pictures

This was actually taken after we were done frosting the cookies...Suzanne likes frosting. Pumpkins and butterflies....

Random dog picture, Rosie....lying on the kitchen floor just in case we dropped something... Evelyn Joy

Sonja K.

No sooner did we get the cookie mess cleaned up, and it was time for making the pizza. Four pizzas, a veggie only with no sauce, butter and garlic, diced tomatoes and basil and red and green peppers and onions and black olives....two pepperoni and hot sausage and bacon and all the veggies, then a meat only.....with black olives....

Then we cleaned THAT up, and put some chicken in the oven for tomorrow's lunch at church.....and I washed the little girl's princess dresses for tomorrow's Trick or Treating....and gathered Jonathan's clothes....he is going to be a photographer/reporter. We have a light blue hat, so Mirielle is soaking it in tea so he can wear it without looking like he is going to a tea party.....Suzanne is going to be a witch, Sonja a gypsy, and Evelyn a nurse. I shall behave myself and not dress up. Although I could possibly wear my hair in those old fashioned Kirsten braids....hmm. I don't love Halloween, but dressing up and helping the kids dress up is so much fun.

So now I am tired. It was a busy day, in which I accomplished nothing concrete. Ha, what ever IS concrete? Everything we do is really but in vain, it won't last.....everything except gather oil in our lamps....and hopefully I got some of that today.....one thing is for sure, I had to go against my nature just to let the kids get ahold of that frosting bag....I wanted the cookies to look nice, their "nice" and my "nice" are quite different.... and I REALLY wanted to have a good time with them, so my control-freakiness had to go....Camille was hilarious...she had a total of two cookies to frost...she licked the frosting off, I gave her more....and lots of little piles of sprinkles....I mean, no one here wants to eat a cookie that she decorates....Charlotte Claire did a better job, she created some that had way too many sprinkles, but at least she knows if she licks her fingers she has to go wash her hands.....

One thing is for sure though: the cookies TASTE really really good. Too good.

Abigail is still here visiting, lots of people are here in the living room, so I am done here....

pumpkin cookies and other insanities....

I spent a few hours in the kitchen today making pumpkin cut out cookies. And butterflies, and a few hearts. Mostly pumpkins. I have a large bowl of orange frosting all ready, and some white for trim in a decorating bag. Some sprinkles and chocolate chips for eyes. So the fun hasn't even started yet. Abigail came over and took the kids out for a walk, then to play in the leaves while Mirielle rolled out pizza dough and I made the cookies. Now the kids are back, washed up and in clean clothes (wet leaves are dirty, apparently), and Mirielle is making a large pot of tomato soup and some made-to-order grilled cheese sandwiches (I requested mozzarella on whole grain rye)....

I am taking a little break, putting up the feet and checking email.....Mali is at her cross-country meet and will be calling soon to be picked up, Margaret and Kathryn are at a sleepover with girls from church, and Sam left a few hours ago to play air-soft (soft-pellet guns) at his friend's house. Aaron is in Norway. My nephew Luke is visiting so there are still thirteen of us here for lunch.

Evelyn is cleaning Charlotte Claire's room, and Suzanne, Sonja, and Jonathan's rooms for twenty bucks. She is an excellent and thorough cleaner. She organizes and makes the rooms nice. I feel so much better when they are clean, and the littler ones just cannot manage on their own. They have been helping Ev, because they like when it is clean. Much better to play in.....

And now my break is over....but I plan on taking some pictures of the pumpkin cookie decorating....

drizzly lovely morning...

Suzanne

Jonathan all ready for school the other day... Sonja K.

Sonja and Camille, singing a little song

Aaron, if you are reading this, yes, this is your camera. Jonathan says he is taking good care of it.

Camille says she looks "pretty, Mama!" I am waiting for one of her sisters to start screaming that someone has been into her lipstuff.....and just a reminder: I did NOT do that hair cut.

I slept in this morning. 9:17. It was heavenly. The younger kids didn't go to school today. Today is the Halloween celebration in school. I asked them if they just wanted to stay home, and they jumped on it. See, sending Jon's costume in a bag (they aren't allowed to wear them to school), and having him put it on by himself.....I don't know, something about that parade in school makes me feel sad for the kids...and my kids say it makes them feel funny to march around with everyone looking at them. And since they probably wouldn't do anything much other than party and play and be excited and eat cupcakes, I offered them to stay here. They are so content to play here. Camille is playing school. Charlotte Claire is playing house. Suzanne is singing, "I am Jesus' Little Lamb", Sonja and Jonathan are playing something....it is peaceful and good, and I am glad they are home.

I was planning to take them somewhere, but they seem okay just to be here, and since I have been going too many places this week, I can stand a day home to do laundry and catch up. Yesterday we went to my favorite bakery, bought a hot loaf of Italian bread (why I only got one loaf is beyond me!), one dozen donuts (only six dollars a dozen. And they are delicious. And big enough to cut in half), and two ghost cookies for the two little girls. We went to Target (I bought some computer/desk chairs for $12.48 each! I am giving them to myself for Christmas. Perhaps then the kids will stop transferring my kitchen chairs to the living room and back a couple times a day). We also took a quick trip to the grocery store, spent under a hundred bucks, which is indeed a quick trip. I am trying to use all the meat from the freezer and defrost the freezer and start over.....

We had spaghetti and hot sausage for dinner last night, and a nice salad that Benjmain made. Oh, and the ONE loaf of Italian bread. Paul cut it in thin slices, so it went around. Later, I passed around some Lindt Truffles. There were enough for two each, and I was glad I cracked them open with everyone home. Otherwise, .....because, they are SO good. Melty deliciously good.

Our pool cover arrived from the Fex-Ex man, and it is still sitting in the kitchen in the box. Meanwhile, the leaves have already fallen from the trees into the pool. The pool is already greenish brown. So it makes me really question the need to put that cover on this year.

Our hot tub is still sitting there all broken. A pipe is broken underneath it and it has to be lifted up to be fixed. It isn't high on Paul's priority list, but I would really like to have it going again. Our winters here can seem so claustrophobic to me, too icy and dangerous to actually go walking, no place to get out of the way of cars on country roads with snowbanks. Going out to sit in that hot tub under the snowy skies is just heavenly. So perhaps I need to put on my nagging voice and get to work on Paul...poor guy.

I sneaked two of those donuts out of the box last night, wrapped them up and put them on top of the refridgerator. The kids were eating them after school, but I rationalized that if I had one AS my breakfast, and not in addition to a meal, or in between meals, it would be okay. So this morning I took them down and sat down with my coffee, and of course I didn't eat both of them...because I cannot eat yummy stuff in front of the kids, even though they had some yesterday.... I invited them to come over and have as many bites as they wanted to. It was nice to share with them, and the donuts were excellent. One was a long frosted chocolate, the other was a rasberry tailight, with the nice white fluffy frosting....I hope the kids took enough bites.....and I am glad the box is empty...although I kind of wish it wasn't.....

winter is coming....

As I went for my morning Rosie-walk, without my camera again, I again noticed the lovliness of the morning...but the leaves that graced the trees just two days ago have fallen, the trees are getting bare....the bareness of the trees always makes me feel just a tad uneasy....ominous....there is nothing to stop it, winter is coming. Winter is unforgiving, and untameable, and to me, always a bit scary. With our cars and technology and ability to predict weather patterns, the wind and snow and ice are still bigger than us.

anyway....today I have to take Aaron to the airport. The minivan will be full, so we won't be coming home directly afterward...the airport is actually in the village where I grew up, so it is rather sad to go down there for me these days, since my parents are gone. In years past it was a given that airport = visit Gramma and Grampa. Now there is always that twinge of loss when I drive through those streets. wah. We still stop at our favorite bakery though. The bakery that always made my father happy when he was so sick with leukemia. He couldn't chew anything unless it was soft, and he had lost so much weight and had such little appetite. But the delicious donuts from this place were appealing to him. So every time I visited, I would get him some....and of course a few to bring home....so, even when I go into this favorite bakery of mine, I get that twinge. It is an obvious statement, a "DUH!" statement, to say, "death is SO permanent..." but....it's permanence just goes on and on and on....gone. They are just gone. Yes, they are in a better place, but it isn't here, and I miss them.

My sister called last evening while I was cleaning up the mess from the pie making. Did I want to go to the pool? I sure did! The kids were going wild, running around and jumping off things, and I did feel awfully guilty, but Paul said he was fine with it, so I grabbed my suit and a towel, and I was gone.....

I hadn't had dinner yet. Because I was going to just eat pie for dinner. See, Mali and I had that Chinese take-out for lunch...and I was just NOT hungry.....then the kids started asking for Ramen noodles....now, just for the record, Ramen noodles aren't really food. They are starchy salty fatty garbage. No offense to anyone who eats them regularly. My kids LOVE them, the younger ones anyway. So Margaret made some for them, and served them with some baby carrots, while I cut apples, and Aaron mixed up the pie dough. Evelyn made up the pumpking pie filling while I rolled the crust, and before long, we had three pies in the oven. All the time I was swimming I looked forward to that pie. It WAS dinner. And it was good. The piece I had for breakfast was good too.

Oh, I didn't make pie just because I felt like it. We had a whole bowl of apples that were too just a bit too soft to enjoy, and they sat next to a bag of fresh crunchy ones, so they didn't stand a chance. I had to save them!

Now I need to seriously move it.....

wierd.....just wierd.

Samuel just got back from a run...in which a guy on a motorcycle stopped him and asked him if he runs often, as he needs "someone to run with"....Sam said the guy was "old". Doesn't seem right. Sam shall not be running around these roads by himself again. I wish he had gotten the guy's license plate number....

I took Mali to the dentist today. X-rays confirmed her wisdom teeth are coming in, two are impacted, two are setting right on a main nerve. hmm. She shall need some surgery. I am a nice mother, so the cost of this has not even crossed my mind. ha. The consultation is free, I was assured. okay.

After the dentist, since I had only had a piece of rye bread with peanut butter for lunch, I took Miss Mali and Charlotte Claire for some take out Chinese food. Mali had a vegetarian entree that she really enjoyed. C.C. shared with me, sesame chicken and fried rice....oh, it was so good. Thing is, now I cannot for the life of me feel inspired to make dinner...but I have to anyway. Then we went to Marshalls and found her a new pair of Converse, on sale. Yay, hers were ripping out, and she really needed some...first store, fit fine, good price, and we were on our way home....

Home....kids are enjoying the nice day. Jonathan collected some bugs to feed to the class frogs in school.

The kids are getting into the bananas now, it is too close to dinner for that.....whatever dinner is going to be...perhaps the Dinner Fairy will come along and prepare a healthy and delicious meal, with minimum mess....and perhaps she will stick around and clean up, too. But probably not. So that means my little afternoon break is over......

busy busy busy...

Yet here I sit....I need to remember that I am not ALWAYS busy. It just seems like that sometimes. Yesterday Benjamin and I went to the wood place to see about prices and when we could pick it up, ect. Then Joseph went with Ben to buy a truck load, while Evelyn and I went to Walmart for eggs, bananas, a snack for Sonja's class..then a quick stop into BigLots, and the dollar store. Home for dinner of pork chops and biscuits and corn and green beans. The older girls had to leave for girl's fellowship...and as I sat at the table with Paul, I remembered that I had wanted to go to the pool...oops. Too late.

I woke up this morning straight from a dream about my mother. I often dream that she comes back alive. In this dream, she had no idea that she had even been gone. She didn't know her house was sold...then she asked about her dog....I told her Billy took the dog....but the dog has long died....then I had to tell her about Billy.......I just threw myself into her, and hugged her, and told her that he died....he killed himself....it was like reliving the whole thing, in a dream. It was so real though, hugging her....then I woke up, and I wanted to be back in that dream, hugging my mother. I miss her so so much.

Suze is home from school again. She has been feeling lousy, and she was sick to her stomach last night. Thankfully she is big enough to make it to the bathroom, even from her top bunk.

One thing I did remember was to get Jonathan a pumpkin yesterday. When the other kids got theirs, he was somewhere with Abigail, and he was so disapointed that I promised I would get him one....Kathryn and Evelyn helped him carve it, and we put a candle in it on the kitchen table with all the lights out last evening so they could enjoy it. The other pumpkins have already rotted and are in the woods feeding the critters.

Today I shall eat more healthily than I did yesterday. Yesterday...ugh. I had not one, but TWO Snicker Almond bars. No, not the teeny little ones. eeks. Not at the same time, like that makes a lick of difference in the calorie department.....but still. Evelyn and I did behave ourselves in the afternoon when we went to Walmart. We had stopped for the pumpkin first, and also got some apples....so we had a healthy snack....as if that makes up for the candy bars earlier in the day. blah. Well, today is a new day, and I shall not do that again.

Today, the dentist appointment for Mali. Her sneakers are falling apart. So we shall also go somewhere to look for sneakers. Hopefully the school doesn't give us a hard time about signing her out. She has to bring in a note from the dentist, or her early sign-out is considered illegal, and her teachers are allowed to give her zeroes for what she missed. Lovely, eh?

beautiful morning....

Tomorrow I shall try to remember to bring my camera out in the morning when I take Rosie for her little walk. Although I doubt I can capture it...the freshness and promise of the morning. I cannot explain how much it raised my spirits this morning....the moon was out, high in the sky over the road. The fog was still hovering over the backyard, the air is warm and springlike. As I stood there waiting for Rosie to pee, I had this realization of how lucky and blessed I am. I just finished reading this book, (Atonement, by Ian McEwan) ....I won't give away any secrets about the book, if you are a reader, and want to be transported to another time and be absorbed in a story, read this book. Anyway, I just realized standing there how much I have been given. And anyone who reads their bible knows that it is written that to whom much is given, much will be required. I decided to live my life, come what may, for God. To be humble and flexible and merciful and listen for what He has to say to me. Anyway, my knee had been really hurting for several days, so poor Rosie has been getting shortchanged on our little walks, but this morning I took her further down the road. Then, rrr, the bus came. Rats. The first trip bus. Now, when a car starts coming down the road, Miss Rosie sits automatically. But when it gets nearer us, and starts to pass, she can't stand it and she jumps up and tries to chase it, and I have to make her sit again. I also try to turn her head, manually, to let her know it isn't her business....but anyway, the school bus is a different matter. No sitting for her, just jumping and going in circles. Plus I have this policy not to be outside when the bus comes, especially the older kids' bus. Not because they have said anything, the older kids, but because I don't want to embarrass them.....see, in the morning, I usually still have my long tangly hair down, and in my skirt, I probably look like a crazy dog lady. So when the bus came down the road, I hid behind a bush. I had to stay there 'til it drove away. I somehow made Rosie sit for the whole time, it drove her crazy. She would LOVE to chase that big monster that takes the kids away.

So Suzanne is staying home today. Fever: 99.9. Not too bad, but obviously the start of something. She told me her cheeks felt hot yesterday and she had a bad headache....so she went back to bed....

Jonathan brought his October snack today. I had three packages of school bus cookies, Pillsbury ready-to-bake, from the dollar store, in the 'fridge. I baked them last night and packed them up for him to take today. He was so excited. He got to stay up a little late to sample the extras......

Paul tucked Miss Camille in last night, because I was baking the cookies. She is hilarious. He said he held her in front of the mirror and she sang a little made-up song about her fingers, counting them and making them dance.....he said it was "hysterical". He needs to put her to bed more often, me thinks.

Our kids didn't always do Trick or Treating. In fact, they always skipped school on Halloween Party Day. For years....then we started letting them go....but there were always some along the way who didn't want to, so they didn't have to. This year, we decided to give them the option of staying home, and they eagerly agreed to skip. Parents are invited to the parade, and have to send in notes that morning if they want to bring the kids home, but have to also go to each class room and sign the kids out....it sounds like mayhem, and that is coming from me!

So we are going to have our own little fun on Friday. I am thinking the big library, then to the grocery store for lunch...it has a little restaurant area.....cheap, and fun for them....

Tomorrow I have to take Mali to the dentist. Thursday I have to take Aaron to the airport. He is going to a brother's conference in Norway until Tuesday. No, we didn't pay for his plane ticket. He paid for half and borrowed half from his sister, but he is paying her back. He is very responsible in things like that. I am glad that he is so apprehended of the God's word that he wants to be where the encouragement and help are, especially at such a young age.

And today, I am supposed to go and pick up some firewood with Benjamin. The lady who used to deliver a whole dumptruck full of it for under two hundred bucks has retired. Now we have to try a different place.....ugh, wood, winter...blah. I like the softly falling snow, and even the coziness of the whipping wind, WHEN I STAY HOME. But even then, I can't help worrying a bit about my daughters commuting to the city, and Paul driving to work, and my nieces driving to college.....snowy icy roads....blah.

But today is nice. It is supposed to be in the seventies here in New York state. The sun is shining, some of the trees are already bare, some have dark yellow or red leaves left...there are plenty in our yard on the ground. We don't believe in raking....ha. Seriously, is there a bigger waste of time and energy? Well, the kids rake them up into piles for jumping. That is about the extent of it.

27 days until Benjamin leaves for the Army. He is very lucky, in a way, because he goes in, has processing for a week, a few weeks of basic training, then is back home for Christmas. Then back to finish basic......then off to Medic school.....then who knows. Well, of course God knows. That is my comfort.

Suzanne is making a rice bag for her teacher, with soft grey flannel fabric. Sometimes the kids have made rice bags out of a large sock, just tying the top, then putting it in the microwave, then using it for cold feet or cramps or aches and pains, or just to walk around with it around their neck because it warms them up in the wintertime.....but Suze is making a nice one.

Rosie is giving me "the look". It says, "I really really want to go out again. I probably won't pee, but I really NEED to go out." She does this every morning. She walks over and looks at the door, then at me, then she sighs and lies down.....

So on with my day now.....

monday again, again?

When I realized last night that the weekend was indeed over, and I would have to wake the kids up in the morning for school, blah! It is a very nice morning, warm and rainy. Overcast and cozy, the kind of day that makes it seem criminal to rouse sleeping children from their beds.

Tomorrow is forecast to be warm and sunny and 74 degrees. When I read that, my first thought was to have all the younger kids skip school so they can rake up the leaves and jump in them.

Yesterday was our annual Fall Feast at church. Mirielle and her cousin Janet shopped and prepared the food, which was pizza and veggie trays. They made 35 pizzas, pepperoni, veggies, hot Buffalo wing, and garlic with tomato and black olives on whole wheat dough. Everyone brought desserts so there were cakes and rice krispy treats and cupcakes and cookies and donut holes....we had a really good time. And not because of the food. There was a children's meeting, where we were encouraged to have a soft heart so that God's word can work in us, and we can be quickly obedient to Him. Some of the kids got up and gave testimonies, and it was precious. To hear those kids say that they want to listen to their mommy and daddy, or to be quick to humble themselves.... We are not the kind of church that just gets together, gets preached at, and goes home. We have true fellowship with each other, and know one another. The young and old and in between get along well, and there is peace. We came home happy yesterday.

Perhaps I will take the girls to the library today. I have a stack of books to bring back, not yet overdue, but the movies are only one-week rentals, and they have been our for over two. No matter how I try, I seem to always do this.

Here is a hilarious thing: one of my nieces is student teaching in a very large school district in the next county. (actually the school I went to). Anyway, in the teacher's room the other day, one of the teachers was talking about Halloween, about how "white trash" come to her neighborhood to Trick or Treat. She said that some come in a big huge van and even ask for candy for their baby. Now the world is not that small, but it isn't that big either, she might well have been talking about me. My niece, of course, thought this was the funniest thing in the world. We live out in the country, and if we took the kids down this road, it would take us all night to go to ten houses. So yes, we do go park in a few different neighborhoods. Yes, I do feel funny about it. But the kids have a great time. And last year, Camille was only two, and yes, one of the big kids helped her get candy and got to have most of it. Because when the kids get too old, they no longer carry a bag and trick or treat. And yes, it hurts to think that people might think bad things about us. We might not be the exact "trash" in the big van, but ouch, this year I am going to wonder at every house if this is where the teacher lives.....I am thinking about going in completely different neighborhoods....but jeepers, if people don't want to give out candy, they should just turn their lights off and not give out candy....or is it just for rich families with only two kids? Or should I just tell my kids that since we don't live in a housing complex or a neighborhood we cannot go anymore? rrr. I hate that feeling that we are taking things we shouldn't.....(which is precisely why we didn't "do" Halloween for several years....)

Little girls are up and cute and have that freshly woken sweetness about them so I am going to enjoy them.....

fall feast pictures...

Joseph, my 19 year old.....yes, he got his hair cut...

Sonja K. was a gypsy...her she is with her kitty-cousin, Olivia.
Evelyn Joy, the pediatric nurse....

Camille the fairy....

Charlotte Claire and her cousin Danielle....Danielle didn't have her wings and fairy shoes on yet, but they are so cute holding hands...they LOVE each other.

Abigail, aka Santa Claus, and Aaron, 3 hole-punch Jim.

Jonathan the explorer, with Suzanne the fairy godmother....

And of course I dressed up too....

Samuel James....

"well, at least you have older kids to help..."

That is probably the number one statement that I hear that simply ain't so. Okay, they do help. But ...it is hard to explain...they have lives too...they aren't always here.....they have homework...they need time to chill with their books.....today, for example:

Emily, whom I really don't count because she lives down the road, is sleeping because she worked last night and again tonight.

Abigail, she is taking a friend visiting from Norway on an outing today, and invited Kathryn and Evelyn (my two best helpers).

Mirielle is off shopping with her cousin Janet. They are getting the food for the annual Fall Feast, which is a big celebration especially for the children, at church.

Aaron is with Mali and Margaret...they went to the gym and then off to a small city not too far away, I can only imagine why....probably Walmart and Dunkin Donuts.

So....here we are. We are having some people over tonight. I have to clean up the house. And make something nice for dinner. And make a yummy dessert for tomorrow. And make sure we have all of our costumes for tomorrow. Two little princesses, a fairy godmother, a fashion model, a nurse, an explorer....

Camille is fussing....

chilly morning, cold feet...

And this isn't even the beginning of it. Winter is coming. Like Martha said, it isn't even snowing here and the feet are cold. It looks like snowy-rain is coming down right now, but there is nothing on the ground but soaking wet leaves. It is grey and overcast, and the lights are on as the kids get ready to go out to the bus. My slippers have not magically appeared, since no one taken them, no one can give them back, I guess....

Yesterday afternoon I went on a small outing with Benjamin, Charlotte Claire, and Camille. We went to the bank so Ben could open an account to have his military pay direct -deposited. This was more interesting than it sounds because:

1. Benjamin used to have an account at this bank a few years ago, and closed it out because he kept overdrawing and the fees were killing him.

2. He opened an account a different bank and over drew there too, apparently.

3. He paid off the overdrafts long ago, except for a fee of $6.67.

4. Because of these things, he is not allowed to open a bank account again for like three more years.

5. The nice woman at the bank somehow was able to over-ride this because Ben is going in the Army.

6. She told him he better take good care of this account "or else".

7. The two little girls had lollipops from the teller. Camille got her hands sticky, which she usually doesn't do, and touched the little glass separation wall about twenty times. She seriouslly decorated it with sticky handprints.

8. Mirielle, who was home with the other kids, texted me the urgent message, "CALL MY PHONE NOW!" I left the bank with the two little girls, and called her three times from the van, call s wouldn't go through. I was really concerned something was wrong...I texted her, and found out that she was just frustrated because Margaret was tired and cranky and went and got in bed instead of helping Mirielle. rrr.

So after that my outing went fine....I stopped and got them cheeseburgers to keep them busy while I went into the best dollar store in the world all by myself. Here is what I got:

1. Several bags of Treasures, chocolate peanut butter.

2. A few (five) bags of chocolate covered almonds.

3. Butterfly wings for the two little princesses to wear on Halloween.

4. Three pairs of sunglasses for costume use...seventies style, eighties style.

I must have gotten a few more things, as I spent $24 in there.

So yesterday I got a lot of things accomplished. I want to note that, because most of those things are gone and history and undone today. But I do derive some strange satisfaction from knowing the couches and chairs are clean underneath. So if someone drops in for a visit and loses their keys or wallet, I can say, "Oh, we can just check under the couch....", and it will be all clean under there. Of course it won't happen like that, no one will lose anything until it is all dog-furry and filled with pencils and candy wrappers and pennies and hair ponies and matchbox cars again.

Most of those things have to be done again today. I need to sort our the coat/shoes area to make room for winter stuff, blah. One of the things I did yesterday was to sit down in the midst of the dollhouse stuff, and sort and pick up things that didn't belong, and tidy up over there. Then last night Paul was walking over where it was somehow all out again, and he commented on the mess.....I told him, just so he knew, how I had spent at least 45 minutes over there cleaning up and organizing that stuff, and they took it all out again......minus of course the cars and books and socks that somehow get mixed in to it.

I know he knows I don't just sit around ALL day, but I also know he would trade places with me any day. Because whenever I complain, he tells me that. I am glad I am the one home. It might not be spotless, but at least I don't throw everything away like he would. And I get to be with the kids....I can't imagine leaving them every day. Yesteday Samuel slept in and missed the bus, and his mama didn't even notice that he wasn't with the other first trippers, so when he woke up and came into the livingroom later, I was surprised! Anyway, he stayed home and it was so nice to have that time with him. He helped with moving the furniture to clean under it, and he took the dog out a few times, and he talked to me and we just had a good time.

Camille is awake now, singing in her room. She hasn't started her shouting out for someone to come get her yet. (she is probably in my bathroom having a good old time with my lotion or the toothpaste, or unwrapping pads....). Rosie is lying here sleeping, the dryer is going, the rain is dripping outside, I could just curl up and go back to sleep. But no, I have to get up and get moving. I am going to go to the store with the little girls this morning. We need milk again. And some fresh stuff for salads, and some apples. Some people around here eat two apples a day. If you do the math, it will become apparent that apples last approximately three days here.

quiet and cozy....

Today is Garbage Day, so I have to make sure I keep the big dangerous Rosie in the house. She is sleeping like a sweetie in her cage right now. She likes her cage. We put her in there before the bus comes in the morning so she doesn't sneak out with the kids and chase that big monster that steals them. She will go willingly into her cage when told, if the door is open. She will also open the door the rest of the way and go in if it is open a little bit. No, stupidity isn't one of her problems. Just selective listening.



Camille is yelling for me to get her up. She is so independent, but she cannot come out in the morning without someone going in there to get her. She will just yell, "I want to get up!" until she is rescued.



Last night's dinner was a feast. Emily came over after her class. We had roasted chicken, scalloped potatoes (I used a five pound bag of potatoes, it was barely enough), and tossed salad. Then for dessert, Mirielle's chocolate cake with peanut butter frosting, covered with chocolate glaze....oh my goodness.....she makes these chocolate cakes from scratch, always trying to make the perfect one. This one was pretty good. Rich and moist, but not sickenly so. I had a small piece, but as we sat there talking, I found myself scanning the table for remains left by the younger ones who were bouncing around in the living room.......but Aaron got Charlotte Claire's, and Camille and Jon ate all of theirs. I really did not need any more, but it was so good. Suzanne did us all a favor and ate the last piece this morning.

It is a big job to make and serve dinner every night. As we sat around at the table, I just looked around and groaned. Plates and cups and forks for sixteen people, plus the cake plates...then the pans and serving dishes....yes, they do pitch in. No one had to leave and go anywhere after dinner, so they were all here to help, and it went quickly. There is only one pan left out there, I told them I would wash it this morning. Not too bad. And sitting at the table together is most certainly the highlight of our day.

Emily is going to India! I am not going with her. She is going in December, and unfortunately will return on Christmas Day, only to go to work that evening. Oh well, we can celebrate together sometime after. Benjamin will be gone before Thanksgiving, to Basic Training, so we will celebrate that early with him. We should try to get a family picture that day, too.

Samuel is home today. He has no idea why his alarm didn't go off, and I have no idea why I didn't notice he wasn't up with the other kids this morning. Probably because some of them go to the gym early with Mirielle, and because Joseph was up getting ready for work, and I was trying to let him take the last cup of coffee in the pot, I told him I could make another....he insisted on giving it to me, he made instant for himself. Such a good kid.

One of the things on my to-do list is to call this place that sells firewood, and arrange to pick some up. Our furnace burns both wood and oil, and wood is way cheaper. It also makes it so nice and toasty in here to have a wood fire going.

Winter is coming, blah. The snow is all festive and pretty when one is in the house with nowhere to go, but going down the slippery deck steps, getting the big van out of the icy driveway, and navigating the back roads in the snow and blowing snow and ice......cold and scary. I know it is a fact of life when one lives in lake-effect snow country, but it still isn't fun. Well, sort of fun. Fun when there is a snow day! (day off from school because of too much snow)

Winter brings the challenge of making sure the kids all have boots and snowpants and mittens and hats and warm coats without broken zippers. Winter also means that all of these things have to somehow fit into our already crowded entranceway, which is really just some hooks on the kitchen wall, with a shoe shelf. I suppose I can make it easier by packing away the sandals, but in they still wear them sometimes!

Today I am going to expend some energy again. I will do the same things I did yesterday, more or less. Since Sam accidentally stayed home, he is going to give the little girls breakfast for me so I can get moving.

ha ha ha ha, that's all I can say about cleaning up....

I did try. I really did. I cleaned the bathroom nice and shiny while the two little girls were in the tub. I swept and vacuumed and mopped the kitchen and living room. I emptied and loaded the dishwasher, and did three loads of laundry. I fed the girls some lunch and cleaned up the counters. Then I made fairy wands and pretty ribboned headbands and hair clips with Suzanne....and somehow, the little girls decided to play store....they brought like fifty grocery items into the living room...that was after they had dumped out the dollhouse stuff...I looked around and just gave up. Here I sit. I just give up. Not for good, just for today. It is getting near dinner time, again, so off I go.....

another day....

Yes, a profound title today. This morning I had a great idea. I decided I want to live until I am 99 years old. Then Emily will be 81, and we can be in a nursing home together. I told Mali this this morning, and she told me they would never put me in a nursing home, ever. "Who will take care of Emily and I then?".....Oh Mom! Mali said they discussed it and with so many kids there will be enough to take care of us...well, I am a bit skeptical of this, seeing how they take care of the house.....but it feels nice to know they think this anyway!

Suzanne is the only one who stayed home from school today. Emily is picking Jonathan and Sonja up today, so they went out the door with a spring in their step. They get out of school at 3:20, and off the bus at between 4:10 and 4:20. That is a long bus ride. Getting picked up is just IT for them. Sonja also gets to go to Emily's class with her tonight, so that is extra special.

Today I would like a tremendous burst of energy that lasts all day, along with an overwhelming desire to clean the house. I would like my back and my knees to co operate with this plan, and also my children. I would like my little ones to play contentedly, without trashing their older siblings' rooms or wasting all the shampoo. I would like the dog to stay nicely in the house and not sneak past people to freedom out the door to the neighbor's house. I would like Mirielle to come home and make dinner, all happily and voluntarily. I would like Paul to come home and actually notice how nice the house will look by then, and compliment me on how hard I work. He might actually say, "Jeepers, Della, the top of the stove looks like it did when we bought it! And you vacuumed under the furniture - way to go!" I would also like the kids to get off the bus and pitch right in, taking care of every last bit of the clothes monster on the couch.

What happens as one gets older is this: One realizes that these things ain't gonna happen. So one decides to not even try! Well, I am not quite at that point yet, but almost. I am learning that even when I put in hours and hours of hard work and get the place looking almost like it should look, it is NOT going to stay like that. Unless I work really hard....and I don't seem to have that in me, to keep up with things constantly. I am more the Scramble-When-Someone's-Coming-Over type. Of course when people come unexpectedly I have to suffer big time, but that's just the way I am. I have tried to change, but part of growing older is that one realizes.....it ain't gonna happen.

Besides, the math is against me. Think of this: 16 people live in this house. Each one leaves ...hmm, let's say TEN things around in the living room and kitchen area, things that do not belong.....multiply that and there are ONE HUNDRED SIXTY jackets, books, papers, cups of water, used tissues, dirty socks, ect., ect., ect., that do not belong where they were left! Now, to be fair, some of us never leave TEN things around, but there are a few here who wouldn't hesitate to leave TWENTY, and then there are the little kids.....and when everyone is gone during the day...sometimes I am tempted to call the school and ask for a certain kid, then tell them they LEFT THEIR WET TOWEL on the COUCH! rrr.

So.....this is my lot in life. It comes with all those sweet little babies. I am not very organized, nor can I maintain things just beautifully, as I long to. But despite all this, I won't give up trying, because I cannot live in chaos or crumbs, or sticky. I hate crumbs and sticky. I am pretty picky about food being eaten only at the tables, except for occasionally the older ones....but anyway....I have to tell myself that this is my job. As unsuited for it as I feel, it is my job. I have to keep plugging away at it even though sometimes I am sick and tired of it. Ha, MOST of the time I am sick and tired of it.

So.....here I am. Procrastinating the getting out of the chair and getting moving part. blah. Someone left the milk out. blah. Last night I had a dream I had a new baby, and a nice new pram, too. One that pushed beautifully on the beach....Those days went by too too fast. If anyone has an extra baby they want to give to me, I'll take it. I am much better at rocking and cuddling and nurturing a baby than I am at cleaning the house. If I were rich, I would hire housecleaners in a second. And spend all the live long day playing dollhouse and store and playdough and reading stories.....wait, I already do!

Anyway, I am glad there is a greater purpose in my life, and that it really isn't all about ME.

pictures..

Suzanne Eleanor leaning on one of her pillows, covered by the quilt she made, and the long skinny pillow she made...she sews it all by hand, she is a busy girl..... Sonja Kathleen, happy to be home from school. Does she look sick?

Kathryn and Miss Charlotte Claire, who is not holding a real baby. It is her dolly.

They have been playing dollies today.

The girls love this baby doll. He was lost, and the girl who owns him asked Charlotte Claire where he was, and she said he was broken, and got put in the garbage, then to the dump. The older girl was really sad, but I kept saying that I do not think that really happened. The girl finally found him under her bed....I don't know about four year olds and their stories.....

But they were all happy to find him!

the tooth fairy brought jon some pink goggles...

But hey, she remembered the first night rather than the usual four! And in her defense, it was dark as she rummaged around in the Target bag in the closet and Camille was sleeping so she had to just take the first pair she found....

Today is our Skip School Day, I guess....Suzanne threw up last night. She is such a lovely mature girl, though. She informed me that the night before she wasn't feeling well, so she moved all of her nice dollies and books to the other end of the bed, so she wouldn't barf on them. Anyway, I knew she wasn't going this morning, and Sonja has been complaining of headaches, which have signaled the start of this sickness in the other kids...and Jon was not going to go alone, plus he still has that cough....so, the second trip bus came and went without any of my kids. Now they are all cuddled up under blankets watching, "The Cat In The Hat"......

general update on everyone....

Paul, the dad around here: He doesn't get much free time, but he is a happy man. He always stops what he's doing and reads to the kids and helps tuck them in at night (the kids call it being, "talked in", which I do not want to correct, it is too cute....) Anyway, Paul is a living example of the verse in Romans (8:28), that God causes all things to work together for the good for those who love Him...he does not fight, does not argue, he gives and blesses.

Me, the mom around here: I am learning to lift my vision upwards, think before I speak, and to hate my complaining. I am learning to live peaceably with the children, especially the teenagers. That involves learning to NOT argue with them, yet not just letting things go because it is the easy way out....discipline with love and care that isn't tainted by my own personal offendedness....

Emily,the nurse, the oldest who lives down the road: She has her father's easygoing nature.She and I read the same books, so when we are together we never run out of things to talk about. She loves God and is faithful and good, yet she is her own person......

Abigail, the accountant, the second oldest who lives with Emily: Abigail does not have an easygoing nature. She worries about things. She has grown up with pulimary stenosis, which is basically a blockage in her pulminary artery. She grew up visiting the pediatric cardiologist, being measured and sonogramed, and ultimately declared okay: she has grown in proportion to the blockage, it produces a horribles sounding heart murmur, doesn't hurt anything. This whole thing has caused her anxiety, and she still has chest pain that scares her sometimes....she is a good girl, though, very thoughtful and kind.....

Benjamin, the oldest boy, who still lives here: he is doing better. He has 34 days to go 'til he ships out with the Army, and he is looking forward to it. He is bound and determined to live an upright life and be sucessful. He has been busy getting things in order so he can leave....

Mirielle, my college commuter: She bakes and cooks and helps around here the most, she feels responsibility to do so, yet she fervently believes in equality, and expects the boys to do their fair share of dishes and sweeping. She is extremely smart and creative and interesting, yet has such a low opinion of herself. She doesn't realize at how beautiful she really is.

Joseph, my creative son: He is finished painting his room dark brown, it is actually very warmish in there.....he is working today, he is to become an apprentice in heating and cooling. He spends his free time playing his guitar and drawing....he is a very nice boy, very respectful, very kind, and never gives us any trouble at all.

Aaron, my high school senior: He is funny and sarcastic yet kind. He gets excellent grades and is very responsible. He pitches in around here, but not without his signature groan....he also likes to cook, but mostly because he likes to eat yummy stuff.

Mali, my other high school senior: She has enjoyed running cross country, but the season is winding down....she likes to keep in shape and she loves to run, so she will have to get creative....she is still vegetarian, we do what we can to provide nice healthy alternatives to our carniverous meals.

Samuel, my ninth grader: Still obsessed with WorldWar II, he has been known to correct the teachers' facts on this. He is also bound and determined to do well in school this year, and spends many hours doing homework. He is hilariously funny, he is "The Narrator" of the dinner table.....and, he hates being patted on the back.

Margaret, my eighth grader: My curly haired lovely girl, she is strong willed and difficult, we tend to butt heads if we're not careful, but we are so much alike! She is very mature, she has always been grown up. She gets excellent grades, and can play the piano like a dream. She can also sing, which I cannot do for the life of me. Yet I do, much to my talented children's protests...

Kathryn, my seventh grader: She is very busy and athletic, very understanding and helpful, yet she is growing up and is sometimes snappy, but always apologetic later. She is still very huggy, and she loves her brothers and sisters so much.

Evelyn, my fifth grader: She is dramatic. She can go from zero to wailing in two seconds flat. She talks loudly and is enthusiastic about everything. She is very smart, and is still at that awkward 'tween age, where they like to do their own hair, yet...she is only eleven years old, but she can read a book in a day.

Suzanne, my fourth grader: Suze is kind and caring and a natural comforter. She loves to take care of the younger kids. She also is a story writer and a pillow maker, and she loves to play dollies with the younger ones. She is home today, doing a book report on "Double Fudge", just for fun.

Sonja, my third grader: Sonja is still my baby, even though she is eight years old. She is funny and smart and silly and whiny and her red hair is always tangly and she tends to be more needy and not as sure of herself as some of the others. She can be very stubborn, but she is also my big cuddler.....she loves lots of attention, and she gets it.

Jonathan, my first grader: He is of course obsessed with cars. He has figured out that the new Hess truck will be unveiled in a week and two days, so he has written a sentance about it, that is coming out in nine days. So he knows the concept of math and numbers and time, and he is learning to read and write. He is as happy as can be to be home today. He is giving cereal to his two little sisters right now, he loves to be the big brother.

Charlotte Claire, my four year old: She is very articulate, she is almost always happy and optimistic and can keep herself busy. She goes from playing dollhouse to dollies to drawing, and loves when Jon stays home to play with her.

Camille, my sweet little baby, almost three, wah: Miss Camille is still so cuddly! She can be stubborn and strong willed, but she is this little person, this girl who speaks in complete sentences, and has a mind of her own. She is also obsessive about cereal, she wants some every few hours. When she wants something, she asks over and over again. Yesterday she wanted chocolate cereal, which we did not have. She asked me so many times I was tempted to put her out on the deck. She thinks if she keeps asking it will magically appear.

So even though the house is a mess, again, I am thankful today.

quick post before they go to bed...

Yes, bedtime is approaching....time for stories and cuddles and brushing the teeth....Suzanne has been going pillow crazy. She sews pillows by hand, and has run out of stuffing. So this afternoon she got smart and started making beanbags....when the beans are gone, perhaps she will make ricebags that can be microwaved....they are nice for aching necks and cold feet.....

Jonathan is into a paper airplane craze....the other morning I heard him telling Char that they should make a million planes....I came to my senses and told him NO MORE, as there were at least thirty, crash landed on the living room floor. The new package of computer paper is going fast.

Kathryn is sick. She has had a headache off and on, and a stomach ache. But now she is playing Wii. Four of them are playing a racing game....rather loudly, I might add.....

Today was a good day. I woke up far too early and couldn't fall back to sleep until right before I had to get up. There was NO WAY I could possibly get out of my warm bed, but somehow I managed.....took the dog out, got the kids dressed and fed and out the door....then I talked to Kim, my sister-in-law, and found out that she also needed to go to the store....Joseph didn't have to work today, so he stayed here with the little girls....and off we went, just Kim and I.....it was too much fun...first we stopped at DunkinDonuts for pumpkin donuts and coffee, then we Target-ed forever, dawdled and looked and talked.....then we grocery shopped.....then we grocery shopped in a bigger store, BJ's, then we headed home.....I bought apples and bananas and peppers and bagels and eggs and butter and cereal and chicken and bacon and milk and bread and shampoo......

Dinner was in the oven when I got home, Gramma had come over! She called when I was getting ready to leave, and we decided I would probably be home by four, which I wasn't, but she visited the kids anyway. She brought zuchini and peppers with onions with tomatoes and hot sausage....we had it with rice and bread and butter.....and she also brought a frosted zuchini cake, it tasted like a carrot cake...thank you, Gramma....

and now, it really is bed time...well, oops, past bed time...

monday again already?

Saturday was chilly, and our yard was soggy and wet...they kids were rather energetic, to put it nicely, so I dressed them and brushed them and took them to McDonalds. Mali (she does NOT eat McDonalds food, even the salads....)(but she needed a phone card, so went with me)...Margaret, Kathryn, Evelyn, Suze, Sonja, Jonathan, Charlotte Claire, and Camille went with me. They love when I pull out the camera....

Does everyone's house have labels in three languages? Aaron thinks this is so funny for some reason. He went labeling-crazy yesterday.

I bet everyone doesn't have this: a pull-up bar in the laundry room doorway!

Camille is awake and calling me.....

saturday morning warmth

Actually, there has already been snow here in New York State, but not where we live, up in the Adirondacks. It is chilly in here, but this morning I woke up to Paul and three of the older kids getting ready to go to The Carrier Dome to do concession work for a football game. Aaron didn't get up as quickly as he should have, he admitted that YES, he did lie in bed after he was woken up, and they really had to leave. Abigail told Aaron that Joseph was making him some breakfast. I thought Joe was making it for himself, and she was only joking. But no, Joe was making toast for Aaron. It was just one of those moments.....that make it all worth it.

Last night our power went out during the night. It is one of Jonathan's giant fears, it was flickering before he went to bed, so he was armed with a Hess truck with working lights, and a flashlight. Well, when the power actually went out, turning out the bathroom light that shines into his room to keep him happy, (much to his sisters' botheration)(botheration should be a word, I think...)anyway, the lights turned off, their fan turned off, and he fussed....louder and louder, he was so scared....of course he couldn't find the truck or the flashlight in the dark, so he panicked...I had to make my way to him in the dark, and give him a battery operated candle....I went back to bed and listened to all the electric smoke detectors turn off, they give warning beeps which says, "Wake up everyone, the power's out!" I feel like I was awake for hours....

Well, today is a blank slate....what shall we do?

cookies today....

Triple batch....with mini chocolate chips...tray after tray of yummy hot cookies....kids in the house on a windy chilly rainy day....the smell, and the warmth! I resisted tasting any while I baked, which isn't as virtuous as it sounds, since I sampled way too much cookie dough...I especially like the sugar/brown sugar (I add twice as much brown sugar as white sugar), egg & vanilla mixture....anyway, after they were all baked, and I sat down and put my feet up, I gave the all clear they could have cookies, Evelyn made me a hot cup of coffee, which always tastes better when one of the kids makes it for me....and I had three cookies. Oh, joy. And I had two a little while ago. The good thing is that they are almost gone...... Kathryn got out the foot spa, and the little girls relaxed while watching a movie....

Evelyn would rather read, any day... What is better than skipping school on a chilly rainy day and cuddling up with a good book? At one point this afternoon, I sneaked into my room with my book...a new one Emily got out for me...the third book I have read this week, I am ashamed to say....I am horrible when it comes to books....I read them all up at once, staying up too late into the night...anyway, Camille wanted me so Kathryn brought her in to me...I put the book away and played with her...she doesn't like to settle down, she is afraid she might fall asleep, I think...

Emily slept here all day since her apartment is being worked on. Then she made us dinner before leaving.....home made chicken pot pies, plus a veggie one for Mali. My sister called and asked me to go to the pool with her and her 8 year old grand daughter...so I brought Suzanne and Sonja...we sort of sneaked out on the other kids, I felt guilty of course, but it was so relaxing and so nice....except for the part where we had to walk out to the car in the pouring rain.....

Anyway, I am relaxed and the younger kids are just being tucked in by daddy...they stayed up late tonight......Charlotte Claire and Camille have been in bed for a while......Evelyn is still up, and the older kids are at the youth meeting.

Benjamin is still feeling awful. It is no fun to see one's children suffer, even when they are almost twenty-two years old. Oh, my soul....

Paul and the older kids are going to work a concession at a college football game tomorrow, leaving by eight-ish in the morning....hmm...what will the rest of us do?

rainy rainy day in the northeast....

I looked at the weather map, our whole state of New York is covered in rain, rain and wind. I took Rosie out for the quick/cheaty walk this morning. I wanted to hug her for peeing right away, and not dawdling around to find just the right spot. It is actually a nice day for a walk, if one has this sense to put on a jacket, which I did not.......

Five of the kids are home from school today.....Jon is still coughing, so I told him yesterday he could stay home. And I am not feeling too well today, so I offered Suze and Sonja to stay home too....then I did a quick tour to see who didn't go on first trip, since I was still in the bathroom when that bus came.....Kathryn and Evelyn....they are both coming down with something and were feeling lousy last night. (although they are up now, and there is a jovial, celebratory spirit in our dark cozy house...they sucessfully skipped school!)

Here is something that makes me happy: my two daughters, Emily and Abigail, 25 and 23, live in an apartment 5 or 6 miles down the road. Due to a plumbing problem, their upstairs bathroom floor started to fall into their downstairs living room....so obviously their landlord has to fix it (and of course I feel sorry for the landlord...)...anyway, they don't want to be there when he is working, really can't be there because of the bathroom...anyway, we know what that means!! They are here more! I am so lame, I love it!!! hee hee.....

So yesterday afternoon I took a quick trip to the close by town....I needed milk and some shortening and eggs....Kathryn and Sonja and Charlotte Claire and Camille and I....as soon as we got in there we saw Aaron walk in....he works there, just started last week. (he looked so handsome in his white shirt and tie, but if I had snapped a pic on my phone, he would have killed me). Anyway, we saw him several times as we made our way around the store (ice cream wasn't on my list, but they had some on sale, and they had Piece Of Cake, which is a favorite here). I tried to behave and act dignified so as to not embarrass him. The little girls were just staring at him, they couldn't quite place that he actually worked there....they acted like he was a stranger, or like he had horns....anyway, I had bought some cider that was on special, three day sale. I won't bore with the details but it didn't ring up the same price as was in the ad, so the manager had to come over. I had already told the cashier, when she commented on the cute little girls, that they were Aaron's sisters, "you know,", I said, "the boy who just started..." Then I told her not to tell him I told her anything, please....she thought it was hilarious....anyway, the manager had to come over, and to make a long story short, this guy is very jerky. He always is when I go in there. He wouldn't honor the price in the ad because there was a typo next to the price that said "lb",.....so he tried to tell me that he couldn't sell it at the sale price. "because we don't sell cider by the pound!"....that the price it rang up WAS the sale price....(why was it featured with the three day sale things if it was ringing up it's regular price? rrrr.) But since Aaron was just a few feet behind me, I just smiled like an idiot and bought it at the regular price. And I am not just SAYING this guy was jerky, he WAS. He was SO condescending. He told me if I wanted to buy the cider by the pound, I could, it would cost me a lot of money though....oh, the frustration. But by the time I got out to the van, I decided that I had done the right thing. It was only a dollar twenty extra, and hey, Aaron has to work there.....I go in there alot and the last thing he needs is to be known as the kid with the Terrible Customer Mother.

Also, I think the cashier girl I had really really likes him. rrr. Girls, stay away from my boys! They don't need the heartache or the frustration! Please don't tempt them off the straight and narrow! rrrr.

Sonja just asked me for ice cream for breakfast. I told her I was going to slap her just for asking. I don't really slap them, but it was pretty funny.

They are acting like this is an unexpected Christmas or something. I bought three new coloring books yesterday, because I still remember that excitement when I was little of a brand new coloring book. They have big plans to color while they eat breakfast. The little girls are still sleeping, but when they wake up and see these guys here, they are gonna be happy campers.

My stomach hurts and I feel lousy, perhaps that is why I am so merciful to these guys....I couldn't function in school if I had to go today. blah. I did manage to put towels in the dryer and some darks in the wash.....and here I sit.....

Our pizza was so good last night. The dough was 99 cents, the mozzarella was ten bucks for five pounds.....we made four. One was just black olives, green, red, and yellow peppers and onions, for Mali. The others had bacon and pepperoni too. I was glad I had a good and plentiful dinner when Emily showed up, then later Abigail....I always make Abigail take stuff for her next day's lunch, too....I am just like my parents...

So I haven't found my slippers yet, and of course no one knows where they are, no one touched them. Socks...I don't like socks....I had to go out and grab Miss Rosie yesterday, and I had socks on, breaking one of my rules, they got all wet and soggy...rrr.

Jonathan is singing little songs of happiness, he is just plain thrilled to be home. He is joining his sisters' coloring/cereal party.

I figure it's okay they missed school today because I showed them the weather map in the morning paper, and also told them about the Chilean miners being rescued...and they are coloring, that is school-ish.

pictures from today...

Another rainy day....I decided to take a quick, ha, trip to the grocery store in the next town so I can go without my big trip to the big suburbs this week....I brought Kathryn, Sonja, Charlotte Claire, and Camille....they have gotten a lot of use out their rain boots (froggy boots).....Camille. Sonja in the back, Char, and Camille

I think that is Kathryn in the background....there are backpacks and shoes and who knows what else....

Camille likes scissors too much. We have searched and put every pair we could find in a bin on the refridgerator.....Camille wanted to watch the old "Parent Trap", the "hair cutting part, Mommy!".....her hair is short enough! Although there is a pony tail in the back....

One of our dinner pizzas....

Cake balls from Mirielle....

Rosie

Kathryn and Jon.....

Joseph and Paul...