Rich was home yesterday with a terrible headache.  I spent the whole day “showing off”.   He was lazily reclining on the couch, too much in pain to do anything but lay there.  I cleaned the kitchen, made a double batch of jam thumbprints and a batch of pineapple cookies while keeping track of the children and teaching school.  I was in my element!   Every once in a while we would make eye contact and smile.

It was great having him home and it was a nice change to have him depleted of energy.  That sounds bad, but it is really hard for him to just “hang out and be at home”. . . .he’s the type that always has to be doing something.  Yesterday he had only one battery when he normally has ten!   And he never takes a day from work!  Of course I am thankful that he’s not seriously sick, and he did go to work this morning, reluctantly.

These pictures were taken on Saturday:

From “You’re a Good Man Charlie Brown”

HAPPINESS IS FINDING A PENCIL.
PIZZA WITH SAUSAGE
TELLING THE TIME.
HAPPINESS IS LEARNING TO WHISTLE.
TYING YOUR SHOE FOR THE VERY FIRST TIME.

HAPPINESS IS PLAYING THE DRUM IN YOUR OWN SCHOOL BAND.
AND HAPPINESS IS WALKING HAND IN HAND.
HAPPINESS IS TWO KINDS OF ICE CREAM.
KNOWING A SECRET.
CLIMBING A TREE.
HAPPINESS IS FIVE DIFFERENT CRAYONS.
CATCHING A FIREFLY.
SETTING HIM FREE.

HAPPINESS IS BEING ALONE EVERY NOW AND THEN.
AND HAPPINESS IS COMING HOME AGAIN.
HAPPINESS IS MORNING AND EVENING,
DAY TIME AND NIGHT TIME TOO.
FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL
THAT’S LOVED BY YOU.

HAPPINESS IS HAVING A SISTER.
SHARING A SANDWICH.
GETTING ALONG.
HAPPINESS IS SINGING TOGETHER WHEN DAY IS THROUGH,
AND HAPPINESS IS THOSE WHO SING WITH YOU.
HAPPINESS IS MORNING AND EVENING,
DAYTIME AND NIGHTTIME TOO.
FOR HAPPINESS IS ANYONE AND ANYTHING AT ALL
THAT’S LOVED BY YOU.

I thought the words were sweet. . . it reminds me of families. . .and reminds me that I can find pleasure in just about every little thing that happens during the day.  The kids are awake now, time to start the day.

happiness is. . . . . being together

This is going to be a hodge-podge of pictures that I liked from our trip back home. 

Anyone for a Starbucks coffee?

Mom’s hands:

Bitty Baby and Makayla:

Maria and David:

My whole family with Rich’s dear Grandma (who helped raise him):

My parents:

The Albany skyline, “there’s where you were born, Grace!” is what we always say.

Rich had the quote of the trip when he said, “Shanda! Ever since you got that camera, every day is like a wedding day.”

As it should be. 

This is going to be a hodge-podge of pictures that I liked from our trip back home. 

Anyone for a Starbucks coffee?

Mom’s hands:

Bitty Baby and Makayla:

Maria and David:

My whole family with Rich’s dear Grandma (who helped raise him):

My parents:

The Albany skyline, “there’s where you were born, Grace!” is what we always say.

Rich had the quote of the trip when he said, “Shanda! Ever since you got that camera, every day is like a wedding day.”

As it should be. 

I received a long letter today from my penpal.  She is a old lady, over 80 years old, from my home church.  She and her husband used to sit right behind us in church when I was a little girl.  She always laughed a lot, and her husband was serious and quiet.

Her husband, Roger, passed away a few years back and now she is too old to go out much.  She has always been a friend to my mom and when I found out that she was asking about me, I started to write to her.

Now I get letters that, well, open my eyes to the wonderfulness of my life.

Here is a quote from today’s letter, just as she wrote it:

“I canned a few quarts of applesauce lately, another favorite of Roger’s.  I envy you and Rich.  It is so wonderful when they come home each nite after a whole day away.  Your heart just flutters and skips a few beats to have them close again.  That’s what I miss now—those big hugs when he came home.—“no more hugs”.  That’s what I used to say every day over and over, “I love your arms” around me.  He did love me, more than I deserved.  It was wonderful while it lasted.”

I’m going to savor Rich’s hug today.

“those big hugs when he comes home”

(I love
  David’s eyes
in this picture)

My family loves Saturdays.  We can relax and spend time together.  We went out for a drive to the grocery store this Saturday to buy clams.  Rich and I like to steam them after the kids go to bed.  We stand in the kitchen and talk and laugh together.  It’s becoming a tradition.

I love sitting in the passenger seat of the truck, right next to my wonderful husband, and I usually talk to him the entire time!  He looks at me and smiles, like you see in the picture. Rich and I also love to hum, whistle, or sing along to a cd, and talk to the kids, who are crammed together in the backseat. 
We laugh a lot.

I took the next pictures yesterday before we went to church.  David can fit into Ethan’s old 5T suit and he looked so cute!  Aren’t 4 year olds great?  They are so funny, curious, quick and lively, and can still get away with talking funny and using poor manners (like burping out loud during a sermon at church, right Davey??)

David has such a zest for life!  What a face! I can’t get over that
sparkle in his eyes!

Today he got to go to his friend Leo’s house.  As he was running out the door I said, “Bye David, I love you!” and he turned to me and said, “I LOVE YOU TOO, MOM!!!”
Then away he went.

Jake and E

Jacob and Ethan are only fourteen months apart and so in some ways I consider them both to be my firstborns.  The two oldest.  Rich and I lived near family until I was pregnant with Grace and so these two boys are the only ones of my five that my parents were able to spend lots and lots of time with as little ones.  I am sure that they feel the same way that I do  — that Jake and E are getting big and that time is quickly passing by.  Jacob is almost as old as my younger brother was when I was married!  When I watch the two of them together I often get that motherly intense contented feeling.  I love how close they are.  They are like cute puppies that play, wrestle, make messes, and all the time looking just as innocent as can be!

I thought it would be fun to include some older pictures of Jacob and Ethan.  Here we are in 1998.

They call this “Camp Hope”, they have forts all over the place.

Rich and me with 22 month old Jacob and 8 month old Ethan.  This was taken November of 1998 and Grace was born just 1 year later.

  Brothers 

   Me and my boys

Boys

  My life. . .moments of one day. . .

It’s not enough if you are busy.  The question is, what are you busy about?  Thoreau

The Face Paint Story:

The kids found face paint the other night.  Before Rich and I knew what was going on they were all decorated, including the baby.  I’m talking face, belly, legs, arms. . .stripes, dots, and large areas of skin were covered with paint.  It was sort of funny, they were running around outside, but when we called them in to get washed up we quickly realized that It. Would. Not. Come. Off.  Easily.  Rich and I had to scrub and scrub them with Dawn dishsoap while kneeling side by side by the tub, the bath water turned green, I got soaked trying to use the handheld shower and Caleb got soap in his eyes.  At one point we had 3 boys in the tub at once.  Grace got the shower to herself, the boys had to have a community wash.  I wanted to put them straight to bed, it was about 7:30 when they were finally all clean, but Rich wouldn’t hear of it.  I tried to recite the Mother Goose rhyme, “There was an old woman who lived in a shoe, she had so many children she didn’t know what to do.  She . . . . .spanked them all soundly and sent them to bed. ”  No, said my husband, the problem with that is the old woman who lived in a shoe did not homeschool and we still have math to do!   It was such a crazy time that I just had to laugh.

Time it was
and what a time it was

I Got Tired.  But it was Worth it.

We had our nieces, Abbie and Naomi with us this weekend.  We had a household of 9!

Here’s Naomi! 

I’m smiling, Aunt Shanda!

The 2 babies

d

Naomi Isabella

 It was very difficult to take a group picture.  I hope someone gets a chuckle out of these 2 examples of my attempts.  There were about 5 others that weren’t even worth publicizing. 

I love you

It’s so much easier to photograph one!

 What Caleb is thinking:  “I’m gonna take this pumpkin and I’m gonna chuck it in the pond!  Enough already!”  Then he did.

Real Life

Here I am, talking on the phone to MOM with a baby in front of me and a baby on my lap.  The laundry closet is gaping open as it was in constant (and I do mean CONSTANT) use all weekend long.  (Why bother shutting the doors?)  Rich was a trooper ~ although I did hear him mumble something like, “How did this happen to me. .’mumble mumble’ . . .seven kids.”  I even got to go out alone for an adventure which is what I was talking to Mom about. . . .my fiestaware adventure. Oh well, the weekend is over and the week is off to a roaring start.  I’m gonna take time to count my blessings now and I’ll share the first 8:

My Husband
Jacob
Ethan
Grace
David
Caleb
Abigail

and
Naomi!

We survived and even had fun!