Mommy Math

My 6 kids + 1 cousin - 3 to school + 2 Vanderkids = 6 kids!

Now, let's sort them!

Behold, the symmetry!

2 babies

2 two-year-olds

2 four-year-olds

Now, if they would only stay organized like that....  

off guard!

I've said it of the boys so many times...

"WOW, what are they thinking?  The girls would NEVER think to do that!"

Well, today, it was the little girl that caught me off guard!

The boys have never thought to do THIS:

One of those moments... 

Oh no, that was not a good idea!  Just wait right there while I get my camera...

Below: that's foundation on her face.  

With plenty of powder on top.

It is also on her hands, arms, legs, and feet!

Oh, girly- girl!

I like, totally like these cheerleaders!

and so do my boys. :)

We love the Vanderkids!

These two are learning to be quite good friends!

Making "ice cream" for each other.

This sweet "baby" Deandra weighs as much as Peter I am sure.

But she is more willing to sleep on me.

friends

These two!  

So different from each other!

Miss girly-girl Enola!

Here they are reminiscing together....

remember what it was like to be the baby?  

And just as those two are learning to get along

new conflict begins...

between these two:

Peter is SO fascinated with Deandra!

I just cannot get him to leave her alone!

He either loves her, or he's insanely jealous of her...

but whichever emotion it is,

he feels it strongly!

Oh my baby-poking, 

pacifier snatching,

almost 1yr old

little boy!

Girls!

"Are they ALL yours?"

Yes, that is alot of kids at the playground, and for once I could say no, in fact, they're not ALL mine, not technically.

Little Enola got to come over and play yesterday!
So much fun to have a little girl around!  Lorraine and Aggie were especially happy to get the chance to play with her (they were always at school when I babysat!)

It's true what they say.

"Girls rule boys drool."  

But don't tell the boys I said that!

Budding friendship

We sit together.

We bounce together.

We sulk together.

(Eldon was the one in trouble. I guess Enola thought he needed some company! )

Our honorary little sister

How nice of God, who sent us four boys in a row, to also send us a beautiful princess baby girl we get to "adopt" in our family on the days we babysit her!

The princess and the Hillbilly!

The princess and the pirate do not always get along...
though I would never have guessed she could bring him to tears!

Enola and Eldon like to share most everything: Cheerios, slobbery toys, bibs, even fingers...

When Enola wears the bib that says "Thank Heaven for little boys," it sure takes on a different meaning! I can just see her in a few years, writing something similar on her school papers...
I "heart" boys!!!

Here they are enjoying puppets on TV together- taking turns clapping and giggling about it!

Thank Heaven for little girls! And boys!

Surviving the last days of winter

We are all a little wiggly and cabin-crazy these days! Today it was all of 36 degrees out, but SUNNY, and we all agreed it was the perfect day to go to the park!

Not at all to my surprise, having a new puppy is kind of like having a newborn baby in the house! I must say Copper seems very smart, and we are having very few problems with the house-training. However, she just constantly wants to be with the rest of the family, and so she is still whining and crying during the night in her cage. It is a strange experience for me, as Josh is the one getting up with this "baby."

She is perfectly submissive to everyone in the family with one exception: Eldon. She seems to think he is a puppy just like she is. And the more Josh and I think about it, the more we understand how she could get confused. It is almost like those two are at the same developmental stage. They seem to like the same toys... And they get in the same type of trouble... I have said to each of them this week: "Don't eat dried play dough off the floor!" "Quit chewing on that shoe!" (Or piece of paper, or rug, or sock, or remote control...) They both fuss when they don't get enough attention, they love to be snuggled and carried around, and they can't seem to get enough of the older kids! (Though the older kids often have enough of each of them!)


Eldon has learned the baby sign for "dog," and is now constantly sticking out his tongue and panting. He has added his own creative touch in his excitement over the puppy- he is usually panting and flapping his arms at the same time!

Oh, Seth and his notions of propriety! We were watching ice skating the other night, and of course Lorraine was starry-eyed over the glitter and girly-ness of it all. Seth sat there with an ugly look, obviously thinking "I just don't see the point of this." I asked Lorraine if she thought she could do that (no mommy!) Then, Seth looked at me and said firmly, "Mommy, you may NOT do that!" He seemed to think it was something that I would attempt, so he made sure to forbid me in very strong terms.

Here's Marcus, using the letter L like it is a gun! Whatever it is that makes a boy a boy, I think Marcus got a double dose of it!

Black-eyed Aggie, once again! This time it was because she decided to get involved with the first graders and their pillow fight... perhaps they were a little out of her league. I didn't think they put rocks in their pillows but maybe I missed something!

Little Eldon and Enola- what buddies! I don't know if it is because they are so close to the same size or what, but when Enola is around I am constantly grabbing my camera saying "OHHHH they are SOOOO CUTE!!!"

I agree with the children, spring can come any time now! As Aggie says several times throughout the day, "DearGodPleaseMakeAllTheSnowGoAway. PleaseSendtheSunAndtheGreenGrassAmen." Amen, Aggie!