friday at home....

These are Gracie's shoes... (.she is my very special great-niece, Sonja's close friend and cousin...) Shiny and silver, and impressive to whoever borrowed my camera to take this picture.... Here is Sonja and Grace, so they probably aren't the camera borrowers...

Jonny is such a cutie, big ears and all....his Little Tikes Cozy Coupe isn't a Ford anymore, it's a gold Dodge, because that's what Emily has.....he is always asking to borrow my keys, because he can't find his....if you think I let him, you are right....I'm a sucker....my nice sister gave him some old keys to long gone cars, and he was in heaven......they are around here someplace....

Charlotte Claire with an Easter pail on her head....yeah, Emily had the pails out for berry picking...she so nicely took some little girls to the picking patch yesterday....and Jonny...

Well, I did it. I stayed home all day today....I almost had to take a trip to school this morning: the guidance councelor called, wondering why Joseph 17, wasn't present for his regents (state test)...sure enough, he was all tucked in and cozy....I got him up and out the door on the second trip bus, by some miracle....phew....and somehow, he finished the test...

Jonny is one mixed up little boy. He has hundreds, and I am not exaggerating, of trucks and cars....and he plays with them....and he has several different steering wheels, which he walks around with, in his own little world, driving....these are not real steering wheels, just an old camera, or a frisbee type thing....then he likes to play dolls....I heard him the other day saying, "I have a baby in my belly." He carries Emily's stethoscope around, he is the dolly doctor. The kid is never bored. Sometimes when he gets really tired, I'll turn on Bob the Builder for him, but he basically watches no tv right now, especially that it isn't winter weather....he doesn't need tv....and Charlotte Claire is so funny with the dolls....she lifts up her shirt to give her babies "nummynummnums"....then she holds her dolly upside down to kiss the dolly's owie on her foot....

My older kids sometimes say to me that I have no life.....well, I have to give up my life to have this many kids....and now my life is them. My joy is to see their joy. I absolutely love to bless them. I like to play with them, and read to them....sometimes I realize that they will all leave home someday, and that hurts. I do have my friends, my sister, and sister-in-laws....and of course my husband. But the majority of my time goes to these kids. This summer I am going to concentrate on becoming young in mind, again. Somewhere along the line I grew up too much. When I think about the beach, I think about getting home with the tired kids, and washing the sand out of the suits...that is so WRONG!!! I want to be excited with them about our adventures without being weighed down with reality. I want to forget about the stains those dandelion stems will leave.

Paul built a fire tonight, in the fire-pit out back....we roasted marshmallows....Jon wanted to do his own, but he had to have Margaret help him....at first he resisted...he wanted to do it himself!!! But since we didn't want him to catch any of his sisters on fire, we stuck to our guns on this one...he finally gave in, and had a good old time....we were talking a bit about what we want to do this summer....the kids are thinking beach, bike rides, and pool, and the drive-in movies, which they have never been to....not too bad. Not one of them mentioned the amusement park, where they have never been....last summer, I took them to the county fair on $1 ride day....they had never been on rides before, and they were just delighted. Even with just the youngest 7 or 8 kids with me, I can't spend 3 or 4 bucks for a ride...anyway, less is more. They appreciate things! Our idea of a good day is to buy a half gallon of icecream and a box of cones, and head to the park, and make our own cones.....do people stare? Yeah. Do they feel sorry for us? Probably. Should they? Absolutely not!!!