A LampPost Flickering

Two days before Christmas. (Or as one of the kids joked: today is Christmas Adam, because Adam came before Eve. <Insert rim shot>) The kids are hyped. The parents are excited and already a little tired. Four Christmases worth of gifts are thoughtfully chosen, wrapped, and packed into every available space in the Suburban, along with food to share, extra bedding, wintery clothes, the extra table, Gabe's guitar, the Kitchenaid mixer. Also, the computer for photo editing. And the camping chairs, because seating is going to be an issue. Big family probs. My husband had the pleasure of playing Tetris in the back of the truck, but he got it all to fit, not without bewilderment at the sheer volume of items I wanted to take. "I just want to make good memories for the kids!" I told him when he questioned why on earth I was packing the icicle lights and spinning my wheels to do a thousand other things in my attempt to make this season memorable, hoping that my service will be

Two moves. One older-child adoption. One deployment. One year homeschooling five children. Maybe I really did fall off the earth. I'm trying desperately to claw my way back on. I want to be back here. I think I'm ready. The last time I left you, we were just a couple of weeks from traveling to bring home Rosy. Some of you are connected with me either in real life or social media, so you weren't exactly left hanging, but for any new readers, she is home. On June 17th, we just celebrated our One Year Gotcha Day anniversary. Rosy signing papers and making her daughtership official. (Momma signed some papers, too. Lots and lots of papers.) Lily was the most amazing travel companion and the perfect big sister. A year later, this fearless kid loves life and shines like the sun in the sky. Princess in search of candy. She didn't have to look far. God was so tender and merciful to us throughout the adjustment of a new family dynamic, which include