The Aftermath.....

This is what happens when you live a busy life with six kids, including a newborn.

Your animals decide to make a run for it....or a run to you, I guess.  Felicity has realized that the electric fence just doesn't hurt all that much.  So she is now a free-range goat.  She roams the yard and eats the weeds (a perk), and sometimes...makes it up onto the porch.  It is bizarre to look out your front door, only to see a goat staring back at you.  However, Felicity has become a much more friendly goat and much less skittish.  Our games now involve..the goat.  We play ball, around the goat.  We ride bikes, around the goat.  It is a new dimension to life on the "farm".

After Thomas's baptism the pool filter got turned off (a mystery).  The solar cover was on.  The filter was off.    We forgot to put chlorine in the pool.  When Patrick remembered (about 10 days later), this lovely swamp was the result.  Luke and I battled a good fight against the pool, and it looks like we won.  Now it is time to close it for the winter as it is now too cold to swim.  And it will take time for the image of green-nasty pool to work its way out of my memory.

We also received an unusual perk of having 6 kids this past weekend.  And luckily there are no pictures.  On our way home from Mass on Sunday, Patrick and I were having a nice discussion about Father's homily.  We  weren't watching how fast we were going.  We didn't notice the speed limit drop.  But we did get pulled over by the State Highway Patrol.  We were driving the big red bus.  We had 6 kids, a babysitter, and Patrick's mom.  We were going to go out on a date after we got home.  Did I mention the State Highway Patrol?  Well, the trooper was very nice and explained we were speeding.  He asked for Patrick's ID.  The same ID that he left at home that morning with this wallet.  (we were running late, and I told him just to drive...we wouldn't need it..uh...)  Anyhow, after that chaos, the trooper looks in and says, "Just how many kids are in there?"  I just cracked up!  I told him 6.  He then asked, "Are they all yours?"  I laughed harder and said yes....all but the babysitter.  Anyhow, end result was the trooper saying, "I know how hard it is to raise 3 kids...I can't imagine raising 6.  I can't give you a ticket.  Please slow down and have a nice day"  I love my kids.  I love the South!  And Patrick's first words to the kids, "See kids.  That is one more reason to have a big family!"  My words were, "Don't talk too much while driving kids.  And always check your spedometer!"