Lotsa kids

Everyone knows I had wanted a large family. I wanted a minimum of 6 children. It turns out that I haven't yet, but I still love to be around lots of children at once. My own 2 wish that we had more, and thoroughly enjoy large groups of well behaved children. I have babysat some who didn't fit with us, but mostly we just like kids. Today I was thinking about why I love all the children. I have kept a friends 6 children quite a few times the last few weeks. Mama is getting all shots and doctor appts out of the way, in case they end up moving. It looks like they will, they are in the military. I encouraged her to leave those with me who didn't have the appointment, some days I have all 6. That gives me a total of 8 children, and it makes me so happy! Today I stood in the door way wondering why. In the yard were jackets, shoes, socks, a few toys, some baskets and flower pots. The children had all moved to the Lego bin in the bedroom and abandoned their items. Some people wouldn't like the mess. I will indeed have them police up their items, but these particular 8 children (okay baby is 6 mo old) are particularly good at following the rules and cleaning up after themselves. I loved seeing all the jackets, tossed off in different spots, different sizes, some sleeves inside out. I love to hear their peals of laughter as they all run and jump and play. The dishes from lunch, the crumbs under the table, the crayons left out, the books scattered all over the floor, all of these things make me smile. It gives me a day spent in the midst of many. I can look anywhere and see their traces, my own children and I miss them when they are gone and we see these leftover statements of their presence. They clean up before they leave, they leave a house as well as they found it, but there are always foot prints of them left. And then you have the baby laughter, the 3 year old is so easy to amuse. He likes to be with me, and regularly comes to find me. The house is huge, and he will go from spot to spot calling for me in his baby voice. When he finds me, he has some fact to tell me. Today I came downstairs and he followed, the computer downstairs was left playing music. I turned around to him and begin to dance very silly, and he laughed. He laughed until he drooled! It wasn't impressive, my dancing, but he knew I was making him laugh, it was for his benefit. He laughed until he could barely breathe and then slid down the steps to "hold me" so that he could dance also. The nearly 5 year old is one of Tad's best friends. Today she fell and hurt herself and blinded by her crying stumbled to his arms as he ran to catch her up. He held her and kissed the multiple wounds on her head, arm and shoulder. In a moment she was laughing and telling him she loved him and he was chasing her, allowing her to win. He will be sad to lose his girl, he truly loves her. If these children move, I will be sad. I will shed tears. Their mama is one of the best friends I have ever had. I will never lose touch with her, but I will have to watch her punks grow up from afar. I do love them so...they have been a part of my life for nearly 3 years, I have watched the smallest grow from baby to toddler and bigger, and watched the bigger ones grow from kindergarten/preschool to 2nd and 3rd graders. Her youngest 4 wont remember life without me, and I wont ever forget life with all of them.