This morning

This morning this house is a job site. It feels like we could work for a month of Tuesdays not yet be caught up.

Of course not, any mom out there knows that before the sun rose on the second Tuesday we'ld already be starting over on yesterday's work. Especially if you clean your bathroom everyday, right Sweetie? (who stays unnamed!)

Well, every job site should have a site super and this morning I picked her. Because it's probably a good motivator to have a site super who makes you smile.

(I tried calling her Wendy but it just doesn't seem to fit) Well this, of course, is the reason for the flurry of all the cleaning. We wouldn't have her coming home this morning to ask what I did for the hours she was gone, would we?

There's some serious nervous anticipation here but she'll be so glad to be back in the learning swing of things.

I realize it's only 7:30 but I'm sure our neighbors didn't really mind hearing us holler, "hi Nana!"

They have to be used to the noise by now.

Too soon they'll all be scrambling up those steps, but for this morning there was only one who could say, "tomorrow!"

Have a good day, y'all!

he calls her "Didder"

Ask him to say Cara and he'll say "didder." It can be said sweetly or sternly but it's the only name he'll call her. I think it's my fault. I often say to him/her, "don't hit your sister/brother, be kind to your sister/brother," etc. I don't know why I wouldn't always use their names but I don't.

So Cody calls her "didder" and I think he means sister.

It's soft in the morning when he wakes up, "didder? didder?" to see if she's awake too.

It's louder by coffee time when he's had enough of her shenanigins, "DIDDER!"

It's soft again by night time when she's fallen asleep first and he checks one more time if she's still available one crib over to have one last bit of fun before the day is done. "didder? didder?"

It's accompanied by hits, spits, glares and pinches, hugs and kisses and general all around loving.

There are still so many things to love about having 2 at a time. Including "didder".

And yesterday I heard her, in a fit of frustration, call him "Tody Michael!"

School Starts Con't

So if there is one thing I'm looking forward to about school starting, it's the thought of going to town with 3 kids instead of 5. I still often look for someone to leave a few of them with but it seems like it's getting more common just to load 'em all up and take 'em along.

It's not that it's so terrible. But I do still get a LOT of looks and comments.

A few memorable ones from the last week:

- last Friday afternoon at about 5:00 I was just finishing a week's worth of groceries at Superstore. A kind lady, who I can talk to for a couple of hours if we ever end up in the same room together, called me "admirable" for doing groceries with 5 kids. I TOLD you she was KIND. Most other people would have called me CRAZY for pulling a supper hour stunt like that. (for those of you who read the last post you would notice she didn't call me smart :) )

In fact, if I would have pulled the cotton out of my ears, I probably would have heard all the muttered comments from the slightly peeved people who had to screech to a halt or dart to the side to avoid hitting my children who were all over the aisles.

But I didn't pull out the cotton out of my ears. That way I can't hear the "puhleazzzze?" and the "look at this!" and the "can we?" etc.

- then last Saturday I hit a street worth of garage sales. All the kids jumped out and we did great as long as we were on the side of the street with the sidewalk. Once we got to the end and headed back for the van I did a lot more, "watch out", "stay on the side" don't touch the cars" etc. We got to a drive way and a gentleman and his wife, about in their fifties, were standing there watching the kids dive through their 10 cent box of toys. He came to stand beside me and said, "hold out your hands." I thought that was such a strange request but I did oblige. He nodded, "you got your hands full", he said. "My heart, too," I answered. They asked if I was busy. I smiled politely. I mean I guffawed. Or actually I don't remember my response but this is what I do remember. "You love every minute of it," he observed, "I can see it in your face, it's shining out of your eyes, you love it."

I think that's the kindest, the most heart warming, the most touching response I have ever gotten about my gang from a stranger. I hope more people, who's faces sometimes border disgust, see the love that's overflowing my heart. It might have some tough moments but God has blessed me so richly with these dear children of ours.

- the last moment was this afternoon. Back in Superstore at 3:00 with 5 monkeys in a bit of a disarray. Leah had no shoes so Cam (had to) gave her his favorite too big crocs and cried because he actually wanted to be walking, Cara was serverly wishing for her nap, Cody was trying to wake up from a 10 minute nap, and Leah and Sam were just your typical grocery store hyper... and a elderly gentleman made me laugh out loud with his query, "did you leave ANY at home?" His twinkling eyes let me know he took no offense at their being in his way. It cheered me enough to persevere to the checkout line. It cheered me enough to ignore the lady in front of me who gave us a rude once over (more than once :) ) as we all TRIED to wait patiently in line.

It cheered me enough that I might just wait for Leah and Sam to get home from school next week so we can all do groceries together. That way we can give to the members of our community by providing another dose of entertainment while they shop.

Just kidding!

I took these pictures a couple of months ago when I was at Price Mart. Yes, on occasion I do put both babies on the top and make them do two legs per hole. It's getting much harder for them to do comfortably but it works great in a pinch.

Sorry. :) That was for Les, make sure he reads it okay, Kris?

It does work, though, if I only have a couple things to grab and I don't want to have to dive to cushion the one that suddenly stood up as I whipped around a corner.

PS. In going back and reading my last blog post about not being one of those moms looking forward to the start of school I really hope I didn't come across as condescending to those moms who can't wait for it to begin. It's true, I have really enjoyed the summer and I do love having the kids all home but I didn't write about the times that I would have been glad if they were at school (like when doing groceries). Remember, there hasn't been much rain this summer and so there were not too many days when they were just hanging about inside underfoot. Ask me again on a Saturday in November and I'll most assuredly have joined the camp of Mom's that can't wait for the school week to start. I"m almost positive of it. Hope I didn't make any Mom's feel looked down on.

Continuing the School Approaching Theme

and with one week left I finally decided this morning to check on the uniform status for Leah and Sam..... hey, no one, or at least very few people, ever call me Smart Leanne.

(Only Jeff does, he's nice like that. Or maybe he wants supper. :) Thanks, Jeff! Even if it wasn't intentional and it was only once it was kind of you.) :)

Back to the uniforms. I have a few pairs of size 5 pants that may fit Sam one day but not yet. Does anyone (with the same uniform) have a pair of size 5 or 6 SLIM they want to sell? And for Leah we are going into the 3rd year in size 5 jumpers. As you can tell, I have really big kids. Does anyone have a size 6 jumper or a size 5 with extra length to sell?

I have a plaid and a khaki jumper both size 10 to give away to someone with a little girl who could use them. They were passed on to me and I didn't double check but I think they're in good condition and I would love to pass them on to someone who can use them. I can't see Leah needing them before gr.3 is done.

Is there anyone else out there with uniforms hanging around who would like to see an expanded buy/trade/sell system for used uniforms? Something other than the current newsletter system? Let me know what you think. If not on the blog, stop me on school supply day and spill your ideas.

Camping

Last week as the last bit of summer holidays was blistering by we went camping by Les & Krista's house. We picked the two most gorgeous day of the week and went and had a lot of fun.

I forgot my camera but it didn't worry me enough to spend the 15 minutes going home to get it.

Someday I'll collect some pictures from Krista's camera. in the meanwhile, she passed this one on.

I think he enjoyed this part of his camping trip.
Now I have to get going before the rest of this holiday disappears while I sit here. I am not one of those mom's who can hardly wait for school to start. Not the same for the school aged here. They can hardly wait.

(over) Prepared

Last week, on one of those gorgeous hot days, we headed to Hicks Lake to enjoy one day of the annual week long church family camp.

I sent the boys outside with the instructions to, "get 5 pails and 5 shovels ready to go." Five minutes later Sam came running inside, "Papa already had the pails ready and we added 13 trucks!"

Indeed, they had piled the outside toys container as high as they could get it, added chairs for four and called it ready to go. The best part? Watching all five work together to push it behind the van so all I had to do was open the hatch and lift it in.

Too bad for them I insisted the stroller and the cooler were already taking up vital space and the container and chairs had to stay home. I made room for 5 trucks.

And it was one more special day in a summer full of blessings. This picture sums up the entire day of water fun. Sam's expression wins a prize in my book.

Birthday Boy

Yup, it was Steve's birthday and we did our best to celebrate.

Wednesday night the kids told Steve he needed his presents tonight because he needed them before work tomorrow. I don't think Steve knew what to expect but he was delighted to be presented with extra special birthday breakfast fixin's.
The kids were happy too because Steve shared. :)

Thursday we took a "cake" to the jobsite and enjoyed some time rumbling around Uncle Brian and Auntie Leanne's new house. (I don't think I'll ever be titled gormet cook/baker. I just don't have that golden touch, you know?)

Then we skipped ahead to Saturday morning. Steve had asked that for his birthday we would give him the freedom to take part of the morning for himself and participate in the Hope Classic. We first sat down for a family photo...

Then we got to the serious business of waiting for the run to start. There's never a shortage of ideas when there are some big stumps to jump off. "Catch me, Dad!"

Sometimes this little lady JUMPS! And sometimes some of the people around us were cringing expecting a mishap.

And then our dear man got going....

And while we waited we jumped in the bouncy castle, got some tatoos,

and a little face paint. Can you hear my tiger roar?

And once Leah's butterfly was documented we decided to go for a little walk to the bridge. I looked at the time and we were about 25 minutes since Steve had left and he had figured around 40 minutes going in to a 8km cold turkey.

As we walked I watched the runners start coming back and there was one man who looked so much like Steve that my heart actually swelled thinking about my sweetie running again. There are so many memories of running with Steve back in the old days and this guy ran just like I remembered Steve running.

But it was still under 35 minutes since Steve had left. And Steve hadn't run in years. And he was running bare foot. (Not because of any particular bravery or hot shot attitude but because it was either bare foot or sandals. His running shoes fell apart long ago.)

It worried me enough that I quickly rounded the kids up and set them moving towards the finish line so we could catch Steve's arrival. But, here he came up the path toward us. Sweating to beat the band but thrilled with the experience of running again.

I tried to sort it all out. That WAS my Steve I had spotted on the road. He had made it just under 35 min. And he was glowing with delight in having ran.

And I realized that even though I've known this guy since just after his 17th birthday, somehow over the years I missed how much a part of him this running business is. Yet, he said it tonight, too, it doesn't give lasting satisfation. No, the running isn't eternal happiness but it does hold a special joy for Steve.

I can hardly wait to give him the opportunity again.

Happy birthday, Steve. I thank God for His gracious keeping of you these past 31 years and pray He will bless you this year ahead of us.