today is the first day of the rest of your life...

This lovely horizontal rainbow graced the sky over our backyard yesterday, as Paul and the younger kids planted seeds in the garden.

Camille so nicely just informed me that I am "five decades old". Thanks, Cam.

These little ones of mine are getting too smart.

We all know that kids grow up. They grow up fast. Everyone told us it would go by fast. It didn't seem like it when the older ones were all little, when I was in the very thick of the diapers and the clutter and the chaos and the sleepless nights. Then those older ones grew up and went on to college and Ben got joined the Army and got married...and I still had little kids...but this was different: I KNEW these ones would grow up fast. I KNEW the days would fly, and their childhood here at home was temporary. They were slipping right through my fingers, and coming out as adults. Ten of my kids are 18 and over now. The ones at home are 25, 18, 16, 15, 14, 12, 10, and 8. It's still chaotic sometimes (6 of them ARE girls, ha).

But things are different now. I cherish each and every day of their quickly fleeting days as kids who still run barefoot and sings silly songs on the swings, climb trees and pick bouquets of dandelions. My favorite times are the mornings, when I sit in my comfy chair with Char on one side, Cam on the other, perched on the armrests, all covered up by a big blankie...they still tell me their long rambling dreams, or get excited about the endless stretch of summer and all of it's possibilities. They haven't realized yet that we won't do half the things on our summer bucket list, ha.

Mr. Jon The Sarcastic notices these things now. He is still sweet and small, but I know he will be going through that inevitable growth spurt one of these days, he'll go to bed as a little boy and wake up taller than me with hairy legs. He'll be suddenly much smarter than his mother, and will be just too cool for school. But I've been through this before too. I know that his soft kind heart will still be in that tough teenage body, and that he won't really mean it when he answers me back and gives me a hard time. I don't want him to grow up and grow away from these idyllic days, but it will happen. I know that now.

The sun is shining, our trees have birthed their leaves that still sport that brand new spring look. The sky is clear and blue, and the birds are singing. Jonathan is outside with Davian, we haven't started school yet for the day. Camille is playing SIMS (That's educational, right?), because she...hurt her ankle...on the trampoline. Oh dear, yes she did. I am pretty sure it's not broken, but haven't called the dr. yet, it's swollen but not as bad as when she broke the other one in December. Oh never a dull moment, and yes, the trampoline again. But this time they were playing with the hose on it, which is obviously not a good idea.

So she's icing and elevating, and I am dreading making the phone call...

Both of our minivans have to be inspected and have oil changes this week, one of them is leaking coolant. There is a church conference this weekend, and then a picnic on Monday, and guess who is planning and buying the food for that? Kathryn informed me last night that she volunteered me.

I have to catch up on laundry, and we are overdue for a trip to the library. There is less than a half gallon of milk in the refrigerator, and only four slices of bread left. The apples and oranges are gone, and most of the yogurt. We had a nice salad last night and used up the last of the fresh produce.

So I should say that while there's never a dull moment, there are certainly tedious moments, ha. A house doesn't clean itself, nor does it stay clean for any length of time.

But these days of ours are numbered, and whether the tasks are mundane or glorious things like planning our time at the cabin in the woods...I am determined to make the moments count, and not to waste time wishing things were different. I want to savor the minutes of the day like the first mouthful of wine...roll it around in my mouth and delight in each one.

Ha, this sounds all lovely, but when Duke crossed the living room, headed straight for me, then opened his mouth and barfed on the rug near my feet, I wasn't basking in the beauty of THOSE minutes. Or yesterday when I went to blend my coffee (with coconut oil), and the seal from the blender was missing...coffee sprayed in a three to five foot radius, including all over the shirt I didn't want to stain.

Anyway. I am thankful for my days. I am thankful for my husband, and you know, that isn't always just a natural thing. But it is wisdom to overlook a matter, and I have to just overlook things sometimes...like yesterday, he made a big pot of bone broth. It's very healthy. He gets these big beef bones, and boils them with black beans and cabbage and other veggies, to get vitamins in the broth. It simmers on the stove all the live long day, making the house smell like the entrance to a big old apartment building with no ventilation. It's so healthy, he says.

I love him anyway. If you're married, and not totally in love with your spouse, then you need to pray about it, ask yourself what you can do to change that, and work like crazy on making it better. You were in love when you got married, why waste time not enjoying each other? You don't have to agree on everything, but you do have to practice forgiving and forgetting. While we were in France, we really talked about things...marriage is work, especially after so many years.

Anyway...I have a million things to do....