Ending the Hiatus of 2012

Our final selection for our Happy Holiday card photo

Hello, dear friends and lovely readers.

I know, I haven't been around much.  Which is to say, I haven't been around at all.

It's been a hell of a season.  I wrote the first draft of a novel in November, and then...

Then came the Month Of Chaos.

We all got the flu.  We hosted two parties in two days.  We went to an outdoor wedding in Minnesota on the Mayan apocalypse.  There was Channukah and Christmas, and then I got the virus of destruction and evil, from which I am now recovering.  Slowly.

There were births and deaths and crafts and baking and disasters and delights, and despite driving through winter storm Draco RH made it through her first Christmas travel season without being in a car accident.  The streak is broken.

But as you know, all of that couldn't keep me away from you.  All of that wouldn't stop me from finding a way to tell you the stories, share the pictures, crack the jokes.

No, what's kept me away from you is the change in my children's schedules.

You see, with no school (I took them out of school while we passed around the flu, and then while we went out of town, and then because their school was on break), the children have shifted to what I would call the lazy-teenager schedule.  Which is kind of nice... kind of.  It means they sleep in until 9:30am.  Unfortunately, it also means there is no nap.

No nap.

Just saying it makes me want to cry.

And RH- she's making things worse.  No nap has its drawbacks, but it doesn't really change bedtime.  For the big girls.  But RH has decided that she doesn't believe bedtime happens before 11pm.

And that means all of my writing time is gone.  If there is no nap, and there is no post-bedtime reprieve, when do I write?

How am I writing now?

Ladies and gentlemen, today I reinstated naptime.

And let me tell you, it is fucking GLORIOUS.

I don't know if it can last, but right now, ALL of my children are asleep.  And I am hacking and coughing and reveling in how incredibly peaceful it is to be sick all by myself.

Nursery school starts up again next week, and I'm optimistic that with the return of the school routine I can keep this nap thing going.  But in the meantime, please believe me when I say that I would MUCH rather be blogging.

I will leave you, for today, with a load of photo spam to sum up our chaotic holiday experience.  I will be back tomorrow for my annual New Year's wrap-up, including best pictures and resolutions.

Happy New Year, lovely readers!  I have missed you!!!!

The first night of Channukah, RH got her first present ever.  She handled it well.

DD, me, and SI lighting the candles for Channukah, night two.

Believe it or not, these containers were so exciting that the girls slept with them for two nights.

DD is opening Annie, the result of which is that now SI sings "Tomorrow" on a loop, all day.

Day 5, the girls and I make cookies.  I think Poppa ate a whole batch by himself.

Day 6, new favorite dresses!

We had a party with some of our best friends.  RH handled being passed around by seven year olds beautifully.

The next day.  My family descends upon us with absurd numbers of gifts in tow.  The bacchanal that followed was impossible to photograph.

Rob and Kate were wed amidst much merriment and joy, despite the freezing temps and plausible end of existence.  They got the front page and THREE color photographs in the paper!

Christmas Eve- chaos reigned supreme.

Christmas morning, two hours of bliss and insanity followed by a ten hour drive.

We returned home in time to open stockings at home with Aunt and Uncle Texas, who RH took to immediately.

And last but not least, Santa stopped in to see how the girls were enjoying their Christmas presents.  Thanks, Uncle Robot!

And that, dear readers, is mostly what we've been doing.

It's been a hell of a month.  It's been a hell of a year.

Here's to starting a new one.  :)