Home improvement and family

My brother has been visiting for the past week, and he left at 3:30 am today.  While he was here, he entertained my kids and put a hole in my kitchen wall!  A good hole - an opening between my kitchen and dining room.  This was a project I thought I'd undertake myself in the future, when the house was completely unpacked (we're mostly there!).  But I told him my ideas, and the next thing I knew, he had drawn an outline on both sides of the wall, and the next day, the drywall was off and he had started with the wiring.  I think finding wires surprised him a little, and I know if I had been doing this myself, that was the point where I'd be quitting and calling someone to help.  Probably someone whom I'd have to pay a small fortune to finish the job.  But he did what was necessary, and now I have the opening I wanted, and all that is left for me to do is paint the trim and decide what color to paint the kitchen!  We've narrowed it down to a light gray or a light khaki-color.  I like gray, Tim likes khaki.  Neither would be a color I'd normally chose, but it has to blend with the granite and the flooring, and both are better than the orangish color the walls are now!  I am so excited!  We have friends coming in this weekend, so that is the push I need to get it done.

This same brother has no children.  I was amazed at his wisdom, insight, and patience with my kids.  I sometimes fear that people who are not used to our family will run from our house screaming (not literally) because of the noise, the chaos, and the constant activity.  I am certain there are moments when he thought to himself "we wouldn't have gotten away with that when we were growing up."  My parents were pretty strict - less so with me than with him because they had relaxed some by the time I came along.  But, he did remind me how many rules there were in our house.  I know I am sometimes too easy on my kids, and that I don't expect as much from them as I should.  They could and should do more around the house.  They should definitely be better at cleaning up after themselves.  Now that we own a home, there are more chores to distribute, including yard work and pool care. They help under duress, but there is always room for improvement in action, but most especially in attitude.  I love the idea of big families owning farms, where everyone shares the duties of keeping it running.  I don't think we will be going into farming anytime soon. 

Katie and Molly have been in NY with Tim's sister's family since Thursday.  When we made their reservations, we expected they would both have jobs here, so they were supposed to return yesterday.  They asked to extend their visit till this Thursday, so that is when they will be coming back.  It sounds like they are having a great time with the in-laws, and I am glad they have this opportunity to spend time with them.  With our family having grown the way it has, it is next to impossible for us to all pack into the car and spend a week with anyone.  My dad always used to say "fish and house guests stink after 3 days"  (I just recently learned that this is a quote from someone famous, but I will always attribute it to my dad...).  Well, 11 people can get especially stinky!  This was not true in the case of my brother's visit, and I do hope my girls aren't wearing out their welcome.  I look forward to seeing the pictures from their visit when they return.  I miss them!