Home alone

....well, not really. David and Charlie are here with me. Joe, Will, and Joseph have gone to church for prayer meeting and an ice cream social afterwards. Charlie had slept for most of the late afternoon and has been crying for the last 45 minutes. He is finally settled (for the moment, at least) and in my lap contented.

I am home alone in that my last visitor/helper left today. Meg, my little sister, left this morning after lunch. She was invaluable the past few days in caring for the older boys leaving me free to tend to Charlie and the house (and she vacuumed for me--always a way to make me happy). The boys loved the extra attention and having a new person to play with. I am so grateful that she was willing to give herself and her time to serve us (thanks, Meg!).

I must admit, however, that it is good to be just "us" again. The boys need more consistency, and we need to figure out our new normal as a family of 6. As I pulled a load of laundry from the dryer, I realized that I even enjoy the simple responsibility of providing clean clothes for my family. For a "doer," 2 weeks of inactivity is hard! I am glad to be up and about again.