At Christmas Parade

Seth saw his (Brownie) friends!

My choir and my choir helper

This was taken right before the Christmas Program. It was so sweet!

The boys

This says it all. :) I get tired and stressed, but look at our little family here. Life is good.

Early Christmas Present!

(This picture has nothing to do with anything, I just really like it.)

I got an oboe. YAY!!!!!! It was used, but a good deal. I'm actually not too bad on it so far. My goal is to play it in church someday. It'll take a lot of practice till then, though. I can't wait. :) I just love the sound and have wanted one forever. Still have my book from 7th grade. Good grief that was a LONG time ago.

Even with Christmas break, I have something almost every day up until Christmas! Christmas Eve will be the busiest, with "normal" church services in the morning, then the 3 special ones at night. Have to be at the 9:00p one for the chimes, and the 11:00p for the choir. But it'll be good. Chime practice was actually quite fun. I think I like the chimes better than the bells b/c if you make a mistake with the chimes, it's not so dang obvious!! haha

I really hate that it's so busy right now. I don't feel like I can enjoy the holidays at all sometimes. We haven't even got the tree up since we wanted to do it together and we're all either in and out, or just plain tired. So, this weekend, it'll go up for sure. Will have to skip pictures in Christmas cards, I think, unless I print them out myself (and even then, our printer's not hooked up). Oy.

I really, really want 2007 to be the year I "get it together"!!! I mean, organizationally, mentally, spritually, and physically. I'm getting there, but things have just been so chaotic this year with Ken going to school. Plus with us both being sick one after the other the past two weeks....geez, gimme a break! Man, and with 2007 comes my 20 year high school reunion...even typing that, and knowing that, I *still* don't feel like I'm that OLD!! Oh geez, and does this mean I have to lose weight? Eh. I don't care...I don't think anyone does, either!

Old picture...what memories!

This is what I found at the top of the stairs one evening! (Check out that raspberry pink carpet...yikes!) I was so afraid he'd roll down the stairs, but he never did. He just wanted to hear our voices before he went to sleep. Awww!

There are days when I wish I could just turn back the clock and be cocooned in that "toddler time"...past the diapers but before school started. Sometimes I even wish I could go back to the "baby time" if just for the simplicity of the whole thing. I think that's why a lot of women have babies again...for that feeling. Hmm...that time when nothing is expected of you except keeping that baby alive everyday! LOL (Of course, if you already have a child, I suspect you never can get back that true "cocoon" feel when you have just one baby...that's a special time.) I enjoy looking back sometimes, but I wouldn't trade my current Seth for the baby Seth. He's such a good boy! (And so funny...what a sense of humor that little goob has!)

Anyway, I think that's what I miss...the simplicity of life back then. No spelling tests, nothing to "get ready for" (school, camping, programs, etc.). I actually do enjoy it, but I also get tired of it all every once in a while, especially when things get overwhelmingly busy and then I get sick or something!

It's easy to wallow in the past, but I think every once in a while it's good to look back and remember the good times. I savor the memories, but enjoy the present and look forward to the future.

Christmas List :)

If I could have aaaaanything I wanted (no matter what the cost):

1. See the Zugspitze, the highest mountain in Germany

2. Go to the White House and meet the President and his wife

3. Pink New Beetle

4. iPod - pink accessories of course

5. Oboe (okay, this is a little more realistic - I really really want one someday)

6. Valley of the Dolls soundtrack (okay, this is really realistic and affordable!)
Eh. I'm easy to please. But it's fun to dream.