We're Still Here!

Well...it looks like I've fallen off the blogging bandwagon. I have. I've been so super busy with everything (I do have 4 kids) that I haven't blogged in a while. I've got plenty to blog about but just no time really. I should be scrubbing the kitchen floor and ironing right now, but I want to sit for a few minutes.

I just had to explain the new header. That picture was taken in an attempt by Matt's parents last Christmas to get a family picture of us in front of the tree. Every year we do this, and every year the picture looks something like this one. I actually did have one halfway good picture, but this one was just too fun to pass up! This is the Stines...what you see is what you get! We're loud, crazy, busy, chaotic...we weren't before we had so many kids. I actually remember having 2 sweet little girls and being a very normal, quiet family like everyone else. Then came #3 and #4. That changed everything!

We haven't taken a Christmas picture yet. Not because I'm a procrastinator (I'm not). I waited forever to get their matching outfits in. I seriously could not find 4 matching outfits for boys and girls sizes 2-6x in any of my favorite boutiques.,..seriously. And I started looking early (like early October). So I ordered on the Internet. I was about to order them when I got an email that they were going to go 50% off for Black Friday...so I did what any frugal stay-at-home mom who has to buy 4 matching outfits would do...I ordered them right after midnight on Black Friday. Then a week later I got an email saying that Ali Kate's dress wasn't in stock....really?!? Really. After all of the hunting, planning, searching I'd done...and it wasn't in stock. So what do I do? I scoured the internet to find it and called all kinds of places to be sure they had it before I clicked "order" on another site. I found it. Paid full price plus $6 shipping (ouch!). Then I had to wait almost another week to get it. In the meantime, Grant's longall had to be hemmed. A fabulous woman did hem it in 24 hours...we'll be repeat customers of hers!
And in the meantime, I did get the girls all new haircuts so they'd be cute for the pictures...and I cut Grant's hair myself (I'll so have to post about that later). Let's just say that my calling is not to be a stylist. Ever.

So after all of this, I've got 4 matching outfits (which are beautiful I might add) in hand...but 2 of my 4 have the most disgusting snotty noses (and Grant has a big goose egg on his head...which is normal for him...he's all boy and into EVERYTHING). So we've been waiting for a couple of more days for them to look cute again to try to snap that perfect photo and get these cards on their way.

And if we don't get the photo? No problem...we could always send this one!