welcome to the Dotterer's

Sometimes, I get a little shallow, & only want to post pretty photos. Photos with good lighting & cute people. Photos that look like they stepped out of pinterest or an anthropologie catalogue. Photos that reflect on me, the photographer, as having it all together. This photo has none of that (except the cute people part!) But it is one of the best photos ever, in my opinion.

 Yup, that's us. All of us. We're rarely all together anymore. But when we are, we are together. I adore my family. They're weird & fun & have good taste in jokes & board games. We all have a sweet tooth. Pudding is a side dish, not a dessert. We've got memories that won't quit. Quotes from our favorite children's stories crop up & are recycled to fit in our adulthoods. Our nieces & nephews are teased & harassed in hopes of making them tough & able to handle whatever life might throw at them. But they know they are deeply loved, too. The in-laws, amazingly, found their places amongst our Dottererness, & I can't imagine our family without them anymore. This photo is far from perfect in a professional sense, but it captures everyone. Evan? When I asked him why he didn't move out from behind Mom's head, because surely he KNEW he was being blocked, he said, "No one told me to." Wes looks goony, which is just Wesley Scott. the nephews are trying to be tough. (Where did my sweet little nephies go?!) Roxy is stubbornly refusing to cooperate. The babies aren't looking. But it's us. No pretending we aren't a little weird, unorganized, & uncoordinated. I love the family I belong to. I sometimes wonder why we get along so well. But then I forget wondering & just love & appreciate them.

 Dan is an amazing husband to my mom. He is a quiet, gentle, considerate man. All we have to do is casually mention, "It would be nice to have a mirror in our guest room..." & voila. Done. He lets us borrow his sweet new truck & drives around the Buick when we are in Illinois, which Dar thoroughly enjoys.

 The two nieces are full of vivacity. Which they have to be, to hold their own against the seven nephews. They need a girl cousin, don't you think? Come March, we'll see!

 These are the hardest reasons to leave Illinois & go back to Oregon, as much as I love & feel it's home now. They grow every time I see them. It's hard not to feel like I'm missing out terribly.

 And for fun. Because I know you've been dying to see a belly shot. It's a little disconcerting that Carmen's due in a few weeks & I'm as large as she is!