Reports of my blog slackerhood have been greatly exaggerated. Except not really.

You know how, when you have an email to answer or a phone call to make, only you put it off for too long and then you think, "Oh there's so much to tell now, how can I get through it all?" That's a little how I've felt about this blog, dear readers. It's been a little busy here at my casa, what with the whole my-family-is-here thing and then the whole i-am-a-bit-tired-and-i-have-a-newborn-and-oh-wait-i-also-have-2-other-kids-thing. And now I'm tired from pressing the hyphen key so much. See how hard my life is?

So that's how I was feeling. "Arghh! I need to blog." But then I realized that the internet is actually kind of full of things to read and that, as lovely and nice as you guys are to read my little piece of interwebs, you probably have lives and stuff and aren't all that freaked that I haven't posted in a week or so. It's not like this is an issue of national security or anything. At least it wasn't the last time I checked. So I decided I'd just come and say hi. Cause I miss y'all. Really, I do.

The last few weeks with my family here have been a real treat. It's amazing how we pick up right where we left off, and how normal it feels to have them here. That's a comforting feeling--that even though we are hemispheres apart, there's no re=entry or introductions needed. My sister and I immediately return to checking the status of each other's highlights and muffin tops, we tease my mom about her abnormally short forearms, my dad reads to us from his Iphone about supernovas. And that, my friends, is what families are for.

Becky and her crew headed back to Atlanta today. I am so thankful they went to the trouble and expense to come here. We had a great time! Last night, I asked her if she thought we'd savored the time together enough. (Sometimes, my savoring the moment is inhibited by my wondering if I've savored the moment enough.) I think we did, though.


Here's a couple things I'll savor:
--Nate and his cousin Hank's continual competitions: fighting in the car about who was a "happier boy", seeing whose fake burping was better, arguing over whose mama Shrek most resembles. (No comment on that one.)

--Sharing some of my favorite Aussie treats and sights with my family: lamingtons, fresh scones with jam and cream, the Blue Mountains, the ferry ride into Sydney Harbour, and Hugh Jackman. (Ok, not really. Just seeing if you're still reading.) (And I know scones aren't just Aussie treats, but you know what I mean.)

--My dad's supernatural ability to keep Grace asleep on his chest for hours at a time. Seriously, if you have a newborn in your house, see about renting his services for a week or two. It's a powerful gift.

--The memory of Nate running towards a statue of a naked man at a plaza in the Blue Mountains, grabbing a crucial part of the statue's anatomy in his fist (take a guess) and yelling out joyously, "Look, Mama! His hiney!!" Why he calls it a "hiney", I have no idea. The groups of tourists walking by at that moment made it especially awesome. I just had to ask Mom and Dad the best way to spell hiney. I thought maybe it should be heinie. That is also what families are for.

Dad has been holding Grace so I could write this post. She is blissfully asleep, but I think he'd like to go to bed now. Even the supernaturally gifted need their rest. So I better close.

Any moments you've been savoring lately? Or if not, any naked statues? Cause those are kinda cool.