fifteen years ago tomorrow...

I got a huge Christmas present! Huge, yet tiny. 8 pounds seven ounces of pure joy, Margaret Cheryl. She was born in the early afternoon, my ninth child, after a blissfully easy labor. Emily was almost twelve, Abigail had just turned ten, Benjamin was 8, Mirielle was 6, Joseph was 5, Aaron was 4, Mali Rose was 2, and Samuel was sixteen months old. Hmm, five kids five years old and under. How in the heck did I manage? I brought my little bundle of Christmas joy home from the hospital on Christmas eve...and as per tradition, we were going to my brother's house for our annual family get-together. Well.. Mirielle started throwing up. Paul stayed home with her. I did have a girl there helping me, Miss Kim, so we went to my brother's house, me driving that big van through the snow...it wasn't as bad as it sounds, I had lots of help once I got there. How did I get them all dressed and out the door though?

Margaret...she is so funny. See, we live out in the country. Corn fields behind us, down the road are cows. People who live in the country have mice in their houses sometimes. We have been very fortunate, not too many mice, just one here and there that we have known about anyway. We have two kitties in the house, which are probably good deterrents. Anyway, Margaret was lying in bed last night and heard a noise in the heat duct over her bed. There was a mouse! She flipped. She was SO upset. She wanted me to DO SOMETHING. Um, like what? It was gone by the time I got there...anyway, she got Suze to duct tape up her heat vent. Poor girl, I don't think she slept very well. I tried to tell her that little mousies don't hurt people. We will set traps, and take care of him/them (I do not believe for a second that there is just one mouse...what, one little preacher mouse, a celibate mousie?)

Anyway...today is Marg's last day of being fourteen. I need to get her something for her birthday. We also need dog food and pullups, for Miss Camille at night. I do not really want to go anywhere, but...

So this morning it was dark out when I got up. Really dark. So I made a pot of coffee, and some pancakes with brown sugar and sprinkles. The kids love me when they get up and I am making a hot breakfast. I almost burned the house down, according to Paul, since I momentarily forgot to turn off the stove burner. I was going to turn it off, but I also was putting my sneakers on for my walk when he discovered it. Kathryn pointed out that, "Mom yelled at ME when I left it on last week." oops, sorry Kap. Rosie did not think this was fun. She was whining in her cage. I finally brought her out for a cheaty little walk. By the time the sun comes up there isn't time for our mile+ walk.

After the first trip kids go out the door, it is time to wake Sonja, Jonathan, and Charlotte Claire. I get their clothes out, and serve them breakfast at the Little Tikes table in the living room, it is warmer and cozier. After getting them fed and washed and brushed, they go out the door to school. Jonathan stayed home today...poor kid, he wanted to be with Ben and Ashley, but they already left to go shopping and visit her brothers. Oh well, he can come with me today.

I have bedding in the wash, and more waiting to go in. The dishwasher was done after our dinner last night, but there are tons more dirty since then...(there were only ten of us last night, I made French Toast, sausage, bacon, and an omelet for me). (it was a nice and cozy dinner with candles lit...except for Camille decided to cry and fuss, she was probably unconsciously punishing me for leaving her the other day...she does that...)(she finally stopped and was as good as gold, but my omelet was cold by then...)

I really want to get the stockings filled so I can see if I have way too much or not nearly enough...

Oh well...off I go.