Never a dull moment...

By: L.A. Kohl
Feb. 8, 2005
(published in the Wed., Feb. 16 '05, edition of the Northern Boone County Bullseye Vol. 1, #17)

While sitting at the breakfast table the other day, with all but one of our children present, my husband said, “Thank you all for making life so interesting.”

It was one of those “out of the blue” things to say, but he sincerely meant it. I, on the other hand, was thinking that I could do with a little boredom now and then.

Here’s a for instance...at lunch time recently, our three year old decided to stand up in her seat at the dining table, and promptly slip forwards and send her full glass of milk flying across the room. I don’t just mean she spilt her milk...I mean she tried to send it into orbit. We had to mop the floor, wipe down the walls, take the screen off the window and wash it, wipe down the window, and wipe off a near by shelf and everything on it. Oh, and let’s not forget all the food on the table that now had a nice milk sheen look to it.

We had almost finished cleaning up the mess, when I heard an ominous crash from the kitchen...the sound of breaking glass that every mom dreads. One of my older girls, who had been trying to help clean up, somehow knocked my favorite vase into the sink and broke it. It wasn’t one of those cheap little vases you get a bouquet in from the gift shop...it was an antique, purple glass one that matched some other antique purple glass things I own. Needless to say, that was one of those moments when I wished life wasn’t always quite so interesting around here.

Or how about this one...last week we were rudely awakened in the middle of the night by the sound of a toddler crying her eyes out. She shares a bed with her 13-year old sister, and had managed to throw up on both of them. The very next night, we heard a “knock knock” on our bedroom door. It was our 13-year old informing us that her little sister had done it again. Upon rushing to her room we found that in actuality the little sister had just wet the bed this time. Oh well, it was still unwanted bodily fluids that meant another 3 AM shower for our young teen. I know she was wishing life didn’t have to be so “interesting” around here, because the third morning I remember her prayer at the breakfast table being something like, “Dear Lord, thank you that my sister didn’t do anything in our bed last night!”

But, in spite of it all, I have to come full circle and say that I fully agree with my husband. It is a major blessing and joy to have a large family, and I like the “spice” that all these children add to our lives. I know that some day, many years from now, life will slow down for Nate and me. We might even get bored occasionally. Until then, we’re just going to hang on and enjoy the family life ride!