something to celebrate

I know I post a lot of draggy posts airing all my grievances. but here are some fun things. Sophie walking. http://youtu.be/ObWU2UAd3Fs Last night at dinner Ethan exclaimed "where did you come from?" and Jaeger replied " well when a mommy and a daddy love each other..." we all cracked up laughing. One day last week Ethan was very nice. I was calling him Mr Niceypants. Usually he is Mr Grumpypants. Ethan lives on a high stress level all the time. High anxiety leads to high behaviors. So this day when he was adorable and sweet and kind was a welcome reprieve. Cody is graduating in two weeks. It seems like just yesterday we were fighting him to try and spell his spelling words in first grade. Chrysta is coming back soon. She is counting the days. I missed her. She will stay for the summer. Perhaps after that she will stay for the school year. Her brothers and sisters all missed her a lot. Ethan and Maia were the most affected by her leaving. They never knew a time without her. Ethan likes to talk to her on the phone and Maia sometimes calls her out of the blue when she is feeling out of sorts. Helps her feel like everything is ok. Twice in two days two of my kids who are invariably at each others throats played happily and nicely together. Maia and Jaeger were being silly with the lifejackets on and throwing the football back and forth while wearing life jackets. Then they decided that boxing would be fun. so they would hit each other only on the lifejacket, then they were chasing each other around laughing hysterically all the while. Sophie has been spending a lot of time on the back deck with Ben and Ethan. Ben is back in casts and in his wheelchair so he cant go far. they have played a lot on the back deck this year. More than last year or the year before. And Sophie is learning to stay outside instead of fussing because there's a bug or a bird. yes a bird. she was crying to come in because there was a crow in the yard. not on the deck but in the yard. was she afraid it would snap off her nose? I dont know. I made her stay out and play. she lived. and has been out there every day since. Andre is still Andre and will always be Andre. but he tries hard. I love that about him. He doesnt see any obstacles. Ben sees every single one and needs encouragement to keep going at things that are difficult. Not Andre. He thinks he is superman and thinks he can do anything and everything. He follows his Papa around helping with whatever chores he is doing. The greenhouse that protected my chickens all winter fell down in one of the last winter storms. It has since been resurrected and little plants are growing in it now. My husband the farmer enjoys his garden. Our other house has not yet sold but we get good feedback so we are hopeful it will sell. but since there is little we can do about it we try not to fret about it. no sense in wasting our energy worrying about something we have no control over. Soon it will be summer. we can relax our schedule and play. and spelling lessons will be a thing of the past. It takes a long time each night to go over spelling words with each kid! VERY VERY VERY HAPPY to have a break from that. If the sun would ever shine we could start eating on the deck. everyone loves that. we eat lunch out there most of the summer and as many dinners as we can squeese in out there as well. My chickens are doing well and give me between 4 and 12 eggs every day. Looking forward to the new chicks. I would love to add goats or cattle this year but I am not sure if we can swing that right now. I keep trying goat cheese and goat milk but a few of the kids have already decided they will not like it. Our minivan died a terribly painful and moneyhungry death. but being down to two cars, the 15 passenger and the prius, makes us think about every trip we make out. Gas is expensive. I am also enjoying being at home more because I CANT go anywhere. well I could but I dont want to drive the gas guzzler if I dont have to. and seems a waste to drive that monster with just ME in it! Someone who reads my blog sends me notes. and once sent me a flower arrangement. the mail really brightens my day. Sometimes that little moment of "someone thought of me" is just the needed lift I need to get through the days that are hard. No matter what happened in the morning, when its time to leave Ethan is always right there, in front of the line waiting for his kiss goodbye. and he always comes down to give me a goodnight kiss. Even if he had a raging rough day. even if he said this is the very worst day EVER! he still wants his kiss. I could sit here all day and write my list of gratitudes, but laundry and dishes await.