Missing Metaphors...

Caleb has taken to wearing clip-on ties with his pajamas. I’m trying to find a metaphor in it for our chaotic and wonderfully creative lives, but nothing really comes to mind.

Gavi sings more than he talks, and through singing, he finds new sounds that he hadn’t previously been able to make with his words. I’m sure there’s a metaphor there, too.

While the chaos of 2009 has thus far been equal or greater than the insanity of 2008, we all seem to be a little more positive in the midst of it. Take this blog, for instance. I’ve been meaning to write something for oh, about three months now, and in 2008, I beat myself up about my inability to fit something so small into my life. But in 2009, I have a more laid back approach ~ que sera, sera, if you will. Spending time with my kids is more important than recording their lives. I don’t want to have a mountain of pictures to testify to my time with them, but no memories outside of the images.

Although I didn’t make New Year’s resolutions, my biggest hope for this year is that I can be a little more realistic in my self-expectations. I still haven’t written thank-you notes for Christmas. The OLD Amanda would have judged the crap out of this new, lackadaisical Amanda – beaten her down until the last thing she felt was the attitude of gratitude necessary for thank you notes. But the new and improved Amanda says, “Everyone I need to send a note to knows that with my two little bundles of energy sapping what energy I have left after their new brother or sister gets done with me, thank you notes are pretty low on the hierarchy of important things to do.”

It’s a run on sentence, but no less true because of it!

There’s a little less than five weeks until we find out whether we’re having a boy or a girl. I’ve had TWO ultrasounds already, so I’m positive it’s not twins. (That’s something I’ve sickeningly hoped for with all my pregnancies thus far.) And once again, I swear that this will be my last pregnancy. I can’t STAND being pregnant! But then those little babies hit the one year mark and I’ve forgotten the misery and just want another sweet monkey! But I’m hoping I can restrain myself this time.

I’ve missed so much to report that it’s ridiculous, so I’m not going to try. Suffice it to say that Caleb gets more and more ridiculously smart every day, Gavi is the cutest thing on the planet and showing no inclination toward being a jabberbox like his brother, and we adults are just hanging on for the adventure! Jon’s job is going really well. We praise God that even in this unstable economy, He continues to meet our needs above and beyond what we have a right to expect. I’ve been unemployed for twenty months now, and we still haven’t had to seriously consider changing our lifestyle. Yay, stay at home moms!

Happy New Year, All! Let’s make this the best year of our lives so far!