I am amazed at the amount of work that can be accomplished throughout the day. I am also amazed at how much I am enjoying this. No not my DIL being in pain. I hate that part and would gladly take it for her. I am loving having two teens, three preschoolers and a almost toddler to take care of. My DH has been great on the nights that the teens don't have to do dishes, he does them. So I am cooking for a crowd and I don't have to clean up, who could ask for anything more? today I changed her bandages, wow I am amazed by the strides medicine has taken. a decade ago they would probably have taken her leg off at the knee or right below it because the break is soooo bad now they have her partially screwed together and pinned and ready to set off metal detectors at a 100 paces. They are going in next week to add more metal.
We brought the dog, an almost 2 year old shepherd and he is so gentle with her. I am delighted to see how nice he is because he has been a jumper and a climber with us. He is sweet with the little ones and the 1 year old adores him. She would let him out of his crate given half a chance. We padlocked it.
Today i did a 100 yard dash. I didn't intend to but it was important. One of the 3 yr olds was down the sidewalk and had wiped out on his bike, bloody nose, skinned extemities etc. So Nana goes running and picked him up. I grabbed the bike and was comforting him on the way back when the second 3 yr old wiped out. I ditched the bikes and picked them both up. My poor DIL was stranded on the porch in her wheelchair almost crying because she couldn't go get them. She pounded on the dor behind her to get me some help and my DH who was doing dishes came out and went after the bikes. I carried one in to my DS when I got them a bit calmer and he was really worried ... about his Mom who was panting from the run still!! Got to get in better shape!! I'm sure the bending and stretching to do laundry (amazing how much this many people can generate!!) will help, not to mention the unpacking of boxes.

I am in GA, not for a cool visit but because my DIL was hurt and needed help. She stepped on a skate board that wasn't supposed to be there and has a badly broken lower leg. They have done one surgery and are doing another next week. She has a "robut leg" that the kids think is cool and we adults wince when someone breathes on wrong. I had to change the dressing today and I could feel every time I jostled her which is impossible to avoid. They moved her into handicapped housing (army base) that was two doors down and her 15 yr old twins have spent every non school waking minute bringing things down that i thne put away (hide). It has been really rough on her but at least with me here she can have her kids near and hug them and kiss them instead of having them stay at a friends house the way it was before I got here. DH was able to take off and come stay with us too. He is using all of his available leave to do this so we won't see the grandkids till January now. i hope they send lots of pictures cause we'll be in withdrawal!! I feel badly but as so glad we are able to help. Right now we are also watching a friend of theirs little one as well. We have a trip to Chuck E Cheese planned when she goes in for her next surgery so the kids won't miss her as much. i plan on exhausting them so they go right to sleep without looking for parents. One of th eperks will be (I hope) lots of weight loss, I don't have time to eat!!!

Sometimes too exciting, on the same day both my SIL and DIL had surgery. I so wanted to be there for both of them. I am going to go to my DIL because it is the more serious surgery. They are moving to handicapped housing (army base) and need someone there because she has a 3 yr old and a 1yr old. So hopefully all of us are traveling down to help. If worst come to worst then my DS2 and I are flying and dh will arive when he can get time off. The emergency fund will not be the same because if we fly it comes from there and is we don't he has to take a week of unpaid leave and it comes from there. Either way an expensive summer trip but to quote him, "This is what familiies gear up for"

We have hit a decision time or feel like we have. We want more kids. We are going to adopt them as we are a bit old for the other way. We have been on the list for over a year for a local special needs adoption. So far while our case study has been submitted several times we have not been given a child or children. Part of the problem there is we want a young child (our DS2 is almost 4 and we prefer he be the oldest or close to it. So we can
1) Continue to hold our breath every time our case study is submitted
2) Try foster care but then you have the heartbreak of having to return the child and sometimes you are returning them to a bad environment. And there is no guarentee you will ever get one that is adoptable.
3)Try an overseas adoption which is lots of money although we could get a discount on the international case study since we have one done for the US so that drops the price by a thousand. Which makes it "only" 12 to 15 thousand. We would have to borrow that much to do it but then we would be able to get one or two children that are young and the waiting would have an end probably by the end of the year or beginning of next year. Unfortunately we don't have enough equity in th ehouse to get that much by doing a second mortgage or it would already be done. Wish I had a rich friend I'd borrow it!
The other option is to stop now but we don't want to go that route.
I guess I am feeling more frustrated because this month is th eanniversary of when our case study was finished and while our names have been submitted a few times nothing has come of any of it.
I have a 4 bedroom house and I'd like to decorate a couple of them for kids!

I am rearranging out downstairs and upstairs so we have less clutter or at least it looks like less.It is not very fun!
I am getting ready for two trips. One is North a little ways because we have to have an interview (theology school stuff) and it is Saturday. The other is much longer. WE are going to GA to see our son before he ships out (they changed it from July to September but they are sending him for 15 months now) and then up to NC to see three of our grandkids baptized. WE will get a few days with each family and we are really looking forward to it. What we are not looking forward to is paying for gas for the drive!!! We pack food, snacks and drinks and only stay at really cheap hotels (no more than 50 per night or we sleep in the car!!) but the gas prices hurt this time. I keep saying if we were in Europe we wouldn't be able to afford to go!! I so wish we lived closer but we couldn't find DH a job any closer.So we have to content ourselves with twice a year visits. (Unless one of them has a new baby then we go an extra time) OH well.

And I mean that literally. OK It is actually still Spring but we are cold at night with only one comforter. God has been good to us with the rain though. Today I did 7 loads of laundry 3 of which I hung outside. They dried in lightening time due to the wind whipping through. After we went in at night it poured and stormed. God does a great lightening show. DH is still clearing a spot for DS2's playgym and taking the sod he picks up and placing it on the many bare patches in the yard. Everytime he spends time at that it rains. The "sod" is taking really well. The wood is drying so we will be able to chip as soon as he is done. He hope to chip before our trip East but I think that would be pushing it. Right after we get back though. Today I rearranged the living room and moved bookcases from up to downstairs so that I can turn the up part into a "workshop" for me. I want to put my sewing machine and stampin stuff up there out of reach of little ones. We are still praying God sends a little one soon so we are getting a room ready. When the stuff was down here it was too messy and dangerous to tiny ones.

I am trucking right along on my remodle job of DS2 playroom. So far I have painted walls, painted a Veggie Tale Mural, painted a silouette of him with metallic paint (can put magnets of that part of the wall now and they stick!!) hung various posters of Veggie Tales, and purchased carpet. The blisters come from cutting the carpet tomorrow. I also have to finish th ebaseboard and get some mild crates for books. I made a pillow and curtains also. It is taking shape and for not alot of money (the metallic paint was a splurge but cool)