...the incapacity to tell the difference...

So, am I supposed to refer to old pictures as retro, vintage or mid year modern? I don't know anymore.  All I know is that these pictures should be shared.  Also, you can expect to see old pics more often as I clean up around here.  These capture some post bath and shower silliness from around January of this year.  I love these boys.  But they are also driving me slowly insane.  It's a complicated love.  

As an example, the boys are obsessed with Calvin and Hobbes lately and in one strip Calvin offers a reverse serenity prayer.  I feel like this is me (tho I don't pray for it) a lot lately. This parenting thing is soul stretching (crushing) sometimes and I unfortunately often get flustered and tackle it with Calvin's prayer.   

They're cute, nice boys tho even if their mother is crazy.  

This one might be crazy, too.

Wigging out

Last fall when my parents came to visit they brought a suitcase of my grandmother's things. Little things with big meaning. Things like a mirror and brush set that sat on her vanity for years, a pair of rhinestone clip-on earrings that she would let me try on when I was a little girl, and so many yarn and fabric surprises. In that suitcase they had also packed a little something extra.

1980

2011

I love you always Grandma. I can only imagine how tickled you'd be to see these silly faces. xoxo.

Face twins unite!

Sunday with Grandpa.  'Nuff said.    

From Little Rock to the Rockies

Our family moved to Denver, Colorado in July.  Yes!  We moved!  I still find it hard to believe.  I have tried to write this post a few times.  One of those times I ended up sobbing for an hour, another time I couldn't get blogger to post my pictures, and so on.  The sobbing came from trying to write about the experiences that got us here.  Happy and sad tears.  We have so much to be grateful for, but the past 18 months have stretched us so much that it's all sort of tender. 

We moved from Chicago to Little Rock in June of 2011.  We moved from an awful rental house in Little Rock to a wonderful rental house in Little Rock in October of 2011.  Then we moved from Little Rock to Denver in July of 2012.  Four addresses in 14 months.  Also, that's three states (as well as three regions of the US) in that time.  Stating it by the numbers belies the real emotion attached to each move and stage we encountered.  But I still don't totally know how to process it all!  We didn't think we'd stay in Little Rock for more than a few years, but one year was much shorter than we expected.  As such this move was rather jarring.  We were really just getting over the move from Chicago! So many good people, blessings and opportunities came into our lives over this time, but also some real trials.  And some off the wall stuff like Matt having his car stolen at finger in coat point in our drive way in Little Rock.  Just stuff like that...

Anyway, we are here now.  We're grateful.  Matt's very happy with his job.  The kids are happy with the house and move and the indoor turf at our local rec center.  Especially with the indoor turf.  I am happy with the lack of humidity.  Lots of good!  That being said we miss our friends terribly.  We found a very lovely group of people in Arkansas (and prior to that in Chicago) through school and church that welcomed and supported us through thick and thin.  They are the main reason for the tears.  But we have found friends here in Denver already and we know that as we (hopefully) put down roots more will come.

While our memories (and immunization records) are scattered all over the country, we are still us.  And that feels like quite an achievement and blessing no matter what the back drop is.  

I really wasn't kidding about that turf.  Awe-some.