Our morning routine has changed since the college children have come home.  Ethan and Jacob have a work-out routine that they need to do for sports this fall so Rich gets up with them early (around 5) and they go next door to our garage.  The upstairs of our garage is set up with a variety of gym equipment; everything they need for their work out each morning.  They have leg day, arm day, etc.  When Rich comes back into our bedroom to walk through to the bathroom, I wake up and go out to the living room.  My intention is to make coffee and sit with my one-year-Bible.  I like to sit and read and sip my coffee while David and Caleb get ready for school and Ethan, Jacob, and Rich get ready for work.  This is also a good time for them to come to me with complaints.

• We are out of bananas.
• We are out of milk, cream cheese, and bagels.  Also yogurt.
• Jacob’s pants shrunk.
• where is the cast iron pan?
• where is the blender?
• Ethan needs gas money.  Ethan cannot find his wallet.
• Caleb needs money for school lunch.
• I made beans yesterday, causing Rich to have to run back to the house several times during his work out.

To be fair, these didn’t come across as complaints (except the food.  David was truly annoyed about the bananas.  He ate peanut butter toast with chocolate chips and when I questioned him he said it would have been healthier with …… the bananas.)

Jacob laughed about his pants.

Ethan was cheerful about his wallet.

David almost forgot his lunch money.

I still haven’t finished my Bible portion of the day because then Seth and and Sarah woke up.

Sarah came down the stairs happy that tomorrow is her birthday.

As she walked into the kitchen with Seth I heard her say slyly, “And Mom is NOT picking you up early from school with me.”  It immediately became an argument.

When questioned, Seth told me that the other day when I asked Sarah to go to the house and get me my magazine, she had Seth do it, with the promise that “I will tell Mom to pick you up early from school on my birthday, too.”  So Seth got the magazine for her and  then she carried it the rest of the way to me, or I would have already figured this plot out.  (The child I asked to bring the magazine brought the magazine so I was not suspicious.)

That was two days ago.  In the meantime, Sarah had changed her mind.  It’s her birthday, she doesn’t want Seth to get picked up early with her.

Seth was saying one thing and Sarah was saying another.  She even pretty much lied about making the promise to Seth, I am very sorry to say.  She said, “I don’t remember saying it like that.”  hmmmmm

Rich came out of the bedroom so I asked him to be the judge.  Except the man didn’t even know that I had told Sarah I would pick her up early.  He takes school seriously and never lets the kids stay home unless they are truly sick.  So, it should not have been a surprise to me that after he got involved no one was getting picked up from school.  

I thought Sarah would be sad but she ate breakfast and perked right up.  Everyone’s happy now.

But meanwhile, through all this, Parker (our dog) had tried to steal the cat’s can of cat food (the cats get ONE can a day, the rest of the day they eat dry).  I sent Parker outside.  Sherlock ate his can and then Samantha came inside for her can.  Sammie is a really tiny female cat and Jacob stopped to cheer her on as she wolfed down her food, “Yeah, Sammie, get nice and fat!”……. and then to us, “I swear this cat only eats once a week.”  She promptly turned away from the bowl and threw up the entire can on the floor.

All this while I’m trying to read the Bible!

Sammie ran off so we let Parker back inside the house to clean up the cat’s mess.  After all, it wasn’t even digested, it was barely even chewed.  But he didn’t even see it, he took the empty can and ran downstairs.  Ethan decided he wasn’t hungry for eggs anymore.

I was hiding behind my journal on the other side of the room.

*********

Now everyone is gone and the house is quiet.  The dishwasher is going.  I took the silverware tray out of the drawer to wash that, too.  The vacuum is sitting in the kitchen as I have decided that today would be a good day to vacuum all the crumbs out of cupboards and drawers.  I am going to Costco soon for cream cheese, bagels, bread, butter, milk, mayo, paper towels, and yogurt.

Seth and Caleb have baseball games tonight.

The sun is out and it’s a clear, cool, and sunny morning.

*****

I did copy down one verse in my journal before putting morning Scripture reading aside:

All of us must die eventually.  Our lives are like water spilled out on the ground, which cannot be gathered up again.  But God does not just sweep life away; instead He devises ways to bring us bak when we have been separated from Him.  2 Samual 14

I LOVED THIS VERSE.

*****

How was your Memorial Day?  I’m thankful that Seth and Caleb were in the parade or we may have not bothered to get out the door to attend.  It’s always such a fun atmosphere in town when it’s parade day.  We dropped off the boys at the parade start and then parked the car.  We walked to the coffee shop for 1 soda (Dave), 1 apple juice (Sarah), 1 regular coffee in a mug that he returned after the parade (Rich) and 1 caramel latte (myself).  Grace didn’t want anything.

Grace went across the road to sit with Dave and Sarah.  Rich and I walked to a shop down the sidewalk a little ways and said hello to the lovely lady who owns the shop.  I picked out a little gift for a sick friend and he bought his two girls each a bracelet.  Then we joined the kids on the other side of the street, saying hello to Grace’s boyfriend’s parents on the way.

Such dear girls.  They have been close friends (same grade in school) longer than Jacob and Brittnee have been a couple.  What I love about Brittnee is her good-natured cheerfulness.  And she can hold her own in this family, too.  For example yesterday Seth came over to say something and when he walked away she said accurately, “He’s so cute sometimes.”  and we laughed and laughed.  We’ve baked together and she and Grace are working on a garden (I have my doubts of whether it will be a success bc it’s like a mile away from the house).

I took a photo of the garden behind us because I want to find the purple flowers which are on the left and the pink flowers on the right (growing tall out of the green leafy clump).  They are so pretty and would look just right in my flower beds.

Seth in the parade standing close to his teammate (wearing Jays uniform).

Caleb was in the marching band playing a percussion instrument that looked like a plastic football with ridges that he had to rub with a stick.  In the video you can see at the very last second he makes eye contact with me and sort of grimace-smiles.  He will be 13 in July and is at the sad age when he leans away from me when I try to pat his shoulder, or put my arm around him or hug him or touch his cheek or make any sort of motherly contact.  He LEANS AWAY without a word of complaint.  It’s quite painful but all part of the growing up process when the boy has to teach the mom to stop with the babyish personal contact.  Motherly touches are now reserved for special occasions (severe injury, terrible sickness, at the moment of return after a long absence *or* birthdays) *or* when HE initiates.  (He does still come to me for a hug now and then in the privacy of our own home).

I had to post the video because I didn’t get any photos of him for the same reason that I didn’t touch him.  He wants no part of it.  I didn’t want to beg.

Also there are no photos of our other son, Ethan, as he was away with Tessa all day long.

Sarah made out pretty good.  Grace and the brothers were amused that several little boys yelled, “HI SARAH” to her as they were in the parade marching and saw her on the sidewalk.  They asked who one of the boys was and she said, “You tell me!  I don’t know his name!”  She has attitude.  We don’t know what will become of her as she has had a very full life so far and she’s only 8.  The youngest child is just as interesting as the rest of them, don’t you agree?  So unique and fascinating.  A little scary.  In a good way.

Her dad calls her Sally.

The other side of the bridge is a drop off down into the shallow stream.  Like, if he fell he WOULD have been hurt pretty bad.  But that didn’t stop him from running to jump up on the wall and walk around on it.  I try so hard to keep my mouth shut………….. most of the time I fail.  He had a big handful of Sarah’s candy in his sweatshirt pocket.   Yesterday he told us he was growing out his hair long and I said “I always wanted another daughter” just to make him laugh.  What I really wanted to say was “Please don’t”.

The beautiful brick buildings in the back are a church and the town museum.  The little road leading to the right is the entrance to a park.  I just love our town.

Later on that day we went for a walk and Jacob found this bug.  It was like 3 inches long! It’s so pretty!

And I saw 4 lady slippers growing on the side of the road.  These two and then another two that were about 4 feet away.

This morning Parker the dog was wandering around with a lollipop in his mouth.  Must be Sarah left her candy lying around on the floor.

He’s currently snoring flat on his side on the couch next to me.   I think he’s relieved to have a quiet house today.   He’s an old dog now, trying to keep up with his busy family!