the power went out in Target!!!

And scared the living heck out of me. My legs got wobbly and I was all shaky. But I think it was a good thing, and here is why.....

Charlotte Claire is a little bit bratty sometimes. She likes to play games. She likes to play the run-away-from-Mommy game. Last week, she ran away from me in Target, and every time I got close to her, she laughed and ran again. I was not amused in the least. Anyway, I talked to her before we went shopping today, and told her she HAD to stay with me. No games. Well....the power went out today when we were in the toy department, in the back of the store. It was pitch black. And strangely silent, then some extremely loud noises from the back room, then whimpering (Charlotte Claire and Camille), and then finally employee flashlights, then auxillary lighting from the generators. The girls were with Abigail a few aisles away from me, and their eyes were huge. It WAS kind of scary. I took the opportunity to tell Miss C. C. that THIS is why little girls have to always stay with their mommies or big sisters in the store. THEN it went out in Price-Chopper, too.

Needless to say, I didn't spend too much money in Target today. But then I didn't get everything I wanted, either. We did all right in Price-Chopper though. We had lots of coupons and got lots of bargains. The girls got their balloons and their cookies. Still, by the time we were at the check-out, it was right in the middle of nap time, and they were running out of steam. I told Mirielle that it should be so easy now, compared to back when Benjamin was five years old. When he was five years and 4 months old, he had two older sisters.....and 4 younger siblings. Mirielle was 4, Joseph was almost three, Aaron was 15 months, and Mali was born.... but I took them all to the store too, and I survived. How, I don't know....

We got a nice roast to have when Emily is home, for only $1.99 a pound, and 15 pounds of potatoes for less than $3, and 4 pounds of mini carrots. Tonight's dinner was either grilled cheese or cereal. The kids had choir practice , they are practicing some songs for the Christmas feast, and did not have time for a big meal. It is nice to have sort of a night off from dinner now and then anyway.

Tomorrow night we go pick up Emily! She has been gone so long, I hope it isn't too crazy here for her after being gone so long. It isn't always crazy, but there are moments. Camille likes to brush her teeth.........and get all wet and waste lots of water, and she likes to flush toilet paper down the toilet, and she likes to feed things to Rosie. She likes to wear other people's shoes and get into their purses and she especially likes to find gum. And lip gloss. And chap stick. And the cereal cupboard. And that is just the one child.

Charlotte Claire is good most of the time. But sometimes she gets "full of the devil", as my mother used to say. ( Not about Charlotte Claire, my mother died when Charlotte Claire was only seven weeks old.) (I am still sad sometimes that she didn't get to meet Camille) Anyways, when she gets crazy, especially with Camille, the destruction is fast and furious. They can dump or rip or spill pretty quickly. Jonathan - he is always sorry after he is bad. His badness is usually only extreme silliness accompanied by not listening, or getting upset and losing his patience and yelling. Sonja acts like the "youngest child" sometimes, crying like a baby over things. She likes to feel sorry for herself and slink down to the floor......Suzanne also likes to feel sorry for herself. She puts alot of effort into her stories and drawings, and when they get ripped, lost, or wrecked, she gets all huffy and says she is never writing again, and that we shouldn't bother getting her anything for Christmas since everyone just wrecks her stuff anyway...then there is Evelyn. Evelyn is a drama queen, through and through. She does an Oscar caliber stomp-off. Everything is SUCH a big deal to her, and she goes from problem to furious in like two seconds flat. But she repents pretty quickly, and she is very thoughtful and sweet in spite of her temper. Now we are on to Kathryn....she is mature and level-headed, and doesn't get mad too often. She DOES fight with Evelyn sometimes, but it is usually Evelyn's fault. Those are the seven youngest, and I can't really write much about the older ones because they will kill me. ha.

Camille is in bed now, and Charlotte Claire is up being a good girl. It is quiet in here, until the kids all get home from choir practice....

And I would just like to mention that I am thankful for all these kids! It is NEVER boring here. There is always something to worry about (someone failing a subject, lost library books), and there is always someone to talk to. There is always something to do, and always someone to cheer me up. There is always someone to grab a hug from, and always someone for me to hug, too. I have nothing to complain about.....