ice cream with daddy....

I have been promising the kids we would do something special this weekend. The older kids are all gone. What we decided on was a visit to Paul's parents, a few towns over, then the playground, which is at the school next to their house. Paul stayed and visited with his parents while I followed the kids over to the playground with Rosie. The vet said Rosie needs more socialization, to take her more places...she pooped at the playground. Very social of her. I had to bring her back to Gramma's so I could get the things to pick up the mess. On the way, a pickup truck pulled up and the driver pointed to a sign on the playground fence that said, "No Dogs"....he asked me if I saw the sign. I told him that I just noticed it. Ha. He was not even smiling, let alone laughing. Thankfully I stopped my big mouth from saying that she had just pooped and I was heading over to get some wipes and a bag to pick it up....he probably would have made a citizen's arrest.....after this fun, we went out for ice cream. Camille was pretty excited about it. (we had dinner while she was still napping, then woke her and took her with just her bottle, so she was hungry. Is ice cream for dinner okay?) (She ate it ALL).... Paul thought his ice cream was too big, so he gave the rest to Rosie, who waited in the big van for us. (I did not want to clean up poop at the ice cream place..)..I think Paul was just being nice. He calls Rosie, "Your dog", to me, but he secretly loves her too.

Our seven youngest. Camille, Kathryn, Charlotte Claire, Sonja, Jonathan, (poor Jonny, with all those girls!) then Suzanne and Evelyn on the table...

Camille has learned how to tell secrets in my ear, and I tell her secrets back...it is so sweet. She tells me she loves me. She is so funny.

We had peanut butter and fluff sandwiches for lunch today. She ate hers all up....then wanted more, and just ate the middle good stuff out....

Her sisters gave her a mini lollipop....

And they made her a nice big crown....

Charlotte Claire....

Suzanne with her crown...







Kathryn and Camille....

Camille made up for having no dinner tonight, she did not go to bed hungry. Mirielle made kettle corn, and stove top popcorn. Plus Camille found the crackers, and had some juice. Not the most nutritious diet tonight, but I think she'll be okay.

The older kids got home from the conference, and brought home a Dutch girl who lives in New Mexico. Thankfully we had cleaned up today and yesterday....we still scrambled to pick up odds and ends because we had like half hour notice. The older kids won't believe it, but it is not just the little ones who make messes. Maybe because when it is just the younger ones, we all eat each meal all together, so there is not the all day meal making going on. But whatever the reason, the house stayed cleaner this weekend. And it seemed easy to make meals for only the nine of us...(eight this afternoon, as Camille was sleeping).....well, we did cheat, too. For dinner we had popcorn chicken and some very nice veges, green and yellow beans with carrots....microwaved. It was simple and not too terribly unhealthy. Sonja ate exactly 4 beans, and it almost killed her. She dramatizes it so much, Paul just finally told her if she didn't eat them, she couldn't have icecream...so I was just rooting for her to eat them....I wouldn't even want to go if she couldn't get some...she ate them...Paul said that it would have been harder for him than it was for her if she didn't get ice cream...I think he regretted saying it, and was pretty glad that she was a trooper about it and ate the veges.

Last night, we cheated and Paul brought home the $5.99 Little Cesaers pizzas, only three of them...there was enough left for the girls to have a piece for breakfast. They LOVE pizza for breakfast.

Blah blah blah, as my father used to say. I am tired and need to go to bed. We tried to watch a movie tonight, but it was just bad bad bad. It was about King Henry the 8th, and his quest to get rid of wife number one, to replace her with the sister of his old mistress....oh, garbage. For anulling his first marriage, he alienated the Catholic church and joined the Protestants....I mean, how did God even fit in to all this adultery, lies, and betrayal? We couldn't watch it....it was rated pg 13, but it was bad bad bad. We finally agreed to take the movie out and just talk and eat Starburst. That was way better. I am tired, and rambling, so goodnight.....