Things here have been a little, well, scattered. After all, it has been just 2 weeks since Gemma arrived and Christmas and New Years fell in the middle there, so. . . Anyway, as a result, I’m a little scattered, too. Each night I have the best of intentions to write about the wonders of the given day and, wouldn’t cha know? I can’t recall a single thing. Thus THIS scattered post.

– Did you know that boys spin and girls twirl? It looks the exact same, but according to Philip is very, very different indeed.

– Mama Syd and Papa Chris arrived two days ago bringing with them arms to hold a baby, Christmas gifts and delicious California produce.

– We have eaten nearly all the tangerines that came fromSalida. If I close my eyes, it’s almost like being at home.

– Speaking of home, it’s 72 degrees here today. What!?! Let us remember that it is the 5th of January. In South Dakota. Crazy talk!

– Tess received a camera for Christmas and has been busy photographing all she finds interesting. She’s also become adept at deleting the “soggy” ones. Her brothers have tried to tell her the term is “blurry,” but she prefers hers instead. I think I might, too.

– Ellie was heard earlier in the week singing “Monkey bah-ha-haaalllllls!” I don’t know. I really, truly don’t know.

– The downstairs toilet up and died. That leaves 1toilet for eight toilet users, two with a touch of some kind of bug. Exciting, let me tell you!

– Because of the toilet fiasco, we currently have a toilet with a baby blue seat and lid chilling by our garbage can while the boys are hunting down the proper parts to install a new toilet. Can you say ‘ghetto’?

– There was a funny conversation about poker which led to Tess asking what a poker party is. Except, with her inability to say her ‘r’s it came out like “Polka Party” which Jac proceeded to explain with some super great polka tunes. The girls loved it and busted out some fancy footwork. Since then, Ellie has been requesting “party music.” Awesome.

– Max fell through the roof of the play structure today while attempting to shoot a squirrel with his BB gun. Neither boy nor squirrel were seriously harmed in the incident.

– The chaos that obviously reigns in these parts has no known effect on The Gemma girl. She sleeps through it all. I wish I could, too.