I could make money doing this!

I made 10 of these super-simple fleece cloaks in September for our family and our friends' kids, too. They were such a hit I made one more for my brother (who is 13) for Christmas. He let my mom wear it when they spent 5 weeks in Hawaii. They got so many positive comments there and in the various airports (they're awesome for sleeping in on the plane) that it makes me wonder if I should ...
Ha! Like I need anything more to do!

I tried to take a picture ...

of Lee (7), pre-haircut.

"Smile for me this time ... "

"I mean, smile with teeth ... "

I just gave up.

And here he is after haircut ...

At first he wanted a mohawk, so I shaved the sides short. Then he changed his mind and wanted it all off, so I just kept going. Shame. I mean about the mohawk. I think he's adorable either way.

Ducks in a Row

Ameeda is living with is this school year, working as Eli's (4) support worker. She meets with his therapists and teaches him preschool and life skills. He has flourished under her care and structure. We are blessed to be able to have her work with him. She is zany and flamboyant. Always some kind of trick or idea up her sleeve. The simplest things, like setting out chairs for Bible study, become goofy games. Kinda like ... that British lady ... oh nevermind.

She definitely entertains us more than we entertain her!

Long Sunday

Rod's away at a course this weekend, and as I KNOW that I don't sleep well without him, I've been staying up late doing housework and watching movies. Needless to say, I'm tired and a wee bit cranky.

After a mayhem-y Sunday School class (I subbed the K-2's today) I came home to 8 blank hours stretched out before me. How do I keep all these kids busy and happy?

After lunch I pulled out the paints - and killed an hour.

Dad at Work - by Beth (7)Dad at Play - also by Beth. Yes, Dad looks like he's doing almost the same thing in both pictures. It's true, part of his job is snowmobiling. Tough life.After a not-so-quiet quiet time I fried up some funnel cakes for snack, then sent them all outside for some fresh air and play. They were not pleased with this, even though it was a beautiful day. I think my grumpies were wearing off on them. I was thrilled when my friend Amy called to say she was stopping by for coffee. But the kids were starting to get hungry again and this made them bicker among themselves. It lasted right through supper and ended in an oblong goose egg on Eli's (4) head. I'm not really sure what happened, but someone else was involved.

The saving grace of the day was when Ameeda pulled out the fingernail polish and set up a manicure spa in the family room. The girls all giggled with glee and ran downstairs. I ushered the boys into my comfy bed to watch Bambi II.
Now the boys are all tucked in and fast asleep, and the girls are still downstairs finishing the polka dots and flowers on their nails. I just got off the phone with Rod (he got only one wrong on his exam!) and I'm thinking about folding some laundry and heading to bed.

Tomorrow is a busy day.

At least we won't be bored!

Re-Cap

Ever since a certain terrible incident, my desire to take pictures has plummeted to less-than-nothing. Thankfully, Kate's (11) went unaffected. Otherwise we'd have almost no record of the last 6 months. Here's our fall in pictures, Kate's perspective:

Echo had kittens. On Torie's bed. At 6 AM. She shredded the mattress during labour. Grossness.

Five were born. The kids named them Weasel, Tiger, Rascal, Weasel 2 and Cubby. One died right away, one died a month later and two we gave away. We're keeping Rascal for my brother, who re-named him Marley. They piled up, sometimes right on top of each other, to sleep. I think every family should experience at least one pet birth and baby care. When Echo stopped feeding them, we had to syringe feed them a special homemade kitty formula and teach them to eat soft solids. We also had to litter train them. Echo is not a good mom. But it was priceless for the kids. Weasel. Her new owners named her Skylet. *?* Then the first road trip - 7 hours to see my parents for Thanksgiving. The kids are such good travellers. We love taking them around the province. Kate made this crazy quilt. I'm just so proud I wanted to show it off. Del (4) He has such eyes ... sigh. Deep and mischievous. I love 'em.Typical sight around here - a whole room turned into Fort Town. Complete with complicated maps, routes, living arrangements and laws. And lastly, we got a puppy. His name is Gammit, and although it rhymes with a certain cuss word, (which fact I honestly didn't realise until it was his name), it really is an anglicised Arabic word, meaning dark. Properly pronounced, it would sound more like gggammic. That was difficult. He's all black, when he sits still he can seem featureless as all his fur blends together.

He loves our cat Brodie, as you can see, and she tolerates him, as you can also see.

The next two episodes in our lives were the two weeks at the doctor specialising in auditory integration (another 7 hours away) and a quiet Christmas at home. Again, not many pictures, but I may just start off from here, where we are.