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

Friday, January 29, 2021

all about everything!...and Florida again!!?

 Florida?  Why yes, please.  I'll save the details for a later date, but I've been invited for March, and I said YES, of course!  When Grandma lives so far away, she needs her visitors!

Yesterday, Margaret came over with baby Tennyson and little Wulf.  She works full time, from home, and it's challenging!  So she worked from here yesterday and we helped out with the kids.  Jon took Wulf out to play in the snow, but only for a short time, as it was all of 15F here.  I got some good baby snuggling time in!


Tennyson was almost sleeping in this pic...

And here's one of Wulf that Margaret took last week:


(In other words, Grammy didn't take any of him yesterday:))

Miss Suzanne is engaged, I think I already told you guys about that, but they had some pics taken:



He (Zech) is a very nice young man, and they're lovely together.


The deck yesterday morning.  Some people hate winter, but not me!    Although it's both cold AND snowy today, and Sonja had to get up and drive to the city to the college to work, slippery roads.  Thankfully Paul works from home now, and we have his truck that she can drive.  


Evelyn and I, on a spontaneous, Let's-Go-To-The-New-Brewery jaunt last week.  On a cold blustery night, it was warm and welcoming.  (We had to mask until seated, I broke the rule by standing next to Ev for this pic.  Covid-19 is very smart, it'll get you if you're not seated when you take that mask off.  Also, NY state mandates that one purchases food when guzzling beer, so we HAD to order a little cheese basil thin crust pizza, poor us.   Sonja was a good sport and drove for us, because by the time we finished sampling those little beers, whoa.  But they were so good!  There was a candy cane, a peanut butter habanero, an oatmeal stout...I can't tolerate so much alcohol though, next time I'll drive.  It WAS fun though.


Margaret Cheryl, Kathryn Grace, Evelyn Joy, Suzanne Eleanor, Sonja Kathleen.  My five-girls-in-a-row in -five-years.  Margaret was five when Sonja was born, with the other three in between.  (then baby Robert was "born" when Margaret was 6, on the day she graduated kindergarten)(In NY, you have to be 5 on or before Dec 1 to go to kindergarten, so when Sonja was born, Margaret wasn't even in kindergarten yet.). These girls have been more of a blessing than a trial, but there were some interesting times!  Sonja is the only one of them still at home.  Marg is married, Kathryn is married, Evelyn lives in her apartment upstairs from Marg and Adrian, Suze is engaged and living in an apartment...time just FLIES.

I've said this a million times before, but when I was knee-deep in small children, people would tell me how time flies, and one day they would be growing up and moving out, but ho ho, time was moving slow as molasses back then.  The days were packed full and I had to be sneaky and crafty just to go to the bathroom all by my lonesome.  Bottles, diapers, wipes, pacifiers, strollers and car seats, sippy cups, baggies of cheerios and sleeves of crackers, filling the diaper bags with clean outfits, for YEARS and YEARS.  I'd no sooner get one to sleep through the night, and the next one would be born!  Sometimes there would be a stubborn one who didn't sleep through until the baby was born, and a few still woke up after, which was not fair.   Throw up bugs, ear infections, colds, coughs, teething...I never got any sleep.  Nap time was sacred, it was the hoped for, shining, looked forward time, the time that mostly disappointed, because seriously?  The stars had to be aligned just so, in order for mama to actually get a nap.  Baby:  had to sleep.  Toddler:  had to sleep.  Older Toddler:  had to sleep.  Older kids:  had to NOT slam doors, get in arguments, bring me the phone because someone important was calling, or ask me if they were allowed to open the Oreos.  So a nap was rare and much sought after, but even if I didn't actually get to sleep, a quiet time in the afternoon was mostly respected by everyone, and even the older kids really appreciated the down time.  They could watch a movie, in the summer time, or read, play games without the littles interrupting.  (just an FIY, those days when I was SO tired and didn't get a nap, those are when I gained most of my weight, because duh, cookies!  No nap?  Well, cookies.)

Anyway.  We're having quite the cold snap this weekend, a Polar Vortex dipping down into NY state.  It's snowing out again, and can you blame me for being excited for another trip to Florida?!  An Airbnb on the gulf coast...ahh.

8 comments:

Marilyn said...

Dear Della I get exhausted reading about the years when you had all those little ones, but look how lovely they have all turned out!🥰 I see on the telly you guys are having some foul weather.............😬😬 Ours is coldish...-20C this morning but with the wind chill it was -32C🥶😱 Nice out now.........sun shining and the wind died down. I might take Hudson for a walk through the park. I love all your pictures.....Wulf is a lovely little boy and his baby brother is darling. They grow up so fast though, don’t they?

Have a lovely day.

Marilyn from Canada 🇨🇦

16 blessings'mom said...

Marilyn, that is really really cold. We very rarely get that a cold here, we mostly get snow. (I also get exhausted reading about those years ha, how did I possibly manage?). A walk in the park sounds nice, and Hudson is a very good doggie name. (and I'll die a million deaths if you correct me and say that Hudson is your husband's name ha!)

Marilyn said...

Brahahahahahahaha 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 Hudson is the dogs name 😆😆😆😆😆😆

Marilyn from Canada 🇨🇦

angie said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
16 blessings'mom said...

Angie, I am very sorry about your father in law. My own parents have both been gone for a while now, and it's still painful. I hope you find peace, and God bless you.

Billie Jo said...

Oh, I loved reading this!
It brought back so many memories, although I only had three under 5 and then a blessed rainbow baby, our Flynn, after a heartbreaking miscarriage when I was 40. And I miss those days of all that you wrote of! Now, I think back and wonder how in the world did I do all that?!?! I wouldn't trade a minute! What an amazing job you did with your children, my friend. Hugs!

Linda said...

Yep, snowing here too...I have a sneaky suspicion that this weather pattern will remain until late April, LOL.

You might want to check the new "mandates" now about traveling (rolling eyes). ANYWAYS, Congrats on the new soon to be soninlove. smiles

Jeanette said...

Those days when my kids were little certainly were hectic and sleepless! And I only had two! I admire your fortitude! What a lovely family you have! We have been having a pretty mile winter here is Michigan so far but still..a trip to Florida would be wonderful!