Today is the last day of our trip to Florida – it’s been a wild ride. Our first trip as a family of six, and to repeat a quote I’ve heard before: there is no such thing as a vacation with small children. It’s been a lot of fun, and a lot of work. I have many pictures and stories to share, but again with the New Year’s resolution of getting to bed at a reasonable hour. (It’s 2am. My alarm is set for 6am to catch our flight). I would also love to finish the rest of my year-end recap before February. But again with the goal of getting to bed on time. (Also on my to-do list: plan a birthday party for Jafta whose birthday was a week ago, send off the rest of the Christmas cards I’ve neglected to buy stamps for, and write a couple posts for ShePosts. This reasonable bedtime thing is really looking promising for me). I was quoted in the New York Times on Monday on my ill feelings towards the minivan. (You have to log in to read it on their website but it is available at Yahoo). Since then, I’ve gotten lots of emails and comments from strangers, letting me know how shallow I am for worrying about what kind of car I drive. So, in case you’ve arrived here by way of that article and would like to inform me of how ridiculous I am: I KNOW. Also, I am prone to exaggeration, dramatics, procrastination, and hyperbole. And I sometimes go to Disney resorts and let my kids partake in the free scheduled activities as if we are hotel guests. Anyways, on a scale of 1 to 10, the effect my minivan purchase had on my identity? About a 2. Just under the checkout guy at Trader Joe’s calling me “ma’am”. So let’s bring it down a notch, ye faithful anonymous armchair psychologists of the internet. Okay. I’m really going to bed now. Just after I post some photos from our family photo session yesterday, because I LOVE THEM. My mom wanted to get some photos with all of her grandkids together, because it so rarely happens. Kayla Selans did our photos and I’m so happy with the results – especially because there was so much going on behind the scenes: the kids were squirmy and nap-deprived, Karis kept trying to bite into the unpeeled oranges, half of us were fighting the flu, my hair was a greasy mess, kids needed to pee and there was no bathroom (which is obvious in a few shots), and it started raining halfway through our shoot. Oh, and the minor issue of us trespassing in someone’s orange grove without their permission. Still, Kayla was amazing – especially photographing TEN KIDS. If you live in the Orlando area, I highly recommend her. 
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