A Week, Briefly (#1)

We brought home our 4 new ones last Saturday night.  It was a late night for us all as we got everyone fed and settled.  Then we got up for church in the morning

We were on time. :)

Ladybug is a girl, not quite 5 years old.
Then there are the two "Sons of Thunder," ages 3 1/2 and 2 1/2.  I don't have individual nicknames for them yet.  I3 (hereafter to be known as Mr. Man) is in 7th heaven with 2 boys his age to play with day in and day out.
Bringing up the rear is Little Sister, who is newly 8 months old.

Their needs are many.
Our hands and days are full.
I woke up sick this morning--body aches, sore throat, congestion.

Ugh!

On Monday we started school with a very brief introduction using Doctrine and Covenants 88:119.  We are working to establish a house of order.  I passed out alarm clocks to those that needed them and told everyone to be ready on time the next morning. Then we went to the park to play until lunch.  That afternoon we met with the social worker to sign official paperwork.

On Tuesday we went on an outing to a local arboretum.  We had a rough start because Ladybug's bus (she attends a therapeutic preschool) was late, and the kids were annoyed that their efforts to get up weren't rewarded exactly as promised.  The arboretum was interesting, but between big kids that wanted to move quickly and little kids that could only move slowly, we didn't stay long.

Wednesday was the day we organized our notebooks and school supplies.  I met with Ladybug's therapist; her school is fabulous!  I'm glad she gets to go.  While dad took the oldest 6 to the church for youth activities, I was alone with 6 children 4 and under on Wednesday night--one of whom had two meltdowns, another of whom refused to go to bed.  I had to put both babies in their cribs to keep them safe (though they cried terribly) while I took care of the needs of the others.  It took many deep breaths and silent prayers to keep myself calm and collected in the midst of so much emotional chaos.

These little ones need so much!

Thursday we went to another arboretum to support some friends who's mother/grandmother was killed in a car accident last spring.  It was her birthday, and we celebrated her life by spending the morning enjoying the gardens that brought her so much joy.  That evening we fed the missionaries dinner, enjoying a great lesson they presented on obedience.

Today is Friday.  I feel dreadful.  I'm not sure what we'll get done, though I'd hoped to have a lesson introducing our history/timeline plan for the year.  I don't think I can pull it off.  Thank goodness Dad is home!  Maybe he can take kids to the park.

We're cancelling the playdate we had scheduled, but the older 4 kids have a birthday party to attend this evening.

We've borrowed children's music CDs from the library lately.  The music is delightful to a point.  I was getting ready to put a limit on how many times one song could be played in an hour when I realized that the song was put on repeat by H5 (who is now Little Princess).  She had the lyric book in her hand and was practicing reading the words along with the song.  As I am not sitting to read with her the way I'd like to, I'm praying my thanks for this blessing in her life.  

Baby L (now known as Baymax) is starting to be mobile.  He pushes his forehead into the carpet, gets on his toes, steps forward as far as he can then lifts his head off the ground so that his chest flops foward a few inches.  It is hilarious and touching to watch!  I'm always amazed at the astonishing persistence babies show in their efforts to learn to move.

Tomorrow night is the homeschool summer dance.  We're planning to take the whole family, but I wonder if it will be too much for our new littles.  We'll see.

That's all for now.