Hello! 
Since my last post, I have actually drafted many posts with the truest intentions to finish them later, and then never got around to it. So, today here it is. I have so many thoughts that swim around in my head and never feel like I have the time to actually sort them out and make them coherent enough to post; hence, I do not post as often as I would like to. When I visit other's blogs I see how simple this one is and then wonder to myself, where do they find the time? Alas, for now, I am going to content myself with what I have here and hope that you will all hang on for the ride until I have more time to invest making the reading of this a more comprehensive experience :-)
Since my last post, I have actually drafted many posts with the truest intentions to finish them later, and then never got around to it. So, today here it is. I have so many thoughts that swim around in my head and never feel like I have the time to actually sort them out and make them coherent enough to post; hence, I do not post as often as I would like to. When I visit other's blogs I see how simple this one is and then wonder to myself, where do they find the time? Alas, for now, I am going to content myself with what I have here and hope that you will all hang on for the ride until I have more time to invest making the reading of this a more comprehensive experience :-)
I have also not been diligent to take pictures of the little tykes, so until I make more of an effort, here is cute one of little Ellie taken last month. She is such sweet pea! Well, I wanted to post today as I was reflecting on our somewhat eventful week. Here is a brief overview...
Monday
Monday was a great day. We started out our morning as usual. The boys watched Curious George on PBS while I took some time trying to wake myself up out of the fog that seems to accompany many of my days. I got breakfast started, coffee brewing and we were off to a good start. After a couple hours I put Ellie down for her nap, got ready for the day, put in a load of laundry and sat down to do preschool with the boys. They loved our lesson and it was so much fun seeing them enjoy what they were learning. They are both so sharp and it is fun to see them absorb new challenges and try to master new skills. After we were done, I made lunch, got Ellie from her crib and embarked on the ever-present adventure of feeding three little kids and trying to get a bite to eat myself!
Monday was a great day. We started out our morning as usual. The boys watched Curious George on PBS while I took some time trying to wake myself up out of the fog that seems to accompany many of my days. I got breakfast started, coffee brewing and we were off to a good start. After a couple hours I put Ellie down for her nap, got ready for the day, put in a load of laundry and sat down to do preschool with the boys. They loved our lesson and it was so much fun seeing them enjoy what they were learning. They are both so sharp and it is fun to see them absorb new challenges and try to master new skills. After we were done, I made lunch, got Ellie from her crib and embarked on the ever-present adventure of feeding three little kids and trying to get a bite to eat myself!
At quiet time, I began reading, The Magician's Nephew, to the boys to see if they were ready for reading a book with no pictures :-) Ethan quickly tired of the whole experience but Zachary loved it! I put Ethan and Ellie down for a nap and came back downstairs to continue reading to Zachary. He tracked the story well and looked at me with wide-eyed anticipation as the plot began to unfold. It was so much fun...probably the highlight of my week.
Tuesday
Tuesday, was a precursor, a harbinger if you will (that one's for you Uncle Bill if you ever read this!), of things to come. The day started well and around mid-morning, I decided to take the kids to the store. While we were strolling down the aisles of KMART, Ethan announced that his tummy hurt and that he needed to go to the bathroom. Quickly distracted by toys, he decided that he didn't need to go anymore. In record time, I grabbed all that we needed and headed to the check-out line. While in the van, Ethan started to look very sickly and kept complaining that his tummy hurt. We made it home just in time. I thought to myself, perhaps Ethan just had a little bug.
Wednesday
I awoke in the wee hours of the morning to Zachary crying that he had thrown-up all over his bed. I have to say that changing vomit-covered bedding is one of the all time lows of raising young children. Nevertheless, our day began at 5:30 to him throwing-up again. This time though, he was not alone. I thought it would be fun to join in :-). Suffice it to say, the flu had arrived! I sent Tom off to work thinking that we could tough it out for the day. Within an hour, I called him, pleading with him to come back! In the time it took him to come home, all three children were either sick or in need of a diaper change and I was not doing too well. Tom got home and the rest of the day is just one big flu-filled blur.
Thursday
Still sick but Tom was able to go to work...and thankfully did not get the flu (I went a little crazy with the bleach and Lysol spray!).
Friday
Poor little Ellie woke up three times that previous night and then awoke in the morning with a high fever. I prayed the Lord would get me through the day as I was still recovering from my own illness and was exhausted. God gave us mercy and when Tom came home last night, we had a nice dinner and even watched a movie after the kids went to bed. But it had been a very long day...
Today
Ellie is still sick; however, Tom has the boys at gymnastics and I am enjoying a moment of peace, writing to you all and drinking my coffee. This afternoon I plan on finally getting out of the house...I have not been out since Tuesday!!! I think that is a record for me...I need to get out! We are hoping to finish the attic, buy some furniture and maybe go out for lunch! It's amazing how life-giving it is just to resume normal affairs again.
Well, perhaps you didn't want to know all these details about our week, but I wanted to let you all have a glimpse into our lives :-). I have been thinking of this blog often, lamenting how little I attend to it. I did, however, think of something I want to add...a recipe of the week post (well, maybe with my record, a 'recipe of the month' would be more consistent!). A loved one (you know who you are!!!) once called me a 'food snob', which by the way, I am not...I can think of much snobbier (I think I just made a new word...). I want to get feedback from others as well so when I get around to it, look for it on my blog. I love to cook, that is, I love to cook when I don't have three little ones demanding my attention while I have meat juice all over my hands! I have really given up so many of the interests that make me, 'me', that I am trying to force myself to regain some of my identity that is separate but likewise braided into my identity as a mother! So having said that...look for it in weeks to come.
Finally, here are a few funnies from the kiddos...
We had new carpet installed a few weeks ago and Zachary decided it would be fun to rub his chin on it, only to give himself rug-burn...he said he was 'racing' his chin. Anyway, it formed a scab and while picking away at the last scab, Zachary announced to me, "Mommy, I picked all the hills off my chin!"
We get our milk from a local dairy not far from our house. It is cheaper than milk at the store, hormone free and supports the local economy...part of one of the many things I love about this area. Anyway, I always take the kids to get milk and see the cows and they love going. Ethan knew we were out of milk and came up to me asking, "Mommy, when are we going to go to the 'fairy'? So cute!
More to come soon!
Andrea
p.s. I realized that many of my posts are filled with chaotic antics of life at home. There is really much more going on than all the craziness, but the crazy times are the ones that are fun to post about. I will be sure to post on some of the other arenas of life (church, reading, theology, future plans, hobbies and interests, even some 'before-and-after' shots of the house!) that comprise our meaningful but otherwise ordinary lives. I really will...but I won't promise!
