If we put Mariana down, she is right back up again. Now, she has discovered that she can walk between the counter and the deacon's bench. Hannah has introduced running to her and she laughs with wild abandon.
How I love that face. Mariana is at once herself and a composite of her siblings. In this photo I see Jacob as a baby.
Isaac turned six on the 30th. I was in Ottawa the day before with the three oldest, and had to wrap the gifts at 7am the next morning while Isaac waited outside my bedroom door. I love Sarah's expression in this photo. She is so close to her brother and his regard is tremendously important to her. The other day she locked herself outside and we found her crying on the doorstep. I tried to soothe her by telling her that all of her siblings were very concerned for her. She had only one question, "Was Isaac?" Because that's all that really matters.
I succumbed to the massive Costco cake with strict orders to all the kids to avoid eating the massive red-dye soccer cleat. I warned them that they would have awful dreams, if they ate the cleat. Joe, apparently, had some anyway and told me the next morning that he was finally able to remember his dreams. This, according to him, was entirely due to the red dye. More than half the cake was left over and I decided that we would use the sad remains for Dave's birthday on September 1st. After staring at the melting butter cream icing, the oozing cleat and the personalized, "Ha... Bir...", I decided that perhaps Dave deserved something more. I bought him apple pie and vanilla ice cream.
One of the kids took this photo just as I made the pie decision. My ingenuity is recorded here for posterity.
Dave on his 40th birthday. Once again I forgot to take the Dave-surrounded-by-all-the-kids photo. Oh well, at least I managed one photo on such a monumental occasion.
This is Ben scandalized by my forgetfulness.
Mariana is regularly bounced on the trampoline by her older siblings for both their entertainment and her occupation. I do keep an eye out, though; trampolining can get a little rowdy. And, oh my, school starts tomorrow; as I type, I can hear a flock of Canada Geese honking overhead as they begin their southward journey. Another summer ends and another autumn begins. I confess to the bitterness being a little bit stronger than the sweetness. The "sands of time burn beneath my feet" and the kids are growing up far too fast. Sarah starts school this week and I am left with only one at home. This is actually quite a sad thing for me. I like the time alone, but how I long to hold each one of these precious seven just one more time at each and every stage of their lives.
1 comment:
I understand that bittersweetness oh so well. The thought of my little Anna starting JK next September gets me choked up. Likewise, that strong desire to hold our children at each age. It makes me think of that 90's song, "It's so hard to say goodbye to yesterday."
I loved the pictures as usual.
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