(Tap, Tap, Tap...........) This thing on?

Hey!

My people!

I'm here! I'm really here!

Hmmm. Where to begin. For reals.........what an adventure we've had!

And this adventure has had me thinking so much. I mean A LOT. About gratitude. About faith. About hope. And last night I watched the last of the 33 Chilean miners be rescued, tearfully. And it was a triumph. And it was glorious. And it sealed the deal for me. Sometimes it's just really great to be a human being.

If I was to write a play about a woman's life. And I wanted to make it happy, and joyful, I would write it so that all the puzzle pieces fit perfectly, and all the events would happen in the right order, with selective timing. And the trials and travails she faced would be petite and easy. But the truth is, this play would be downright boring. And the woman, she wouldn't learn a thing.

So I've learned that my life is a play. And it has a script and a story line. And it wouldn't have been what I would have written for myself. But it is absolutely guided and tailored for me. And I've learned that sometimes taking the long way, and the curvy back roads is where all the glory is.

So I'm grateful today.

Really, really grateful.

I'm grateful for my husband who is measured and reasoned. Who keeps our eyes forward to our life goals and balances all my fanciful, romantic thoughts. I give him the full credit for our family's security. He deserves it.

I'm grateful for my parents and siblings. Who let us crash their house for 4 weeks and otherwise disrupt all sense of peace and quiet. Without their help and support there is no way we would have been able to do 2 whole moves in a month.

I'm grateful for my children who keep life super interesting, challenging, funny and altogether loud and messy. I would slay dragons for them.

I'm grateful to my co-workers. How can I call you co-workers when it's so much more then that? My heros? More like it! We've had some major challenging times, busy-ness, crazy patients. (Like REALLY crazy.) I am proud, proud, proud of you all. I truly believe that we do more then just help deliver babies. That sometimes we are the tools used in other families destinies. (Right Tina?) And I get to be reminded of the spiritual nature of our job every now and then. And I appreciate it.

Alright, alright. Enough sappiness. Let's get down to business with some pictures.

We started second grade:


We started ballet:

We're just downright flippin' cute;

We've been getting to know the neighbors:

We turned 2:

We started soccer:

We are coaching soccer:

We're kickin' the fanny of all the older, bigger boys:

See? We won! First place in forms and 3rd splace in sparring:

And we are beautiful!

We started up playgroup again:

We threw a shower for a special aunt:

There she is!

And the newest newbie baby, Parker Rose:


P.S. Soooooo, we LOVE our house. But it isn't quite arranged, organized or otherwise styled yet. Something about having 3 children, 2 jobs, martial arts, piano, ballet, soccer, playgroup, preschool, etc, etc, etc. I wanted to show you pictures of a beautiful, shiny, glittery home, but, alas, that's a ways off. So as soon as I can swallow my pride and take pictures of real life here, I'll share them with you!