my children.....

Mali and Aaron want a sheep for Christmas. Since I know darn well it isn't going to happpen, I played along. Find out how much trouble they are first, I told them within Daddy's hearing......"Oh no, we are NOT getting a sheep....", he said not mildly. I told the kids that if they started with horses and sheep, they may end up with a puppy.





Emily Anne, the nurse: She is plugging along, driving her 30+ minutes each way in the snowy mess, and going to classes....she has BOTH Wednesday AND Thursday off from work. And: she wants to make pies. How lucky can I get?





Abigail: She is also braving the rough weather each day, going North into snowville. She had a challenging ride home last night....it warmed up a bit and rained, then snowed some more....she is really excited for Thanksgiving, and of course FRIDAY, the funnest (should be a word) shopping day of the year....it has become tradition for her to shop with me - we have a plan: I stay with the cart, and she scoots through the crowd and grabs stuff.......





Benjamin: I do not see my handsome oldest son nearly enough. He will be home on Thanksgiving, and that will be nice....





M. : Still in Canada.....and I still miss her. She is having dinner Thursday with a Canadian/American couple and their 7(?) kids, a girl from Germany, and some other girls her age.....sounds like a good time...





Joseph: He still needs a haircut. He is tremendously helpful sometimes, but mostly he plays his guitar, plays Xbox, draws......





Aaron: He wants an Ipod Touch for Christmas. He isn't going snowboarding this year, because the friend who usually takes them is way to busy with college......





Mali: Her glasses have been broken for a while, so tonight, even though I really want to stay home, we are going to Wal-Mart, the store I love to hate, to get them fixed. I will also get some spackle for the little kids' bedroom, and some paintbrushes....we have the paint. (They couldn't agree on the color, then my brother offered me a can of a pinky salmon color, really good paint, he had bought too much....so, problem solved. It will be pinky salmon color.)





Samuel: Samuel is way taller than me now, and he is only 13 years old. He is at that awkward stage, still a kid, but growing fast.....sometimes out of the corner of my eye, I think he is Paul.....and Jonathan called him "Daddy" the other day.....He wants sweatshirts, and a Nintendo DS for Christmas.....hmmm.





Margaret: She will be turning 12 right before Christmas....she is so much more mature in many ways. She hasn't been a "child" for years now. I think I'll let her get some paint for her, Kathryn, and M.'s room today....





Kathryn: She is my biggest helper. She is 10 years old. She has a sense of humor, and likes going places with me. She doesn't ask for much, and is thankful for what she does get......



Evelyn: She just got her hair trimmed, and it is still tangly. She likes to brush it herself....her freckles are receding since the warm sunny weather is gone.....She is gung-ho to paint her room...



Suzanne: She is doing so well in school, except for some of those spellng tests. She went to the pizza place on a field trip.....



Sonja: Sonja is one of those kids who just seems to learn to read with no effort at all. She seems like an only child sometimes, the way she stomps to get her way....



Jonathan: Well, I started this post this morning, got interrupted, and since then I have been very busy: we went to Wal-Mart to get Mali's glasses fixed, taking Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, Sonja, Jonathan, and Camille. And Mali. We got our painting stuff, and some milk and bagels....and looked at the toys.....Jon did not ask for anything, but when I decided to actually spend $15 dollars for a pair of snowpants for Sonja (brown ones, so we can pass them down to Jon), he flipped. He just started sobbing that he needs some too......and he said he felt like he was going to throw up....but then he got a hold of himself.....next stop, drive-through at Burger-King to redeem 6 free fries coupons......and nothing else.....I ran into the dollar store while Mali stayed in the van with them and their fries. Then home. Oh, the trip home. Kathryn threw a flashlight, which hit Suze in the eye, which caused much pain and noise. And the driver threatened to pull over.....and oh, the silliness. Those girls....anyway, we got home. Sonja had lost a shoe, Camille lost a bottle, and a bootie, and things had to be carried in....I carried Camille, my purse, and like 3 bags up the deck steps and into the house, and WOW! Jonathan had gone in the door, and puked. (sorry, Cassandra! you may want to skip a few lines here).....All over the sneakers and boots, and yes, some of the groceries.....so. Jon is sick. He is a four year old, though, and he bounces between barfings.....actually, he only got sick one more time....now he is all tucked into bed....

Charlotte Claire: She is a happy girl tonight because she got some hand-me-downs from her cousin.....she tricked me today. She sneaked her diaper off. Then, she surprised me by peeing in the booster seat while she helped me prepare the dinner.....(I peeled and sliced the carrots and potatoes, and she put them in the bowl of cold water. She did splash.)......I am not ready to potty train her. She is pretty interested, but I am holding out until she REALLY wants to do it. Then it will be much easier.....

Camille: She is the light of my life right now. I enjoy them all, but she is just so sweet. Her hair is getting longer, and curly. She is silly. In WalMart, I kept putting the smiley face sticker on my nose, and she just chuckled about that. She isn't quite walking yet, but she is walking around the furniture, and takes a few steps here and there....she is very careful.

Wow, is that all of them?