from the 14th

when it comes to mid-february, who isn't looking for a reason to bust out of the norm and get some presents, cards, make rice krispy treats and homemade ice cream, watch a movie and get late night take-out?

we certainly were.

and though jonah did make special note that, "valentine's day really only lasts one day" (as opposed to the recently celebrated Christmas which went on for weeks) I think he enjoyed celebrating this hallmark day of love.

the wonderful thing is, these two actually really love each other (most of the time).

also? don't these pictures just beg the question: what is this baby going to look like?!

snow {for} day{s}

I guess if you live in michigan and winter isn't really your thing, then...bummer?
But if winter, and snow, and cozy fires, and crock pot chili, and 28 weeks of pregnancy, and down comforters (and down everything), and kids not in school who don't have to go until---the end of June???-- are your things, well, high-fives all around!

and I mean, is there anything better than playing in the snow and then coming in for a cup of "chocolate hot" (-thatch)?

answer: not much.

betsy

I got to take a few pictures of my friend's new baby last week. So sweet and small and just plain precious. A lovely reminder of what my life is going to look like again in a few months (and if I'm honest--a reminder of how exhausted I'm about to be...).

Nothing truly professional here--but fun to practice and continue to learn.

jess & joe

as promised, here is where you can get a good look at the fun little party we got to attend before Christmas.  I think it's probably safe to say everyone had a good time.

Christmas

so I'm finally just sitting here, feet up, BCS championship on, fire going, snowed in.

and though I should have known having the hubs home on a snow day would mean much less laying around and much more purge the basement/guest closet/ALL our clothes (even though we had a morning in the ER yesterday, and a dislocated shoulder corrected, and we should have been resting....eh hmm), it means we're home. for a good long while.

home, recovering, from a wonderfully celebratory Christmas season that inevitably results in everyone with cruddy coughs and poor sleep. but in our own beds.
we, well especially me (and apparently my oldest), kind of like being home.

and this year was quite the year. of party. of travel. of adventure?

it went something like:

early decemeber :: laundry/pack/shop/decorate for Christmas/wrap presents/run errands like a mad woman.
oh, and watch Jonah's Christmas program at church. and it went...better than I expected? I mean, he didn't come running off the stage (what I expected) but instead stood up there--in the center no less--and didn't move a muscle. no actions. no singing. a real show stealer.

december 18thish :: head down to party for Jess and Joe's wedding. super fun. went smoothly (well, mostly. thatcher had the expected melt down mid-aisle walk...but it kind of broke the emotional tension, and made a memory?). And I took a couple iphone pics. that's all. so I'll just go ahead and send y'all a link to the professional photographers blog, sound good? okay. but seriously, the bride and groom seemed to be pretty doggone happy and it 'twas quite a lovely party.

december 21:: come home in the afternoon just ahead of an ice storm. plan: do laundry, repack, run some errands, pull it together for a couple days before Christmas and a week in Iowa, and have our own little family Christmas. actually: lose power at 4am (which would end up being out for 6 days), consoled freaked out kids, listen to branches and trees crashing to the ground, grab a couple hours of sleep around the house hoping no limbs would crush our garage, start a fire, put a movie on the laptop for the kids, and throw everything in the car: stockings, presents in garbage bags, dirty laundry, etc...oh, and cut the tree off the fence in the backyard, throw as many perishables as possible in a cooler, turn off our water... and leave for ten days.

december 22:: arrive at Grandma's house/Grandpa's farm looking a touch... frazzled? but really only forgetting shirts for me. I mean, I had a couple, but I'm kind of over them by now.

decemeber 23-24:: happy cuthbert Christmas! (with slightly altered traditions and a little bit of fun time with the newlyweds).

december 25-january 2:: on to iowa. clemens' family Christmas. just one big party (oh, and a couple nights up with sick boys, a middle of the night carbon monoxide scare, and a fabulous overnight for our 7th anniversary!) but mostly sweet times with a lot of people we don't get to see very often.

also, warning: excessive photos of kids in candy cane pajamas.

the Christmas tree

as per tradition, we bundled our little selves up and headed to cut down our tree. and drug uncle dan along for the chaos adventure.

and for my farmer, the bundling included digging through the basement and front closet for his pioneer seed corn hat, carhart jacket, military boots and wrangler jeans. because we would hate for someone to mistake us for a "city slicker" now, wouldn't we?

the boys--were mostly troopers (apart from cooperating for a family picture, because why would we start doing that now?). it was chillllly. and they walked their snowboot clad puffy selves all over. and then they chilled by the fire--albeit a bit on the tired side.

and since everyone was being pretty true to character, I picked the first fraiser fir I saw and said cut it down. because I've been known to be pretty impulsive decisive a time or two in my life.