I’m sitting at my desk in a dark house, it’s just after six and the children are all still sound asleep. They are sleeping a little bit longer in the morning because of the time change, so I hope to have a good hour of quiet before the day begins. My husband left for work not long ago, he has a big day today so I will be praying for him a lot. He sure looked handsome…with dress pants, dress shirt and a sweater vest, and a suit coat over all. He always looks so attractive to me in his best clothes!
This morning a friend of mine is bringing her two children over for the day. Grace will have a girl her own age to play with, which will be wonderful….and Jacob and Ethan will have a boy their age to play with, too. Everyone will be happy. These five children get together almost every week, I feel so blessed to have Christian neighbors nearby, with children for my for my children to grow up with. I imagine that today, even though I will be responsible for eight young ones, it will be easier than I think…the weather is so nice that they all plan on playing outside as much as possible.
Yesterday after schooling time I was hit with exhaustion, but I knew I would be disappointed if I did not enjoy the day, so when Seth fell asleep for his nap I took a blanket, some ice tea, and a new Country Living magazine down to the pond. Caleb was also napping, it was relaxing to lay in the sun, listen to the wild birds singing, the chickens scratching around the pond, and Jacob and Ethan laughing and talking a mile a minute, over at the play set.
Random comment about magazine: Did anyone else notice the family with seven children in the April issue? It was fun for me to see….such a beautiful family and home, and there were plenty of inspiring pictures. My favorite was the one with the mama and *a girl on each side of her*, and she was reading to them on the sweetest & coziest little loveseat.
The sky was brilliantly blue yesterday, I noticed it several times, and how beautiful it was.
Here is big Jake, with one of the chickens. I think this one is Star-chick-un. (their funny nicknamey way of saying chicken)……..
Jacob made me smile yesterday at school because he had to write a list of 8 things he would take with him to a deserted island. He read his list to me: cake, a camera, a videocamera, food, matches, “me lad”, blankets, and a gun. “Me Lad” is Ethan; his brother, best friend, and all-time side-kick. Grace overheard but said, “I’m glad you didn’t pick me because I would have been BORED.”
Later on during the day, I hung some clothes out on the line. I made my own laundry soap yesterday. No, I am not trying to mimic the Duggar family, but I did get the idea from them, and then another blog, and I admit….if you dangle an idea in front of me and tell me *it will save money* and *is easy* than I am all for it. It was FUN to make, and FUN to use, and it did a good job!
Seth was awake and he watched me hang the clothes. It was one of the highlights of my day when I saw him frozen and staring with amazement at those clothes, dancing and flapping in the wind.
Our hammock is on the porch so Grace and I gave Seth a little swing. I love this picture, and the way his eyes are crinkled and smiley, and his hands gripping the ropes. He would not lay down though, he kept sitting up and we would push him back down again…which ended up being just as much fun for him as the swinging.
My beautiful porch was a PIG PEN after the winter of neglect, but Jacob did a good job cleaning off the clutter and lining up the shoes. Then Ethan swept it.
Seth wanted to go explore…..he was so funny going down the hill a little too fast.
I had to get up and go get him back.
Caleb wanted to play on the front steps with his trains and Seth was determined to get one of those trains and run off with it, he was being a stinker and knew just what he was doing. He would grab one, turn around, and start to run. Caleb would say, “He wants to go THROW IT IN THE POND!” Grace and I were with them, and we tried giving Seth his own truck, trains, and cars, but he only wanted Caleb’s.
I had to leave the house at 2:45 yesterday, for a conference with Davy’s teacher. I had Jacob watch Caleb and I took Seth with me. Seth and I went to school, and he held my hand as we walked the halls to Davy’s classroom. Seth’s cuteness was stopping traffic, “Look at the BABY walking!” “He’s SO CUTE!”
David’s teacher had so many nice things to say about him. She said that her favorite thing about David was his imagination. She told me a little story about David playing outside with another student who he doesn’t normally play with….they were swinging together and were having the most wonderful time pretending that they were over the ocean, and telling each other what they could see. She told me that most children seem to need to BE entertained, but that David was able to play, and imagine, and entertain HIMSELF. She showed me his journal, and read it to me…stories about snow ball fights, fighting with golden swords, ice skating with his friend Emily, and so on. She loves his art work and drawings and has encouraged him so much that he now wants to be an artist, and believes that he IS ONE ALREADY. She opened my eyes once again to the very special and unique things about David. She knows that I plan on homeschooling him starting next year, and she smiled and told me that she thought it was great. I left with my heart feeling full and happy with my sweet seven year old.
We went home together and then David got to play outside, too. I went out after a while to see what they were up to.
Ethan had found their net at the bottom edge of one of the ponds and so he, Davy, and Caleb were all extremely focused and busy catching the first slimey critters from the ponds. They were excited to see me coming, “David just caught a tadpole! With his bare hands!”
They had a system going. Ethan used the net to catch things and Caleb would take them and run them back to the collection bucket.
He had a tadpole in each hand.
After he dropped them in the bucket, he showed me his muscles. He knows they are small (I overheard him tell David, who thinks HIS are BIG).
Davy, at the pond, in the last of the sunshine for the day. He ended up coming inside for dinner wet from waist to toe.
On the other side, was Ethan.
During all this time, Jacob was in charge of dinner and was busy inside, cooking….shrimp scampi (from a box, we buy it at Costco), and pasta. He set the table with matching fiestaware and lit a candle, too.
A lovely day, watching all my boys enjoy God’s great big world….I didn’t realize until the end that I didn’t get any pictures of their pretty sister. So this post is basically about “me lads” (to borrow Jacob’s expression). 
Hope you all have a wonderful day today! Love, Shanda
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Good to be Home 