a cow in the house

A Cow In The House, by Harriet Ziefert. Buy it. Read it to your children or your grandchildren.

The basic plot: the farmer's wife was rolling out noodles and complaining about how small the house was. Oh, it was just too small. The farmer asked a wiseman what to do and was advised to bring a chicken into the house....then a pig, and on and on until he brought the cow into the house......The wiseman asked the farmer how his house was, and the farmer thought it was pretty crowded, but supposed that if his brother with then kids, all steps and stairs, were to visit, then it would be crazy...anyway, the wise man let him start taking the animals out, one by one, until at last he brought the cow out of the house. And guess what: The house seemed huge! The farmer and his wife had so much room in that house that they danced with joy!

I love that story. It is part of our life now, we think that having all of our guests gone is sort of like that story...but we LOVED having them here. It seems empty without them. We have most certainly been more blessed by their visit than they can possibly imagine. I feel like I am the mother of four more.....NO, we did not dance with joy when our guests left, but we do feel like something is missing here....

It is only the two little ones and me, and Benjamin just got back from playing basketball. Paul took the other kids to activity club. I rented a Calliou dvd today, they are cuddled up to me watching it right now. It is cozy in here...I am in love with those candles that are really wax, but battery operated. I have only a few lights on and some of those going. I LOVE real candles, but I am too paranoid to keep them around because of the kids. So these are perfect.

Tomorrow Paul and the older kids are going to work at the NCAA tournament again. So I will be alone with the kids all day again. Ha, alone. Alone with Samuel, Margaret, Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, Sonja, Jonathan, Charlotte Claire, Camille, and my two nieces, Eileen and Olivia. Sam is plotting his escape, and I do not blame him. Since Jonathan is only 5 and hasn't really realized that playing with girls is - well, playing with girls.....Sam is sort of all alone, the only boy. So he is going to try to go to Caleb's house. Or maybe Nate's.

Maybe if Charlotte Claire is better, and no one else is sick, I will do something with them. But it is so cold out! I was outside today, and brr! Where did spring go? It was below freezing last night, and now it is 27 degrees, and going down to ten tonight. Ten degrees. That is 22 degrees below the freezing point. Brr. And next Friday, it is supposed to be 68!

Well, I am thinking popcorn...if only these two little girls will let me get up....