Sometimes when I know Joe's on his way home, the kids & I will sit on the stairs and watch for him, and we usually sing silly songs and act goofy.
Right now, of course, we sit and sing Christmas songs. I USUALLY try to get the kids to sing "Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fat", but they shout me down as soon as I get to haypenny.

So, yesterday:

Me: C'mon! Christmas is coming, the goose is getting fa-
Kids: Bah! No! Sing RudoFrostyBellsandReindeer!
Me: Well, fine. Someone suggest a Christmas song.
Sophia: I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas!!
Me: Noooo...something I know!
Julianna: How about Spin the Dreidel???!!!
Me: Well, that's not really a Christmas song...
Julianna: Duh, yes it is.
Me: No, that's Hanukkah!
Julianna: Oh. Right.
Julianna: Well, then, I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas! Helloooo..."Christmas" *does little quotey fingers in the air*
Kids: I wanna hippopotamus for Christmaaaaaaas ONLY A HIPPOPOTAMUS WILL DOOOOOOOOO...


And then, in the car earlier:

*fighting and general chaos because I'm driving the small car and they pinch the crap out of each other and squawk and screech*
Me: That's ENOUGH! I don't want to hear another SOUND!
Me: (turns up radio)
*all is quiet and Karen Carpenter is singing or possibly Nat King Cole*
Sophia: I want to sing Frosty the Snowman!
Me: Let's sing that later, right now I just want quiet, okay?
Sophia: Okay.
(several minutes pass)
Sophia (doing an incredibly good impression of Animal): FROSTY THE SNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOWMANNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!! WAS A JOLLY HAPPY SOUUUUUUUUL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS...		THIS?
	OR

Current Mood: contemplative

And other favorite kids...:D

From Kids

From Kids

From Kids

From Kids

From Kids

From Kids

From Kids

Families:

From Families

From Families

From Families

From Families

From Families

From Families

From Families

From Families

From Families

Coupla babies:

From Babies

From Babies

From Babies

50th Anniversary Party

From Events

From Events

It's been a busy season!

I have a lot of favorite kids (my own being my most most favorite, of course ;)). Kid photography really allows me to interact with kids the way I best know how - one on one. It's not TRUE one on one, since most of the families I work with have multiple kids. But I do usually get the moments with each one.
This one - her personality reminds me a lot of Sophia. Wild child, but as sweet as can be:

From Kids

From Kids

From Kids

That cookie that she's making? She worked on that ONE cookie the whole time I was taking pictures, and it turned out to be for me. :)

Where has the year gone?

We were walking today and talking about being strong and together and how the things that happen change us together. There is no doubt that I have changed as the result of, well, life. I'm pretty neurotic these days! But I'm absolutely convinced -- utterly -- that I am doing the things I am supposed to be doing in my life right now.

Stranger Than Fiction is a good movie to watch when I'm in this mood. It enhances this mood.

I am making things. I am not writing much (but a teensy bit). I am making objects. It feels concrete and right. Fighting entropy.

Ten days does not feel like enough time to prepare for Christmas. We thought we might do a Christmas ficus, but Em said absolutely not, so we are eyeing neighbors' yards for extraneous shrubbery. I dunno. Maybe a nice Christmas totem pole. We have never had one of those.

Current Mood: tired

I feel a poem coming on

It's about sex

It's about time

You know what they say

About rabbits

"If they sell you two females

and one hutch

you'll soon enough have kittens."



Maybe the poem is about math.

Current Mood: amused