when you KNOW! And, some past blasts...

 Have you seen the memes about how quickly children grow up, you brushed their hair, tucked them in, washed their faces, for the last time but didn't know it was the last time, then next thing you know they're grown up?  Well, sometimes you KNOW something is the last time, but what can you do?  You cannot stop progress.

This is Miss Char, Charlotte Claire.  Today is her last day of school, senior year.  The absolute last day.  I made sure to be up, so that little Yeti cup in her hand had hot coffee in it.  She can do it herself, and she has, but I try to help her out the door in the mornings...(she made cookies for her French class).  Yes, one child going out the door to school, a far cry from a few years ago.  

When September rolls around, the school bus won't be coming here to pick anyone up, for the first time in 34 years.  So today was truly a last.  The last time the bus came to our house to pick anyone up, and this afternoon, Char will get off that bus, and a chapter will close.

She, of course, is just getting started in life.  Germany for a year, then college...

And Camille is still here, finishing up her homeschooling, maybe headed to college next year.  

I wanted to get a pic of Char getting on the bus, but I didn't want her to kill me, ha, and also, Suri pooped in the hallway, Char informed me as I made her coffee.  ugh.  A 12 year old Lab, can't really be mad at her, you just glance in her direction, she looks at you with those eyes and her tail thumps.  So my day started out wonderfully, ha.

Yesterday, my friend Janette and I went out and about to buy prize bucket items for the end of the year pool party for our Activity Club.  We went to the dollar store, Big Lots, Walmart, BJ's, then the other dollar store, where we finally found the buckets...we thought to put the goodies into sand pails, Walmart only had one left, the other stores none...but Dollar Tree for the win!  28 pails!

They'll have a water bottle, bubbles, cookies, a ring pop, a drink, and a squirt gun in them.

After bringing Janette home, I went to Margaret's house.  She had an afternoon appointment for baby Blythe, so I hung out with Wulf and Tennyson for a bit.  We went to the playground, and what an adventure!

Yesterday, I wrote some of this post, then out the door for water aerobics, then to our monthly water aerobics breakfast at a local diner.  I don't always make it to the breakfasts, but these older people are my friends now, and they're a good group.  One guy was a dairy farmer, grew up on a dairy farm, and was also a bus driver, always so nice to my kids.  So it's a pleasant outing.  

When I got home, I had plans of things to do, but I didn't get to them all because one of the girls needed a ride to an appointment.  Then we tried to go strawberry picking at the Mennonite farm, but their berries didn't look too good this year, according to the 10 or 12 year old girl who was working there.  So we bought some flowers...so I repotted them when I got home...the hanging baskets in the front no longer have last year's dead vines hanging from them.  Begonias and some other pink flowers that like partial shade, and some new vines.  

Bacon and eggs for dinner, then I watched a show with Char and Cam...a rarity, that we were home with free time.  Sonja was at a meeting about her wedding plans.:)

This fine day, is the day of the End of the Year Party, the pool party, for Activity Club.  Tomorrow our plans are up in the air, we were thinking of a beach day because Margaret has the day off from work...but the forecast looks iffy.  So we might go shopping, then come here for a picnic day...a day where the grandkids can just come and run around and have fun.  

Saturday is Rhys birthday party, then Sunday is Char's graduation party.  I have to get some food for the grad party, that maybe should happen today...

Claire, my sister's 4th child (she has seven daughters), and Benjamin, our oldest son, 3rd child...they were besties growing up, crazy cousins.

Miss Suzanne Eleanor...

I was 30 years old with eight children...newborn baby Samuel...Paul was holding Aaron...Emily and Abigail with Joseph and Mariel in front, Benjamin on the end with Molly

When we lived in the mobile home, before we build our house, my dad with Abigail, Ben, Emily, Mariel

Samuel and Margaret...

Emily, Abigail, and Benjamin

Camping at the same place we were this past weekend, Sam, Aaron, Abigail, and Molly

Emily, Abigail, Benjamin, Mariel, Joseph, Aaron, Molly Rose, Samuel, Margaret...what baffles me is that we would go on to have SEVEN MORE!  Eight really, counting Robert.

This was a camping trip a month after losing Robert...Margaret was six, Kathryn 5, Evelyn 3 almost 4, Suzanne 2, and Sonja had turned one in May....this was in July.  

Paul, way back when....

Aaron and Molly, and our dog Champ

...building our house

12 kids and all the Little Tikes stuff...

Abigail with Jonny...he was so cute!

Suzanne...at the 4th of July symphony...little Jon in the wagon in the background...

Yesterday, I also sorted through pictures and strolled down memory lane.  I think I function better when it's a three ring circus.  But also, I wasn't cut out for this job, no sir.  People say, "Oh, you must be so organized."  Nothing could be farther from the truth.  God gave grace, and had mercy on me, gave me patience and wisdom when I needed it and prayed for it.  It took me years to finally decide on one place in the cupboard to keep the peanut butter.  I kept the floors clean and the kids clean, and they went out of the house looking nice and neat and matching, but the laundry room was a nightmare.  (I always hung up the clothes so they weren't wrinkled though...). I couldn't keep up with the kids bedrooms, after eight kids I gave up, it was enough to keep the rest of the house.   

If time travel were possible, I'd go back and do it all again...I'd still have every one of them, and I'd enjoy the heck out of it, again.  Of course, knowing now how fast it flew by, I'd savor those bedtime stories more and not try as hard to get them to bed quickly for a little down time.  I'd savor a lot more about those years, if I could go back.  I'd tell them more how much I loved them, and how amazing they were, and how rich we were, how blessed to have the fun and the chaos and the busy days.  

Ah well.  I need to put the towels in the dryer, and want to drag the vacuum cleaner out and vacuum the camper, and and and...I love puttering...I was outside in my bare feet this morning, cleaning the pool filter, and I remembered yesterday Paul was out there and he did a jump-yell, there was a snake!  I do not like them, not one little bit.  It ruined my bliss, made me wary, tip-toed back across the grass, ugh.  They do eat mice though.  

Summer breezes by way too fast....have a really good day, and if you still have little ones, hug them and tell them how much you love them...:)