Happy Birthday Anna!

So we hung onto 16 as long as we could and now......she is 17. Sigh. 16 was a year full of all sorts of new things along with some things more akin to growing pains. She weathers the storms, we muddle through and now to see what 17 holds for her. It certainly has been a year of sewing and contemplating college choices. That has been new for me as well. I don't remember this process too much as my dad taught at Valparaiso so that was where I was going. Most of the mail is for her nowadays so she goes and gets the mail from the box and proceeds to the recycling bin.

She is very happy that work called and told her she didn't have to come in today. She was sort of dreading that. Now we are going to traipse off to the farmers market for some veges and vege plants and then a quick trip to......can you guess?.....the fabric store. When you are born around Memorial Day then you get to enjoy days off and sales.

This coming year will hold SAT tests, drivers tests, college applications, most likely a few classes at the local college, a new brother or sister, and of course savoring her Emmaus moments and Emmaus friends (more sewing, I forgot). She is excited about college so I am sure we will also all enjoy the roller coasters that come with these changes as many of her friends have already experienced. I personally will hold onto 17 as long as I can.........

Today's feats

I would say today was pretty amazing. Not only did Anna work extremely hard on math, but we were also entertained by a new cd call Snack Time. It was really for the little children but we were all amused of course because we love to listen to such silliness. While Anna worked and listened, I sorted more socks. Cecilia helped and we have a laundry basket full now. Most of them seem to be for feet that don't fit them right now so the next problem will be what to do with these socks that are waiting for feet to grow into them! Ugh. Organization is SUCH a pain.

After the sock sorting spree I cuddled up with Stefan for a little snoozaroo time. He truly is much more enjoyable lately. He is eating well, loving the great outdoors and sleeping until almost eight o'clock in the morning. Sigh. Hold onto having a one and a half year old as long as you can. I think I am catching up on some MUCH needed rest.

My post napping activity was......drum roll please.......finishing mailing my Christmas letters, God children's presents from Christmas, baby gift for freinds in OHIO, and a wedding gift. Phew! Tomorrow will be return the Christmas gifts that haven't been returned. I can't wait. Our bedroom is shaping up finally and perhaps by the end of next week we will be able to walk through it. I am not such a great example for my children in this department but when you are committed to teaching, the house does tend to go to the dogs. What was my excuse a year and a half ago?????

Anna planted my lilies which badly needed planting and she is still downstairs listening to the cd and working her way through review Algebra one.

Erik sprayed the ant population, trimmed trees and bushes, planted my blueberry bushes, rounded up some more trouble places and helped Charley put together a gate for some friends.

I think everyone will sleep till almost eight o'clock tomorrow......

Twinkle toes

So sometimes you may think I am listening to what you are saying to me, but in reality Twinkletoes is doing acrobatics inside of me and that can be pretty distracting. Most of the time I AM listening but there really is nothing quite like have a squirmy little person entertaining themselves inside you. Of course if you are man then you would have no clue what I am talking about but you moms out there most likely do. This is a squirmy child. I suppose he is reving up to defend himself from almost two year old brother. That would be a good idea as Stefan is a little possesive of his mommy and seems to get more attached by the day. My other children have survived so I am sure he will too. No, we do not know if it is a boy or a girl but he is just easier than all that he and she stuff.

So if I suddenly look spaced off you may now know the reason. OH, and one other baby thought today. When people offer to do things for me seeing as I am expecting, it still takes me by surprise. THey have NO IDEA what I do at home so again if I appear perplexed it is because I probably can't figure out why you are offering at first. I will try to comply and let people be sweet and nice in this way. I am a slow learner.

The potatoes might be burning.....toodles!

Ironing

I ironed from 10:00 am till around 4:00 this afternoon. I still have more to do. Everyone's closets should be a lot happier. I think I had this blog post last fall but perhaps I didn't iron EVERYone's clothes. I found a few things of mine which I haven't seen for quite awhile. Of course I can't use them now but when the time comes it will be nice to have these old friends back. I also have socks to conquer and divide some more. Since I had the boys dig under their beds there have been a lot more socks passing through the laundry and I would imagine their rooms will smell better as well.

The older boys, including Charley, are off camping at Turkey Run. It has been incredibly quiet here with just the little ones. Anna was gone all day at work and then gone some more with a few other activities after work. She might be home soon and I hope we can chill out with a movie or something. I can iron and watch at the same time. What in the world did I do when I just had Anna, Erik and Matthew????? It was SOOOO quiet here today. I was hoping to get more done but it wasn't meant to be I guess. Perhaps I will catch up before September......

Socks

So Nick inspired me to sort socks. I am always baffled by how many unmatched socks there are and wondering where the other ones went. I think we should all have a sock gathering but we would have to be seperated by where we shop or something. We would probably end up with more matches. Sometimes I throw a holey sock out and I don't have the match so that would explain some of it. I think I need to bring everyone inside and go through everyone's room looking under all the furniture. Hmmmmm......maybe after lunch.

Anna is busy studying math while I sort socks and I think that is going well. THe boys are out gathering garlic mustard out of the woods and searching for Morrel mushrooms. We found eleven the other day. I guess I could say that I found them as I was mowing the field they were found in. There have been a ton of them this year.

Sorry about the lid comment last post but really I do find myself sort of scary looking. A friend loves this country song about if you want to have a happy marraige get yourself an ugly wife. Ha! I get it. No shopping or pampering. And no, I am not contemplating death in any other way but thinking that sleeping in Jesus doesn't sound too bad at times. Hmmm.....not helping here am I? If you have ever been majorly tired and buried in work I think you probably could relate. It sounds very nice to me.

No I am not going to apologize for this post.......back to Algebra and socks......

Family pictures

So my friend Karen holds the opinion that she never wants her picture taken. Well......after today I would say I might have to hold the same opinion......I don't like my picture taken. We had our pictures taken at church and the result is more than a nightmare. (Vanity). First of all they put you in the weirdest positions. She had my feet up this tall box, while holding Stefan who was wiggling all over the place, and then asking me to hold my head down (can you say double chin?) and then tilting it to the side, with no back support and of course I had the obstacle of the new baby to deal with as well. I don't think the photograper caught on to that. I look sort of like a terrorist was interviewing me or something. Yikes and ugh!!!!!!! So until the next pictorial directory I will have this horrifying picture of myself for all to share in the directory. Of course everyone else looked fine in the picture. I have noticed most pictures of myself can terrify me. I had the naughty thought to tell my family to feel free to keep the lid down at my funeral. Yes, that is shocking. I did mention that to my older kids and they laughed. I need a hair cut badly! Ack!

Here ends my shocking post of the day......

LIfe is intense

Day three of studying with Anna has gone pretty well. My brain is reawakening to all of that lovely high school math again and the good news is that I remember most of it. Geometry is my favorite and Steve Demme even makes Algebra more enjoyable than I thought possible. We also managed to get some of the house cleaned up this morning and Anna was able to get some practicing in. Every day gets a little better in the tedious department so perhaps by mid-June I might not be embarressed to have someone pop over.

Yesterday LaRena and I planted a little more garden and did a little bit of weeding. The rain has been cooperating for the most part and I reminded her that most things can not be planted till after the first of June. That is good news for her I would think as she has her own things to deal with.

Erik has been working pretty hard on his catechism in between working for his dad cleaning out the barn.....and doing a few things for me. I would like to do more math with him but will get to that sometime I am sure. Ugh.

So not a whole lot is new and different. I do regularly drop into La La land while studying with Anna so that could be counted as a nap I suppose. She is beckoning me to come and do the next thing.

Guv'ment two years ago

My mom pointed me to a picture of Guv'ment. He was quite the character in his prime. When I would water the flower garden he would gooble/yell at me to come give him some too. Whatever will we do without you Guv'ment.

That is the rest of the story......

I think I can, I think I can......

So by the time the evening rolls around I am generally spent. I am sure I look a little on the grumpy side but I suppose it is trying to maintain endurance to get little people to bed. I think I am also thinking about the many things I need to do to help my kids with their academics. Anna and I will be bonding this month in preparation for the SAT. School is not really stopping. It is just shifting gears. I feel a certain sense of guilt for not being there for Anna as much as I would have liked to. She muddles along but would benefit a lot more by having me as a greater presence in her school life. Self-discipline is hard for anyone so why would I expect her to be some sort of wonder student. We will try to make this month as fun as we can as well without killing each other working too hard. My 'list' will probably not get a lot of attention until the second week of June. Sigh. Anna did point out that most of the things on my list could be accomplished in an afternoon so perhaps our reward for slaving over school work will be knocking something off of the list.

No, we are not despairing but just thinking about what I need to get done can make me a little weary. I also need to keep Martin reading and helping Erik with his various areas that need attention. I think I can, I think I can........