bears in the family room

The end of the year approaches and brings a peculiar tradition into our home: the hunkering down of #1 Son and his compadres to make the New Year's slide show for the church. Late-night sessions, extra faces at mealtime, phone calls back and forth to the church office, e-mails galore, three computers, and a rat's nest of wiring strewn over the family room carpet are the props for this production. All that, and large amounts of pizza.

In addition to the demands of an on-location production crew, Friend #21's rambunctious and beloved children came over for a visit today. After counting noses, I decided to make a giant pot of chicken-vegetable soup for lunch. The tech-crew joined us for a cacaphonous meal before returning to their glowing screens. Think lumbering bears yanked from hibernation by the smell of food who, upon eating everything in sight, growl at the interruption and crawl back into their caves for more sleep.

I hope everyone enjoys tomorrow's slide show. Keep your eyes peeled for some amazingly photogenic hands. They make soup, play piano, and so much more.