summer breeze...

my baby and I...
Paul aptly calls her, "Dum-Dum."
snowy backyard the other day.

It is fifty degrees out and sunny, and very windy. Charlotte Claire and Camille are so excited about the warmth they are dancing around the deck in their heels singing, "summer breeze, summer breeze.." It is more accurate to call it winter wind, but since it is sunny, and relatively warm...the wind is supposed to be gusting up to 6o mph, so it is rather strong. And is shall cloud over in a few hours, so we are enjoying our small window of nice weather.

I have a small family today, only five children. It is REALLY wierd. Kathryn is making grilled cheese for them. Paul is at the Dome for the final home basketball game of the season, a crowd of at least 30, 000 is expected. Mirielle and Aaron's trip to Washington state: poor kids got stuck in Detroit Michigan for the night! There were problems with some of the Delta planes, so the airline bussed them to the Happiness Hotel, according to Mirielle. She texted me a picture of the two of them wearing the giant t-shirts the airline provided in the Overnight Kit, the two of them were laughing their heads off. They WILL have fun, no matter what, but there is no getting back this only whole day they planned to spend with their brother, whom the will not be seeing again for a long time. They are supposed to get into Washington early this afternoon. They do have a whole day tomorrow, but they are going to a church meeting with Ben and Ashley, in Seattle, which is a long drive. (If any friends from Seattle are reading this, please hug them for me! And pray that Ben hears some really encouraging words to help him through the times to come!) Anyway, Mirielle and Aaron are coming home on Monday...a short trip.

I am frustrated at not being able to work out. I hate it, yet I love it. I love that feeling afterward, after talking myself into it, and finally finishing...that achy-feeling, that physical feeling of accomplishment. I feel all doughy and squishy and blah, and it is hard for me to believe that this used to be my normal. I am thinking of just doing a little tiny bit of exercising here and there just so I don't totally turn to mush....

Kathryn just asked me if I am happy I had all these kids...she is saying this as she scoops ice cream for happy little girls and Jonny....even, she said, if we are bad sometimes? Of course I am happy....they are so funny, even if they ARE having ice cream in the middle of the day without asking.

Laundry, sweeping and mopping, washing dishes...doesn't my house know it is Saturday? I can't complain, I am taking a comfy break here in my comfy chair. Abigail is coming over later with my niece's little boy William. My niece is going to the outlet mall with her baby twins, and Margaret and Kathryn and Suzanne and Sonja...Margaret, Suzanne and Sonja spent the night at her house last night. It is so SO nice that she opens her home to them! It seems like not long ago she was spending the night here with her sisters, now she has her own place and my younger kids are going to her house.

Our plans for today: none. Just hang out and relax as much as possible, enjoy the downtime....dang that Evelyn, she just called the home phone from my cell phone, and thinks it is so hilarious...Jon had my phone in his pocket, and she sneaked it out on him...never dull here.