While being a busy, pregnant, forty-year-old mother of six trying to negotiate peace in a blended family was often frustrating, demanding, and sometimes down right depressing, it also had it's wonderful moments, too. Many of them.
The day Linnea graduated from High school was a major event in our family. She was the oldest granddaughter, as well as my oldest child, and most of our family was there to help her celebrate. I was so proud of her, walking across the football field, up onto the temporary platform, receiving her diploma and shaking hands with her principal and other dignitaries. She was beautiful, and so excited about the future ahead of her.
I had the same feelings as she climbed into her friend's car, waved goodby, and drove off to college, except I also felt like I was going to burst into tears at any moment. I was so proud of her and excited for her future, but I was also going to miss her, dreadfully.
Holly got her driving permit that summer, and started looking for a job. She and Alyssa went to girls camp together, and I missed them while they were gone.
Russell went to boys camp, and he and Stephen spent a lot of time hunting, fishing, and camping and taking Hunter's Safety Classes. It was lonely when they left.
Kami was a dear! She was my little buddy, growing up so quickly that I was afraid to stop watching her for fear I'd miss her childhood. I'd learned that my children grew up way faster than I'd imagined possible.
We lived in a split level house with two sets of stairs. It didn't take long for Kami to figure out how to go up the stairs, she thought she was so smart as she squirmed higher and higher, but coming down was a different matter. Kami was a quick learner, though, and once I'd pulled her by her feet, letting her slide down backwards on her stomach, she got the idea, and pretty soon she was going up and down all by herself. It was really cute to watch.
All the kids loved Kami, and spoiled her rotten, but she had her daddy wrapped around her little finger so tightly he never even realized it. Kami was his little princess, and as far as he was concerned she could do no wrong. She learned how to give kisses that summer, and it was so cute. She would put her little face right up next to her daddy's cheek, stick out her tiny tongue, and smooch.
She liked to help me around the house, too. She was great at emptying the dishwasher, just as soon as I filled it up with dirty dishes. One day she helped me can peaches by testing every peach she could reach by squeezing them and letting the juice run through her fingers. Was she a mess!
We spent a couple of days camping in Rocky Point that summer. The older kids got cross, worn out, and sunburned, but not Kami. She had a ball, filling everything up with sand, even Aunt Linda's water bottle, and she didn't get sunburned at all.
I was told once that you can't spoil a baby with love. I believed that, but I was pretty sure it was possible to spoil children as they grew up. Kami wasn't allowed the luxury of learning how to be spoiled, though, because before she turned a year-and-a-half our family was blessed with our last, and seventh baby.
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