Four parts.

Curt woke up yesterday with the idea to have Heather, Jimmy & their family over for dinner last night. I was afraid that with the last minute invite, they might not be able to hop in the car and make the hour & 15 minute drive, but they did! YAY!

They got to our house just after 4:30, so we rushed the kiddos outside in an attempt to get some photos before it got dark. It seems rare that I get to take pictures of their family. Plus, my gosh, if they don't have the single most cooperative two-year-old-red-headed-maniac-child in the world, I don't know who does! And, honestly, I think I'm gonna have to stop calling him the maniac child. He's not so much a maniac anymore. He's settled down quite nicely, although I think he's passed on his mania to his little brother Kyden. The thing about Kyden, though, is that he already had his own share of mania before acquiring his brothers. So, yeah... he's doubly maniacal. Haha! Sweet little guy. He's just as cute as he can be. He's just... well... busy as ALL GET OUT! Plus, he doesn't seem to like me much.

ANYway. So, like I said, we went out front to try to get some pictures. Camden was perfect. Seriously. I wouldn't think a two-year-old could be that cooperative for pictures. My girls never were, that's for sure. He'd stay put but give you the most genuine interactions. I got several sweet shots of him.



One of Camden with big brother, Ryan. I'm pretty sure Ryan was trying to reason with him about something. I'm not sure what. (This one looks fairly dull. I must have forgotten a step in post processing. Ha!)
A quick one of Summer & Ryan. I say this every time I mention them, and I'll say it again... they're growing RIGHT up. Man. (They share such an interesting eye color. It almost looks fake!)
And then there's the four of 'em. Summer, Ryan, Camden, Kyden. I just thought it would be nice to get a picture of the four kids together. Unfortunately Kyden did not. I tried to bribe the kid with Smarties. That didn't work. But, Heather says this is pretty typical of their family dynamics. Kyden cries, the rest sit patiently. Haha! So, I snapped the pictures. You've GOT to notice Camden's eyes in this first one. Ha!

So, yeah... now you understand why I don't have many pictures of Kyden, right!?! :-)

Anyway, dinner was nice. We made manicotti, which is a treat for our family. We were raised thinking manicotti is too much work. And it is, really. It's something that Mom makes only occasionally, but always for Heather's birthday dinner because that's what she always asks for. Heather said she hadn't had manicotti in years. You know... since my parents have lived in China & all for the past several years. We cooked together, and it was fun. I'm finding that as I get older, I really, really, REALLY enjoy cooking with others. They don't even have to help. If there's someone hanging out in the kitchen with me, I'll be pleased as punch to make all the "time consuming" dishes! Ha! But, Heather did help. Thanks Heather!

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On to part two of this post. So, Maya woke up yesterday & dressed herself. Because, you know, I don't like to get out of my pajamas if I can help it? Remember that? Anyway, she dressed herself. She chose a pale pink with white polka dots three ruffle tiered skirt. (Got that?) She likes that skirt. A lot. And, the funny thing is that she's decided that the skirt goes best with a polka dot top, too. And, why not? You know? Well, it inspired me. The outfit looked JUST like the little setup I we had going on for the "super sweet family" shoot. It mirrored it perfectly. So, what did I do? You betcha... I headed out to the garage & tacked the fabric to the wall, put the stool in front of it & called sweet Maya Papaya out to sit for me. Thankfully, she was happy to oblige (this time,) and I got some of my most favorite (recent Ha!) pictures of her.

New fave:

Isn't she just the cutest stinkin' thing? I can hardly stand it.

And, on an unrelated note... Emma & Maya started DANCE today! Wooohooo! I've never been much of a girly girl mom. I really thought I'd try to steer them towards soccer or something. But, yeah, they guilted me into the whole dance thing. Funny thing about it, they never asked to take dance. They never said a word that guilted me. It was the endless hours of "dancing" that goes on around our house. They try SO, SO hard to do ballet, especially. And, they're SO proud of themselves. Poor little things dancing around in the kitchen... that's when the guilt kicks in. So, yeah. They went. They LOVED it. My gosh, you should have seen them. Today was one of those days when my little mommy heart swelled with pride. You know, when you watch your kids so intently as they try something new? Every little move, every step or misstep... you can't take your eyes off them. And, you realize that you're smiling from ear to ear, giggling audibly at their cuteness. And, not a soul around you cares one iota. Haha! It was one of those days. I love those girls, and they love dance. Ballet and tap to be exact.

I have to say, though, that we were running so late that I didn't get to take any pictures today. Rest assured, though, that there WILL be dance pictures soon. :-) Watch for that.

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Did you know what you were getting into today by stopping by my blog!?! That's right... part three! I have to tell you that I'm counting down to February 1st. I'm anxious for it to get here. Do you know why? Because, on February 1st, I'll be able to say that my parents are moving back home NEXT MONTH! Yay!!!!!! They've lived in China for several years. They moved there for the first time less than six months after Curt & I got married. In March, we'll be married for eight years. We've missed them so much over the years, always selfishly wanting them to be here. With us. We're in the home stretch. It's almost unbelievable to me! Seriously... do you know how long we've been waiting for them to come home?

I remember just crying & crying & crying when they told us they were moving. There have been countless moments along the way when I so ached for their presence, when just being in the same room as them would have invoked a sense of safety, security, comfort. I know why they went, and I'm at ease with that. The other side of the world borrowed them for a time, and you should see the way they're leaving it... such a better place. I'm just so selfishly happy to have them coming home. My girls adore them from afar, and it makes my heart happy to know that soon enough they'll be a constant in their day to day lives. So, yeah... February can't get here soon enough. :-)

And, on a side note... I was able to ask my mom to babysit on March 14th! She said yes!

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And, unfortunately, there is a part four. I wish with my whole being that there was not a part four. To my two very, very dear friends who are independently dealing with major heartache, know that my heart aches with you guys & for you guys & your families. I'm really bad at knowing what to say in times like these. Please just know that I'm deeply saddened. You guys are in our prayers.