thursday....a new blank day

I am excited for a new day, with no particular plans. Well, we might have to go get Mirielle's glasses picked out, since last night, AFTER the eye exam, the guy at Sears said she wasn't listed on the insurance. Since she is a college student under the age of 24, she is covered under our policy, which is terrible insurance but for some strange reason has excellent optical coverage. Paul is going to check with the h.r. people at work today, so we can get back to the Sears guy, so we don't have to pay $55 for the eye exam, and so she can get some new glasses. The trip wasn't for nothing though, it was great fun. Mirielle, Aaron, Mali, Margaret, Sonja, and Charlotte Claire ended up going with me. (at home, Joseph cooked macaroni and cheese, (not the boxed kind, either) for Ben, Samuel, Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, Jonathan, and Camille)(AND he washed the pans)....anyway, I got a few nice new clearanced shirts for myself in Sears, then found some things for Kathryn, Evelyn, Suzanne, and Sonja in Old Navy, shirts for under $2. Margaret found three things, and Mali found three things...then I decided I had spent enough money, so we said goodbye to the mall. We were very hungry, so we ordered two pizzas from Dominos with a buy one get one free coupon. A quick stop in Price chopper for bread and milk and a few sale items, and pizza in the van on the way home.....

Suzanne is reading her bible. She started at the beginning and wants to read the whole thing. It has had a good effect already, she told the other kids at breakfast that Noah was on the ark for 150 days, and how he sent out the dove, and how old he was, and about Cain and Abel. (A special thank-you to you, Kim C., Suze treasures her pink bible!) Then Suzanne told us about the dream she had last night.....we had lots of company over for dinner, I was sitting in my chair, and the house was on fire. She said that I said it was going to kill us all anyway, so why get up? (hmm.) She said she saw Camille hopping around in her cast, and she was not going to let us all just die, so she put Camille and I in a shopping cart and pullled us out the door and down the deck steps....she said that a whole bunch of people, our family and friend that were over for dinner, were on the deck waiting for her to bump us down the stairs (she said she was going slowly so she wouldn't hurt us), then Jesus came back!! She said that all of us just started floating up towards heaven....then she woke up. Besides being a little offended that she dreamed I wouldn't get out of my chair for a FIRE, it was quite an amusing dream. I do think my kids are mildy tramatized by fire....last night, Jonathan said, "I smell two flamable things, a marker and the toaster"...someone had burned an English muffin, it is enough to make Jon start getting nervous. And the marker was very strongly scented, it smelled almost electrical.

Jonathan let Rosie out accidentally this morning. She likes to chase and bark at the school bus, so we usually cage her when the bus is coming. Well, Jon opened the door and out she went.....over to the neighbors. I went out there, they were all calling her, she stopped and looked at them, and actually came back! I brought her in and gave her a treat. It was a relief to be able to get her before the bus came...because she does not give up the chase until the bus is all the way down the road.

The kids are wondering when they are getting their goldfish. They cannot wait, it seems. Imagine my surprise yesterday when I found the huge plastic pretzel container filled with water and rocks on the bottom, with a stuffed animal fish floating in it. In the living room. At least a gallon of water in that thing. Um, no. Cute, but....there is extra gravity around big containers of water. I told them they had to keep Fishy outside. Mean mommy, I know, but I am starting to catch on to these things, unfortunately. I would rather be blissfully optimistic, and tell them, it is okay, just don't let it spill....

Benjamin's medical records have been accepted by the Army. Now he just has to pick his job and sign on the dotted line. He has been watching videos of the different options, and I hear little snippets like, "dropping from the aircraft onto the target", and "maintaining artillery"....he is waiting for a Medic position, but just exploring the others while he waits. Mirielle says I am going to need to go into therapy if/when he gets deployed to Iraq or Afghanistan. I need it just imagining it.

What is the use of shining mirrors, just so they can put their pretty little hands on them again? It seriously looks like this living room one has been kissed by a child wearing lipbalm.

And the windows. Why do they like touching them?

I love them so much though.

Camille: last night, she was up until eleven o'clock, then she sang sweet songs in her little bed long after she was tucked in. I read her three books before bed, two Little Critter by Mercer Mayer, and The Three Bears....she knows these stories, and doesn't hesitate to make comments or "read" a page, and she likes to make her voice deep and say, "Who has been sitting in my chair?!!", like Papa bear. And in her pitiful little voice, "Someone broke my chair all to bits!", like baby bear. No, story reading with Camille is not just a passive activity, she thinks she needs to help.

Charlotte Claire: She went shopping with us last night, and she is SO good when Camille or Jonathan aren't around to fool around with. She loved the attention (her big brother Aaron is so good with her, she picked him to tuck her in last night....I peeked in and he was sitting in her bed saying, "This is MY bed, I think I will go night-night here...", and she was laughing and protesting..

Jonathan: Mr. Jon has been learning how to play video games with Joseph. I do not really like this. I would much rather he ride his bike and play with his cars or play store with the girls. But he loves it, and he thinks he is big like Joe.

Yes, I love them all and enjoy them, and of course I am on my knees half the time praying for wisdom and patience.....