summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Monday, August 31, 2009

Jonathan, Paul, Sonja, Charlotte Claire, and Camille watching "Thomas The Tank Engine"...
The older kids are at soccer practice, and some at a gathering at my sister's house. Evelyn and Suzanne were playing video games, and it seems quiet here....but I have to leave to pick up Sam, Margaret, Kathryn, and their friend Renee from soccer....
Renee is Delandie's little sister, she came back from Detroit to stay with us for the week. She helped Abigail make dinner. They made French Toast with homemade syrup and sausage. Some of us had leftover grilled chicken and salad. It was one of those quick people-have-to-get-out-the-door dinners. Not a leisurely talk- and -fool -around- and- discuss things dinner.
Well, off I go....

cleaning up around here........

Margaret, 12, with Camille Anaya.... Kathryn, 11, with Camille

Evelelyn, 10

Suzanne Eleanor, 8 years old



Sonja Kathleen, 7






Jonathan, 5





Charlotte Claire, 3






Camille, 21 months... Today has been busy. Why is it that some days things just stand out that need to be done? Everything at once just screams to be cleaned or dusted or polished? If only it would stay this way...ha.
The blog I mentioned yesterday is http://mikeandkatie1.blogspot.com/
Samuel is going crazy, he cannot find his WII game. He is looking all over, and trying not to blame the "little kids" as he calls them.
I have not been outside to enjoy this nice summer day at all, except for to go out on the deck and straighten out a few fights. They like their new playhouse, but it is small. Charlotte Claire and Camille are best friends, but best friends who get in scratching and hitting fights every hour or so. Oh, and sometimes biting. Charlotte Claire had to come out of then nice playhouse and sit in a kitchen chair for a while. I realize Camille can be unreasonable, but NO BITING!
Mirielle and Abigail went into town to pick up Mirielle's car from being fixed. Jonathan somehow weaseled his way in to go with them. He loves riding in the cars. He offered to move his booster seat in by himself. He usually brings a toy steering wheel with him. If he forgets it, he will use something else to pretend he is steering.
I need to go out and take my walk, I have slacked off. Now that it is cooler out, I need to be more diligent again....







Sunday, August 30, 2009

but officer, I have never been pulled over before...

Alas, I can never say that again..I got pulled over today. Not one of those seatbelt checks, either. The real flashing-lights-pull-over by a genuine New York State trooper. I was on my way to pick up the new used playhouse, and I am not so used to driving the truck. My seat was not adjusted properly, so I had pulled off the road to fix it, and pulled back on....and it still just wasn't right...so the officer saw this, and must've thought I was drinking or something. As he approached the truck, I said, "I have never been pulled over before, sir!" Oh, I am such an idiot. Anyway, I didn't get a ticket or anything....I think part of the reason he pulled me over was there were three little girls in the back seat, Kathryn, 11, Evelyn, 10, and Suzanne, 8......and when I mentioned there was a cop behind us, they all turned around and probably waved, too. The officer looked right in at them....he probably wondered if they were flagging him down or something...he didn't even call in my license, he just let me go....

So we got lost, even though Ben has a GPS in the truck....neither Mirielle or I could figure it out....after we picked up the house, we went to this obscure little hole-in-the-wall ice cream place. It was low-ceilinged and orange walled and seemed like it was a thousand miles in the middle of nowhere. The icecream was good and the fries were fine. Then we stopped at the grocery store, we cannot go all that way without stopping there.....our favorite find: 10packs of instant oatmeal, like apple-cinnamon or oatmeal raisin, for $1 a box. We put 12 in the cart.

Some of the kids were invited to a going-back-to-school gathering/party at my niece's house, so we only had Paul and I here for dinner with Benjamin, Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, Charlotte Claire, and Camille. It was pretty relaxing, and wow, only having to cook one pound of bacon is pretty easy. We had BLTs with turkey and chicken. And sliced apples. Very simple. Oh, and they were still hungry, so they started begging for the instant oatmeal....I was nice and made 6 bowls of it. Ben ate three packets. I should have bought more than 12 boxes....

I have baby-itis. Again. I read a lovely blog today, time didn't permit going back too very far, but this lucky mom has two boys, two very beautiful little adopted girls, and is expecting another.....the newborn she just adopted is so absolutely beautiful....can arms really ache for a baby? 'Çause mine do. If anyone has one they want to give me....oh that sounds terrible. (But I still will take it)

ideas and ideals

I have two sets of goals....my earthly goals and my heavenly goals. Of course the latter are the most important, eclipsing the earthly.

Earthly: I want a clean house. I long for that stark, spotless look. Ha. (I DID clean the laundry room on Friday, it took all day to sort and sift, but the floor in there is clean, the clothes in the proper hampers, with only like 15 loads to do....) but this clean house is not going to happen. Oh, I get one room the way I want it, and then another, and the first one is messy again. I spent a few hours cleaning up Charlotte Claire's/toy storage room last week, and when I tucked her in last night, it was distressing how messy it is again. rrr. My living room gets swept and picked up several times a day, and every few days or so I take care of the clothes pile on the couch, the eternal clothes pile that I vow never will happen again. Then, one of the kids asks where to put an outfit that has only been worn for 5 minutes by Camille, and I say, "Put it on the couch..." Sometimes I tell myself that if my house was all clean and spotless, I would be very happy. Sure, probably would. But I'll probably never know! ha. As for other things, I think I manage okay...I always have the kids neat and clean and cute when we go out and about, I feed them nice and relatively healthy dinners each evening, somehow...and breakfast and lunch usually aren't too bad, except for the occasional out and about chips and soda deal. ]



Okay, the heavenly: what does it mean to be Godly? In the old testament, they had their laws and rules, to protect them against destroying themselves in total depravity. Then Jesus came, He came and battled against sin, and He won victory. Victory over death itself. He said "Follow me".....so now that is opened up for us, to follow Him on this way of victory, of overcoming in our temptations. Every day, I get my share of trials. Frustrations and irritations. What do I do then? Yes, I want to accomplish my earthly goals, it can SEEM so important. But I need to be saved during all these things! I cannot take a clean house to heaven. Yes, it is nice and good, but being cleansed from sin during the day is where rest and peace come from. When I say NO to my irritation, I have to suffer a bit, but the peace that comes from that is heavenly. It blesses those around me. When I hear something bad about another person, and I decide that this information will die with me, I will not speak evil, then it blesses both me, and the others. It can be so decieving during the day, when I am so focused on my earthly goals....but taking things right is far far more important. This way of salvation is what brings blessing and happiness. People ask me sometimes how I raised such good teenagers. Now how do I explain that it wasn't me, it was because they choose to live a pure life, saying NO to sin....? It is a huge responsibility to be a good example to them, to really turn to God when things get rough. Then they see that this life is good.

Oh, I do not mean to preach. But it is hard not to burst sometimes, I am so thankful to God that He has been so good to me, not just in the earthly. I am so thankul that I don't have to just live in hopelessness and anger and misery. And now, ironically, comes one of the hardest trials I experience, which is getting out the door by 10:30 with all the kids neat and clean and fed, for church.....

Saturday, August 29, 2009

getting back to normal...

whatever THAT is. I went to the baby shower today, and there was a friend there with a newborn. Oh, I almost started crying. I have never had it before that this much time has passed after a miscarriage without a new pregnancy, and I thought I was fine with it...but a baby shower with three babies that are due around when mine would have come was a bit much for me today. I am very very happy for those moms, and very satisfied with my children, but...there is still that pain down deep, that feeling of sadness. It doesn't show itself very often, but I did feel it today. It was triggered by all those sweet little clothes, and the nice pram I gave to my niece. It is one of my favorites, a PegPerego with the basinette and the seat, and the nice white spoked wheels. Ouch, I hate to part with them...

I left the baby shower early, with Abigail, Mali, Evelyn, and Sonja, to go get Mirielle at the airport. She is doing okay. She was scared during her ordeal, they did indeed bus her to the detention center, and she did not know when she would get to leave. They locked her in a cell with another lady, from Nigeria. The customs officials here couldn't believe they did that to her. They told her that here she would have been put in a hotel.

We stopped at my favorite bakery (doesn't everyone have a favorite bakery?), near the airport in the town I grew up in...I used to get things for my parents from this place, especially when my dad was very sick with leukemia. He couldn't eat much, but he ate liked his donuts....and this place has wonderful donuts. Just walking in the door is heavenly, the smell, the cases filled with cakes and pies and cookies and cannoli and turnovers and danishes. And the best Italian bread, I bought two loaves of that. Their donuts are only $6 a dozen, and they are very big and fresh and luscious.

Our next stop was for a coffee, and then on the way home with Mirielle. Paul had prepared a special dinner of sweet corn on the cob, steaks on the grill, and salad with tomatoes and green peppers and scallions and radishes. And I brought the Italian bread...oh, it was good. Summery and good. Mirielle had not eaten much for two days, hardly anything, so she was very appreciative.

So, things have calmed down here....tomorrow after church, I get to go pick up the new playhouse I am buying for the kids from craigslist...only $40.......yay!

mirielle's coming home....

Our first call to the "detention center", for lack of a better word, was interesting...they had no record of her.....so we called the number they gave us, and...not opened. So, the second call to the first place, oh yeah, she was here, but she must have left....anyway, to condense it all, she will be back to our local airport this afternoon.

So.....on with life....no more drama, I hope. Today I am going to a baby shower for 3 expecting moms, all new grandchildren for my brother (he has ten kids)...my niece, and two of my nephews wives are all having babies within two weeks, in October. So today will be a big celebration.

And, we have to of course go pick up Mirielle.

And now I have to get on with my Saturday.....

Friday, August 28, 2009

mirielle's being detained!!!

And momma can't bear it! She is being held in a detention centre (notice the English spelling?) in England! Apparently, she was not allowed to enter the country. She went there on a one-way ticket, since her next destination was Norway, and they did not like that one little bit, those English gentlemen who questioned her at customs. That, and the small amount of money she had were proof to them that she was entering England to work. Not true, she was helping a family in our church, she would get some spending money, but not a wage. But they did not want to hear it, no work permit, no entrance. They put her in a cell, where she is right now, and would not even let the daddy of the family she was going to help out go in and see her. Sorry, they said. Are they REALLY SORRY? When she called, she was understandably upset, and I was understandably freaking out.....I thought something terrible had happened to her when she said she was coming home....anyway, she gave me the number of the place she was, and I called there a bit later to try to find out some details....and the nice English gentleman who answered the phone said, "You cannot speak to the detainees, they are locked down." Then I freaked. LOCKED DOWN???? I said, "What?? That is my daughter, she has done nothing wrong. Are you treating her well and feeding her?" He assured me that she was in an area with only females, and that she was being treated well. He said I could call tomorrow to talk with an immigration officer. The daddy of the family said he talked and talked to the officials and they will NOT budge on letting her into the country. I hope that means they are letting her OUT of the country. And, I am wondering if they are PAYING for the return plane ticket....anyway....I suppose that is one of my soft spots, hearing that my sweet little daughter is being locked in a cell....ooh, it makes my blood boil, truth be told...and there is NOTHING I can do about it.....

I know, of course, that all things happen for a reason, and that God is there with her. He just has other plans for her right now, frustrating as that may be.

So, answer to the question, what program do our kids go through.... Our church has lots of churches in lots of countries, and though we don't personally know this particular family, we know people who know them. They needed some help, Mirielle wanted to help them,(but not without Paul checking it out first) and be in England for a while, so she contacted them. If you look on the www.brunstad.org page, it may mention the A-team, or A-lag. My daughter Emily is there for that for a year, and Joseph only for a few months because he didn't get his work visa. Brunstad is a huge conference center for our church, and it is rented out for other events during the year. Kids from all over the world go there and join the A-team,for one year increments, and help keep the place going. They also get to know each other, have fellowship, meetings, and gatherings. They really work hard but also have a great time. I imagine Mirielle will save up for airfare to Norway and try to go still. But she probably will be banned from England for life...nah, I don't know.

If you read this and you are from England, tell the government they are making a big mistake, not letting sweet little Mirielle in. She only adds goodness and fun where ever she goes, and now the whole country is missing out. She would have gone into that home, done things like the mama wanted, even if they were allowed to slam doors or waste food.....and she would have won those children's hearts. Oh well, it was not meant to be. But the poor mama, expecting her fourth child and having much pain from a hip injury, and now no helper.

Oh, the fun just goes on and on....we let our 12 year old daughter go on a trip to Detroit Michigan to visit one of her close friends from church. She went with his older brother, who is 24, and has been here many times, he is a very very good kid. (he is the one who got burned badly in the fire)....He happens to be black, which doesn't matter to us in the least of course. So, he lives here in the area, and his parents still live in Michigan. He went home to visit for the weekend, and took Margaret to see his sister. He took the short-cut through Canada. I made sure Margaret had her photo I.D. and her birth certificate, along with a nicely detailed permission slip with both Paul's (eh-hem, thank you Aaron) and my signatures. And phone numbers. So tonight, amidst the noise and mayhem, the phone rings...U.S. customs. "Is your daughter traveling with someone?" I thought the call was referring to Mirielle at first....I took a guess and asked, "You mean Margaret?" (the guy thought I was a real idiot, I'm sure)......He then asked me all about Delandie, how to spell his name, how long have we known him, blah blah blah....he then asked, "Are you sure you want your daughter traveling with him?" Yes, I said, it is fine, he has our blessing, he is a very good friend........anyway, I cannot help but think that they gave him such a hard time because of race...which is very sad indeed. Because I look at him and see a very kind and hilarious and fun-loving, hardworking, honest sincere young man. I do not see his color. Not at all. I don't know, maybe they would have questioned him anyway at the border, but I don't think so...Margaret called after and said they got them out of the car and really questioned them over and over again.

Now, isn't it strange that I am talking to immigration officials on two different sides of the world for two different daughters in one night?

I miss joseph and emily

So here is Rosie for you two, if you ever read this from Norway....she is big and always needs a bath, even though she just had one the day before yesterday. She does have some English Ivory paint on her back, the color of the kitchen. She does have something pink on her paws, which co-incides for some reason with the pink ink-pad stuff all over Charlotte Claire, Camille, and the little kids' bedroom walls. hmm. Here she is looking toward the accros-the-road neighbors...she thinks their business is her business...she is turning into a barker....but she mostly will stop and come to me if I go out there and call her....then I praise her for coming to me, and she thinks I am praising her for barking at the neighbor's dog....sometimes I wonder why I wanted another dog so badly...but I DO love her.
Here is General Thunder....but we mostly call him Boy Kitty. (as opposed to his sister, Girl Kitty)....he is still there on the back of the couch, and Rosie is in here now, undressing a Barbie and chewing up the dress. Rosie saw the kitty (they have not made friends yet), and barked at her a few times. I told her NO quite firmly, so she just dropped to the floor and put her head on her paws.....I am surprised Boy Kitty is still in here.

Kitten Force (Girl Kitty) is doing fine too. She is getting quite chubby....the two of them are good hunters, they like to bring gifts to Sam and Margaret....nice little dead rodents. Oh, the joy of pets. Just don't show me any more cute kittens or puppies. Now Rosie is chewing on a Hess truck...Jon won't like that. See, the kids have slept in this morning, but Rosie has kept me busy anyway....
So I have been missing my Joseph and my Emily. I know, they aren't really mine. God gave them to us to take care of and to raise, and I have let them go....anyway, I thought I would write a little bit about the kids today.....
Emily Anne,24: She has talent. She can write stories that make me laugh and cry.....she is a true servant, a hard worker, but knows how to have fun....she loves adventures...she is also a nurse, which I think is perfect for her, as she is compassionate and keeps her head when I crumble.....
Abigail,22: Abigail likes to laugh. She can laugh at herself, and make light of things that would bring her down. She needs to find a job right now, seeing that her car needs $$$ repairs to pass NY state inspection.....Ab is truly humble and faithful to God, and tends to be a worrier. She gets worked up about things, but she does not draw back from what she has to do, thus overcoming her anxiety, one thing at a time. She is dealing with that shock-of-how-crazy-home-is-after-being-gone-for-a-few-weeks thing right now. Oh, the mess and the work and the noise...
Benjamin,20: He is also a hard worker, or I hope he is, as he is working with my nephew now. He is a procrastinator, and it seems like he never gets ahead. He is a decent handsome guy, with a very soft heart....he loves these guys, and Rosie, who ALWAYS pees when Ben comes home, she loves him so much.....
Mirielle, 19: She loves to keep in shape, running for 4 -6 miles a day, but also loves to bake sinfully delicious chocolate things. She can laugh about everything too, and is also a procrastinator. She was certainly still packing yesterday morning. In fact, being the nice mommy that I am, I stopped at Target on the way to the airport and let her run in with my "magic card", as Aaron and Mali call it, to get herself a watch because I just couldn't have her traveling all by herself without one.
Joseph 18: He says he only misses the animals....which is fine, it doesn't help to be homesick. I know he is making lifelong friends and becoming rooted and grounded in God's word, which are very good things. He wants to go to art school....
Aaron, 16: He also loves adventure and travel. He and Mali like to ride their bikes for miles. He has lots of friends in other places. He is a very nice sincere boy, with a wicked sense of humor.
Mali, 15: Mali, like the other kids, has a deep conviction to be faithful to God, to keep pure, to stay on the narrow way. She is a hard worker, a good companion, and very sincere. And like the others, she likes to laugh and fool around...Aaron and her are particularly fond of making fun of me, in a good way.
Samuel James, 14: Sam is obsessed with all things World War II. He also likes airsoft guns. He likes video games, but he also likes to go outside, and read books, and be with the rest of us. He has a lot of friends, he looks way older than his age, and he has coined the phrase here, "in a good way..."(put that after any insult, and they think it's okay, jokingly)
Margaret Cheryl, 12: Margaret has been 15 for years now. She doesn't have alot of self-confidence, so she gets offended rather easily. She is beautiful but doesn't realize it. She is tons of fun, and can be a huge help when she wants to be.
Kathryn Grace, 11: She is still at that stage where she doesn't mind being around here doing things with the little ones. She doesn't complain about helping, she is mature and practical and trusts God. Some kids are just more capable than others, and she is one of them....if I ask Kathryn to do something, it will get done right.
Evelyn Joy, 10: She is the drama queen of the bunch. She is brilliant and witty and likes to have a good time, and she is quite a fighter with her sisters. And it is never her fault. But she is beautiful and sweet and outgoing, too.
Suzanne Eleanor, 8: She is serious about serious things, very stubborn, but trustworthy and faithful. She loves the little ones, she is practical and soft-hearted and likes to play office and restaurant.
Sonja Kathleen, 7: S.K. is such a sweetie. She likes to take care of the younger ones, she loves Rosie and the kitties, she trips over her own feet and if a drink gets spilled at the table, it's her. She hates vegetables, and likes to get stuff when we go places, no matter what it is, she really likes getting stuff. But without actually begging, she is a good "suggestor"....She really loves me, and is very affectionate.
Jonathan Robert, 5: Oh, I hate to send this boy to school! He is very smart, he knows his letters and can sound out words and he knows things like cars drive on the other side of the road in England and how to read price tags. He shares a room with 3 sisters, his LittleTikes race car bed in a pink room. He can play dollies, and he can play cars. I hope he makes friends in school who don't mind him quoting "Hannah Montana".....he is a good boy, always apologizes when he has his meltdowns, and works on self-control. He still sucks his thumb, those kindergarteners better be kind to my little boy.....
Charlotte Claire, 3: She is amazing. She is so mature, like she went from a baby to a miniture little girl. She can be fierce when toys are taken or when she doesn't get her way, but she is learning. She plays well with Jon and Camille, most of the time. She likes to do things herself, and doesn't give up or give in without a fuss. But she is pretty and sweet and also very affectionate....
Camille, 21 months: Oh, she loves me! She is cuddled up to me right now, sucking her thumb, in her little footie pajamas. She likes to put her pudgy little hands on my cheeks and look into my eyes and say, "Mama!"....Last night, she kept saying over and over, "I don't want it, night-night!"...but she went to bed very nicely and slept all night in her little green bed......I was in the bathroom last night, and I heard her looking for me, "I want it, Mama, I want it, Mama", which apparently translates to , "I want Mama".....(I have to be extra sneaky if I want to go pee without her)....

So now I have been sitting here way way to long.....

Thursday, August 27, 2009

sadness and Kmart....

SHE was smiling....my Mirielle. But I was not. Oh, I am glad for her...but I couldn't help crying....she will be gone for a long long time. First England for a few months, then maybe France for a bit, then Norway for a year.






One might think that when one has sixteen kids, one leaving wouldn't be so sad. That couldn't be further from the truth. Now we have only 13 kids in the house, until next month when Joseph comes home...then Emily will be home...at least for a little while....oh, I am going to miss Mirielle....
Here is Miss Camille, who doesn't like sitting in the cart, and I'll be darned if I am going to let her walk....she is way too grabby.




She said, "No want it, take picture!"





This Kmart is full of memories for me, it is near where I grew up, and my mother worked here for a few years when I was little. Imagine my surprise when I ran into these two fellows! My brother's son, Mike, and my baby brother, Casey.....they don't work at Kmart, they work for a company that puts up displays.....it was nice to chat with them for a bit....what a small world.








These kids had too much fun in Kmart. Suzanne, who is between Kathryn and Sonja, has $5o to spend. She has saved it up. She looked, but didn't buy. I looked AND bought. But not very much. A pair of very sparkly sneakers for Sonja for school, some chips and gatorade for the kids (another healthy lunch) 3 new folders, a little toy limosine car for Jonathan, and two $2 shirts.
Oh dear, Sonja and Jon are playing Pizza Hut (we went there last summer),and Jon is giving his order. He asked for an icewater, and said, "An ice water is free".....they have their cash register, and I gave them a few reciepts, some change, one dollar bill, and Mirielle's old debit card.
Charlotte Claire didn't get to go with us today, she was still sleeping when we left. She stayed home with Aaron, Mali, Sam, Margaret, and Evelyn. And Abigail, she is home now. Tonje, the girl she was staying with, had her baby on Monday, she named her Celine Joy. Her husband is coming home from the west coast today, so Abigail's companionship is no longer needed.....now she needs to find a job....real life will begin soon for her.....she has an accounting degree, which sounds boring to me, but she is a practical girl. It is good to have her home again.
Mali is finishing up the kitchen painting. It is the same color as before, so no shocking change like the living room, but clean and nice....Aaron and her want to go to the amusment park, and are looking on craigslist for cheap tickets, but they haven't found any yet. Oh well....







going to the airport.....

Mirielle Joy....she didn't want me to take her picture, but I told her I can't bug her again for over a year.....wah.
I promised Jonathan and Sonja last night that I would take them with me to the airport if they behaved themselves and went to bed nicely. I told them even if they were sleeping I would get them up and take them...so, they are up....and we are leaving soon. Wah.

Wednesday, August 26, 2009

I need to go to bed, but....

I have SO much to say....but it is not quiet enough around here. 5 kids are painting the kitchen...they want me to stay out of there! It is better that way, because I find alot to comment about. It won't be perfect, but it will be done. Fresh and clean and new....no crayon or pencil or handprints.

Mirielle is packing, I don't know what the hurry is, she is leaving tomorrow morning. I have a bit of a headache, I wonder why. But I am thankful for all of these guys. Emily, my oldest, messaged me from Norway to say that Joseph, my 5th oldest, had stepped on a nail. But do not fear, she gave him a tetnus shot. She is a nurse. It was strange to give her own brother a shot, she said. They will both be home soon, and I cannot wait.....


Aaron is turning off the lights, he wants to be finished...Mali wants to get it all done tonight. Edging needs to be done. Aaron just wants to fool around. I am not getting involved. They are bringing everything from the kitchen out here....I always forget how much work is involved with painting.

Margaret might be taking a trip to Detroit to visit a friend. She is excited about that. Our kids are very blessed to have so many friends and so many opportunities to travel.....

I know I need to go to bed, morning comes quickly....wah.

painting the kitchen, and pictures of the kids....

These guys are painting the kitchen...I can hardly bear it....they are so silly..
Here is Kathryn looking for a movie with Sonja....


Suzanne with Charlotte Claire...

Camille Anaya demonstrating how to drink from a sippy cup....and how to pick out nice matching clothes....





I look worn out in this picture....I think I was pretty stressed. I was trying to get dinner on the table so like 8 people could get out the door right after, and Suze wanted me to teach her how to do counted cross stitch, so I sat down in this chair to help her for a minute...then I heard the dreaded sound of something (or in this case, someONE) falling down the stairs, and Jon screaming....Camille fell down the stairs. She was bleeding alot from the lips....so it looked alarming. I am not too good in these situations, so it was good I was already sitting down. I had Kathryn get me a wash cloth quick, and when I cleaned her up it was apparent it wasn't very serious...but it gave me a few more grey hairs...Charlotte Claire was a little jealous that Camille got so much attention, and that Jon gave her this phone to play with, a real phone that Ben had that is broken...it is a very fought-over item.....





Yeah, I can tell now...:Mirielle is leaving in the morning. I have to be out of the house by 9:00 to bring her to the airport. Wah. Wah getting up early, and wah saying goodbye. Wah.


cozy cloudy afternoon...

Mali and Aaron so nicely watched the kids so Mirielle and I could go get her a plug converter and go to the bank, and we took a quick trip to the grocery store....and we stopped at Gramma's house...she made us a big pan of lasagna and an apple spice bundt cake.

Sam has three friends here, so Mali made them a nice lunch of rice, broccoli, and chicken chunks....I came home just in time to help clean up the mess.....

Now Camille is napping, and the girls are watching, "12 Dancing Princesses"....They have one huge bedroom with 12 beds in it....I realized that I have 11 princesses....only 9 will be left here when Mirielle leaves....but Emily will be back...wouldn't it be cool to have a room like that with all the beds in a row? Then a room for each of them to keep their stuff...hey, a girl can dream....

When I get my batteries charged, I am going to take a new picture of each of the kids, except for of course Emily and Joseph. Oh, all the things I am going to do.....and all I want to do is take a nap. What is it about rainy afternoons that make me want to snuggle in my bed?

I swept up the kitchen and living room floors so nicely before I left this morning. It looked quite nice. I hate crumbs and stuff on the floor. (I know, I am in the wrong line of work).....I walked in the door, and even though Mirielle and I had a nice relaxing outing, which included a large coffee and a medium Chai tea, I lamented....why can't anything stay clean? I did ask Sonja to sweep up the pile of pink playdough crumbs Camille left in the living room, where playdough isn't even allowed. Oh, Camille is a busy one. She took off her diaper before I left today and pooped a big poop right on the kitchen floor....I cleaned her up first, then the poop on the floor, then showered her off.....yes Martha, maybe I need to use those cloth diapers with pins. I have a huge bag of real diapers still, in the closet. 'Cause you never know.

Suzanne, also known as Carl around here, has the teapot whistler outside, whistling like there's no tomorrow. I don't care for high pitched noise anyway, but Camille is sleeping....rrr. Kathryn just got it from her and put it back on the tea kettle.

I saw a lady in the store today with a little tiny baby, a little toddler, and a bigger toddler, no older than three years old. She looked a bit frazzled. I wanted so badly to give her a word of encouragement without sounding like a know it all. But I didn't. I wanted to balance out all the "You must be crazy", and "Better you than me" comments she probably gets. When I saw her, I thought, "You are a lucky woman".....No, she didn't have much room for groceries because the carseat was in the back of the cart and the small toddler in the front....and she is probably tired and overwhelmed, but those kids were so cute!

Rosie the pup is a lot of work. Joseph, I will take some more pictures of her when my batteries charge. I gave her a nice bath the day before yesterday, and you could never tell today. She needs constant brushing with all that fur....I am thinking about getting her a haircut. She barks at the neighbors, at their garbage guys and Fedex deliveries, plus at ours. The propane man, wow, she goes crazy when he comes. She mostly comes to me when I call her when she is barking like a mad dog, but not always, and that bothers me. My mother always said the dog listens like the kids do, and she was right. And what bothers me more is that I have read that it isn't the dog's fault, it it the owner/trainer. ouch. I can make a lot of excuses, like she has too many masters, but I won't.....

out and about day again...

But hopefully not for too long....we are supposed to take our big van into the dealership for a recall (nothing big, just a possible "engine compartment fire", which is nice to know after driving the thing for five years.....)...but Mirielle's car, which is really Emily's car, is still at the fixit-shop....anyway, Mirielle and I are probably going out and about to do a bit of banking and other stuff because she is leaving soon. Last night she decided on a winter coat to bring. She is going to be gone a long time. Apparently the winter temps in England average much warmer than here, but then she is on to Norway, brr. It must to be difficult to pack enough stuff for over a year....

I am so sad she is leaving I can't stand it. It's not my fault she is so much fun and has become pretty much my best friend. It's not my fault she is my fellow coupon-shopper, fellow bargain shopper. It's not my fault that we think the same things are hilarious....oh, it is hard to say goodbye to her. I am not at all against her following her dreams and traveling and meeting new people, I think it is great that she is actually doing it. She always thought it was a shame that people just stay where they live all their lives when there is a great big world out there. But I will miss her! Why, oh why is she leaving for sooo long? Joseph will be home next month, and Emily in December....but we will just have to photo-shop Mirielle into the new family picture....I am wondering when we will all be together again....oh, sadness.....

I came out here at 2:30 in the morning to take ibuprofen for my back, and lots of older kids were still up. Aaron was eating microwaved frozen strawberries, Mali was bringing the dog in....they had just finished a movie....they will be in bed 'til noon....they need to start an earlier schedule....they are having that panic that school will start soon and they want to have as much fun as possible. They are obviously my kids.....

A cooler weather pattern has decended upon us here in the Northeast. Our high temperatures will only be in the low seventies. That is pleasant enough, but the pool water gets cold. As much as I sort of hate the really hot humid days, they were nice this year...the pool was like bath water....hopefully though, with these pleasant days we can do a few park visits, things that are miserable with the heat, and the non-air-conditioned van.....

Tuesday, August 25, 2009

a picture perfect day with no pictures...

No, my fully charged new batteries disapeared from my camera without a trace. No one here knows anything about it. Hmm. Aaron had his camera, but he is gone to a meeting tonight, so no pics right now......instead, I will try to describe the day.....I had the bright idea to take the kids to a nice county park on one of the Finger Lakes....(five finger lakes in central NY state, formed by glaciers, deep and clean and pretty........long and narrow like fingers, parallel to each other....) Mirielle, Mali, and Margaret had places to go with their friends, so I took Aaron, Sam, Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, Sonja K., Jon, Charlotte Claire, and Camille. The playground was our first stop, with the snacks set out....candy bars, diet soda, cheese crackers, almonds. And cheese and crackers and pepperoni. Yeah, I know, very healthy. We are clean out of fresh fruit and veggies. There is a huge slide there, they all went to the top and formed a train and went down together...it was nice to see Aaron, 16, and Sam, 14, playing so nicely with the younger ones. They took Camille down it several times. ( I asked her about it tonight, and she said, "steps!") They all went on the old-fashioned merry-go-round, Aaron made it go really fast. After a while we packed up the snacks, and headed down to the beach. I was worn out in like ten minutes. Camille thought she had a swim floatie on, I think. She has no sense. She just would run out in the water and collapse. I had to pull her up....and she just laughed....she finally settled down a bit, and played with the sand in the shallow water....the other kids would be jumping in and yelling, WATCH THIS, MOMMY!, and I would be like, sure, like I can take my eyes off Camille for more than two seconds. It seemed like everytime I did, she went under water. I don't mean to make it sound like she was in danger, she seems to hold her breath when she goes under, she doesn't cough or take in water......she just keeps me on my toes. There was a life guard on duty, and less than ten other people swimming. After about 45 minutes or so, I had had enough, so I scooped her up, carried her up to the grassy area, and cuddled her in her towel while she drank a bottle of milk. (What? She's getting too old for this?) We packed up and headed to the van. Boy, reading this makes it sound easy. I am omitting all the fun. Like how I almost left without Suzanne because she didn't want to sit next to Sonja, and she went back in the house and I didn't know it. Or how I "ran" into Walmart on the way there, with only Evelyn, to get them a volleyball to play with at the park, and several of the kids protested that I didn't bring them in. Or how Camille peed through her swimdiaper all over Sam. Or how on the way home, they somehow talked me into taking them through the drive-through of McDonalds....they got a paper and pen and took orders, two things each...we still came out short one hot fudge sundae, so I made Sam give his to Jon.....Sam made out well, because I gave him the rest of my double cheesburger, which only had a few bites out of it, then Jon gave the sundae back to Sam....anyway, they supposedly brought all of the garbage out of the van.....and when we got home, we did not have to have dinner! We just went swimming! Yay for a break! The weather today was superb. Warm and sunny and breezy and not too hot and not too cool and the water was warm and clear and sandy-bottomed. And Camille in her new brown and pink polka-dotted bikini with the ruffled bottoms, way too cute.....

The younger ones are tucked in, Benjamin is watching the Yankees. Mirielle is packing, she is leaving soon, but I am not allowed to say when, because she does not want her friends to throw her a going away party....so I am being respectful of that, even though I don't agree. Kathryn, Evelyn, and Suzanne are still up....summer hours. The older kids are all at a meeting with Paul.

Well, these three girls want to talk...

It is midnight....

and I should be in bed...I am wondering if I should just bring some ibuprofen into my room with me for when my back starts to hurt...I didn't call the dr. today, nah, not yet....I haven't procrastinated long enough...

Today ended up being a running-around-day....I took Mirielle down to some stores to get a few things for her long journey on the other side of the Atlantic.....we took Evelyn, Sonja, and Charlotte Claire with us. Charlotte Claire somehow made it out the door with her junky old flipflops....we brought her nice little sandals along, and made her put them on before we went into Target. She did not want to wear them, but I insisted....then she had a fit, and it was too late for me to say, WHAT the HECK, just wear them....so Mirielle just PUT the nice sandals on her, and carried her into the store crying very loudly.....Charlotte Claire, that is. Not Mirielle. Anyway, she settled down a bit, and Mirielle asked who had to go to the bathroom....Charlotte Claire went along with Mirielle, but not without saying, "I don't like you anymore, Mirielle..."

So we went through that again at the next store....then, at the third store, before she could start her little whining gig, I told her, GUESS what?! You can wear your flip flops in this store!! What was the lesson learned here? Never mess with a three year old. They will win.

We had a party tonight. I didn't even know it was going on, and they came in and invited me...I was pleasantly surprised when I went out on the deck, and there were candles everywhere, and seated at the new table: Mirielle, Mali, Aaron, Samuel, Kathryn, Evelyn, and Suzanne.....they were eating pizza and playing in candle wax....and talking about how funny it would be to take some of the abundance of toys in our yard and just put them in our neighbors pristine lawn....

Our oven broke tonight. We had these two beautiful Pizza Uno pizzas from BJs......I had put them in the oven, and it just turned off.....they cooked partially, so we had other stuff for dinner...and later the kids put them in foil on the grill outside......hence the party.

Paul didn't get to the oven diagnosis yet. He had taken Margaret and Kathryn to soccer practice, and tomorrow night he has another meeting.....I told him not to worry about it, I can live without it for a while. He is SO responsible....

It seemed like I had extra time on my hands today since I had no mousies to feed. I am not regretful of the experience, even though 3 people have said I am stupid so far. Here I went and taught the kids to be gentle with the mouse babies, they were little and fragile, and I acted like they were so special ....then my M.I.L goes and tells Jonny that mice are dirty and have germs and we should give them to the cat.....hmm.

Camille did not want to go to bed tonight. She said, "I don't want it, night night..." I, on the other hand, am very tired....and, these guys are watching "Kill Bill", AGAIN....it is hard enough to watch once.....

Monday, August 24, 2009

monday morning already....

and mousie #2, Mr. Squeaky, is nowhere in sight. When I went to bed at the early hour of eleven last night, while the big kids were still arguing what movie to watch, Sam was going to take charge of Mr. S. He must have died, because the box is gone. I am sort of relieved that I didn't have to see it....he was slowing down on his feedings yesterday, he must have missed his sibling.

Camille and Charlotte Claire were the only ones up with me this morning until they got the bright idea to go storming into the bedroom where Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, Sonja and Jonathan were sleeping soundly. AND get in a big fight in there, which entailed Charlotte Claire pushing poor Camille off the bed, which she says was an accident, and I told her to say sorry, and Camille sat here saying over and over, "Sorry Charlotte, Sorry Charlotte", and she is the one who fell....

Camille got into the Anti-Itch gel that one of the little princesses left out...a few of them cannot sleep if they have one bug bite.....she washed her hands in it and painted some dvds.....

I think I need to call the dr. about my back. It isn't so bad during the day, but I cannot sleep. I fall asleep okay, being pretty tired when I get in bed, but I wake up at 3 or so and the pain is horrible.....I took 3 extra strength ibuprofen last night when I woke up, and it did take the edge off....as I was finally drifting back off, Miss Camille-who-needs-her-own-room-badly woke up....all she wants is for me to pick her up and hug her, lay her back down and cover her up, and she is fine. She did this twice last night. Right as I was going back to sleep....rrr. I am not so sure they can do anything about my back anyway, I think it is a disc that is a bit out of place. But it could be something awful like a tumor. Suzanne, who is 8, told me yesterday morning that she dreamed my back hurt so bad that I took off my ring and went in my room and died. And she cried in her sleep. Ooh, that was a bit creepy. I honestly haven't said much in front of them about it....and the ring part she must have gotten because I wear my late mother's wedding band on my right hand....so she knew Gramma has her ring off.....anyway, I should probably call....I wonder if I need a chiropractor.....I come from a family of self-diagnosers...I hate going to the dr....

So, Camille has a terrible habit of taking her diaper off these days. Yesterday at church she was out at the playground with the other kids and Evelyn came running in and said she took her diaper off and pooped and it rolled down the slide. Great. It turned out it was just tiny, not a big deal, but after I got her all dressed again, she pooped again, for real....and the kids restrained her from taking it off until I got out there and changed her...potty training? I just asked Suzanne to take her in sit on the toilet....

Kathryn just told me the mouse died when she was trying to feed it last night. She said it was pretty sad....oh well. We tried.

Okay, a question was asked about school attendance, if the school gets on our case about missing days....the elementary/middle school nurse calls here so much, I am sure she knows our number by heart. In high school, it becomes much harder for the kids when they miss school. Most of ours are responsible enough to have good attendance, as they know how hard it is to make up the work, and their grades will suffer if they miss a day. One thing I got a kick out of was this past year, Suzanne had a comment from her teacher on her report card that said, "I am concerned about Suzanne's excessive absences." My question was, what exactly was she concerned about? Suzanne gets all A's, exceptional test scores,and has wonderful social skills. But yet her teacher was concerned. She obviously didn't understand that the time Suzanne spends at home is the reason she is so smart and well-adjusted. I don't just park her in front of the tv here...she is busy playing office or reading stories or setting up forts or coloring or writing books. Not that they don't watch their share of movies, or some public television here and there......her teacher doesn't understand that having Suze here a day a week or so with just the little ones gives her and I a chance to have some special time together. That those days are more than just skipping school. So with letting the kids miss school sometimes, I have found a sort of happy medium between home schooling and sending them to school....we live in a rural area with a small school, everyone knows each other, it is way different than the huge district where I attended school. One of the huge pluses of sending them to school is that there are several other families in our church at the same school, and the kids have those friends in their classes. This is a tremendous help, especially during the difficult middle school and high school years.

Now that our amusement park day is off, the kids are wondering what our special outing will be. Hmm. Where can you take 12 or 14 kids for fun and cheap?

Well, my older kids won't be up for a few hours, just the seven youngest are up....I need to get busy....

Sunday, August 23, 2009

one mousie died....

And the kids don't know it yet. I kept the box here by my chair last night, feeding the poor little guys...and one wasn't interested. Finally, it took a big breath and was still. I must be crazy, because I teared up a little. 5 days I have been feeding them....now the other one, who I call Squeaky, has slowed down noticably. I have been up for a while, and tried to feed him, and he seems just blah.

I couldn't sleep because my back was hurting, so I decided to get up. Everyone else is still sleeping, except for stupid Rosie, who just keeps barking at the across-the-road neighbors' dog every 5 minutes or so. It is so absolutely silent here that the barking is just not acceptable, especially on a Sunday morning. I have jumped up no less than 5 times to quiet her. Oh, she looks so repentant when I tell her to stop....like she'll never do it again. I would just bring her in here, but she will sneak down to the kids' room, and if she gets too excited when they all yell at her, she will pee in there. Oh well, I didn't get the perfect dog I envisioned, but I do love her anyway.

School starts on September 8th this year. I will have 9 kids going again, as Joseph graduated and Jonathan starts kindergarten. Aaron and Mali in high school, Sam, Margaret, Kathryn, and Evelyn in middle school, Suzanne, Sonja, and Jonathan in elementary. I had better face reality pretty soon and check their school lists to see if we have everything. I have been buying basic supplies all along, and I bought Jon a sleeping mat. Wah. I do not want to send my little Jonny. But I will be letting him stay home a lot. I have been struggling with the homeshooling thoughts all summer. They are MY kids, I hate sending them off. But the school district is great, the teachers are kind and respectful, my older ones had no problems going through school, and are strong advocates of sending the younger ones off for their own doses of reality.

Aah, sweet quiet. Paul is up now, but he is being quiet. We are going to church this morning, so I need to get moving and get their clothes out.....

Saturday, August 22, 2009

surviving the birthday sleepover...

How many kids at Evelyn Joy's 10th birthday? Hmm. 13 of ours, and 4 friends. And me. Paul was at a meeting for most of it....it is hard to fit things in sometimes, so I just planned it, and he already had a meeting scheduled....
Evelyn had a nice time with her friends...all of the little kids enjoyed them too...
Camille the monster. Oh, but a sweet and cuddly monster.



Charlotte Claire fell asleep in this unlikely position....she looks like I feel right about now....



I found evidence on my camera of the snack-fest that went on after they finished painting the other night.....it looks like onion rings and pizza rolls....




Here is my sweet niece Olivia with Camille....Olivia has eleven brothers and sister, including a little brother just a few months older than Camille......

So, we survived the sleepover....the girls settled into bed at midnight, then the usual nonsense went on...but amazingly, no major fights. I don't even remember any minor ones. With seven girls sleeping in one room, that is pretty admirable. Jonathan bunked in with Charlotte Claire.
Tonight is the night of The Surprise Party That Didn't Happen. We planned to do a s.p. for Samuel, as his birthday was the 2nd of August and we didn't do anything for him yet....so, Aaron secretly invited some friends over....three came......and they talked about going to the drive-in. Sam still did not know that they were here for a party, he just thought they came over. The time came when the others were supposed to come...one mom called, her boys were sick. Paul called the 4 others' house, they just plain weren't coming...THEY could have called!! But they didn't. So, Sam and Aaron went to the drive -in with the other three. I sent them with glazed donuts, half-moon cookies, salt-n-vinegar chips, and Hawaiian punch.....Sam does not know that we planned a party and it fell through. He just thinks I had lots of snacks on hand.
In other news, (I always wanted to say that!), the mousies are alive and it's day five!!! I don't know whether to laugh or to cry. Who is the #1 mousie feeder? Uh-huh. I even wipe them down with a piece of wipe after every feeding, to stimulate blood-flow and help their digestion. I don't really even like them! But they are miracle mice! Last night, I squished one accidentally with the ricebag we use to keep them warm and it still lived......I got their box down from the top of the bookcase, and only one mousie was in there! I moved their bedding around and looked all around, only one...I looked up to the top of the bookcase, moved the ricebag, and there was the other one, under the ricebag. Oops. I thought it was dead for sure. I put it back in the box, it wiggled, but mostly it was still. I called Suzanne to say goodbye....but it didn't die. When I looked in their box this morning, I wasn't too surprised that they were STILL ALIVE. How? I feed them formula with a medicine dropper, it runs down their faces, they don't seem to suck very much directly into their mouths, but I guess they get enough. What in the heck are we going to do with them? The girls are glad they are still going strong, they are praying for them, you see. But they are also glad that I do most of the feeding.....
I noticed a number "5" on Charlotte Claire's bedroom door yesterday. Just tonight when I put Camille to bed I noticed a "6" on my bedroom door....wait, yes, they numbered all the doors in the hall with black marker, in huge numbers, at least 8 inches long.....they must've had a pretty good reason, I guess.....I will ask them tomorrow.....anyone have any guesses?
Aaron and Mali are bad in the stores. I already knew that, but they reminded me this afternoon. I went out to drive some of the girls home, and to go to a grocery store in a different direction that I have only been to once, and now think I cannot go back to ever again. They each took a produce bag and blew it up a little, tied it off, the put the bag on their head so the blown up part rested on the top of their heads......then they talked to me in their Indian accents all through the store, as they pretended to beg for brownies and cheap toys. They are 15 and 16 years old, for crying out loud! They are so darned funny though.
We had some good dinner tonight, taco salad....and sweet corn on the cob....and ice water. It seems I spent the better part of my day preparing food today. This morning Paul and I made pancakes and bacon for lots of people.....17, I guess. Then for lunch we had grilled hot dogs, big soft pretzels, strawberries, and popsicles. The girls were gone by dinner time, but we had three extra boys.
Mirielle, Mali, and Margaret are at the video store, and the younger 7 are all tucked into bed, finally. Not sleeping yet, though. Jon just came out to tell me that Suzanne won't lie down and be quiet. Evelyn just came out of the bathroom, again. It is like 10:30, they are so tired, they need to just go to sleep. Charlotte Claire is sleeping in her room, and Camille is sleeping in my room.
I can't believe this but I have to go feed the mousies again. And Miss Rosie. Yeah, I get the kids in bed then have to take care of the animals....I need a vacation.




Friday, August 21, 2009

afternoon break...

Today I got some things accomplished...Charlotte Claire's room got cleaned and sorted, again...it is the toy storage room...and I am a toy-a-holic. Ten doll strollers in there, and one on the deck. Oh, and there was one in the hall, too. Trucks and cars, and dishes and play food, dollies and clothes, baby toys, dollhouse stuff, Waffleblocks, blocks, cash registers (4 or 5) (but they play with them when they play store), and a big shelve set in the closet filled with old Fisher-Price little people stuff. Each time I clean in there, I try to weed out a few things. It is hard for me to do, but I try.......

My sister registered her camper to go camping. If you register late in the year, you only get charged for a 6 month period, and it is cheaper. She camps in August, so she registered right before she left. She was told she could only get the cheaper rate if she had her husband's driver's license. She could register the camper without it, but to get the special rate, she needed it. What??? That is the law, she was told. Okay...she got her husband to fax a copy over, and got it done, but she couldn't help ask the obvious: And people want the government to run health care??!

Polly Pockets have way too many little pieces......why do I feel so responsible for the pieces when they don't seem to care?

Mirielle is making icecream cake for the big birthday party. We don't know yet what we're having for dinner. I was planning to make chicken wings, and Evelyn just said she doesn't like them. So she went to check in the freezer, and dumped over the soupy cake that Mirielle just put in...it went all over the stuff in the freezer, and Mirielle is asking her to clean it up...she says she'll do it in a minute.....meanwhile, the thing is melting.....hmm.

Sonja K. was my helper cleaning Charlotte Claire's room, so she gets to help me fill party bags....the stuff is all in my room and Camille is napping. She has asked me about a hundred times to go in and get the stuff, just sneaky, Mom. right. As if it's worth waking Camille. Every time Sonja goes down the hall, I suspect she is either trying to make a little noise to wake Camille, or she is going to "hear" her and go into the room to get her. Nah, my kids aren't brats....

But I do love them so much. Even when they fight. Yesterday, Aaron, Mali, and I were at our wits end with the fighting when we went bye-bye. Kathryn, who wasn't too bad, but Evelyn, Suzanne, and Sonja, who are 11, 10 (today), 8 and seven, are like two, no 4 cats in a sack. Rrrrr. Scratch, hiss...pick, tap, slap, screech, STOP IT, MOMMY, SHE.....whatever. I told them to knock it off. I told them to stop it. I told Evelyn not to touch Sonja. I told Sonja not to whisper loudly in Suzanne's ear and spit on her. I told Kathryn not to tell Sonja to shut up. They did not listen to me. All this time, I was driving, and I was tense. So I yelled at them, loudly. Very loudly. I suppose it could be called screaming. I didn't do it because I was mad, I was driving along and thinking what I could do....so I yelled. They were shocked at it, and they all started laughing their heads off....and I couldn't help it, I laughed too.....then Aaron and Mali started yelling at them too, and we were laughing so hard.....it DID diminish the fighting, but we no sooner stopped to get our breath, and Sonja was complaining that if they just stop doing whatever, and they were telling her they didn't do anything, she should stop blaming them....ugh.

Well, I had better go start cooking......

day four for mousies...

and who was up bright and early, spending a half an hour feeding them? Yeah, maybe I am stupid....a few people have come right out and told me so....but I cannot just let them die, can I? The girls bright and happy faces each morning when they find out they are still alive are worth a million bucks. Not that there haven't been times when they have gotten sick of taking care of them...but it is neat, because even Margaret, who has been very vocal about the "grossness" of the mice, has heated up the ricebag and placed it next to their box several times to keep them warm. And Kathryn, who hated them is now helping take care of them. It's pretty funny, really, that they keep living.

Well, yesterday I chose the kids who could go with me: Mali and Aaron, Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, and Sonja. We had to make a few stops in a close-by town for Aaron to get some job applications, and while he was in one store, I checked my wallet to make sure I had my credit card. I don't know why I did, I just did. And I didn't have it. One of the girls in the back seat said, "Oh yeah, Mommy, Camille had your purse yesterday. I put your BJ's card back, but I didn't see your credit card..." thank you dear. We called home and had Margaret search, but decided just to go to Paul's work and get his card. Of course when I looked in my purse last night, there it was, in the wrong place, Camille must've been playing with it....I am glad I didn't have to cancel it......(that is why I have only ONE credit card)......we stopped for 3 orders of take-out Chinese, and shared it. Then we went to get the new tire at the BORING goodyear store. But icy cold and air-conditioned.....we took a walk up the block and got some candy at RiteAid, and a water and some drinks for the kids....(Aaron and Mali were bad in there...they got a stack of musical birthday cards and opened them all at the same time...one of them also had a can of flarp...or something...I didn't ask, I just got away from the two of them as soon as possible) Then back to the icy cold BORING tire place and sat in the waiting area. I had a fantastic time. The kids watched "Aurthur", and I read magazines and had a few Riesens. (chocolate covered caramels, wickedly good).A couple of the kids got into the complimentary fresh coffee (cremora, yuck), but when I'm paying $155 for one tire, oh well....enjoy it, kids........It was actually too cold in there. After all these warm muggy days with no a/c, it felt pretty nice.....what a life, to actually enjoy waiting for a tire to be put on.....

Then we went to Walmart. We needed more paint rollers, some plastic wrap, and dishwasher soap. The girls found some cute skorts for $5, so i let them each get one for school.

It is always nice to get home and have the ones who stayed home be so happy to see me. Plus, they are hopeful that I got them something, which I didn't. But there were leftover juiceboxes, which we never have, so they get to have one today. Very exciting, I guess.

Also, today is EVELYN JOY'S 10th BIRTHDAY!!!....Ah, ten years ago today....don't tell her, but I am drawing a blank. I cannot remember. I know I named her after a very very special friend who was an English lady who grew up in India....she went by the name Joy, but she was Evelyn Joy, and she was about 80 years older than our Evelyn. But she was young at heart, and very sweet and kind. She passed away three years ago.....The details of my Evelyn's birth....I will remember them later.....I just need to think....

So, we are having a big birthday party tonight. 4 little girls are coming over to spend the night, and have breakfast and lunch with us tomorrow. These four little girls don't always get along together, much drama, so it will be interesting. I thought it would be better to invite them all anyways, and keep an eye on it, than leave one out......we are celebrating Kathryn's birthday, too, since she never had a party in March. I do have a gift for Evelyn, but I should probably look in the closet for something for Kathryn.

We don't get to go to the amusement park again after all. Rats. The cheap tickets were all sold out. The kids were bummed out about it, but I don't regret telling them about the possibility of going because they had several fun days dreaming about it. Now we are thinking of going to the New York State Fair. I haven't taken the whole family for several years now....just a few of the kids...the older kids aren't too interested...and the younger kids tend to get disapointed there...it can be hot and dusty and tiring...and it is EXPENSIVE! The rides are like $4 bucks apiece. Multiply that, and one ride would buy a child a new wardrobe, at least how I shop. So if we go, no rides. Just looking around at the displays and having the 25cent chocolate milk. So we are thinking about it. If the older ones decide they will go along and help make it fun for the younger ones, I'll take them.

Sonja and I are the only ones up, and it is nice. I had rye toast with peanutbutter, and am drinking my coffee....ah, life is good....

Thursday, August 20, 2009

the mousies live on!

And on and on...this is day three of taking care of mousies. And guess who is ending up feeding them? Oh, if I knew they would survive this long...nah, I probably would've done the same thing. They are a little bit cute, but mostly - yuck-, but they are alive, and they are babies. And sometimes when I feed them a dropperful of formula, they hold the dropper with their tiny still-almost-transparent paws....

My back hurts. It has happened off and on through the years where my lower back has just killed....I can't get comfortable to sleep, so I have been pretty tired...I wonder if it is all the swimming I have done, which stinks if it is, I need the excercise. I cannot really swim with this pain, anyway....I don't feel like going to a dr., paying a copayment, going for xrays, paying the copayment, then going back to the dr.... In the past, I have just been more careful when it acted up and it eventually got better. So I am biding my time....

I am glad for the gospel right about now. Just think how frustrating it is when you want things in order and can't quite manage...add in a hurt back, and wow. I just have to remember that God knows my heart, it is Him I live to please, and if you stop in and think I am a lazy slob, so be it. (you would be kind of right...)

Today I have an assignment from Daddy. Take the minivan into Walmart for a new tire, he got a flat yesterday. That sort of wrecks the plans I had to take all the kids on an adventure, but it has to be done. The thing about the minivan is that it only seats seven. So now I have to choose. It is hard to do sometimes.....they all are so eager to go (the younger ones, anyway)(and Sam if he thinks any McDonalds might be involved)....

We also have to mail a special package to Emily....she requested some coffee, apparently the coffee they serve where she is in Norway is pretty bad........Mirielle made me buy a pound of Starbucks coffee, and we are also sending a pound of another kind. Aaron wants to get some job applications, so he will probably come with me. So I will be running around today. I just have to remember that it is not doing what I like that makes me happy, but liking what I am doing. Or not even liking what I am doing, but being happy anyway.....that contentment "come what may" is precious, a good thing to seek after. God wants me to be faithful in the circumstances here, not to seek my own. Sometimes it seems like being a mother is like a disapearing act...the things I really like to do disapear.....but if I take it right, without resentment, I am rewarded with peace. Look at the movie stars, and show me one who is truly happy. They have money and fame and they spend their time trying to be happy and fulfill their lusts. But that is like trying to fill a cup with a hole in the bottom, because it is only by doing for others that true happiness comes. (I know, a relaxing day at the beach, or to sleep in, or to have someone cook for me are wonderful experiences...but the way the lusts operate, if I seek these things, I will want more...and more....but if I live my life for the others, (God) when these special blessings come along, I will be thankful for them, and enjoy them so much more than if I sought them and longed for them.....)

And that is my preaching for today! Now I have to go live it....

Wednesday, August 19, 2009

blank day....

Nothing planned, that is. Except I have to call the wood lady. That is, the nice lady who sells us wood by the dump truck load....hard to think about the freezing cold winter in such a heatwave, but it will come. Actually, today is only supposed to be in the low eighties, with less humidity. As uncomfortable as the hot weather is, it is also nice. Our pool water has been like bath water....

I just talked to Benjamin before he went off to work. He looked in the baby mousie box and said one was moving, but he didn't see the other one...I am dreading looking in that box. The girls had a big fuss last night over those baby mousies. Kathryn and Margaret were totally opposed to the box being brought in their room. Evelyn, Suzanne, and their cousin Olivia were bunking in with them for the night, and wanted to bring the box in there with them. The box is up on the bookcase so the opposers won. I spent a considerable amount of time trying to get those babies to ingest a few drops of baby formula at a time. (that is why you should never throw anything out, you never know when you will need it).....I detest mice, but hey, they are little newborns, and very sweet.....to see the girls holding them and petting them is so hilarious but sad at the same time, as they are going to die. They asked me what we would do with them if they live, and I said we would set a mouse trap for them, of course. Just kidding. I would let them keep them, easy to say, because I have read that even with a mommy, baby mice survival is only 50%. But now they are asking, Mommy please, if they die, can we get some pet mice from the pet store....

Oh, the funniest thing was when daddy got home from work and they all ran down to meet him, stumbling over each other to tell him about the mice....but they agreed not to tell 'til he got up on the deck.....so they were giving them hints, telling him they had something cute, two little cute things, so adorable....he was giving me this look as he walked up the driveway, like, "What did you do now?"....(once he came home to a baby bunny, which I do admit I purchased for $25 at the pet shop, it was SO cute and they begged)....and the two kittens...and of course Rosie, but he said I could have her.....anyway, when he saw what they were, he looked mighty relieved.

Sonja stayed up to watch the movie with the older kids last night. She is awake already, on the couch, and she is tired. Why oh why do kids get up when they are still tired?

I am thinking about doing something fun with the kids today. Cheap and fun. Summer is ticking by, I do not want to think about school yet. I have been stocking up on supplies, but not school clothes. My kids will be neat and clean, but they will not have all new clothes. Except for all the nice things I bought last year on clearance for Jonathan....

Why is it that I never run out of things to say?

Tuesday, August 18, 2009

baby mice and broken hearts...

Are they even mice? I hope they aren't rats....oh, wait 'til daddy sees these!



Suzanne and Kathryn...





Kathryn and Charlotte Claire....




Where did the baby mice come from? Why were they lying on the back patio? One was dead, Sam scooped it into the shovel and sent it flying into the woods. The girls put the other two into the woods on a little plastic thing....they decided to check on them several hours later....they are still alive, breathing but little else. They have been trying to feed them milk. They are holding and petting them. They have very little fur, and are smaller than my thumb. They will probably die. I don't want mice in the house. The cats don't want mice in the house. But how can I tell them not to nurture? Even though they're just mice (yuck!)....










Kathryn does not like the baby mice, she says they must wash their hands to get the stupid mice germs off. Margaret says they better not have babies and go into her room.....they are apparently nibbling cheese.....

we stayed up waay too late, again...

We watched a movie last night, Mirielle, Aaron, Mali, Samuel, Margaret, and I. "The Curious Life of Benjamin Button"....he was born an old man, so when he was a child, he had all the infirmities of the aged....then as he got older, his body got younger. We thought it was thought-provoking, but a real downer...the story was told by his dying friend/lover, to her daughter....and watching this woman slowly die throughout the movie was just painful to watch. After going through it in real life with my mother and father, I can think of better ways to be entertained....

After the movie, which ended around 2am, we started talking about my mother. She was a bargain shopper. Now, she died three years ago this summer, at the end of July. In June, I took her shopping. She found a very pretty skirt, and actually paid full price for it because there was a graduation party and a wedding coming up. She passed up the shirt/top that went with it, buying two things full-price was too much for her. This was at Wal-Mart, mind you. And she COULD afford it. It was just the principle. Anyway, I specifically remember how pretty the skirt was, and how nice she looked in it. Fast forward one month, and she had died. My father asked my sister and I to pick out the clothes for her to be buried in. We went to Walmart and got the shirt that matched the skirt, it was on clearance for THREE DOLLARS! Oh, our brains were mush after staying with her for all hours that week in the hospital as she passed, and we dropped the bag of clothes off at the funeral home without taking off the price tag on the shirt...oh, how we laughed about that last night. The thing is, my mother would have thought it was the funniest thing in the world. The problem with all this is the memories it brought back....we were laughing and crying at the same time....the movie ended, Mirielle, Mali, and I stayed up talking about Gramma for a long time.....she looked so beautiful lying there, but now I am thinking about it again, and I still hate it that she is gone. She was so much fun....did not act her age, she could laugh at herself.....my kids have been remembering her, and the funny things she said and did and the cool presents she got them through the years (cheap, of course)....

Anyway, we are going shopping today. A local grocery store has 4 double-up-to-$3-coupons, and we have 4 extra ones from the newspaper. Mirielle has been planning which ones to double....plus this store has some other things that are a good deal, like milk for $1.45 a gallon....it is still pretty hot out, but not as bad as yesterday...we have to figure out who to bring and who to leave. Camille-the-spoiled-but-adorable sweetie pie wants to go. 'Cause she can't pass up an opportunity to cry in the car seat and stand up in the cart, can she? No, she isn't all trouble, she is learning so much all the time, it is enjoyable to be along with her in it all. And Charlotte Claire, with her independent spirit and relative maturity, inflexible and very vocal about it. She will want to go....and of course Jonathan will want to go....he likes to ride in the van. Or any vehicle. He brings one of his steering wheels, or he uses something else to steer with, like a broken camera. Sonja K. will want to go, she cannot pass up the opportunity to possibly "get" something. And the other little girls will most likely want to go too, as they haven't been out and about much lately. This all means that it will be crazy. Because one or two kids dancing and pirouetting through the aisles seems sort of normal. It is when you begin to multiply that the staring starts. And when one of them inevitably argues with another one, or UH-OH, hits or pinches, and the loud crying, oh dear, maybe we don't want to go.....but then, where ever we go, at some point they all start thanking me....it is so funny. I take them to the grocery store, and one of them says, "Thank you for taking us, Mom...", and they all chime in....admittedly, I usually DO get them SOMETHING special.....like a drink or snack. And I try to remember that even if this is just a trip to the store for me, for them it is an outing in their childhood, and I try to make it fun for them.

I need to go start getting out clothes....it is funny, because Mirielle, with whom I stayed up 'til almost 3am, suggested we get an early start. ha. Snoozing, she is....and I have been awake for hours.....oh well.

Monday, August 17, 2009

summertime.....

The back yard...when we built our house, this was an old overgrown cornfield. No trees at all. These trees planted themselves.
The wild area between the back yard and the back field, which we call "the snake field"....



Kathryn Grace and Jonathan, playing WII....they look so clean and refreshed and tanned....they are taking a break from the pool....




Camille loving her dolly....




Jonathan and Charlotte Claire watching "Curious George"....I like public television...one half-hour show is just enough....





Camille lookin' cool. I did so much cleaning up today, finally after all these days of just the basics. I straightened and vacuumed and mopped and dusted and scrubbed and sorted.....and the kids are erasing it all! I mean, who brought the economy sized jug of peanuts out here to the living room, and most importantly, who spilled them? No one, that's who. I couldn't seem to get the work I wanted to do finished to take them in the pool, so I had Aaron take them out and watch them while I finished....it is way to hard to mop floors with kids all around. (I used to mop at night when thely were all in bed, but they stay up too late and I am too tired).....As soon as I start mopping, Sonja appears, soaking and dripping, with a jar of applesauce....can she please have some? No, go outside and let me finish. A few more kids start trickling back in, wanting snacks, or drinks, or just to see what I am doing, or to tell me that Camille wants MOMMY in the pool. Okay, kids, just get back outside and let me finish!!!
By the time I was finished, I was so hot and sweaty....I would spare you the details, but...nah, I was soaked. Sweat was dripping off the end of my nose. I felt like I had already been swimming....so the pool was doubly refreshing today.....
We came in and had some lunch, chicken strips and green beans, and cantaloupe slices. And ice water. It is 89 degrees in the living room right now. Downright tropical...but getting out of the pool and sitting in the scorching sun feels great, for a few minutes anyway. I actually fell asleep on the couch for like a half hour this afternoon....we set the fan on the table where the dvd player is, and the breeze, even though it was a hot breeze, felt fine. The kids only woke me up to tell me like twenty important things, and Jon asked me a few questions. Then Charlotte Claire brought me a fleece blanket...how nice of her, until I realized that she wanted to snuggle up to me and join my nap. Sorry sweets, it is too hot for that.....
Now, it is the dreaded dinner time....I am going to use the leftover steak....here is my plan: cube and marinade the meat, cube, oil and season some potatoes, microwave them, slice some zuchini and yellow squash and onions and peppers, make schish-kabobs, or however it is spelled. Time to move it move it.






new morning....

new post....the night passed too quickly. Possibly because we stayed up 'til almost 2am talking and talking and being silly, Mirielle, Mali, Margaret, and I. And where are they right now? With the exception of Mirielle, who has a babysitting job today, they are sleeping. I don't exactly regret staying up so late, but....

It is too hot to to go anywhere. The big van with no A/C seems almost dangerous in the heat. It just isn't designed to have no A/C. Most of the windows are just for looks, the back ones that DO open just are flap windows....so while the driver and and who ever has to sit by mom, or with the younger ones, who ever GETS to sit by mom, are relatively comfortable, as are the first row behind the front, when the van is moving and the breeze comes in, anyway....One time years ago I took all of the kids, I think I had 12, and a friend, down to my parents' house on a severely hot and humid day, and ROAD CONSTRUCTION! I was actually feeling woozy, it was so hot in our van....and yet we still had to just sit and wait in the traffic....after that experience, I have been much more careful about packing them up and going out and about in the heat.

We might be going to Darien Lake again. IF I get the tickets, I don't want the kids to get their hopes up too high, but my brother called me yesterday and said he knows someone who can get the tickets very reasonably. Reasonable enough for us all to go for well under $100! I didn't think we would ever be able to go again....with all these guys, even mini golf and bowling are super expensive. Jon and Sonja K. are busy right now, talking about their favorite rides. To hear them, you wouldn't guess they have been there ONCE.....when we were leaving last time, they started talking about the next time we go, and I wanted to say, HEY KIDS, what makes you thing we will ever get to come here again??.....Now, I just need to talk Paul into going. He had lots of fun last time. If he doesn't go, I won't have anyone to wait with whoever doesn't want to go on a particular ride. The older kids will go off to go on the coasters, and I will have the littler ones by myself. So Paul should take ONE day off from work, and come with us. Mirielle has said she will gladly watch the two younger ones for us, as she doesn't like the rides....

The septic tank pump people might be coming today. Country living at it's best! I hesitated to put on this one particular comfortable around-the-house shirt, because I remembered the septic tank pump people might be coming. And the shirt...well, it is CLEAN, but when my shirts get something on them, a stain, that won't come out, well, then it is an around-the-house shirt. wow, when did I turn into a housewife?

Aaron and Sam are back from their weekend in the Adirondacks. They did not drown, or get eaten by bears. The did, however, sleep out with no tents, and Sam lost some sleep due to the fear of bears. The came back tired and happy.

The girls did not do any painting when the boys were gone , so the living room is still half done. We just need one more night of serious painting, and then we can start the kitchen...blah. It will be nice when it gets done though....all the wall hangings from both rooms are piled on one of the kitchen tables, and some of the furniture is still pulled from the walls.....all the curtains are still down, it looks like the grinch was here, except we have no hooks or wire.

Well, I have some laundry to start, and some sweeping up to do...hey didn't I just do all this YESTERDAY?!