cold cold morning...

Today we will have a high temperature of around 15 degrees with a windchill of zero or below. brrr. It went against everything in me to get the kids out of their comfy warm beds this morning....I eased the pain by making them toast with cinnamon and sugar, and letting them eat it on the warm living room rug while watching, "Curious George"....some of the older kids are home in bed...apparently Kathryn has a stomach ache, she came upstairs last night crying....and Margaret said she has one too....Aaron skipped because he was supposed to go in for a post-surgery check today, but I can't see driving 3 hours one way just to have a little incision site checked, when it looks fine to me, because I am a doctor....ha. Anyway, he already planned to skip today for the appointment, so to him, that is a day off.....and I am nice, so I let him. (he has like a 97 or 98 average, so I don't sweat it).....I figure that we can tell easily if something is wrong, and then we can go in....

Mali and Aaron apparently had it all planned that we would go to the appointment, and then go to the outlet mall....for ice-skates. All of the sudden, they both need ice-skates. They went hiking yesterday, after scoping out the area on Google earth. They found a pond accesible through the woods in the back of our house.....nice and frozen....I told them if they skated and fell through the ice way back there, they would be doomed...no, they said, a Mennonite farm is back there...and I said, what are they going to do, send smoke signals to 911?.....just kidding, they have phones.

So, I told them I wasn't going to buy brand new ice skates anyway, we could check out the Rescue Mission and the Salvation Army. Add that to the list.....I need to get Mali a passport, as she is going to Norway and France this summer with Mirielle, Joseph really wants his driving permit, same building, Mirielle, Aaron, and I are giving blood again this week, I have a few appointments.....

But I have to admit, things are progressively getting a bit easier around here as Camille grows...she is getting more independant.....anyone can put her in for a nap, I still nurse her a few times a day, only because she still wakes up at night....but she will take a bottle for nap, and in the day if I am gone.....and of course she eats normal grown-up food, now, too. I cannot remember a time when I had a 15 month old and no new baby around the corner, or already in my arms.....because it hasn't happened since we were married.....so, now I have a bit more time to get projects done around here. I used to keep a pretty clean house, I am going to say until I had number 8....and even then it was presentable. I could clean it up in a day. But then .....oh well, I don't know what happened....but we don't have enought room for everything anymore....I still have vacuumed and swept everyday, or had someone do it, through the years...but......oh well, it is getting more attention now....but I would trade it in a minute for 2 lines on a test.....yes, I would still love one more baby, but I am not opposed to twins, or two more in quick sucession.....but, I am coming to terms with the thought that I may be done. I have always loved my babies, and have no regrets about the staggering amount of time I have spent holding them and looking at them and enjoying them while the house fell down around me.....and I would do it again in a minute....I have had the 16 kids, my Robert William, who was stillborn, and four miscarriages. So 21 positive pregnancy tests......much joy. I never was one to get a positive and be overwhelmed....no, there is a disconnect in my brain where that "reason" is in most people. I was just be glad to be having another baby.

So, there may not be any more babies for me, it has to end sometime. I am 43 and 1/2 now....we have been married for 25 years next week. We were thinking of going somewhere for our anniversary, but haven't gotten around to planning it yet....and, Paul only has a few weeks of vacation, if we use it up on ourselves we can't camp with the kids this year....maybe we can take a long weekend. We never did have a honeymoon. When we got married, we were both working, he had huge college loans and a car payment, and we had no money, or time off from work. We married on a Friday night, and went back to work on Monday morning.....but again, no regrets....we have taken our weekends here and there through the years....and we did go to Norway several years ago, though we brought baby Mali and my mother with us.....and we have been to Orlando, he had a conference for work, and took me along with baby Joseph, and we went to Washington DC when I was 6 months pregnant for Benjamin....so, I can't complain. A trip would be nice.....but....we'll survive without one, too....

Well, today I have my work cut out for me....the kids emptied a dollhouse bin....which did keep Charlotte Claire busy for quite a while, but it is all over the floor...and there was some popcorn eating in here last night that involved Camille, who thinks food/playthings: same thing. Also on the floor are the pajamas of the little school girls, some books, 3 ride-ons, the slide, a few blankets....only about 10 minutes to pick up, but I sure hope no one knocks at the door until after I get to it.....and the hampers are overflowing , again, and of course the kitchen stuff....we did do the dishwasher and clean up after dinner, but several kids used dishes this morning....and what is for dinner tonight? I used my frozen pizzas up.....hmmm. Maybe I'll defrost some chicken breast, and stir-fry it with some fresh broccoli....we eat alot of chicken....it is cheap and healthy. I notice I am rambling, so I will get up and get busy before the mighty Camille is up and about and emptying drawers and cupboards.....