HELLO!!!

Hi everyone. Did you think I'd died? No, I'm quite alive. And quite busy. Hence the deplorable lack of blogging. I hope you all will forgive me for my lengthy sabbatical. I do want to keep in touch with you all, and share what's going on in my life. But finding an opportunity to do it is challenging.

So...the last real post I wrote was, I think, shortly after Justice's birth. And he's now almost 7 months. Wow. Let me see...

Summer was busy with working on the house. At this point, all the walls are up, the roof is on, the well and septic system are in and we have plumbing. The next step is the electrical, then the insulation and then the drywall. And after that comes all the fun inside stuff, like sinks and flooring, appliances and paint. Very exciting. We are accepting room reservations for this summer...which means we want you to visit us.

We thought summer was busy. Well, fall was even busier. It started off with Remington and Angie's wedding, which you can read about and view some pictures of here. It was a beautiful event. Ransom was a groomsman.

With November came the real craziness. The 14th was Jay Jr. and Kacey's wedding in San Diego, California. Ransom didn't have enough time off work to make the road trip to and from Cali, so he journeyed via plane while my very patient brother-in-law, Roman, escorted me and my children the 1400-mile, two-day long trip. We caravaned with my parents and siblings and were often accompanied by my sister Paige who was an immense help with the children. We made it to San Diego in one piece and somehow survived the next week. A very sweet, hospitable family opened their home to us and provided us with a wonderful place to come back to after the busyness of each day.

The wedding itself was a grand celebration, complete with a swan-inhabited pond, a carriage pulled by white horses and a reception in a chandeliered ballroom. Ransom was Jay's best man and Honour was a ring bearer. Several kind friends helped out with Justice during the reception, which was a lifesaver, because Honour and Remember were little rascals. By the end of the reception, our section of the table looked like the aftermath of a small tornado. It was clearly marked, "Mallerys were here." I recently read this on a blog: "[We] have this little force field of inconvenience that travels with us, disrupting pretty much everyone we come in contact with." I can SO relate. But, all that said, it makes for a great story now, one to tell the kids when they're in their early twenties. :) And, really, the wedding was absolutely amazing. View some of the pictures here.

On top of the wedding, we actually made a pilgrimage to Disneyland. That was a blast! Armed with a double stroller, a sling for Justice and lots of help from Roman, my sisters and my mom, we had a great day. Honour's favorite ride was the Buzz Lightyear ride, where he got to shoot a laser gun at Zurg. How cool is that? And Remember's favorite was, of course, Small World. My favorite: the final ride that took me down the driveway and up to the door of my own humble apartment. It was good to be home.

But within five days, we were back on the road, this time with Ransom, caravaning with the Mallery clan to Moscow, Idaho to spend Thanksgiving with the Soderbergs. Has anyone ever heard the little ditty that goes, "Cousins, cousins, here come the boys! Mayhem, bedlam, noise, noise, noise!"? Well that right there my friends is a great summing up of what it's like when our whole motley crew gets together. Unless the cousins are asleep. Then we adults take their place. Rayia and Jonathan are always amazing hosts and we had a splendid time. We can't wait to be together again.

Now, we're home and Christmas is rapidly approaching. We've decorated our little apartment, written our family letter and finished the gingerbread house. Actually, I have pictures of the gingerbread house because WE GOT A NEW CAMERA! Happy day.

The next post will be entitled "The Making of The Mallery Family Gingerbread House" with the subtitle being "A Very Non-Martha Stewart Experience." :)

Love to everyone!

JESS