Sons

What is it about sons that can send you over the brink of bat crazy? I mean seriously how can four I was going to say boys, but I guess they are men now, drive me so crazy?

My oldest son got divorced today. Yup just like that, after 8 1/2 years they decided they were done. Not worth it anymore I guess. It is interesting to talk to them. They both said they knew they had made a mistake the week after they got married. Now that is sad.

So we said to him "congratulations, now it is time to nut up or shut up". In other words prove that since you felt you were unequally yoked now you can soar. Now you can do things your way and hopefully that way will be better. Hopefully that way will make you happy. Hopefully your way will make your children happy. Hopefully someone will be happy after all is said and done.

If I sound a little cynical and upset about this I am. I guess mostly for the kids sake. Since I have never been involved in a divorce maybe I make more of it than is there. Maybe I over react to it. Maybe I just don't understand it. At any rate I am always the champion for the kids. The little ones that don't have a clue what the heck is going on and wonder why their Mom and Dad just can't get along. After all they have to get along with everyone don't they?

Teen Years

I have a theory. It may or may not be correct, but it is the only explanation I can think of for why I would have 7 children. That theory is that you forget. Yup you forget everything. They used to say you forget the pain of childbirth. Well I am telling you that you forget the pain of all things child related. Otherwise why would you "bring it on" again and again?

Take for instance teenagers. I will admit mine have been a ton of fun, and have outgrown most of their wild ways, but we still went through it. I mean to say, not that I have seen everything, but with six having been or being teens at the moment, it has been a wild ride. When I think about the memories or read my journal I am reminded and amazed that I kept signing up again and again!

I do say that my first was only 15 before we had number six, so that may explain lots of the having so many. Like the saying "it's all fun and games until someone loses an eye, and then it's just fun". That kind of sums up raising teens. (We have only lost one eye by the way, and she has adapted quite well by the way). Baby was the only one that we knew full well what we were getting into when we "had" her.

At the time we went to China to pick up baby we had one 19 yr. old in jail, unknown to us, and one 16 yr. old living with neighbors because he could not live with his father. Our oldest was married and had one child. Our second daughter had just gotten married, pg. and had her husband deported all in the last six months. That was just the first three! While we were in China numero 4 decided to lock himself in the closet and sing all night because his brother ate all his halloween candy. My pg. daughter was trying to deal with all this and not have her baby before we got home from China. She made it until 4 days after we returned and then baby was born! She was waiting for her aunt.

I am rambling and as I ramble it all comes back to me and I get the shivers and begin to go into fetal position! See what I mean, you forget everything. But as I chase my 16 yr. old around and try to keep track of her, and pray and chase some more, it is all coming back to me. And some say babies keep you awake at night? They do not have teenagers yet I can guarantee you that!

Crown

Some children have security blankets. Some have pacifiers. Others have a favorite stuffed animal. Baby never took too much to anything particular. She has a blanket she really likes, but she can live without it. She has a few stuffed animals that she is partial to. Since Christmas she has finally come up with her "security item".
It is a crown!
I think we should be worried, very worried. She wears her crown 24 and 7. She wears it to bed, sometimes she forgets to take it off before her shower, and I do make her take it off when she goes to church.
Like I said I think we should be worried, very worried!

Books! Books! Books!

Saturday was the used book sale by the womens club in Belen. It was awesome and we had a blast. The bad part was there was only two children's books and we bought both of them. The above picture was our bus ride home, reading of course. We ended up buying 25 books and I have already finished off about five of them.

We have a huge surplus of books and I am thinking about having a book swap here at my house. We could just have everyone bring books they want to get rid of and everyone go around the room swapping. I think it would be great fun, and it would help us even the score with all the thousands of books we have here.

When you go to someone's house do you check out the books? I do. I have to say I judge people by what books they have in their home, if they even have books and how many. That sounds really weird, but it is true. I can't even imagine life without books.

All our children have been readers. Not having a t.v. in the home certainly helped cultivate good reading habits also. In fact the younger kids did not read as much as the older ones. Until Micah went to jail he had never read a whole book. Now he just finished Crime and Punishment and is reading Pride and Predjudice. He is always reading something and due to lack of something better to do enjoying it.

The only problem for me with reading is my poor old eyes. I have reading glasses but never take the time to dig them out. Hence red and tired eyes. I guess I am just waiting until the big five oh catches up with me and then I will get them out for good. Until then better go and work on the thousands of books that need reading.

15 KIDS!!!!!

I am amazed at the mother that just gave birth to 8 babies. I guess she already had 6, all without a hubby, just a donor. Wow, what is she some kind of masochist? I am amazed and a little confused. Lots of people are questioning the doc who fertilized her with so many eggs, what the heck was that guy thinking? Have people lost all brain function or something?

I don't really question the mom, hey I love babies too. The only reason we don't have more is because the old man said enough, uncle, I give! Otherwise I would have had at least 10. Here is the difference though, I have a hubby and a way to support my children.

I think when docs start playing Gods we are going to have some problems. Here is a perfect example. Was it really ethical what he did? What kind of burden is society going to have to bear for his ethics, or lack of such? Like I said I am all for having babies, as long as they can be cared for, preferably by a mother, father and job.

When we teach our massage school classes we are required to teach at least 8 hours of ethics. I think they have much more lax requirements for med school.

WEEKLY SERMON

I found an awesome blog site yesterday and would highly recommend it to anybody who has, will or is adopting a child. It is A4everFamily.org. I learned a lot from it about some of Maleahs behaviors, as well as my reactions.

After raising six children you would like to think you have it somewhat figured out. Guess what, I just keep being amazed at how much I do not have figured out! Just when I think I have it figured out the rules change, or the kid changes, or the world changes, or I change! You get the idea, there are no rules, there are no constants except the values and principals we live by.

The real trick I guess is learning to apply our principals on every situation we run into with our children as well as ourselves. A good example of this is the belief I have that it really does matter who your friends are and who you hang out with.

My daughter is just starting to believe me on this one, but it is really difficult to learn. She would like to believe that as long as she is doing what she knows is ok it is all good. Unfortunately it is not like that anymore.

She has an older brother who is going to be in prison for at least five years because he did not believe this concept. He thought and actually still thinks that it is ok to go along with the group, as long as you don't "inhale" so to speak. Not true as he has very painfully been made aware of.

I guess this is my soap box for the week, and why I love blogging! I get to choose who I check out and who I hang out with! There are so many blogs and so little time. I have a great new word for friends who blog "frogs"!