Happy Advent!

tunnel vision, originally uploaded by chase+kate.

Sorry we've been so completely lame about blogging regularly. Maybe next quarter our personalities will undergo some sort of shift that changes us into the kind of people who consistently update our blog and don't procrastinate until things get overwhelming. Or maybe not. Our friends the Metcalfs have an awesome new camera, and they've taken a gagillion pictures of Wren (including one of her in last year's lovely Christmas dress-jeez-Mom-get-off-my back-already) so someday we'll post those as well. Maybe someday in April. Don't hold your breath.

Our family is doing well. Wren is an official Big Kid now, with the walking and the talking to go along with it. I've heard that the official definition of "big kid" is potty trained- and we're nowhere near that. But she does bring me her diapers and sit down on them when she wants to be changed...?

Also, she puts on her own shoes (thanks for the shoes, Sarah). Then she takes them off immediately in the freezing cold and drops them at random points throughout the grocery store so I have to do a painstaking track-back of my route from freezer aisle to parking lot... before I eventually give up and ask a manager to announce on the P.A. that a stupid woman/terrible mother is looking for a tiny pink shoe with velcro somewhere in the store and if you find it, please bring it to the front.

I remember something in sixth grade about run on sentences, but I think I used up the whole "diagraming sentences" storage unit of my brain with knitting trivia and numerous "surviving a nuclear holocaust" daydreams. Which is maybe why I am enjoying BSG so much. I am also enjoying Terry Pratchett, who I can't believe I haven't read until now. And thank you so much Franny for loaning me P.G. Wodehouse over the summer. And I like Anne Lammot but it turns out I can't handle her in a novel format when she's not sticking to child-rearing. An article in Slate is about the length of my attention for president bashing. It's too easy.

And Lazlo is reading theology books, when he can be pried momentarily away from his birthday GPS unit. I do have to give the damn thing credit for navigating us through treacherous Silverlake last night when our directions got us lost. We made it to the show- all our friends in bands playing together- a fun night. Trumpets and violins and giant drums and Christmas carols. Unfortunately the combination of the ear-bleeding loudness and the fact that I accidentally threw my 7-11 coffee on the door guy made for an exhausting evening. We left before Bodies of Water finished.

I'm being crafty for Christmas, and maybe after I send some packages to Texas I'll post pictures of my creations. I also made my once-a-year-because-they're-so-hard-to-make Christmas cookies. They were Hayley's Commet. Here so briefly, illuminating our world, then gone into the darkness (our collective bellies) before we could blink. Maybe I'll make some more (yeah and maybe I'll actually take that Goodwill box to Goodwill- let's be honest with ourselves).

I hope you all are enjoying the Advent season. I am. The rising of the sun, the running of the deer...sweet singing in the choir. I love this time of year, it could be better if I didn't sweat everytime I walked outside. But hey, I'm from beaumont, where we went Christmas tree shopping in wind shorts after soccer practice. I can take the lack of seasons.

Anyway-, back to Christmas. Repeat the sounding joy. He's almost here. And a shout-out to my ASV fifth grade class-

Veni, veni Emmanuel;
Captivum solve Israel,
Qui gemit in exilio,
Privatus Dei Filio.

Take it away, autoharps.