T'was the Week Before Christmas

The More the Merrier--
I love children. These newbies are a fresh break from the adult world. They are so honest and fun it's almost like being on vacation from the "real" world when I'm around them. Nothing else matters except for building the coolest fort or finding the best spot for hide-and-go-seek.

With the popularity of cubicles at work I think it would boost overall morale and, in turn, productivity if we took one day out of the week to build the best cubicle fort or find the best hiding spot in the office (and perhaps take a much needed nap). Unless you are a pre-school teacher this probably isn't going to happen at work; that's why I love to spend time with kids. My friend Tanya and I went over to A Woman's Concern yesterday and the children we met there were so much fun. We met a little girl named Amy who loved to sit on my lap and was brave enough to go up and sing Christmas carols with us since we were the only two to show up to sing (and Harvard's choir sang before us and, go figure, just happened to be really good).

It was a fun time. For me holding other people's babies is very good. They bring this sense of peace just by holding them, and since they're not mine I can hand them over when my arm feels like I did too many bench presses and the muscles ache (I've been slacking on lifting weights). It's fulfilling to spend time with these kids who were unplanned yet still wanted. It satisfies this biological desire to have one already and makes me realize that I shouldn't take the freedom I have for granted right now. I was watching Anastazia (my confirmation name, but spelled differently) for her mother while she ate some food and "Nae-Nae" kept crawling all over the place getting into everything and almost getting trampled. Life as a mother must change you a lot and I don't feel quite ready for that yet. I suppose when it does happen I'll have 9 months to prepare for it. I'm very much enjoying the Newlywed life and don't plan on having kids just yet. We hope to get a house, then a dog, then a baby, but you know life never goes exactly as you planned, so we'll see.

Whole Lotta Love

Now if I aspire to have 17 kids like the largest family in America I'm going to have to get started soon! This couple must have a whole lot of love and energy and smarts to make it all work correctly and not be driven insane by now.

"Our goal is to raise the children so when they grow up they will not be afraid of anything in life," Zynaida said. "I think if every family approaches it that way, we will have a very healthy society."

The siblings do not squabble about portion sizes, television channels or other matters because their dad has driven home the importance of putting aside selfishness in order to survive as a family, 17-year-old Anatoliy said.

"We sit all together, put out the food and eat like a regular family," said 16-year-old Lyudmila "Sometimes we wait for each other to finish, and then feed the little kids."

Hopefully Santa helps them out again this year.