blessed beyond measure

So yeah. There hasn't been much time lately. Which is only half-true. There have been plenty of times I have said to myself, "Probably should blog," only to opt for the Hallmark Channel. Christmas comes but one and a half months a year, you know. But really, I honestly can't tell you why posting has steadily dwindled through the year. Maybe lack of inspiration. Which can't be it, because the boys do something pretty much every day that makes me shake my head in disbelief. Over-inspiration? Whatever the case, my brain has decided it's time. It is the end of November. The house is as decorated as it's going to be. Christmas cards are stuffed, stamped, and stuck. Stuck, that is, with insurance company return address labels and my own nerdariffic mail-merge printed address labels. Yes, I have a database. Judge away. And most of my shopping is done. Darn you, Toys R Us, for not discreetly labeling mail-order kids' stuff. So it would seem a...

I've been sitting here for an hour, the guilt of having not blogged in two weeks eating me alive. And I just can't do it. Wrote several uninteresting paragraphs and deleted them. There's just nothing to say. Don't get me wrong. Life is really good. Exhausting, but good. It's basketball season. There is no space for cohesive thoughts in my mind. We have once again entered survival mode. Maybe at some point I'll be able to write again. For now, my apologies to the grandparents. Here are some pictures to fill the void.

They did indeed wear their costumes. And wore them well. Trey ended up choosing to be Papa Bear from The Berenstain Bears for "Book Character Day" at school. And Aden reclaimed Brandon's mouse costume. Thank you, thank you Giga for working so hard to make these outfits happen! Trunk or Treat was fun-ish. Breezy and freezy. Trey was a great, slow thorough candy giver-outer. And no one was happier to receive than his brother, who begged "mo kind-dy" (more candy) from his Daddy all night. After giving out nearly all of our 600 pieces of candy in only the first hour, Trey apparently had a confrontation with something milk- or peanut-infested, and had a nasty little food reaction. So we Halloweenied out and closed up shop early. Er, closed up trunk. And made it home in time for the last half of Charlie Brown. And now, it's time. I may or may not have listened to Christmas music and tuned into Hallmark Channel's holiday preview t...