shh, quiet morning and they're all still sleeping....

Suzanne Eleanor 13, Evelyn Joy 14, Sonja Kathleen 11, Kathryn Grace 15, and Margaret Cheryl 17.

This picture tells a story. It tells of some girls who woke up on Saturday morning and were restless. It was milder outside, but getting windy, snowing a bit more, slushy, not great for doing much out there. They wanted to do, "something". Please, Mom. The two little girls were at Emily and Abigail's place, and Paul was going to take Jonathan sledding. So...why not?

See, I told the girls I like to take pictures when we are out and about. I wish I had taken more through the years, especially of these five...but there seems to always be one who doesn't want to co-operate. This time, you can guess who it was. And Suze, oh my goodness...she had picked out this flannel button-down shirt from the boys' department. I told her she could get it. The tag had come off, but she set it with the shirt in the cart. Somehow it got lost when we put the things on the counter, so, unbeknownst (wow, that's a real word?!) to me, she set it aside, thinking she couldn't get it without a tag. So she was sad. I had no idea. On the way out of the store, she was upset, I told her she didn't have to put it back, the cashier would know how to ring it up. I said we could go back, she said no.

So to the grocery store next to Target we went....by the time we got to the second aisle, she was in tears. She is really good at that, by the way. She knows it works. I told her not to try this garbage with me, but she said it was real, she couldn't help it. Oh for goodness sakes, I gave them my Target card and let them go back over there and buy the shirt, but ONLY the shirt, please. So help me if they came back with slushies and popcorn...but they didn't.:)

Anyway. We had our share of fun. They convinced me to get a pizza in the grocery store to eat on the way home. I didn't want to, they weren't on sale, but they suggested it was cheaper than McDonalds...I don't know who said we were going to McDonalds anyway, but they did have a point.

My girls do know how to shop the clearance rack. The question I always ask them as they approach me with an armload of stuff, is, "Do you really need this?" Occasionally the answer will be, "Fine! I'll just put it back!". Oh, they can be tricky, these teenage girls. They always are very thankful when I take them out and about though....and we talk about lots of good stuff on the long car ride to the stores.

Last evening, they all went over to Emily and Abigail's house, so Paul and I were here with the littler ones. Paul was watching basket ball, and the kids were not really doing anything, so I suggested getting out the Lego bin. They dumped it out on the living room floor, and were busy for like two hours. Paul planted himself right there too, and collected all the people pieces and put them together for the kids. I sat there for a bit too, but the floor is pretty hard.

They were reluctant to leave their creations and go to bed, so we said they could leave everything out....so now our living room looks like Lego city.

Paul and I are the only ones up. The dogs have been out and have eaten, and are snoring on the couch near Paul, who is on his own computer. It is quiet, and we have our coffee. It is nice, but I am not ready for it yet, I will be glad when they wake up and run out and say, "Mommy! Good morning! Yay, no one wrecked our Lego stuff!".....My mother told me years ago when I complained about the constant noise that someday I would miss it. And I see already that it is getting much quieter here sometimes. Not when those five girls are at it though, mind you.

So Samuel graduates from Basic Training in June, and I told the little girls last night that they get to go with us to Georgia. They are thrilled! I asked Camille if she wanted to go pack now, and she was all ready to. Just kidding, I said, not quite yet. Three more months. Infantry training is long. Poor Sam.

And...the girls are up!