Mike and Dena sitting in a tree. . . .

(okay, clearly I don't know how to download pictures. . . I did not mean to get all these duplicates, but I can't seem to get rid of them either! Bear with me.)

We had family photos taken recently. 5 kids and photo shoots do not go well together. And yet, we have the most amazing photographer (www.corbinphotography.com) and he makes even 5 wild kids and two crazed parents look good!

We make fun of my sister Amanda and her husband Ben because they always take these "glamor shots" of themselves. Wherever they are, Bothell, Spokane, Rome, or Venice, all their pictures look the same: intense, staring deeply into each others eyes, alone in a crowd and all that mumbo jumbo.

So, we could not resist the opportunity to mock them. Just a little. We told our photographer, "Hey, let's do a Ben and Amanda shot!" and this is what we came up with. Howerver, no matter how you slice it, we're just not as cool as they are. It might have something to do with the 10 years difference, but even when we were 25 we were not as cool as they are. That's okay, they'll never be as encumbered by debt and surrounded by kids as we are! Ha ha! Just let them try and catch up!

I have a handsome husband and the most beautiful kids you've ever seen (except your own, of course). I count myself lucky, vain, but lucky.

www.teamlanghans.blogspot.com to see more of the Amazing Amanda and the Beneficent Ben

Halloween/Harvest/Fall Celebration

Well, I don't care what you call it, our family really enjoys it. We started out 10 years ago with the attitude of "Oh no! Not the evils of Halloween!" Well, we soon got over it and started down the slippery slope of moral demise.

Sasha, pictured here, was aiming for "Mexican." I told her that was not politically correct and so she revised it to "South American Peasant Woman." I think she looks more like Cher.

Gabriel is my cabellero. Sasha did his make-up and I'm darned impressed.

Lily is an amazing pirate. The Dred Pirate Roberts be warned!
Chloe is a clown. 'Nough said.

Isaac refused to dress up, but that did not keep him from getting handfuls of candy when we went trick-or-treating. I think his "4 year old boy" costume was appreciated by all.

We went trick-or-treating in Seatac (the town, not the airport) and our group of 13 (!) made quite a parade. Randi and Chad, Mike and I, and all 9 kids certainly stopped traffic.

The kids all had a slight cold so we skipped the AWANA Harvest party, which was a good thing after all, since they only allow the kids to dress up as Bible characters. We worked long and hard to figure out whether any pirates, clowns, cowboys, or Mexicans showed up in the Bible. We tried, really we did.

Instead we had a party over at Randi's house and it turned out great. The kids all got really creative and planned games, contests, and even prizes. They played "Pin the wing on the airplane", "Fishing" (a clothespin attached to a string and stick) and bobbed for apples. Micah, who just turned 12, said it was the best Halloween ever. You just know you've done something right when the 12 year old enjoys his younger siblings and cousins enough to say that! Good job, Randi and Chad.

So, whether you celebrate Harvest of Halloween, we hope your holiday was as blessed as ours was. I've come to believe that God can handle Halloween, and just might enjoy the costumes as much as I do!

All About Me

Well, I have tons to say about the kids, as always, but I wanted to add some thoughts of my own this time.

First, the news: I had laser eye surgery two weeks ago and I love it! I have been wearing glasses for about 15 years full-time now, and it is incredible to not need them anymore! I probably don't look smart now, but I'm willing to risk being thought dumb and cute.

I am supposed to be grading the 126 papers sitting on my desk right now, but instead I am checking email, writing old friends, and blogging. A homeschooling mother of five's work is never done!

So here is what's on my mind: Forgiveness is a beautiful thing. I have group of friends (family acutally) who get together a couple times a month to share our lives and what Jesus is doing in our hearts. Somehow the topic of forgiveness came up. (Actually, I know how the topic came up but it's not relevant to the story. And it's none of your business.) But the point is, I shared how I had recently experienced forgiveness for something that has been on my heart for over 15 years. I've been ashamed and embarassed about something I said and did to someone I cared about, and for all this time I've felt sick everytime I've thought of it. 15 years is a long time to still get yucky butterflies in your stomach when you think of something.

I guess what surprised me about this experience, besides the surprise of getting in touch with a long lost friend, is how utterly giddy and light-hearted I have felt ever since. I am truly wondering if I have ever experienced forgiveness before, because this feeling is new.

I know that I have certainly needed and received God's forgiveness, and my husband extends his forgiveness daily it sometimes seems. But to hold onto something for that long, to feel sorrow and shame and all around stupidity for something and not have it go away, and then suddenly, to have it lift- this really is a taste of eternity. This is God's goodness, this is his touch. He lifts shame, not through denial but through being seen. He extends grace, not in response to our hard work to set things right, but randomly, out of the blue, and with no strings attached.

So, in addition to seeing more clearly, I also see more clearly. (Get it? Laser eye surgery, new understanding of forgiveness. . . )