jesus is redeeming me.

Jude:  I love him because he is brilliant - he is just like his father.

Salah, Saudi Arabia: I love him because he will always be a part of our family.

Jarod:  I don't even know where to start.

Annie, China:  I love her because she wears big beautiful glasses and really knows how to clean!!

Cassie, China: I love her because she regularly takes photos of the food I cook. THANK YOU

Alice, China:  I love her because she is honest, because she is taking time to be my friend

Sometimes we do strange things... like dog pile... because we can... because we are a family

And sometimes my extended family comes to visit, and it is beautiful.  Mariah spent 10 whole days just doing life with us - and a month later the students are still talking about her beautiful daughter (though they may never be able to say Palmer).  Here we are trying to take a self portrait without double chins but we just ended up with weird neck veins and huge Stafford teeth.

But we made some beautiful girls, didn't we?

My husband's parents kind of take our family as part of their dozen - and they made us this beautiful porch swing that I just can't stop sitting on.  Which probably explains how far behind I am in things. 

Also, I like to go on trips, like to the state fair - where I watch 7 of them race down a giant slide.  I honestly don't care about photo quality people - just capturing the moment - because my memory is TOTALY WORTHLESS.

And here is Kingson on the mechanical bull.  He's an X-housemate, current best friend

The strangest $5 I ever gave our son.  I always wanted to ride one of these.

Salah and his cousin Yazzed... I also like Salah because he has his own dozen that he brings around to add to our circus.  Yazzed is like a housemate who never lived with us.

And then there is Tony.  He is our Uncle.  Don't ask - it just works.

And then there are the guys.  Did I say I took them under wing?  

I think I meant they take me under wing.

Check out the FENCE

Randy.  I love him because he makes my emotional instability look normal

Tom and Jay finally put Kingson to work and took a breather. 

I love Jay's smile.   

David.  How much fun could one grown man be?

John.  The face of negativity.  He makes me seem chipper.

How is that even possible?

Sometimes we even put the students to work.  

Alice and I planted some roses while discussing her future.

10 years from now both will look so different.

I wish 10 years from now he would look just the same.

FOREVER.

Annie and Allen cooked us a wonderful lunch to celebrate Mid-Autmn festival today 

And Jarod is in the business of making homemade soda in the garage.

Because as Kingson says, "Jarod, you really have a skill of staying busy."

Mark, hoever does not.  And we like it that way.

Carl was not pictured because he spent the last week with his sister.

The Mid-Autmn festival was not pictured because, well I am bad at photos this year.

The Lion King that the kids just went and saw is not pictured because they don't allow photos.

Other than that I think we are pretty caught up.

Bring on October...