Seven Quick Things that Have Been on my Mind

No pictures, because I broke my camera.  (Yes, again.  What?  It's perfectly normal for someone shuttling six kids around all day to have trouble keeping her grip on her camera.  It is! Have you been talking to my husband or something? )

1- I may have inadvertently solved the issue of the girls obsessing over this blog, because it has now been so long since I've updated that they have stopped checking for new posts.  I am thinking that I may forbid them from reading it, for the near future.  My plan has always been to let them read it when they are older (and removed from whatever situation is at hand,) so I may just stick to that and make them wait until the time is right.

2- We were blessed with something of a miracle a few weeks ago.  It has been 18 months since the birth of Ruth and the inability for the Dusty Camel (our beloved and filthy minivan) to fit our entire family.  This has made long trips very tricky and has in general been a huge nuisance.  The problem was - big old vans are kind of expensive, especially since we recently had to replace Chris' old car.....Well, heaven smiled down on us in the form of two families from our parish - one who noticed a 15 passenger van for sale and contacted us, the other who then sold it to us in ridiculously good condition for a ridiculously low price.  To illustrate what a big deal this van is to us and how excited the girls are about it:  Beth recently asked me if, in lieu of a birthday party at our house, I could pick up all of her friends with the new van and just drive them around.

3- Lucy has been insisting that we should refer to the new van as "The BUS."  It is imperative that you say it exactly as written - with major emphasis on "BUS."  I'm inclined to go along with this.

4- Now that it is Spring, the reality that Lucy will be starting Kindergarten in the Fall has really hit me.  I'm going to miss her a ton.  She is a hilarious companion these days, with her confidence and her straightforward pronouncements on life.  At the park the other day a little boy took a shine to Lu and began shadowing her every move.  She was intent on "ballerina training," which mostly means she swans around, doing twirls and fancy leaps off of the equipment.  Finally, in exasperation with the boy she turned to him and said, as gently as she could, "Look.  You need to find your own life."

5- Ruth, these days, is a quirky ball of trouble.  Her favorite activity is to run away from me : in stores, at the playground, dropping Lucy off at preschool...The moment she gets her chance, I will hear her giggles as she starts to run away as fast as she can.  Obviously, this is about as dangerous a pastime as a baby can have, especially when said baby has no fear whatsoever of passing cars.  I am glad for two things:  one, that Lucy is reliable enough to stand still whenever I have to rush off in a panic after Ruth, and two, that I am past the point of caring if people stare at me while Ruth, confined, screams bloody murder.  And believe me, she has the power to shriek like nothing I've ever encountered before.  It nice to be so liberated, mentally.  It's one of the great perks, I think, of being in your 30s.  (Maybe, as well, it is related to the 12+ years I've already spent hauling screaming kids out of stores.  So this one is louder.  Blah.  Who cares.)

6- Beth and Claire both recently had artwork selected to be displayed in a local art exhibit.  We were so proud of them!!!  I really enjoyed it, and there was a surprisingly large number of really great art (all from elementary through high school.)  Beth had her picture taken by a newspaper cameraman, so we are on the lookout to see if she makes it in!

7- I recently had my first comment from a stranger on the streak of grey hair I've got going on in front.  Should I be glad about this, or upset?  I hate the comments I get (especially from Katie's teachers etc.) on my age, as though I'm too young to take seriously....On the other hand, as the mother of an 18 month old I'm not exactly hoping to be taken as a grandmother quite yet.  I kind of like my streak of grey, I kind of like the fact that I am (I think) starting to look more like an adult and less like an overgrown baby.  I kind of did not like having a stranger comment on it, though!

Bonus #8 - We are doing a Walk for Wishes for the Make A Wish Foundation in two weeks.  This organization is so wonderful, and had such a profound effect on us after Abbie's ordeal that I can't even begin to do it justice.  I don't even like Disney, and yet our trip to Disney World was magical, carefree (which, when you are dealing with cancer or any serious illness in a kid cannot be overestimated) and, believe it or not, healing.   Not just for Abbie, but for our entire family.  And we were not - by far! - the worst-off family we encountered.  So many families are dealing with heavy, heavy burdens that consume every day and will never go away.  I don't know that there is anything they need more, really, than a chance to experience a little relief.  If you have any spare change, why don't you throw it their way?  Here's the link to our "Team Abbie" Make-A-Wish page.  I'm not much of a fundraiser, but these people are taking heartbreaking situations and infusing them with a little bit of joy.

Bonus#9 - Just for fun, here's a video the girls made my Mom for her birthday:

FYI, Jen over at Conversion Diary is where 7 Quick Takes comes from.  Her blog is hilarious and profound, and her posts about being an introvert have made me realize - hey!  I am also "An Introvert," not just a socially awkward semi-hermit who sometimes hides in the bathroom because I so desperately need to be alone.