An Up-dated Family Picture

Ahhhh, those 40 pounds I have not yet lost since the arrival of #6 are very visible in this picture, but everyone else looks so cute.  I needed to get an up-dated picture with Calvin in it on here, so I'm swallowing my pride and putting this one on.  Yes, even with my quadruple chin showing.  Sigh.  On a hopeful note, I finally bit the bullet and went back to Weight Watchers two Saturdays ago, so maybe by the time we take our annual Christmas Card picture, I'll just be down to 25 lbs overweight and only two chins.

One of those moments

         So, this post won't have any pictures, and it's connected to a sappy post I wrote when Calvin was exactly 2 months old.  (If I were really blog savvy, I'd embed the url of the post here with the "here" in another fancy color so you could just click over to it.  But lucky for you (all 2 of you who read my blog...), I've only posted 3 times since then, so you can just scroll back.  Aren't you impressed I even know the word "embed"?  I'm probably using it wrong...)  Anyway, it's connected to that other post because I had had one of those delicious moments of motherhood where you just want to "ingest" (to use my sweet cousin's word) every detail of it.  Well, I had another one of those moments two nights ago.
         Lindsay and Tim were sitting at the kitchen table doing her math homework.  All the other kids were in bed (a very important part of the equation when you want to really enjoy a moment, a peaceful moment, that is...).  I was sitting in the family room.  I looked up at the table, and there they were:  the two tall, string beans,  all arms and legs, with the exact same double layer, ear-to-ear smile stretched across their faces with the exact same dark brown eyes.  Two of my favorite people in the whole world.  Dad was being silly about something or other, and they were both laughing, enjoying working together.  My heart just swelled inside.
           Lindsay is a very complex, strong young lady.  There have been a lot of moments that have had the polar opposite feeling associated with them, so in a way, I wonder if my enjoyment of this moment was all the sweeter.  She's come so far.  We, as her parents, have learned so much.  She has probably helped me learn more about my Father in Heaven than anything else in my life.  He has given us the agency to choose for ourselves.  No one (no, not even your over-bearing mother) can force you to do anything.  As one of the dozens of parenting books that I've poured over put it, "one can only control oneself".  That has been a definite lesson we've had to learn with our little Lindsay.  It's been quite the journey with her.  I think I can honestly say I wouldn't change any of it for all that it's taught me.  Well, okay, I do wish that one afternoon in the summer of '06 when I locked her out of the house for some type of disobedience or other, so she started pounding on the front door with a hose nozzle, and when I opened the door to tell her to please stop destroying my property, she actually sprayed the hose INSIDE my house, dowsing the stairs and sprinkling my piano.  Yes, that day I'd skip....but for the most part, we have so enjoyed this wildly strong, independent soul that was sent to us.  She is one magnificent woman.  It was so fun to see her with her Daddy the other night.  I took a mental and emotional picture of that moment, and I plan to enjoy it for many days to come.

First Day of School

Lindsay, ready for her first day of 7th grade at Webber Middle School.  Don't let the smile deceive you.  The complaining about the dread of middle school (which, honestly, I get...) was a constant this summer.  Her bark is much worse than her bite (and, unfortunately, I get that, too...).

Miles and Samuel are ready for action.  These two started on Tuesday about an hour and a half after Lindsay, so I don't have a picture of them all together.  Also, Wesley didn't start Kindergarten until two days later, so he's not in the pic either.

This is the whole gang at the bus stop.  Not all the kids were there for the picture.  It's hilarious, though, because there are  8 boys and 1 girl at our stop.  They have fun.

Miles outside of Mrs. Fenn's classroom.  Lindsay had her for the 5th grade as well, so he already knows she's strict but fun. 

Samuel outside of Mrs. Moat's 2nd grade classroom.  She's new this year.  So far she has been great.  They have classroom money.  It has gotten everyone motivated.  Samuel earned $16 last week.  Also, they have contests between the different groups of desks.  If your group wins, you get to have seat cushions on your seats for the next week.  You can't imagine how much this motivates those 2nd graders.

The Kindergartener, Wesley, finally gets to go to school.  He was so excited.  Julia couldn't resist jumping into the picture.  Also, you can see "Hobbes" in this picture.  This summer my cousin's kids gave that to Calvin.

He was ready for the bus, too.  How could you not be when you get to go with your two older brothers?

The traditional picture by the school sign.  There was a total line the first day of school, so we opted to take one on the third day of school which was Wesley's first day.

Wesley already listening intently to Mrs. Krenning.  Here they are sitting on the "ocean" carpet learning where to put their lunchboxes.  Yes, I have him in all day Kindergarten.  I think that's why I'm missing him so much.  That's all that Mrs. Krenning teaches, and she is such a great teacher.  sigh