well, it IS January!

It was sunny and cold, windy, brisk, when Jon and I set out on our walk this morning. Now, it's a whiteout, you can barely see across the street. The wind has picked up and it's very cold out there. We walked yesterday with the pups, then again today, it's nice. We are planning to try every morning.

Yesterday, wah, I went into Suzanne's empty room. I cried and cried. Not just because Suzanne left, but because that room has been the prized room for a whole parade of kids. It was Benjamin's room when we first built the house, as evidenced from the permanent marker on the door, which reads, "Benz room". It was painted and fresh new carpet was put in when Ashley lived here while Benjamin was in the Army. It's a nice bright room, and each time it was abandoned through the years, a new kid happily moved in. There's a bed and a desk, a few nice mirrors, a pretty lamp, and a cool hanging lantern light. But no one is fussing to move in, there are now FOUR empty bedrooms in our house.

So yesterday, I cleaned and vacuumed that room. Jonathan helped me clean up and vacuum one of the other empty bedrooms, and we cleaned and vacuumed the hallway. Today, if we can make ourselves, after we finish up schoolwork, we are going to tackle the biggest room, which is storage and the freezer on one end, and an abandoned bedroom on the other end. It started out as a playroom, but as we had more kids and they wanted more space, we let them move some beds in. Now, one empty bed in there.

As you can well imagine, these children of mine didn't all take all of their belongings with them when they left. Oh no, there are textbooks and diplomas, movies and books and boxes of things. So we go through the rooms with two bags, one for the garbage, one for the thrift store. It's hard. Those tiny little rollerblades that were once fought over, the two pogo sticks, and the old bassinet for a once prized pram. I know it's better to clean it all out, and have things fresh and empty, but ouch, the emptiness makes my chest ache.

Camille is back to school today, still a cough but feeling better. She didn't really want to go, but she packed up her backpack, her lunch, and her clarinet, and out the door she went. Sonja is taking her place on the couch with a fever.

Margaret brought Wulf over last evening.

This is Jon, on the hover board, which is synced to Margaret's phone, playing Wulf's favorite songs, while he pushes Wulf in the purple car. And yes, that IS a rolling pin on the floor, I didn't crop the photo because Wulf likes to get the rolling pin out of the drawer every time he comes over. He played with it, and leaves it wherever he is when he thinks of something else to get into. He's fabulously charming, and so sweet, and so busy, and I love having him visit. His mama works full time from home, while keeping him happy at the same time, so when he gets to get out of the house and come here, I don't mind if he makes himself at home. He's really good if you tell him to close the cupboard drawers or put the glass candle down, he doesn't whine or fuss. He just goes on to something else. He likes to come visit me in my comfy chair and rock for a little bit, then get down and play more.

Grandchildren are amazing. I am very thankful for them. We have six now, Ben and Ashley's two little girls, Anya 6 and Elise 2, Sam and Grace's little Grant 2, Margaret and Adrian's Wulf, 2 in March, Kathryn and Darius' Achilles, and of course Josh and Mali will be having a little sister for Lydia 4 soon, she is due in four days! (and I get to be there!!!!). So seven grandchildren...:)

I do have so much to be thankful for...