All My Children

These are photos from my Mom's house on Christmas Eve. When I previewed the picture with me, Matthew and Rachel, I couldn't believe how much taller Matthew is than me now. I knew he was taller, but the picture shows me just how much. (wow!)

Krista came over to join the family get together. She and Josh surprised us with a framed photo of the two of them that they had taken together not too long ago. Awwwww!

Matthew couldn't wait to open gifts, it was as if he was four years old again. I love it. Poor Alec was suffering from a stomach ache but managed to stay excited about gift opening.

Its really strange this year to reflect on our family. John and I discuss the changes in our children quite often. Josh, now that he has graduated from high school and is working full time, is such a young man now with his own path. Working, which he takes great pride in. Going to school, which he has signed up for two classes again for the upcoming semester and wants to continue to pursue. And then there is the fact of him going from hanging out with his friends and not really dating anyone to being inseparable with Krista. The past few winters he has really struggled with depression and so far this year there are no signs whatsoever. Its good to see him excited and happy.

Matthew has been driving with his permit since the end of summer and looks so forward to getting his license next June. He and John have been searching for a fix-em-up-pick-em-up-truck. HAS to be a Chevy. John and I found a nice Ford here in Metamora for a decent price and Matt will have nothing to do with it. He has always been like that. Once he gets his mind made up with something its that or nothing. So its been pretty fun to watch the two of them searching and bidding on ebay, saying they are going to go on a road trip to pick up a truck in some other state. But when it comes down to it and Matt pulls out of the driveway for the first time with his own vehicle, I will cry.

How can we not look at Rachel and just say, wow. She went from being a little eight year old girl to this twelve year old pre teen, it seems overnight. When I first let her wear make-up, she would stand next to me and get ready in my room/bathroom. Just this week she has moved everything of hers to her room and has created a make-up table out of a desk that I picked up at a garage sale a few years ago. I'll walk by her room and she'll be listening to her ipod/ihome thingy, sitting at her desk with her make-up applied and using the hair straightener. I'm thinking to myself, how did this happen? Its fun to watch her bloom though. When you have a daughter her age with the fresh face and beautiful "young" hair, it just reminds you of how old you really are now. Depressing....

Alec is still my young-en, don't have a lot of worries there yet. :)

Goodbye 2007 and hello 2008. Oh, and I'll be 40 this year. aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!