December

December is here... short days and increased activity as we move closer to the holidays.  The darkness comes so early; it isn't uncommon for the sun to be setting as I drive home from work. To add to the usual complexity of December and holidays, I traveled to Seattle for five days, where I spent much of my time being very sick.  In fact, I'm still recovering.

So, I'm trying to keep our activities at the slowest pace possible.  Our meals have been very simple, our evenings as uncluttered as possible, and the shopping for the holidays mostly online.  Alex is still a dedicated wearer of his "soccer hat" and is daily showing signs of being a bigger, more grown up person around the house.  I enjoyed our conversations and am genuinely appreciating the changes and growth I see in him.

Jameson has been fascinated with a "new to him" white board, which he writes and draws on almost daily.  I have been the lucky recipient of many love notes, and so I snap quick pictures on my iPhone before they disappear.  It's almost painful to see him wipe them away.  As I take a sharp inhale that hinges on regret, I realize that it is all fleeting; the short days, the boys as they are now, the patterns and rhythms of family life as it is right now.  And so, I enjoy it to the fullest extent, I snap a few pictures, and then get up and do it again the next day.

Happy December.