just an ordinary day

We've been a little busy around here.  Needless to say a bit hectic.  Living with three tweens, a toddler and a husband has made these last three weeks crazy.  As a result I haven't picked up my camera.  I've wanted to document what was going on in my house.  I wanted to show the world the three adorable Chinese girls I acquired.  I wanted to, I really did.  A mixture of things left me unmotivated and left my camera sitting on top of my dresser just begging to be picked up.  Then one ordinary evening, something very ordinary happened and it was the one thing that made me topple up the stairs in a gitty fit needing to grab my camera....... here it is.



They are beautiful, aren't they!  I was so impressed with the brownie design that I created... it just had to make an appearance.  So then I thought maybe I should take a few more pictures of some other happenings around the house.



This is one of our Chinese girls, Alice.  She is my helper and entertainer out of the three girls.  She longs for Izzy to like her and play with her but lets face it, Izzy is two and she doesn't like anyone and would rather play alone.  I was hoping for this miracle visit from these three girls.  I was hoping it would bring a new culture, a sense of siblings and overseas friends for my little girl.  I don't think any of that happened.  Izzy was shunned from the girl's bedroom after the second day and since then really hasn't wanted to be around the girls.  The three girls tended to keep to the three of them and rarely socialized with us.  They even spoke Chinese at the dinner table.  It wasn't the experience I was hoping for but there were a few moments that I enjoyed.  Like.... driving home with them in the car after school and hearing all about their day, cooking dinner with Alice, listening to their heartfelt note of thanks at the banquet, and hearing all the ohhhhhh's and awwwwe's when ever I showed them something amazing like a drawer in the fridge full of juice boxes just for them.  Would I do it again?  Not this age but definitely another foreign exchange student. 





Look at these too!!  My husband got major bonus points for these.  He brought these home on the day I started life with a new perspective.  Originally I thought the little plastic letters said "Just Believe" and I thought that was so appropriate.  After I read his note, cried like a baby, I realized those letters said "Just Because".  In my head they still say "Just Believe" and I'm happy with that.  While the note was perfect and so personal there is one line that made me realize why I married him... he wrote... "I want you to love yourself as much as I love you".  This is just the challenge I needed and realization that even though he is not around much, he loves me more even when I feel like I hit rock bottom. 
So where is he you may ask.... here....



When he is not at school... he is here at our dining room table, writing codes, figuring statistics and trying to make since of graduate school.  I love when he is home and working.  I can steal kisses in between diaper changes, making meals and cleaning.  He leaves early in the morning, comes to bed late but always has time for kisses (from Izzy and I both). 

So that is what is happening around our house.  Peace and quite will come on Monday and I will be able to breathe.  Phone calls can be made, emails can be answered, photos can be edited and my life can be taken off the "pause" button.   One. More. Ordinary. Day.