quiet and unusual dinner....

Tonight, I ate dinner with only two children, no one else. I made pasta salad earlier, with two pounds of pasta, Italian dressing, black olives, red peppers, tomatoes and onions. I marinated pork chops in lemon pepper sauce....and then found out that not only were the younger kids eating dinner at activity club, but the older ones were leaving with them....and Paul had to drive, since Mirielle was so tired from her trip to Ohio. So off he went, leaving me with six pounds of pork chops coming off the grill.

So we ate our dinner, after I let both girls pray for the food. Charlotte Claire prayed, "God, thanks that You are our friend, and you can come over to our house any time you want."

These two like to go outside after dinner, and these days, anytime they go outside, they go to the little pool and get soaked....and I am tired enough for the day, so I suggested that we stay in tonight and play dollhouse. We HAVE been outside enough for a day. We went in the big pool twice. I sat out and talked with Paul as he put our new pushmower together. Oh joy, spending money on something like a lawnmower.....but the grass was getting high, and he had two old ones that he was trying to create one good one out of, but the drive shaft was bent on one...anyway, he couldn't swing it, so he went to Lowe's today, and we have a shiny new green mower. And the lawn looks so very nice.

I read an entire book in two days, "Memoirs of a Geisha"....it was fascinating, but also sickening. Just the whole point of the Geisha, to entertain the men....married or not....but the culture and background of the story was most interesting. I found myself feeling far too sorry for those men's wives to actually enjoy the story...especially because it was true.

I took my two little princesses to the library yesterday. I had to drop Mali off at school for a test, so we were already dressed and in the van....we got a whole stack of "Carl" books, which are adorable, 4 "Fancy Nancy" books, a potty training book, a few movies, and a few books for me. Last night after Jon's graduation, we came home and had a party because I had gotten a $3 cake at the grocery store after the library. Then we had super story time, where I read a whole stack of books. There was some jostling for the best spot, but I seriously put my foot down, and they did okay and enjoyed the stories without any fussing.

Right now Camille is sitting in the little red chair reading a book out loud, wearing nothing but her cast and a pull-up. Charlotte Claire is playing fetch with Rosie. They are too loud and rambunctious, and I can't help hearing the following statement in my mind, which I have heard TOO many times through the years: "I only have TWO, and THEY drive me crazy...I don't know how you do it..." Well, I am learning a bit about this. Not that they actually drive me crazy....it is just that when one has young children, it is not so much the NUMBER of young children...it is just that there are young children. Does that make sense? For example, right now Charlotte Claire is teasing Rosie with the hairbrush. She holds it up, asks Rosie if she wants it, and runs across the room and jumps up on the couch with it...Rosie chases her, barking, and Charlotte Claire puts the object behind the couch cushion....Rosie really wants to play fetch, now she has a baby dolly in her mouth, shaking it all around and running around the living room....I think maybe they all need outside. This is just like wintertime!

It is obvious that they do not want Mommy to be on the computer.....I cannot concentrate anyways....they are talking about putting on pretty skirts..ahh, they do not leave the clean clothes alone! They do always look nice, though.

Tomorrow it is supposed to be warmer than today, humid and 90 degrees. Today is absolutely perfect, the kind of weather I dream about all winter. Warm and sunny and breezy and not humid at all....not too hot, perfectly comfortable, delicious in the sun.....I looked around at the kids today, swinging and going in the pool and running around happily, and I thought of the old song, "If I could put time in a bottle..." and I knew this is the kind of day I would always remember. Suzanne and Jonathan and Margaret were the only kids still at school, so it was quite busy around here. I cannot wait until we can sing the "No more pencils, no more books" song. I love that song.

Jonathan wiped out on his bike this afternoon, and Camille got bit by a horsefly today. Aah, summertime.

Rosie had a little swim in the big pool today. She just begs to go in, so Paul lifted her in to me, and I followed her while she paddled around....she is such a dope, she just lumbers along, drinking water and looking hilarious.

I think it is time for vanilla ice cream and strawberries....