Family Bathtime

So, we've been in Maryland for the past week for a very long overdue family reunion, and what picture do I get? Cousin bathtime...

Thanks Henry for being modest!

Ten Down...An Eternity To Go

Yes, it's true. Rick and I have been married for ten years today. We're even spending this event the same way it started...in Maryland with my family. Granted, this is not how we dreamed our ten year party would turn out, it just kinda happened that way. Anyway, during these past ten years we've...

1. Had three beautiful children - Richard Aren, Lily Katharine, and Tatiana Claire.

2. Watched one of those children be released from a life full of pain and hardship, to the loving arms of her Father in Heaven.

3. Watched another child be released from that same pain and hardship because of a bone marrow transplant.

4. Watched a third child come into this world as healthy and happy as a child should be.

5. Stood by eachother as Rick completed a Bachelor's degree and a Master's degree, while working full time.

6. Survived living with Rick's parents.

7. Survived living with my parents.

8. Never declared bankruptcy...we've come close, but not yet!

9. Finally spent more time together than apart...thanks Rick for getting out of the Guard!

10. Continued to love eachother despite everything that has been thrown at us.

I love you Rick, and everything we've done together has made me happier than I thought possible...now don't screw it up.

Who Needs Nail Polish?

Yesterday after all the kids had gone home but before the mess had been picked up, this is what we found. If you can't figure it out, this is Tatiana using a birthday candle, dipping it in frosting, then painting her toes with it. At least she's resourceful.

Happy Birthday Aren!

Yesterday we celebrated Aren's ninth birthday...can you believe it! I was going to post the typical birth birthday to present birthday pics, but since we already went through the "I can't believe my baby made it this far" in October because of his transplant, I'll spare you all again. Instead, here's way too many pictures of kids you really don't care about.

Stereotypical balloon race

Opening presents...lots of Bakugan

Blowing out the candles...on the good cupcakes

Peace at last...watching Kung Fu Panda and waiting for the pick-up

Cupcake Chaos

Yesterday was a really busy day...Breakfast with Santa, Aren's birthday party, haircuts, blah blah blah. With so much going on, I asked Rick if he could make the cupcakes for Aren's party. About halfway through my haircut I get a text from Rick that says, "CALL ME!!" I was pretty sure he only wanted me to pick up something at the store so when I called back he said, "Um, buy more cupcake mix. Mine didn't turn out." It was only two hours before the party started and there was no way now I was going to make cupcakes so I just picked some up at the store and came home.

So, wanna see what happens when Rick is in charge of cupcakes and when I am in charge of cupcakes?

Here's Rick

Here's me.

Happy Birthday Ms. Austen!

Happy Birthday Jane! Because of you, I have this...

My world was forever changed the day I found Mr Darcy.
All my gratitude to you.

Decisions

I've decided something over the past few days. It took a few days to come to this conclusion because I like to mull things around in my head, talk them over with Rick and my sisters before deciding how I feel. So here is what I've decided.

I don't care. I have no opinions.

I don't care about politics. I don't care if someone thinks Obama will keep our country from the depths of despair or if he is, as my sister-in-law says, "Obama-geddon". I don't care where my tax dollars go as long as they go somewhere. I have absolutely no clue about politics and quite frankly, I don't want to. I see how involved Rick gets and how upset he can be that he can't share his opinions without someone thinking he's a left-winged, tree hugging, military hating, tolerant (which is now a bad thing), barely hanging on to his temple recommend whack job. I listen to my father-in-law and others talk about people such as Sean Hannity along with Bill O'Reily as if they were some kind of conduit of righteousness being used to usher in the second coming of our Lord and I just don't see it.

It's not that I don't care about anything, I just don't care about being informed and having an opinion. I have friends that are so worried about the state of the world today I wonder how they even function...constantly wondering if the school their children attends is conversative or liberal enough, if they have enough guns to kill the intruders that will certainly be trying to steal their food storage now that the world is coming to an end. I just can't do it.

I worried for two years whether my children would live or die, planned Lily's funeral before we even knew she would die, wondered what I would do with Aren's game cube if he didn't come home from the hospital. I missed so much by what if-ing and wondering and I refuse to do it anymore. Let the world go where it may. Let politics take it's course. It will go and do it's thing whether I watch the evening news or not. For now I'm just going to watch Aren get off that bus and run to me while holding up his hand in the I love you sign and give him a hug. I'm going to wach Tatiana grow up and learn to say thanks and please. I'm going to prepare lessons for 18 month old children that would rather blow bubbles than listen to me. I'm going to hang out with Rick and finish watching the last season of Angel and decide together which show we should waste our time on next.

I'm just going to be. And that's ok.