early morning....can I take a nap yet?

7:30 on a Saturday morning is nothing to complain about, but I will anyways. I would much rather sleep until 8:30, maybe nine. But hey, when you have a puppy who stays in her cage like a good little girl from 10:30 at night without peeing, pooping, or whining....you need to get your lazy self out of bed and bring that poor puppy outside. She is so totally overwhelmed with excitement when she sees me each morning, she can't help starting to pee in her cage....I get her outside as quickly as I can, and she finishes....today, I took her out again about a half hour later. I just went out on the deck, told her to go and go potty, and she went down the steps, over to the side woods (hint: do not walk over there), and did her business. She then bounded right back up the steps. I was hoping this would happen, so I don't have to go up and down all those stairs so many times a day. Anyway, I made french toast and sausage for the kids this morning. It was relatively easy, because there are only seven of them home. Not counting Ben, who does not get up this early. The older kids are out at a youth conference for the weekend. They are going to have so much fun. One of their friends from Missouri is up, and it was her birthday the other day...they have a present for her, and a beautiful birthday cake.... This morning, pretty little Camille was sitting on my lap, when she did a little toot. She laughed, and said, "I bart!".....great.

This little girl doesn't get bottles anymore. Officially, anyway. It certainly looks like she's hiding with Camille's ba-ba. Oh, what a wonderful day!!! It is cloudy and chilly with a 90% chance of rain. Kathryn is cranking up the hot tub. We went in it last night while the kids were at activity club, just Paul and I and Charlotte Claire and Camille. The water was not overly hot, but it was still nice. Charlotte Claire is a little fish, swimming around and going underwater. It is just a pool for her.

Paul has to leave for the afternoon. I think we'll just stay here and relax. Relax. Ha. Well, it could happen. Just because Charlotte Claire peed in her undies three times yesterday, doesn't mean it will happen again today. Just because she spilled a cup of diet grape soda all over the counter, doesn't mean it will happen again today. Rosie might not pee in here, or chew up any shoes or nip Camille. Camille might not sneak into the girls' room and get the ink-pad and stamper off the high shelf. Charlotte Claire might not spill an entire bowl of cereal. The girls might not get into any fights, they might not yell or stomp their pretty little feet. Camille might not put puppy chow into puppy water. Or drink from puppy water. The washing machine might spin the clothes on the first try, and we might not run out of clean towels. Evelyn might not step in dog poop, and Suze might not get stuck up in the tree in the front yard. Camille might not take off her own diaper after she poops, and she might not slip in a pile of previously undetected puppy pee. She also might not get the pepper from the counter, or drag a chair over to the sink. She might not play in the powder. She might not get the box of Kix out of the cupboard, upside down. So it could happen. Today could be relaxing.