portraits of 2011

I got the proofs from our family pictures today.

Every outfit but Landon's is different from what I originally picked out, and the kids were only borderline cooperative-- and in only 2 of the 60-something the photographer took are we all actually looking at the camera. But. We look happy, and we look relaxed. And no matter what else is going on in our lives, that is how we usually are around each other. And that is exactly what I wanted the pictures to capture.

This has been an interesting year. It was not marred by any bad events or tragedies, but more mundanely complicated by a series of smaller struggles and adjustments. There was the struggle of JP's job search hitting its 1-year mark, and then the adjustments that came with the wonderful job he began in June. And my job, which had been a consistent positive, finally threw me into a brick wall of hours, travel, and (low) morale. But, we are all healthy and whole and remarkably blessed. A few weeks ago I saw this quote, "If you take care of this moment, you take care of all of time." I would add that while taking care of the moment, it's helpful to at least run a few google searches on whatever you plan to do next, but still, it's been a nice little mantra for me lately. Taking care of the moment- whether that means lingering over something wonderful, or pushing through something hard or difficult to get on to the next thing, just take care of it. It's what you've got.

We're still figuring out this life of ours (something I suppose will never really stop)- determining how it's going to work now, how we want it to work in the future, and where we want it to go next. But anytime I get caught up in the question marks, I just try to remember that I have everything I need in JP and my family, and together we'll work out each step along the way.