pictures from home

The story behind this going to school picture: The lovely blouse Evelyn Joy is wearing, I have total amnesia as to how I came about buying it at the outlet mall the other day when Evelyn had a lucky school skipping day. She said she asked me and I said yes...I have no recall, and cannot for the life of me even remember seeing it scan. Evelyn thought she looked beautiful in this ensemble, and who am I to dash her self-esteem? Notice the striped tights? She was thrilled when I took a picture of her.... Kathryn Grace was playing with Abigail's camera! How can I tell?

Here she is with Camille Anaya, looks to me like she's taking this one herself...

I just thought this was warm and lovely, Aaron watching "The Cat In The Hat" in french,(that's how these guys learn their languages), and cuddling his little sister...it just melts my heart to see the big tough boys holding their little siblings like this....

Here is Mr. Jonathan at his post: the best view out the window from the couch. This is where he and Charlotte Claire scramble to everytime they hear a garbage truck, tractor-trailer, possible UPS truck (Jon has gotten a present in the mail a few times before, so there's always hope, right?), school buses, or maybe even some company....here he is with the best toy in the world - my keys. He likes to use real keys for his Little Tikes car. Yesterday he informed me that his car was now a Ford, and could I please refer to it as such? And it only works with real keys. Well, lending a 4 year old boy car keys is stupid on many different levels, which we won't waste time getting into here, but getting them back from him: heartbreaking. I promised him I would try to get him some real keys, and thankfully my sister thinks she has some for him....

Here is Charlotte Claire climbing out of Camille's nice baby seat, the roundy-round seat, as it is know here....

Sesame Street looks good from here....

Well, yesterday was the stay at home and catch up day...and it was, at least until my sister called around 3 in the afternoon and asked me if I wanted to go into another town 40 minutes from here, as she had to pick up Ellen's contacts, and was stopping at Target and Price Chopper (we try to make these trips to town worth the gas money by spending money at stores)....and of course I said I would love to....I, in my brilliance, had almost run out of wipes. I know, I know, my mother raised 7 kids without wipes. Anyway, I had some other things I could use, and I absolutely love spending time with my sister, so off I went with Camille, leaving Joe, Aaron, Mariel, and Molly with some last minute tasks and dinner to serve...aren't they nice? I already had it started...but still, I felt really guilty....I was only gone for 4 hours.

I got some adorable bathing suits for the girls for $4.24, and a shirt for Charlotte Claire for $1.48....and some basics at the grocery store. I got finished before my sister, and waited in the van nursing Camille in the pouring rain, and really enjoyed the peace and quiet, and my sweet baby. As I sat there, I saw a woman leaving the store with a little boy about Jonny's size, who was screaming and fussing, and the mom was screaming and fussing, and saying how he was NOT getting the new toy, no way.....I could hear them with the van windows closed from across the parking lot....he was telling mommy that he was going to be good now, over and over, and she was screaming that that was great, but too bad, no toy.....I just started crying. It is so difficult to be a mommy when the kids act up like that. So frustrating. But I wanted to roll the window down and yell for her to be careful, please don't beat him....try and be patient with him. Stop screaming at him. Give him a hug, tell him you love him. I just sat there crying, praying for that mom. And for all the poor kids in this world. Kids are so small, and their parents are so big. Can't all the mommies and daddies please take heed to how they are acting? And be merciful? I don't know how God can bear to see the whole world. My weak soul can't bear the little bit that I see....

Today is a general "skip" day for these kids...the high school is having a "fun" day, so the three high-schoolers stayed home....the middle-school is having field days, so only one of three went, but all four elementary kids went. And Paul is here today. He was in Boston for a few days, so he gets a day off. It is a good day. I think I'm going to blow off some work and go outside. No, I better not do that. But it's so nice out!!!!