"Hoo-hoo" has an opinion?

I LOVE that my boys are strong willed.

I LOVE that they are driven, assertive and know what they want.

I LOVE that they stand up for what they believe in, without backing down, I really do.

I even LOVE their over-stated, sometimes quite surprisingly, very strong opinions...

Especially the ones that make me chuckle...

~

Well, we've been meaning to see this movie for a while and just hadn't made it yet.

You know, other priorities first.

But somehow it finally snuck up to the top of our list.

.

.

So we took the boys out to the Buck-Flick...

We thought they would all LOVE it...

Ha!

Well, the big boys sat glued, as expected...

And Bronson, wild monkey,

took advantage of the nearly empty theatre

and ran up...

and down...

and back...

and forth...

and through...

the aisles...

just his little blonde head silently bobbing up and down,

glowing above the seat tops in front of us.

{Sigh}

Honestly...

Who ARE his parents to allow that sort of behavior?

So anyway, he and I missed half of it...

~

But it was our D who was the surprise!

...He is such a movie buff!

He'll watch anything!

And he has LOVED every other 3D movie that he's seen,

which is why this came as such a shock!

Halfway through,

upon my return from yet another run to the Lobby

with my crazy little maniac,

I found D slumped and scowling in his booster,

glaring at the big screen over the tops of his 3D glasses.

"D, what's wrong?", I whispered.

He gruffly and not-so-quietly whispered back,

"I want to go home!"

"What?", I asked, genuinely surprised.

"I hate this movie!", again, not-so-quiet.

"Why? What's the matter?", trying to soothe him.

Then this, increasingly louder and with pure and unmistakable spite,

"I HATE owls!"

Snickers from the handful of other theatre-goers within a few rows' vicinity*...

Well, there you have it...

Hooooo knew?

~

*My apologies to anyone who was there, trying to quietly enjoy their night out...

But hey!

Glad we could help entertain you for the evening!

Merry Christmas to All...

And to all...

A good night!

(In case yours hasn't arrived yet, here's a peek at our Christmas Card...)

~

~

~

We love you all and are so grateful for your love,

prayers, friendship and support, this year and always!

~

Here's hoping this finds you happy, healthy

and enjoying the best of this glorious season!

~

Much Love~

The Staker Family

(...All 6 of us!)

HERE is a good place to be...

I know it has been forever since I've posted...

More on that another day...

But it suffices to say that it has been out of necessity...

Partly because I needed a bit of a break...

But mostly because we have just plain been busy enjoying life!

And enjoying it to it's fullest!

(And when I say FULL-est, I do not believe it is an overstatement!)

Also, {sigh}...

As unreasonable as I know it is,

I can not seem to give up this crazy notion that I somehow need to "catch up".

At this point, I know that is not realistic, so I am going to try to just jump in.

Right here.

Right now.

Right. Where. We. Are.

Because where we ARE is a good place to be.

A very good place.

~

Today I am preparing for a Family Christmas Party, here at our home.

Tonight I will see Aunts, Uncles and Cousins I have dearly missed.

And as I tidy up and primp and polish our home to prepare for guests,

my gratitude for where we ARE overflows.

~

I have six beloved stockings hanging from my mantle.

Santa will fill ALL of them in just a few short days.

And we will ALL be here to enjoy watching one another

open the gifts we have so carefully selected for one another.

I could not be more grateful.

I feel as if I might burst.

~

A pile of Christmas Cards sits anxiously next to me on my desk,

waiting for me to find the time to finish addressing the envelopes.

I will get to them... I will.

Sometime.

For now, I am content to read "The Santa Claus Book"to 4 rowdy little sets of eager ears... Again.

Oh, yes.

The cards can wait.

~

They are darling, by the way.

The cards.

I can not wait to finish sending them.

The front is a surprise.

(If I told you here, it would spoil it.)

But I will say this...

A new, current family portrait adorns the back.

I adore it.

~

~

I gush with gratitude that we are ALL together to have it taken.

To preserve the memory of the year that changed us... FOREVER.

And that, in the end, despite what has crumbled behind us,

We are still standing... Together.

~

And this might just be my favorite image in all the world today.

~

~

No further explanation needed.

~

There are 4 very sweet faces smiling up at me from the bottom of the card.

ALL of them growing, learning, thriving. HERE.

~

~

Yes, HERE is a good place to be.

Home. Together.

Listening to Christmas tunes caroling out through our intercom.

Watching the snow fall through the fog outside.

In our jammies, making soup to serve to those we love.

Who will be here to see us and visit in just a few short hours.

I can't wait!

...Guess I better go shower!

~