God's little darling

An old adage of one of my old pals goes like this: I always feel like God's little darling when I look around at my friends.

I have felt this grateful cup runneth over just-gotta-crow feeling before. But lately, I just feel it ALL the time. I mean, I almost wake up expecting to be amazed by how wonderful my friends are. They are all so precious to me. For the last few years, though, they've all felt so far away from me. And not that I mind logging the airmiles, but life is so much better when your favorite people are just a T ride away.

So this is where I am downright spoiled. Not only are my faraway friends just generally so good about reaching out, but I have also been so blessed, especially in the last six months to have gotten to know - I mean see their kids tantrumming pantsless getting to know - a group of seriously phenomenal families that live right in my neighborhood! As a few of us were headed out of Itsy Bitsy Yoga last week and discussing if we'd be meeting up after, in the shuffle of putting on boots and leaving wayward mittens behind, one of my friends Sierra said, "Oh yeah, we'll be there for Friday Pancakes. I've been looking forward to Friday Pancakes." I felt so relieved that she said that because I had been feeling the same way. Not only because we'd be celebrating Baby Girl's birthday with all of her pals at Friday Pancakes at our neighborhood cafe, but because I have come to look forward to Friday Pancakes as this sweet little cabbage patch dance in the endzone of a long week.

And maybe she only meant that she was looking forward to actually eating pancakes, but I know for me that feeling like God's darling tastes like maple syrup.

Itsy Bitsy Yoga:

Friday Pancakes, and the pancaking of Baby Girl to the couch:

These are the cupcakes I made for Baby Girl's first birthday to share with the churchies. I finished the last batch at midnight. The stars were not looking as good by that point. Le sigh.

I think they still tasted all right, though.

First Birthday Observed

I have returned to my cold compact home unit after five days spent at my in-laws where the climate indoors is warm and dry enough to make you have Hard Booger Nose. The last five days were much like a religious retreat, the kind where you're forced to go without television and internet and where you spend a lot of time talking about epiphanies and reading and sitting around on couches in a circle and laughing and being reminded that family and laughter and navel oranges are really the essentials in this life. Of course, the retreat was held in honor of Baby Girl, in celebration of her first birthday, which is on the horizon but which we observed with my entire immediate blended crazy fabulous family all around, too. I am glad to be back in my own home where my nose runs naturally and where I eat sparingly the soy and kimchi and rice-based foods that are the cuisine of my in-laws but which make me start tweaking for some greasy cheese pizza after a few days. But as I sit here on my commodious couch with freshly-folded laundry and half-read books and write this account for all of you dearhearts while Lovey Loverpants watches Jack Bauer say serious things to threatening villans, my heart feels very filled and I am still on my retreat high. An excellent spirit to carry into this new era of hope and change and Together We Can....

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Auntie Shannon

Harmonee

Nana Red

Auntie TP

Pennie the Weiner Dog Roasting by the Open Fire

...and a preview of her Korean Princess photo-shoot:

Came By It Naturally

Every year since my brother had the neck control to do so, my siblings and I have taken a holiday picture in front of the fireplace at our mother's hosue. My sister TP is the blondish bombshell waify thing. My brother Mikie is the beanpole guapo guy. You can see we are all still puzzling a bit how the strands of DNA are shared as far as our similitudes. One thing is for sure, though, we are three musketeers that take family photos Very Seriously. The following are a few out-takes of the session.

And one of just the girls (Nana Red in middle).