summer 2011

summer 2011

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012

Paul and I, all 16 kids and Ashley, Benjamin's wife...Christmas 2012
family

Saturday, November 23, 2019

not too long ago....

...there was a mom. She was tired and busy, but she didn't quite realize how rich and rewarding her crazy life was. When those small children grew and grew, and started moving out, that mama tried to grab onto those days, to make them slow down. But they didn't slow down. Those kids continued to grow up, and lo and behold: sometimes that mama's house was so quiet, one could hear the clock tick.

This is an actual picture of that mama, several years ago:


And, an actual picture of 15 of the 16 kids, biggest brother Benjamin was just returning from Afghanistan at the time...

(you have to click on the pic, otherwise it'll only show half of them)
Oh my soul, we had fun.

Last evening, Emily dropped by for a little visit, I love that. Then I went to the pool with Abigail, Mirielle, Marge & Adrian and little Wulf, and Sonja K. We came home, I made popcorn for dinner. I rarely have it anymore, but pop it on the stovetop in coconut oil, melt lots of butter, salt it, and yummers. Evelyn is home for the weekend, and it was cozy and nice to sit around and talk. I was so chilled after the pool, I had a cup of hot decaf coffee at ten p.m. :)

And the scale dropped a little more, probably because I exercised in that pool for a full hour, then only had popcorn, although I had some mixed nuts before I swam.

The house is quiet right now. The girls get up for school every day, and were super excited last night at the prospect of sleeping in. I was too, there seems to be very few days for it, and it was lovely. I kept waking up and dozing back off. Paul and Jonathan got up at five and went hunting, but I didn't wake up this time. Sometimes I do, and cannot fall back to sleep.

The school kids are officially on Thanksgiving break. They have no school until December 2, and I'm not sure they'll go even that day. Emily is taking Charlotte Claire and Camille to Winnipeg for the weekend, leaving at midnight on Thanksgiving, driving to Toronto, and flying out from there. They have some good friends there!

Anyway, I don't know what the day will bring. Evelyn is buying a car (yay!), Emily is making food for a band practice weekend at church, I am going out to help her with lunch. I'm thinking of bringing the 3 youngest girls out and about because we have too much fun. Samuel and Grace are coming for Thanksgiving with little Grant, they're coming on Wednesday, so I'll have a full day with them before I leave on turkey day with Jon to fly to Portland. I need to get packed before then, I suppose. All the fam will be here Wednesday evening for chicken wings and pizza and a little get together since I won't make the one on Thursday.

Ah well. Life is good.

4 comments:

Carol said...

Enjoy your trip to Portland! It is crazy how as a mom we miss the crazy days the most.

Billie Jo said...

You have a beautiful family.
And I share in your astonishment of just how quickly our babies grow.

Anonymous said...

I loved the picture from Sing! That is exactly what our fifteen passenger van will look like as we travel to VA for Thanksgiving! Just now I was thinking about who is going to sit where, how many times that will need to change, etc. Thanks so much for the reminder that this is fleeting, the moments we are all together. So special.
Valerie, mom to 13

16 blessings'mom said...

Valerie, have so much fun! We had a few 15 passenger vans, at one time we didn't even fit in it and if we were all going, we had to take the truck too! But then they started growing up, and the van was too big, and now we are a minivan family again, full circle! Well, when we get to the five passenger sedan, it'll be full circle, I guess. Have so much fun though!!!

Carol, thank you, and it is funny how those crazy days are missed. I look at pics from my old old blog posts, and I miss those kids!

Billie Joe, thank you, and yes, they slip right through your fingers, those little babies. I never thought I'd see the day when my youngest, my sweetest miracle baby girl, would sass me. It hurts my heart. I love them all dearly, but my Camille Caboose, well, she's always been so cuddly and sweet...:)