Easter & dirty fingernails.

On Easter Sunday my mom and stepdad were visiting and my sister and her family came after church for a meal. But first we tried to have seven children (ages 7,6,5,4,3,3,3) hold still and smile at the camera.

The results were well worth the energy spent.

My kids LOVE their time with cousins.

They know when it's been too long between visits and often ask,

"When are we going to Auntie Emi's again?"

It's so dear to watch them interact with one another

and it can drive us nuts all at the same time.

(A saving grace for us mommies is video-time!)

And here's one of our four on Easter.

They clean up nicely if I may say so myself.

Right after these pictures they ran inside to change,

and after our yummy meal they escaped to play outside in the dirt.

The current task: building an underground fort.

Many hands makes light work and filthy fingernails.

What?! That's not how you spent Easter?

3 year old humor.

Caleb: Do you remember this?

(singing) Pee, pee, pee, pee, PEE!

Lydia: Uh-huh. (She joins his singing)

Caleb: Oh wait! Do you remember this one?

(singing) Poop, poop, poop, poop, poop...

...giggles...

Mom?... look what I found in the toilet...

Hamper.. toilet... what's the difference when you are three?

Would it get things clean?

This weekend

I heard a certain little one ask his father about a bottle in the bathtub:

Daddy, why is this called shampoop?

So-so.

I overheard this conversation this morning as the kids were getting dressed for the day.

Caleb asks: Lydia, do you like me?

Lydia responds: So-so.

Caleb loudly: Mom! Lydia doesn't like me!

Clara: Don't worry Caleb. She'll get used to you.

.... minutes later I hear Caleb:

"Lydia, you really like me, though.

(then sing-songy)

I like Lydia really, really, really, really, really, really.... so-so."

Looong Underwear

Conversation today with un-named child:

Mom: Are you wearing underwear?

Child: No, these are called long underwear, so I don't need the others.

Too many pillows and a messy kitchen.

Dave was sick with a terrible cold last week.

Now every time Dave coughs Caleb now asks his daddy, "Do you need to spit?"

Also, Dave uses a couple extra pillows to sleep at night.

Seriously? Is there ANY way this could be comfortable?

This morning I asked Lydia what kind of bagel she would like and she promptly starting pointing and saying "eeny, meeny, miny, moe......"

She even included the second verse, "my mother told me to pick the very best one...."

It is warm here today - like sweatshirt warm.

After breakfast and morning chores, we went to the dairy to get milk and visit the baby cows.

Liam found the youngest one (3 days old!). She was so soft - yes, I even touched it.

He said he was going to come home and write it's number in his notebook to help him remember which one was his favorite.

A couple nights ago I acquired black Converse sneakers for $1.50.

I brought them home gave them a nice soak and scrub.

Today I feel like a cute mama in my 'new' sneaks.

I also went to Granny's - a local Amish-run store.

A police officer came in and asked if anyone had dialed 911 and hung up.

The girls didn't know anything about it and the officer asked to look around just to be sure things were alright. I joked about them making prank calls and all I got in return were blank stares. I'll blame the language barrier. Later the matriarch of the family came in and said she was dialing. 9...1.... then the button got stuck ....1... PANIC! So, she hung up.

I bet that sly gal knows what pranking is.

Before naps, I overheard Caleb saying "cross my heart" to Liam.

At lunch I made the TASTIEST green smoothie.

I even shared.

4 out of 4 kids LOVED it.

If my face fit in there I would lick it.

Now, my kitchen looks like this:

It's almost like a game of I SPY.....

Can you find:

frozen peaches defrosting for dinner

extra spinach for tomorrow's smoothie

Lightening McQueen

whole wheat bread that I bought at Granny's for $1 a loaf

stack of cards just waiting to be opened on my birthday

bag of quinoa

I will stop there.

I have a kitchen to clean up.

And dinner to prep.

And did I mention that we have care group here tonight?

and in 1.5 hours 4 other kids are coming for the afternoon?

My hope is to take them all for a nice sunny walk to the track

because it's sweatshirt warm and I have some new sneaks to show off.