Here is Camille Anaya at the hotel....such a good traveler.
Charlotte Claire likes the Little People Merry-Go-Round, which is no longer made...apparently the people were a choking hazard, so the newer ones are shorter and rounder...
Here is Charlotte Claire in her highchair, with Jonathan - hey, is that a Little People person in his mouth? Fisher-Price changed them for a reason, I guess....It is sunny and cold today, so much for spring. But warmer weather is coming, and we want to fit in a trip to the zoo, which I will try to take pictures of: the zoo visiting the zoo. I don't think the older kids will be available for this, so I won't have alot of help, but at least the younger ones don't notice people looking at us....I kind of like going with the younger ones because they don't have those "attitudes" yet....not so much, anyway. And if I want to stop at a playground we've never been to just 'cause the slide looks fun, we can without hearing all the MOM"""! Why are we stopping here? We'll have to buckle everyone in again," ect, ect., ect.... See, some of the teenagers, though really good kids, have learned a little independence, and don't always just go along with me on things like the little kids do. I'm not sure Aaron, 15, will want to go. But Molly Rose, 14, is really pushing to go, as is Margaret, 11. They are excellent helpers, and tons of fun too.
It's interesting to write about my life, and post it for anyone to read. Things here aren't always rosy. For one thing, I'd be embarrassed if someone stopped in right now. It's not dirty or anything, but heck, with so many of us here....I swore up and down when we built this nice big house (we had 5 kids then) that we would have NO TOYS IN THE LIVINGROOM....which I have obviously forgotten long ago. It doesn't help that I am a toy-aholic, multiplied by 16 birthdays and Christmases each year, (the big kids don't get toys anymore, but do you think I've thrown any of theirs away?) Anyway, the state of the house is something I don't want to get into. It can always get better, and even when it is at it's best, it doesn't stay like that for long....But the state of ME, that's interesting. I have such an irratible personality....I need to do alot of suffering to not give in to nagging and complaining. I live in a house with a bunch of kids who: put spoons in the sink with jelly still on them, knives with peanutbutter (can't you just wipe it on the bread?), don't rinse their cocoa cups, pick up their dirty socks and when they do they leave them inside out - yuck - I have to turn them before throwing them in the wash, they leave lights on and doors open, newspaper on the couch (I like it stacked in a neat pile, please), the toothpaste top goes on the toothpaste! toothpaste does not belong smeared all over the counter! dirty underwear go in the hamper, not on the bathroom floor, put your jammies back on your bed in the morning, not on the living room floor, wipe your feet, take off your shoes, put them on the shelf. put the books back on the shelf, not piled on the couch....no markers on the couch, either.....these things are perpetual.....but I guess the older ones do catch on, it's just that there are so many little ones, and I can't be everywhere. I maybe should give more consequences when I catch a perpetrator, but to them, oops, they just forgot, or didn't mean it...and they are all so cute and sweet.
Rats, Charlotte Claire is hurt. Oh, she's okay...Margaret had her out on the swing, and Charlotte fell off....Margaret sort of caught her, but she got a mouthfull of dirt, and is a bit upset. But she loves a bath, and Marg is going to put her in the tub. If that doesn't help her forget her trouble, something is really wrong. She has a very nice Little Tikes baby swing, new just for her, but she didn't want that one....great, now Jon wants in to the tub, too....
So life can be frustrating here, but everyone has their trials. I just have to hang in there, and be kind to these blessings. I am the one that is bothered, I'm the one who has to change. God never gives me more than I can handle. Never. If I think it's too much, I just plain don't believe God. He will give me grace to overcome all this sin I see in myself. I am definitely not patient or longsuffering by nature! Every night I get in bed, and I grieve over all the times I was too rough, or too demanding...and I pray for mercy, for forgiveness, for wisdom how to deal with each child. I find when I can see the sin bubbling in me, and say a resounding NO to it, then there is a blessing over the way I deal with the kids...if they need discipline, it is not tainted with my impatience. I can separate my anger from what needs to be dealt with. My kids don't really ever need punishment, they just need to be steered in the right direction, gently. I try to get them to fight their own sin, to be good to each other......I am rambling. Charlotte Claire is so cute, she ran out here naked, and in her own non-speaking way, told Jon she wanted him to come take a bath too....Margaret is being wonderful with them right now, I'll be sure to thank her and give her a hug....
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