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.....