molly good times

It's time for Jeffirs Christmas, which the boys look forward to not because they get presents or get to hang out with 150 cousins (approx.), though they like those things very much. Nope, the real attraction is Molly, Great-uncle Matt's dog. Matt always stays at my grandpa's house, but there are other aunts and uncles who have allergies and also want to stay there, so the solution is to have Molly come and hang out at our house. The boys LOVE Molly. She is so well trained and sweet. Unlike a certain dog who is also sweet but gets into a lot of trouble and who they see every day. But luckily for us, Charlie enjoys having company too.

merry christmas!

Merry Christmas from my three favorite Santas. Since my siblings and I are all grown up now, we just do an ornament exchange with each other. We try to get something fun and/or funny. This year, my brother drew my name and spent what had to be countless minutes fashioning an ornament for me. A lovely star, right? Look closer. That's right, closer. Amazing what you can do with an empty soda can, twist ties, and bullets. Thanks, James! 

brotherly love

Liam left this note for Max (and presumably Henry). See, they can be nice to each other!

photo shoot

So I think I mentioned that at basket bingo I won a photo shoot with a local photographer? I bet you were pretty sure I wouldn't follow up on that. Ha! We really lucked out on this one. Charman, our photographer, also runs the before and after school program at my sister's school, so she is *very* good at getting reluctant/crabby kids to do what she wants. We met her at Potato Creek State Park and did some hiking to find the best spots, and she took approximately one million photos of us in various configurations. Here are some of my favorites: