Excuses

Yes, I realize it's been a whole month since I've written anything.  I sat down to write a blog a few different times over the last couple of days, but the little devil on my shoulder whispered, "It's almost February.  You might as well wait, and then you'll be officially lame."

Like most little devils, this one doesn't make any sense, but I listened anyway.

I do have a number of excuses, some are good, most catapult me to that super lame status.  For example, I had two big deadlines at the end of January.  One, I was asked to speak at a Beehive Conference ("Beehives" are what we call the 12-13 year old girls in our church), and two, I agreed to write the Special Education section of our Charter School application.  Both responsibilities weighed heavily on me, and I responded in a very mature, conscientious manner ... I did nothing and avoided the computer all together.   

Years of successful procrastination did pay off in these instances, as I was able to get both assignments done, but not without losing a month in the process.

On a much better note, January brought a fabulous excuse for neglecting my blog; my sister Katie's husband, Seth, accepted a job in Bellevue and their family moved up here mid-January.  While they were looking for a home to rent, we had the privilege of having them stay here with us. Crazy times (seven kids, six of whom are six and under), but SO MUCH FUN.  

As an added bonus, my mom (Gigi) drove up with them, so she got to spend a few days with us as well.  Since Katie and Seth are temporarily a one-car family, and I don't have room in my van for all of Katie's kids + my kids + Gigi, we were pretty much house-bound.  The kids didn't seem to mind at all.  They were happy to have built-in, constant playmates.  

 Gigi pulled out Aubree's new sewing machine and helped her make a new American Girl dress.  The pattern turned out to be significantly beyond Aubree's very limited skills, so Gigi ended up doing most of the work.  

Gigi also brought a belated Christmas.  Presents in January?  Always a treat.

Aubree does not have a black eye, just a bad makeup job from a play she was in that morning.

Thane, in typical fashion, latched himself to Uncle Seth.  A few days into their stay, Thane asked with a big sigh,  "Why does Uncle Seth have to go to work in a far away country?"  Then he declared, "My uncle is a mechanic and he's going to teach me, so when I grow up I can be a mechanic too!"

It was hilarious to see the kids interact.  Graham and Piper were especially great together.  They make a perfect team; Piper loves an audience, and Graham is always a willing participant just happy to have someone his size with whom to play.  

So cute!

Aubree was gone at school and busy with after school commitments (more on that later) most of the time Katie was here.  Bryce relished the role as biggest kid and was forever devising new games and scenarios.  The kitchen stools we got a few months ago were put to heavy use.  

All aboard the Choo-Choo train!

A semi-calm moment while our Bishop came over to home teach us (I don't think he realized quite what he was getting himself into when he made the appointment!).  

When Mark carpooled to work, we had the seat capacity to get out of the house.  And our destination of choice?  Costco.  We brought along our neighbor friend, which meant we had seven kids ages six and younger.  For some reason I thought it would be fun to grab lunch while we were there.  Haha!  Sometimes I wonder if my brain works.  

 Being house-bound in January might usually make me stir-crazy, but the weather was unbelievably wonderful.  In fact, I think Katie must have brought the sun and warm temperatures up with her from Southern California.  The big kids spent hours outside hunting for bugs.  The found spiders, and centipedes, and gnats, and flies.  

Hey, whatever kept them occupied!

On a particularly nice, warm day, I think Piper had just the right idea.

 All too soon, Katie and Seth found a home to rent closer to Seth's work in Bellevue.  I watched their kids for a day while they unpacked and started moving in.  By the afternoon, when the kids decided to play in the car seats we'd pulled out of the car to make room for boxes, I was tempted to buckle them all in!

 We are beyond excited to have their family here in Washington with us.  Now we just need to make sure they come to LOVE it here, so they can help us recruit the rest of the family.  Who's next?