cozy yummy dinner....

Jonathan, all jammied up and ready for bed. He is a surprisingly good boy when he is sick....he doesn't just milk it, enjoying the laying around and being waited on like some of them do....he actually offered to help pick up when I was going to vacuum today. And he insisted on coming to the dinner table with a fever of 102. He didn't eat much, but he wanted to save his plate. Then he spilled his cup of water all over his plate when he was getting down. I felt bad for him. I told him I would make him another good plate of food tomorrow, same stuff, when he was feeling better. Then, we watched "The Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown" or whatever it's called....and the kids all got to have some ice cream, which we bought for our company who didn't end up coming. He didn't even eat his. So, I told him he could have some for breakfast if he wants. These two may look sweet, but don't let them fool you. They are sitting in a hula hoop. I am having a lot of trouble with Charlotte Claire being too rough with Camille. Some of it is just strong-arming her, trying to protect her. Pulling her away from things. Pushing her down when she's getting into stuff. But the other kind of being rough is harder to deal with, more disturbing, although probably normal. She just will go and lay on her. Or sit on her....or hit her with a book.....so, each time she does this, I scold her firmly, give her a little swat on the behind, lead her to a kitchen chair, and tell her that it is not nice to hit baby, or whatever she has done. And she cries for a while. She hasn't figured out yet that she can just hop off the chair, she sits there and cries until I get her....just a few minutes. And then she hugs me, and tells baby sorry. She likes being my friend, and I think she is getting it that I am upset with her when she is mean.

She is the very definition of energy. But, she is also so sweet and huggy. She likes being carried around by the big kids. She seems a bit lost during the day. If I only had three kids all the time, it would be different than it is with just the 3 during the day. They are used to alot of attention. So it is challenging when I am the only one here, to do the diapers, dishes, floors, laundry, and give them attention.....I feel I have to really watch to protect Camille....but don't get me wrong. Charlotte Claire is not a monster. She doesn't do this all day long or anything, in fact, sometimes she plays so nice with Camille. Sweet, sweet Camille.

Our dinner tonight was very nice. Benjamin was not here, nor was Emily the nurse, or of course M., in Canada, and Molly at a friend's birthday. But it was still busy and noisy at the table, with Paul and I, Abigail, Joseph, Aaron, Samuel, Margaret, Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, Sonja, Jonathan, Charlotte Claire, and Camille. We sort of have a game plan. The plates are stacked on the table. Forks, napkins, salt, pepper, (several), cups. Then someone gets the drinks, 3 pitchers, one water, one something, one something else (iced tea, or other diet drinks)....We bring the food to the table, and call the kids. The usually sit in the same places, though they don't have assigned seats. Sometimes I pawn off Camille, sending her highchair down to Aaron or Molly. It lessens the stress on me as I try to fix plates. Paul will be cutting up the meat, I'll prepare some baked potatoes, then we fill the plates of the younger ones, say Suzanne on down. Then we pass down the plates and the bigger kids serve themselves. If we are having something from a really hot baking dish, we usually serve out everyones' food. Then we pray for the food, thanking God for his blessings. We seem to have the younger ones near us, and they get their subtle lessons like: no elbows on the table, don't lick off your fingers, don't reach - ask for someone to PLEASE pass it, don't smack, ect. But like I said, it's subtle. It goes by too quickly, then there's cleanup.....we usually all pitch in to carry the plates to the counter....someone loads the dishwasher, someone washes the tables, someone cleans the counters, someone sweeps, I usually take care of whatever leftovers we happen to have. (We have lots of roast beef left, so I am going to make a nice stew/soup, with biscuits for a cold snowy/windy day, tomorrow)

I don't know if anyone cares about this or not, but it may be interesting for me to go back and read someday when just Paul and I are eating our dinner in front of the television, to lonely to eat at the table......

Paul made a fire in the woodburning stove. Our furnace burns either wood or oil. Which is very nice, because wood is relatively cheap. And it gets it warm in here.

I am not feeling so great. My throat hurts, and I am very tired. I just noticed this after dinner tonight. I never seem to get sick enough to warrant being in bed with someone else just taking over, no, I just feel generally lousy, and look and seem okay, and don't get a break. Oooh, feeling a bit sorry for myself....I have to watch for that one, because that can be a downward slope...

I know I keep mentioning the weather, but it is a bit harsh for us here in the northeast, for October. The wind is so loud and strong. The last of the leaves are going, and it snowed for a while today. No accumulation here, but it's a night not fit for man nor beast, none the less.

I think I'll go to bed on the early side. I wish I had a big spacious bedroom, spotlessly clean with no clothes thrown across the dresser-top, and a nice big fireplace, warm and cozy.

In fact, since I'm dreaming, I wish I had a fireplace in the livingroom, too. My parents had a propane fireplace, it looked like a log burning, and warmed the living room up. But then I would have to keep the kids away from it. I am going on too much, I am tired. Sorry.