Sunday, February 14, 2010

Make that a half dozen

Friday night we got the call that made our children number 6. No, we didn't have twins, nor did we adopt children - we borrowed two girls for two days while their mom and dad went to the hospital to give birth to their baby brother.

I love these two little girls like they are my own and the mesh between children has been tremendous.
Personal space? Who needs it?

These 6 children don't have any cousins...it looks like if they ever do - it is going to be a long time from now, and the age difference will be too great to say they "grew up" together. These 6 children (ok now 7 but we have yet to meet #7) have each other. And we have seen through this past week of togetherness, that they take each other through the good the bad and the dirty!

Over the past 40 hours I have watched these beautiful children cuddle together, help each other "get something from upstairs," help each other get into pjs, play games with each other, read stories to and with each other..

Over the past 40 hours I have watched these beautiful children yell at each other, growl at each other and throw things at each other...

But most of all over the past 40 hours, I have watched these beautiful children become a closer family.

Welcome to the world Groundhog, thank you for sharing your sisters with us....next family get together we'll make it a baker's half dozen! (Does it work that way? Don't know....work with me I've had 6 kids for 40 hours!)

Soon we will give back the two we borrowed and they will each be one of three instead of 6.

Hopefully they know they are welcome any time, that their "family" is here if they need anything...

and they can bring their baby brother too...look there is room between Puppy and L!

Feet belonging to Puppy, L, Bean, E, Belle and Bob

Monday, February 8, 2010

Average Adventure with SNOW? You're Joking! Part 2

To see part one click here....

The impending birth of our closest friends' third baby. NES was due Friday. We have a mutual track record of taking care of each other's children when big events are happening. M, NES's dh was Bob's favorite person in the world when Belle was born. So M and NES came to take care of him till back up could come.

We took care of E when M had surgery, and then again when L was born.

We are two families that have moved far from our parents - we have taken on helping each other out when we need family near by.

When Puppy was born over Thanksgiving weekend, NES had all my immediate family - Mom, Dad, Unk, Lolo, Bob, Belle and Bean all over for dinner while J and I spent our first few nights with Puppy in the hospital.

Wednesday, NES and I went for queso and chips and talked about what to do. How could we get 30 inches of snow, have them plow out of their driveway, drive to us to drop of E and L and then get to the hospital in time for the impending birth of the "groundhog?"

NES decided to convince M that the best bet was to move all four of them in with us, so that if they had to go to the hospital, M and J could shovel us out and they could make it to the hospital.
But then the snow came:





Friday night the power went out...it stayed out through Sunday night -- 4o hours, 6 kids ages 2-9, a very pregnant NES. We couldn't send the kids out to play in the beautiful powder...we would never have been able to warm them up if they cam back in!

We made it through - all children are safe and loving time together, parents are still friends, and the groundhog still has not come out to check his shadow....but, the weather men say we are getting another 10-12 inches tomorrow.

Though it is pretty - I think we are over it.

Average Adventure with SNOW? You're Joking! Part 1

To see part two click here...

For many weeks now we have been planning and coordinating two events. One - the graduation of our babysitter (A) from high school - B's daughter, and Two - the impeding birth of our closest friends' third child.

Let's go to number one. Our babysitter has an older sister, 4 years her senior. Four years ago we held a friday night dinner for her sister M (our first ever babysitter). A group of friends called a Chavurah brought over a pot luck dinner in M's honor- and now A's honor - to celebrate Shabbat and their respective graduations from high school! And we made a cake!

Puppy was just a few months old - and it was great for all the kids to be together to celebrate such a milestone. So we offered to do something similar for our second babysitter from that family.

But with the this weekends impending storm, alerts of 5-10, then 10-20, and eventually 28+ inches of snow, the Chavurah members were getting weary, as was the family, her extended family was having a hard time getting into town.

Not only was the dinner postponed, but so to was graduation. Very sad for poor A.

Simultaneously let's move to number two.