Thoughts while I'm thinking about them...

Well, I'm at home this Sunday morning for a few reasons. First, I'm feeling the sinus yucks that have been living in our home since the beginning of March, or I guess I should more accurately say since November! I have a full nose and post nasal drip which causes my head to feel like it's going to explode. I'm tired but can't sleep and is just blah. And, thanks to the little one way down deep in my belly, I feel like I'm going to puke almost all the time, but I guess I'm getting used to that at this point. Second, after dressing the kids and getting their bags ready for church this morning, I had like 10 minutes to get ready...and if you would have seen me this morning, I'm sure you would have agreed with me that 10 minutes was not enough time. So, I watched my husband and children leave for church this morning feeling sad that this is the third week in a row that we have not been at church as a family. I turned on AP's Resurrection Letters Vol 2 (this link is ABOUT the album rather than how to purchase it...) for like the 50th time this week and let the words seep deep inside my heart and I meditated on them while I straighted up the mess in the kitchen from a crazy breakfast.

As I listened to the album and read the non-fiction book I'm currently working on (yes, non-fiction people!), I kept getting distracted by all things I feel that God is working on in me and/or I'm wrestling with. I've thought on several occasions, "I should really write about this" or "what would people think about this" or "am I the only one thinking this way" or...well, you get the point. I've been hesistant about adding more "thoughtful" posts to this blog because it just doesn't fit with the theme this blog has taken.

So, I guess my question is, should I start a new blog?

And while I'm on the subject of starting a new blog, I'm trying to get Patrick to start one, too. I think he would really enjoy it and I think that he has a lot up in his brain that people would find very interesting if he chose to share it, though he thinks that his true crazies will come out. I've tried to assure him that no, he's not THAT weird and that people would read it and find what he thinks very interesting. Patrick is very deep and has very deep thoughts/ideas that will cause a person to pause and think.

So, should he start a blog?

What do you think?

Our quiver is full

Psalm 16:5-6

The LORD is my chosen portion and my cup;
you hold my lot. The lines have fallen for me in pleasant places;
indeed, I have a beautiful inheritance.

God will be blessing our family with another baby at the end of October.

The Box

Patrick finally bought a bagger attachment to his riding mower on Saturday. He's been thinking about getting one for months and now that "lawn season" has started, he finally purchased one.

And, oh, the box it came in!

It is very large, perfect for the children to play in. So, yesterday we spent a rainy day at home decorating the box. I cut a door and some windows, added some "artwork" inside, and we made it into a nice little fortress for the kids to really enjoy. And enjoy it they are!

Return of the sick

Well, my kids are sick again. Ethan has a sinus infection and walking pneumonia (again!) and Mallory has been struggling with a low-grade fever that turned into coughing last night. I might have to take her back to the doctor to see what's up, since she didn't cough once until last night...most of the night. Ethan is on an antibiotic and Mallory isn't on anything...yet.

The doctor I saw yesterday suggested taking Ethan to go see an allergist because he's susceptible to allergies due to his fair complextion (thanks to me!). That might be why he's getting sick so frequently. We'll probably schedule an appointment after he gets over this bout of sinus woes.

It's really tough for me to see my kids get these major illnesses so often. It makes me question if I'm doing right by my children, you know. I'm supposed to help protect them from germs and viruses, but for some reason, it's not working. And I even stay home with them...no daycare to expose them to. So, everyday places are dangerous for my kiddos, but I can't just NOT go to the grocery store or to other activities and hermitize them. It's been very challenging this year to keep up with the germs. They've been winning.

Zachheus

From a month ago, but better late than never...and for some reason, Google cut off Jesus Loves Me. Hmmmm.

Still working on getting the food into the mouth...with a spoon, that is

Storytime at the library

We've been going to the library on Thursday mornings so the kids can listen to storytime, participate in a craft, and have a little social interaction. Our first adventure to the library was a huge success - loads of books at my kid's disposal??? Oh, they loved it. We went to the library 3 times before we attended storytime and the first storytime adventure was a nightmare. Mallory screamed/cried almost the whole time and Ethan ran around like a mad-man looking/touching everything. I questioned WHY I tried this in the first place, but if at first you don't succeed, try try again.

So, I took the kids back to storytime this past Thursday (for the second time) and it was a huge hit. Mallory knew what to expect and she actually interacted with the storyteller and other children. She loved the craft and other things that we did. Ethan sat on my lap and remained distracted with the little secrets I keep in my purse for such occasions. It was a huge hit. And when we left, she waved at everyone and told them to have a nice day. I was very happy. This is a nice peice to our schedule that is fun for the kids, enjoyable for me to watch them have fun, and all importantly, free.

So long, Give Me Grace.

My kids love books. From the time they get up to the time they go to bed, they're looking at books, carrying them around, or asking me to read a book. I always have packing tape on hand because it is always inevitable that a book's page will get ripped or the binding of a book will be destroyed. I like keeping the well-used books because it shows the great love my kids have for the book. Or it could be the cheapness of the binding.

We've been trying to teach our kids that in addition to being kind to one another, we need to be kind to the things that have been given to us like our toys and books. Whenever a book is torn or falling apart, I reinforce this to both kids, though Ethan has no clue what I'm talking about at this time. Mallory is still learning and has had a few books taken away because she's been too rough with them.

Well, I finally had to throw one book away. I was hoping to keep it, but it was beyond any hope of repair. This book was given to Mallory on her first Christmas and we read it to her almost every night for several months. Patrick and I had it memorized. Ethan inherited it and it quickly became a favorite to him. And in his hands, the book had no chance of survival. Here are some pictures before it finally made its way in the trash.

Christmas music it is!

Mallory constantly listens to music. She sings all the time and when she has a favorite song, she wants to hear it over and over. Tonight, she requested a CD that we didn't have (a soundtrack to one of her favorite videos). So, I went through a list of the CDs that she had and she chose a Christmas CD. In order to get her to stop whining and go to bed, Christmas willingly went into the CD player.

Now, I wonder how long we'll be listening to Christmas music...

Can I have a do-over?

This was linked in my friend's blog and I just had to link it in mine. It's long, but well worth the time. If I had a do-over, I'd totally do this...but Patrick would totally not. :-) I think this is absolutely clever and awesome.

HT: JustMatt

It's been a full week!

We've had a very busy week and for some reason, my blog has taken the back burner. I've been a little hooked on Facebook these days, which a lot of my blogger friends can relate too, but there's so much more I feel as though I can share with my little community of readers here rather than the masses on Facebook. I do post more pictures there, since it's MUCH easier and faster to upload pics onto Facebook than on my blog. I'll just start linking the albums into posts, though.

Anyway, here are a few things we've done this past week:
1. We invited some of our good friends over for dinner on Friday. Good food, good fellowship. I can't remember the last time we had friends over for dinner...that's a bad thing in my book since I wish to be a little more hospitible with what I've been blessed with. It was refreshing to open up our home to friends and I hope to do it again soon.
2. Patrick took the kids to the park while I had a morning off on Saturday. I had a massage and a pedicure...both so wonderful! Patrick suggested my morning off, which was a wonderful way to extend thoughtfulness to an exhausted wife. Thank you so much.
3. We went over to some friends house for a BBQ on Saturday night. Oh, what fun it was to be outdoors, playing, bbqin' and enjoying the spring-like weather. (pics are here)
4. We had a very lazy Sunday. Other than church, we rested.
5. Monday was crazy. I had a DR appt in the morning and my friend (who came over Fri night) volunteered to watch the kids so I could go alone. Oh, what a blessing!!!! I brought home lunch for us as a way to thank her. I could have bought her the whole restaurant, but a #1 from Chick-Fil-A seemed to suffice. The kids and I spent a lot of time outdoors soaking in the rays of the bright sun. Oh, it's so nice outside!
6. Today, I took the kids to the park again before it cools down tomorrow. Mallory is a little monkey and Ethan is very obsessed with eating dirt. I loved watching them romp around enjoying the slides and sand. Ethan's on hour #2 of his nap and Mallory still hasn't wound down enough to sleep. (more pics here)

I love spring, though we're not quite there yet, I've been getting a teaser of what's lurking behind the corner. I love the smell of burning charcoal grills wafting through the air and freshly cut grass. I love the sound of lawn mowers and sprinklers going. I love hearing the laughter of children over the sound of squeaking swingsets in motion. I love that people are starting to appear in their backyards, escaping the hybernating state of the winter months. I love the feel of the grass and sun rays. I love walking while hearing the birds making their way back from their travels south. Spring is such a wonderful season.

From the mouth of babes

Mallory (while watching Dancing with the Stars): "They playing Ring around the Rosie"

Winter time swimming

I took the kids swimming over at Freedom Hall pool a few weeks ago. I met up with Kara and her kids and we had a good time, though I still think my kids need to get used to the water. Ethan pretty much clung to me the whole time and Mallory was constantly telling me she was ready to go bye-bye, but we stuck it out for a good 45 minutes and after we left, swimming was all she talked about. We didn't go last week, but I'm hoping to go again tomorrow. For $1 a person, you can't beat it. We might go to the gym on Wednesdays now, too, but that's still up in the air. My kids love going to the gym, but it's getting unbearably crowded and I continue to remember Mallory's accident, which has stopped me from going on busy days. Wednesday isn't as busy at the gym, but I'm still a tad paranoid.

Anyway, here are some pictures of our swimming adventures.

A new video

It's been a while since I've posted a video of the kids. As you can see, Mallory thinks you're ALWAYS supposed to slide down on the count of 3, and Ethan hasn't quite got that down yet. They play very well together and I love watching their interactions. They know how to push each other's buttons, but they have some very, very sweet moments that just make my heart ache with love.