2013, I dig it.

There are certain dates that I just don't like to write.  2010 I loved, nice and round.  2011, too awkward and 2012, eh.  But 2013 I can get behind.  That being said, let's just see what we've been up to, shall we?
One week in and I am feeling pretty good.  I mean, we've got the typical amount of bickering, whining and general "untidiness" going on but I have 5 healthy children, one of which is a baby whose sleeping habits are remarkably better than they were a month ago.  And I'll take that.  (It sure doesn't explain why I didn't sleep last night though...oh wait, that would be the three OTHER children that kept trying to climb into our bed all night.)
Christmas break is over.  We didn't go anywhere and it was wonderful.  We played with friends and ate yummy food and hung around our house playing games and watching movies.
On New Year's day, the last day of the break for us, we got up and went to breakfast together and then headed downtown to a museum.  I love winter in DC because you get the city to yourself.  Summer is just crazy with tourists, crazy and crowded.  Winter is slow paced and roomy.  Being a Tuesday, we hit up the Natural History Museum for their free admission to the butterfly exhibit, always a favorite.

Haley was the only lucky recipient of a butterfly landing.  Mia and Abby must have sat on the ledge perfectly still for 10 minutes waiting - the butterflies were keeping their distance.

Outside, I was completely entertained by Abby.  Who needs a dog when you have kids?  She was chasing squirrels up trees.  It was kind of hilarious.

REWIND:
Remember last month when it was Christmas?  That was a good time too.  It was very low key this year with no extended family or friends on Christmas Eve.  Just us.  We had our traditional julboard, albeit a simple one with meatballs and potato casserole.  Then we read Luke 2 and acted out the nativity.  Baby Jesus was super comfy in his rubbermaid bin.  Ignore the bear, tiger and cat that are in there with him...they are supposed to be sheep.  I particularly liked the paper indicating his location: Bethlehem.

The kids got new jammies and then it was off to bed where they continued with one of my favorite family traditions growing up, sleeping in the same room after the oldest reads Christmas stories.

 I love Christmas (almost as much as I love my red polka dot wrapping paper.)

Clark and I like to make them wait on the stairs Christmas morning as long as possible...until they can't take it anymore.

Sibling gifts are my favorite.  The girls each had a chance to earn special Christmas bucks in December to pay for gifts for their family.  They were so excited, it was the best part.

You know that you have officially "arrived" as a mother and homemaker, when you get practical things for Christmas, and it makes you happy.  Clark is especially talented at wrapping said gifts.  It reminds me of the year that he got me a new purse and wrapped all up it looked exactly like, a purse, with the handles and everything.

I'm especially talented at making funny shirts (that I copied from somewhere else) for my husband...my boring husband who pretty much just wanted exercise stuff and books.

I think Jonah's favorite gift was Chewbacca.  He makes wookie noises when you push his stomach.  He and Jonah communicate remarkably well.  And it makes him laugh.  Which makes us laugh.

I have spent the last month getting back into projects again.  I like projects.  Projects are fun.  They allow me to totally neglect other things that I don't feel like doing, to make something fun, or pretty.  I did a lot for Christmas.  My big gift this year was a new Silhouette Cameo machine.  I am in love.  You can do anything and everything on it.  And I have.  Though not all things pictured were done on the machine, I still talk to it like it's my best friend while I am working in the office here (but not really.)

I cannot believe that we are almost half way through the school year.  Time is flying by as usual.  I have hit the significant "6 month mark" of post baby where certain aspects of my life start to fall back into place.  The transition with this baby has been very different than the others, some ways better and some ways harder.  But we are finding our new normal just in time for that normal to change in a few months when Clark transitions out of the Navy.  2013 is going to be another big year for us, and I think we are ready.

And now I would like to end with the common occurrence of skyping with my sister Abby.  It usually ends with a kids on the desk and my sister peeking her head around them.  And then someone gets into the markers or smears something on the kitchen floor and we have to say goodbye.