All Kinds of News

I have been terrible at keeping up with our family happenings.  This post will be covering a lot of ground! First: Christmas.  We had the best Christmas present days before when Nathan was miraculously given a new job.  We feel so grateful and blessed!  Here are some of our Christmas morning photos.

Nice to have Christmas on a Sunday so we all look nice for photos! :)  But these were taken before we cleaned up:

This is everyone killing time waiting for Jake and Leslie to wake up for the festivities.  You know you are getting old when someone has to wake you up on Christmas morning. :)

Yay! All assembled.

We had a good Christmas.

In January there was a scouting court of honor.  Jacob received his last two merit badges required for his eagle, and Caleb received his first ever merit badge!

Miriam has joined a club where she is learning to cook and sew with friends.  This is her first machine project.  It is a backpack.

Camille turned 14 at the end of January.  She is pretty excited about going to the regional dances now. 

These are photos of a gift Seth made for me.  He calls it my nature bracelet, because he found all the things for it out in nature. :) Thanks, sweet boy.

Million Dollar Bathrobe

I do about 40 things every morning before I get dressed.  Probably that is a bad habit that will bite me back one day.  At least that is what I think every time I drive my kids to school in my fuzzy purple bathrobe.  My bathrobe does double duty as a coat, house dress, and blanket.  Considering the utility of such a garment, I really should spend the money to get a good one.  The one I have needs another 10 inches of fabric in the front panel.  Then my chicken legs, stuffed into my snow boots wouldn't flash you when I get into my huge suburban each morning.  I watch for my neighbor to start his truck to warm up and go back into his house, then I race out in my fuzzy robe and start scraping the windows frantically on that big vehicle and pray he doesn't come back out until I have climbed into the seat of my charger.  May I never break down. May I never be stopped by a policeman.  I tell myself it wouldn't matter--I really no longer have any personal pride.

I guess I could get out of bed and actually get dressed, but my bathrobe seems such a comforting friend on chilly mornings.  I huddle wrapped in it for scriptures.  I pad down the halls to wake kids in it.  I cook and eat breakfast in it.  It really is almost as warm as a coat for my morning outings.  Sigh.  I do get a bit nervous if I have to answer the door in it.  It isn't attractive.  Another reason to consider replacing it with a million dollar version.

I used to drive my kids to an elementary school that was on a hill.  At the time I drove a tall van.  One morning, after dropping my kids off and turning around for home, I arrived at the crest of the hill when a dad in a sedan was driving up.  From my perch I could clearly see down into his car, where wrapped over an undershirt he was sporting his wife's silky turquoise, lace-trimmed bathrobe as he was driving kids to school.  I am not alone.  Not in this brave outerwear, or in the need to replace it!