Happy New Year to a one week old 2015!

Every day I have experiences or thoughts and tell myself "I am going to blog about that".  Then I don't.  About half the time I cannot ever remember what I was so excited about in the first place!

I think about my kids the most.  More than anything else.  Never sure what will pop into my head (as long as it isn't another brain tumor!)

I try to make some sense out of age and stages.   And what it all means.  As I sit here typing, I look up expecting to be in a pub in Freemantle Western Australia that a friend owns.   He had video games that the kids love.

I place each child and memorable activity of one sort or another, with a place.    Courtney and Morgan sitting under the Christmas tree in Chiang Mai.

The American/ Australian Women's club in Perth admiring our Christmas tree and party.  Looking out to the beautiful views of the Swan River and the city of Perth.    We got that one right!  Three years in a row we hosted them.

Back in time to Thailand again.  This time Bangkok.  I am pregnant and happy as we open gifts from home.  Christmas music plays on the armed forces radio station.   It's the tropics and the weather is all wrong, but we are happy.   I was pregnant both of the Christmases we spent in Bangkok.   Only got one baby out of the deal.  That was Courtney.

Courtney's first Christmas at Grandma and Grandpa Sherwood's house.  Courtney had a red velvet dress on with ruffled bum tights and saddle shoes.  Or maybe the earlier shoes- white baby shoes.   She discovered pretty quickly that running on the hardwood floor in tights is a bad idea!

Christmases in the house, in Reston.  Our first Christmas in this house was in 1983.  Courtney was five and Morgan was 2.  What excitement!  And all the grandparents and aunts and uncles were still living. How hectic can you get!

For our second Christmas in the house, in 1986, we had three kids.  Courtney 8, Morgan 5, and Darcy 2.5.  Austin would make his debut appearance in May 1987.

We were here, in Reston, with four kids in 1987 and 88.

For Christmas 1989. we were in Taiwan.  We went into town and bought an artificial tree from the store called Mr Christmas".  We are still using that tree!

Christmas 1990, we were in Hong Kong with 2.5 week old Chance and all of the older siblings.  In a hotel suite that was chosen for it's proximity to Toys R Us.

Well, this is nothing like what I thought I would write, but I had fun doing it!


Nite nite folks!