our happy household.....

Yesterday I saw so many things I wanted to take pictures of, but couldn't because my camera was - well, it was right here, but I thought Margaret had it....so I missed those pictures. Pictures of the kids jumping on the leave-covered trampoline. Suzanne brought the lavender Emmaljunga outside, and was pushing Camille around in it. Oh, I wanted to take a picture of that.

They have been playing dolls and house alot around here. They have their doll strollers but they have been enjoying this real one, because they can have Camille or Charlotte Claire be the baby.

Babies....Camille is acting like one. Is it because we treat her like one, or is it because she is sick? She woke up so many times last night....at least she was fine with lying back down in her little green bed after a hug. Saturday morning she was up at dawn, and did not want to go back to bed, so I took her into bed with me. Eeeks, 16th child, almost two years old, what was I doing? But she had woken up SO many times during the night, I was exhausted. She snuggled happily up to me and we both slept fine. I am glad she has seemed to have forgotten about it....that is one thing I have been firm about through the years, our bed is for us, not for the kids. I share my mornings, days, evenings with them. If they want to pee or barf, they can do it in their own beds. Except for tiny newborns who nurse all the time. I have sometimes flexed there....but I usually got up and placed them back in the carriage. This is just my opinion, if everyone else and their grandma sleeps with their kids, that is fine with me.

Sonja is having her stay-home-with-Mommy day. She is going through her folder right now, the Friday folder that I never looked at on Friday when I was at the dr. with Camille then hurrying off to the enchanted pumpkin walk. I didn't look at it on Saturday because it never even entered my mind. I looked quickly at Jon's this morning. His teacher said they are not having a Halloween party, just a costume parade and some cider and donuts. I might not even send them. Everything just seems so rules-y. (that SHOULD be a word). No swords, nothing scary, nothing worn to school only changed into, no candy unless it is eaten at home. Blah. My older kids never went to school on Halloween. I don't care for the scary part, or the graveyard/death part.....it is such a serious and sad part of life, and Halloween just twists it. But like everything, there can be a good side, and that is to have fun with the kids and make good memories. We have a really fun Fall Feast with our church every year, too. We bring tons of candy and dress up and play games with them. Actually, most of the adults don't dress up, but I do. I don't care if I look like an idiot (well, that is not entirely true), but I like to have fun with the kids. I love the LOOK my kids give me when they see me dressed up. It is hilarious.

I also think costumes should be things that are put together from stuff around the house. The only time we ever buy any costume is if it happened to be like 90% off after the 31st.

Laundry is calling me. I had that brief moment last week of being "caught up", and it felt so good I want to recapture it, but I fear that it is un-attainable. Or that it is not re-attainable. There are too many loads now. Bedding. blah. The water problem. blah. When someone so much as flushes the toilet when the washer is filling, it stops and displays "F20", which must be washing maching language for "someone just used water, so I stopped". It has to be unplugged and replugged, and restarted. And if you think I fit behind the washer to unplug it, ha. And no, that is not why I kept Sonja home today.

We are having someone come and look at the water problem this week. I think that is why Paul is reluctant to book our vacation. These expenses that are not part of the monthly budget are eating us up. But we have to have water, don't we? It is getting worse and worse, I have had showers under just a drip of water, then it disapears altogether, and I stand there hoping and wishing it will turn on again. Sometimes for several minutes. We have to have much communication about who is going in the shower, and not to flush or run the dishwasher or water at the same time. This hasn't always been the case, and I don't think it is our well, which is very deep. I hope not anyway. Paul thinks it is the pressure switch on the pump, which is fixable. I hope it gets fixed soon. It is frustrating!

Sonja just went into the laundry room and the lightbulb blew. Ugh!!! I cannot get on the ladder and change that lightbulb! Can I do laundry in the dark? I think I had better go and find out.....before I complain about anything else, like my camera that Sonja just brought to me: broken. Oh, it still takes pictures if you stick a pen down onto the on/off button...it looks like it was dropped. I am just too nice, that's all there is to it. I say NO ONE can use my camera, I need it, and the next thing I know, I am letting someone use it. RRRR! Then sooner or later it gets dropped. My cameras have extra gravity, I guess. And this morning, my rear end has extra gravity, too........