Her Majesty Queen Grandma

Madeline and Camilla had an ENORMOUS pile of stuff under their bed.  Grandma helped them sort it all--luckily filling up several garbage bags in the process.  I love throwing things away!  Here grandma is in the midst of throwing something to the closet.

Despite being in charge of the family reunion, she brought my girls along and helped Kevin watch them all day.

She had to wait very patiently for some brief turns to hold the baby--there was always another sister lined up and ready for her own turn!

I had our sweet new little baby Mari last Monday.  She is all we ever hoped for and dreamed of!  She is the sixth darling daughter in our family.  One drawback to having your sixth child is that someone else has to come take care of the other FIVE while Mommy is in the hospital!  While I dearly love each of my children and am thankful everyday to have been blessed with so many, I felt bad having to leave someone to watch all the others OVERNIGHT!

Lucky for my, my mother is a SAINT.  She came and stayed not just the night, but an entire week!  How thankful I am that she did.  While I was in the hospital, she set my girls and herself to scrubbing my kitchen.  She cleaned out and organized drawers and cupboards and scrubbed and washed them down as well.

She cleaned under their beds with them (a mammoth job which I have been putting off for a long while), did laundry, cooked, got up early so she could be up to take care of them while I was still in bed, took them to McDonalds and Dairy Queen, took them on a nature walk, colored and colored and colored picture after picture after picture, changed diapers, read books, brought crafts for them, gave them baths, solved sibling disputes, calmed temper tantrums, did hair (remember, five heads of hair), put them to bed, down for naps, emptied the dish washer, did dishes and laundry, and was cheerful through it all.

She left yesterday afternoon.  I cried (off and on all evening).  Not so much that I don't think I can do it myself, but out of gratitude for all she did for me while she was here.  (Okay, and from realizing all I have to do now that she is gone!)  Lucky for me I have her fabulous example to try and live up to--if she could do it so can I, right?!

I am happy to report that while I have not been the most loving, calm, and collected mother of all time today, I have managed to feed my children (although Madeline and Camilla made breakfast for us), take Mari to the doctor, have the girls get all their jobs done,  and NOT break down in tears (except for while writing this).

I think we'll make it after all!