Monday we had a big storm and the portable garage survived. Dode ended up getting out of bed and using tie down straps to attach the garage to the mini van. That thing was not going anywhere! The storm really revealed the different personalities of the children. There was lots of lightening and thunder. Elizabeth found a blanket and snuggled up next to me for the rest of the evening. She was worried. Miriam just asked that the curtains be closed so she could not see the lightening (out of sight - out of mind).
Tuesday
The young women had a mother/daughter activity so Anastaya and I spent our evening at the church. One of the gardeners from the Seattle Temple came and talked about how they design and maintain the landscaping. I'm usually delivering newspapers during that time but Dode and Isaac ended up taking that on.
Wednesday
Our 15th anniversary.
There wasn't much "home" in the schooling today. I started the day bright (actually dark) and early leaving at 5:30 for newspaper delivery with Isaac. I have to say, delivering the newspapers with power steering is a whole new experience! The van is so responsive now! After newspapers, it was rush rush rush, get everyone ready for the day. William missed his bus with a last minute potty stop so I had to drop him off at school before taking Elizabeth and Isaac up for their first speech therapy appointment. Leaving the appointment, already late for their first class at SVS, we drove across town to Stillaguamish Valley School. We left school at lunch time to come home and eat (we had run out of time to pack lunches in the morning), stopped off the library, and went back up to the school for another class. During class, I met with the IEP team to go over the goals for Elizabeth's speech therapy. Then, already late, we picked up Anastaya at the library and I took her and Isaac to piano. Elizabeth and I finished delivering the newspapers to the vendors in town, I dropped her off at home and was home long enough (10 minutes) for Sheri to call and see if I could babysit (I said yes). Finally, after picking up the kids from piano, at 4:15 I was home for the day. Dode and I spent the evening trying to do accounting work for the produce co-op. He was on one computer trying to get a spreadsheet to sort correctly. I was on another computer trying to figure out the money end of things. After struggling with it for hours, Dode finally realized there was a flaw in the program.
When we'd come home for lunch, I'd complained to Jacob that he was home but hadn't bothered lighting a fire. The house was 63 degrees. Well, by the time I got home at 4:00, he had the house up to 82. It's like walking into a heat wave. Outside today it's nasty rainy where you can't even walk without stepping in puddles. It was nice to have a warm house to come home to but I try not to think about how much firewood he went through!
Friday
The big news of Friday was Sharon and Lynn getting home from their mission. The kids were so excited to see them! Sharon and Lynn got home in the early afternoon and we didn't let them rest much before they were over at our house for dinner. We had the family that lives in the area over as well (about 25 people for dinner). We lit up our big heart in the tree to welcome them home. It was a great night of kids hugging grandma and grandpa over and over. Isaac missed out because he had a scout camp out.
Saturday
After helping to get the produce moved from the street to the house (only a couple of tons of food this week), Dode took off to meet Isaac at the camp out. Dode picked up Jared from Lynn and Sharon's on the way and the two of them hiked in and met up with Isaac. Isaac's troop was camping at the Bat Caves in Skagit County. It was a cold camp out with a mix of rain and snow. They spent a few hours exploring the "caves" (it's a large boulder field and the spaces between the boulders form the caves) and hiked to the top of Oyster Dome where they had a commanding view of the San Jaun Islands. I had the girl cousins over to play. Then, my Dad and Cheryl came over for dinner. We haven't seen them in a long time, it was nice to catch up. Elizabeth sure had a stellar weekend with getting to see both sets of grandparents that she's been missing.
You were a lifesaver taking the kids that day Steph. Your ability to deal with all the chaos always amazes me.
ReplyDelete