dear haiti,

you are in my heart & i pray for you & your children each day.

love, me.

happy 170

170. fine art.

2010

love

the other night while out at dinner, michael walked in to the restaurant a little late. when hank saw him, he turned to henry & said...

"that's my daddy".

if someone had told me a year ago that i could share this sweet moment, i would not have believed them. but, i have learned that a daddy can earn that name. michael, in every way, has earned it with our children. the proof? in the eyes, the smile & the words of a two year old boy.

the 12 hours of christmas

we were blessed this year to have kim, ken & my five new nieces & nephew stay with us for the holidays! so.... christmas morning was a first. the whole big-ham family came over in their pj's for laughing, unwrapping & sooo much fun. then we went to nanni's for breakfast & more:

12 stockings stuffed

11 giant trash bags

10 (thousand) presents

9 pairs of scissors

8 anxious children

7 in the morning

6 dozen orange rolls

5 cameras snapping...

4 presents missing

3 more cousins joined us

2 grandparents

& a puppy hiding under a bed!

a poem

bad is easy, good is hard.

Losing is easy. Winning is hard.
Talking is easy. Listening is hard.
Watching TV is easy. Reading is hard.
Giving advice is easy. Taking advice is hard.
Flab is easy. Muscle is hard.
Stop is easy. Go is hard.
Dirty is easy. Clean is hard.
Take is easy. Give is hard.
Dream is easy. Think is hard.
Lying is easy. Truth is hard.
Sleeping is easy. Waking is hard.
Holding a grudge is easy. Forgiving is hard.
Telling a secret is easy. Keeping a secret is hard.
Play is easy. Work is hard.
Falling is easy. Getting up is hard.
Spending is easy. Saving is hard.
Eating is easy. Dieting is hard.
Doubt is easy. Faith is hard.
Criticizing is easy. Taking criticism is hard.
Secrecy is easy. Confession is hard.
Pride is easy. Humility is hard.
Excusing oneself is easy. Excusing others is hard
Borrowing is easy. Paying back is hard.
Immorality is easy. Chastity is hard.
Argument is easy. Negotiation is hard.
Going along is easy. Walking alone is hard.
Dumb is easy. Smart is hard.
Cowardice is easy. Bravery is hard.
Messy is easy. Neat is hard.
War is easy. Peace is hard.
Sarcasm is easy. Sincerity is hard.
An F is easy. An A is hard.
Growing weeds is easy. Growing flowers is hard.
Can’t do is easy. Can do is hard.
Feasting is easy. Fasting is hard.
Talking about God is easy. Following God is hard.

(thanks for the poem, maryam)

happy 88th milo!

happy 169

169. nike +... i'm kinda obsessed!

the 24th: part 1

we had breakfast with close friends.

then headed over to my in-laws for christmas eve dinner. one of their traditional dishes is fried cauliflower...they didn't make enough! it was tdf, seriously.

jeremy, katers & chris (j's mom)

the festivities proved to be a little too much for the frell.

"why are you taking a picture of me?"

they boys & the train...

daddy, the kids... and spencer, lol!

the lion king

one of hank's favorite things!

the annual pj's on the head pic

under the mistletoe

me & my favorite girls

kylie & desi

the ladies in our j's!

hank... after dinner on our way to part 2!

the 24th: part 2

my family's christmas eve was at our house this year (a gardner first because of my mom's surgeries). by the time we got there, appetizers were being eaten & music was playing!

2 of my beautiful sisters

mom's traditional "christmas crackers" found hank a buzz lightyear!

to infitinity & beyond...

& my favorite part, the nativity.

shepherd & her lamb

the year the kids got creative & brought Mary in on rocking horse, classic.

the wise men

a naughty old shepherd

the cast

dad, the narrator

i think frell thought she was king herod

the night wound down, & hank ate some sprinkles.

mom read, twas the night before christmas...

the bean brothers got beans...

mom & dad got their 1st apple tv!

hank got cars...

& we all had a great time, as always!

then, we laid out some treats for jolly old saint nick... & the elves went to work.