I am SO busy...ha.

Martha, you are right, I probably need a few little sunshines here to babysit. I am going to help with my sister's grandchildren (the twins, Sebastian and Linnea, and 3 year old William) when their Mama and Daddy go on vacation next week. My niece will be watching them, I will just help her.

But, all quietness and loneliness aside, I LIKE being here, doing my work with no interruptions. Did I actually say that? Now, you all know that if God were to bless me with another baby or two...I would be ecstatic. But since it seems that in all likelihood those days are past me, I am enjoying getting things done. I remember days gone by...looking in a backpack and finding a lunchbox, and EWW! I can keep up, sort of, finally. A few years back, we had a problem with bedwetting...we literally had a mountain of bedding that I constantly hacked away at. Along with baby clothes and towels and school clothes ect. Now, I can actually get those hampers empty sometimes. I am not suddenly Miss Organized, or Miss Energizer Bunny though.

My brother came over this morning to look at the hot tub. He took the panels off, and from nowhere came a tiny baby mousie! Suri had it in her mouth before I could realize what it was, I told her to Drop It, and she did. It was so small, lying there whining and whimpering. Then Bob moved another board, and the Mama Mousie jumped down with four more babies actually attatched to her, nursing. She scampered away, and the babies fell down into some water, wiggling and struggling. Bob picked them all up with a piece of plastic, and put them in a pail, and put them near the woodpile. Mama showed up a few minutes later, peeking out and looking...wah. Bob reminded me I don't want them in my house. If my kids were here, I know I would be taking care of those babies right now...phew that they aren't. Remember a few summers ago when I took care of those two tiny ones and they died and broke my heart after six days or so? I kept looking at the woodpile and feeling so sorry for them...

Suri would have scarfed them all down, had I let her.

Anyway, Bob knows how to fix the hot tub, he just has to get the parts and he will be back...I might be soaking in bubbles by the weekend!!! Yay to fellowship with the kids in the hot tub!!!

This is actually my third attempt at blogging today. I am SO busy. I swept floors and did laundry and washed dishes...then the phone rang...did I want to watch Davian for a while? Of course I did! He was here within a few minutes, all smiles and sweetness. Katie, I did give him a few tastes of my veggies...just a taste of cooked carrot, and the little smushy part of the inside of a pea. He loved/hated it. He kept seeing the spoon and yelling for it, but the veggies were offensive to him. He is such a little doll. I think he will be ready for some Cheerios soon, or some of those little puffs that melt in their mouths.

After Davian went home, I made myself work out. I had only some mixed veggies for lunch, and I wanted to eat more...so I had a really lazy work out. I put the 20 pound weight vest on, and tried to do squats, but my knees were crunching. I took it off, and tried to do them more modified, but they still crunched. I went up and down the stairs a bit, still crunched. It bothered me, so I just did some push-ups and some kettlebell-type swings with the weights. Then I just said, "blah", and came out and ate lunch...

Dang, attempt number four...my mother-in-law just stopped in for a surprise visit.

Now my first trip kids are home from school. There are two roasts in the oven. I have to go put some carrots and potatoes in soon.

Anyway, lunch: my brother Bob brought me over a stuffed yellow pepper...stuffed with brown rice that was cooked up with onions and peppers and sausage and tomato sauce, topped with parmesean cheese. My brother should be a chef. As the dad of ten kids, he did do a lot of cooking through the years...yum. I loved it.

rrr, these girls came in and are having snacks. And watching, "Let's Make A Deal", which is the ultimate waste of time, yet I find myself fascinated that that man just kept his $1500 instead of trading it for what was behind the door...a giant radish.

Turn it off already, thank you Suze!!!

Mirielle didn't have class today. She won't have every Tuesday off, just today. It was nice to spend some time with her and baby Davian. She is very busy, back in her room doing homework.

Joseph is home from class, and Aaron should be in the door by five-ish. He is doing a pediatrics rotation and visiting a dr. office today. He will be glad there is a Real Dinner tonight.

That's the thing, making dinner isn't really a chore. I like serving them good healthy food, food they like, food they enjoy. I like that we still eat at the table together. I like the nights we are all here, and no one has to leave in the evening...tonight there is a youth meeting, so seven of them will be going out the door at 7:00. Dinner will have to be early.

I do procrastinate about What To Make For Dinner sometimes. I run out of ideas. We don't do carbo-load meals much anymore, like the homemade mac and cheese or scalloped potatoes. The kids like it but it isn't so good for them. It is soup/stew season, so that should be fun.

All I want today is pumpkin muffins. I hate when a thought like this gets stuck in my brain. I want pumpkin muffins. wah. Maybe I will just make them and get it over with. Tomorrow. Hey, I could trick myself and keep saying that I will do it tomorrow, like I always used to with Starting My Diet.

It is beautiful out. 75 degrees, sun shining in a perfectly blue sky. No rain in the near future, just sunshine, crisp mornings and evenings, and beautiful days. Lovelovelove it.

Tomorrow I am watching Davian again for a bit while his daddy does some work on his house. Davian's mama is a teacher, and his dad is a Homemaker. Ha, Dave is very cool, Davian's dad. He loves his little guy like crazy, enjoys him so much.

Yeah, so, I have things to do. Two of my girls "need" cleats for the soccer tournament. Oh, what did they do on the prairie? All the things we need, Laura and Mary were happy to share a tin cup. When I tell the kids what we did without when I was a kid, they say things like, "Well, back when there were dinosaurs...", and "In the eighties..."

So...time to get those carrots and potatoes into the oven...never a dull moment.