change of plans

Well, the Ragnar Relay is this weekend. Friday and Saturday to be exact. And after 4 weeks of physical therapy, I'm not totally comfortable running on my lame knee. So... I'm not. Bummer.

BUT- the best possible PLAN B came true: my mom is coming to run in my place (yeah, she's cool), and is staying for a week. Sigh. I'm so happy she's coming. Everybody needs an out-of-town-Mom sometimes. She comes here, spoils my kids with attention, but has no agenda. Just what I need right now.

I am so worn out from having sick kids for the last MONTH. And it continues on, with yet another child, as Owen is running a fever today and is so congested he can hardly breath.

But, on a happy note... This is a picture from our Valentine's Day fancy dinner. We had heart shaped pasta with red sauce, and sparkling cider in goblets. The girls thought it was the best day ever and kept saying to each other, "We get to eat on GLASS plates tonight!". (As opposed to their plastic kid plates.)

p.s. -- I just found out tonight that my dad is coming too. This is awesome. I should hurt my knee all the time...

this is what happens when I'm tired...

Last night went like this:

6:45 pm- Christopher left for a church meeting.

7:00pm- I took the three kids upstairs to start bedtime.

8:00pm- Bedtime failed. I brought Olivia and Owen back downstairs with me.

8:05pm- I got a really random, but PAINFUL, stomach ache and was sure my night would end with puking. I called Christopher and he left his meeting to come home and tend to the restless kids.

8:30pm- I curled up in bed beside a puke bucket and went to sleep.

10:00pm- Olivia and Owen went to bed.

12:00am- Christopher came to bed. We talked... and it seemed my stomach issues were magically gone. Whew!

1:00am- I woke to Olivia coughing and went to check on her. She was breathing fine, and wouldn't let me prop up her pillow, so I went back to bed. But, not before I decided to close her door and mine to try to muffle her coughing. I didn't close our door all the way, but mostly.

3:30am- I woke to Olivia coughing, but then YELLING "Mommy!" so loud I was sure she was going to wake up Emily. I hurried out of bed, fumbled with my glasses and then S.M.A.C.K! -- ran my face right into that door I forgot I closed a couple hours earlier. The impact knocked off my glasses, and then I fell to the floor. Not sure why, but it just seemed like the right thing to do. Olivia continued to yell, just louder now, so I called out to Christopher (who managed to sleep through the incident) and woke him up. He went to quiet Olivia, and said something like "why are you on the floor" when he walked by me totally confused and sleepy. I went downstairs and got an ice pack, and figured that since I was up, I would bring Olivia downstairs with me.

4:15am- I REALLY wanted to go back to bed at this point but Olivia had fallen asleep on the couch. I was taking bets on moving her and getting to sleep in my own bed, or leaving her and me having to sleep on the couch. I voted for my own bed, and carried her back upstairs. She woke up as soon as I put her back in her bed and freaked out that I was going to leave. Totally defeated, I threw a blanket and pillow down on her floor and stayed there.

5:00am- I moved back to my bed, finally.

6:07am- Olivia and Owen woke up for the day. I checked out my face to see what damage had been done by the door, and I have a little purplish/blue bruise action going on above my left eye. Dad would be proud.

6:15am- Christopher came downstairs, as he was up for the day too. He helped me get Olivia her medicine and while still in his sleepy stupor knocked over the bottle and dumped half the liquid out. She's supposed to take it for 5 days, but might have 2 days left. Really... what's another trip to the pharmacy at this point anyway?!

i'm officially a soccer mom

Emily had her first soccer game last Saturday. She did so much better than I anticipated. She wasn't too scared of the ball and even almost kicked it once {mostly cause it ran into her}. She had a great time running around, and at this stage that's all we care about.

{Well... that, and looking good in her uniform. But I think she's got that covered. :) }

catching up

My kids were sick for almost two and a half weeks straight. Nasty stuff. But this week we've been able to re-enter the world of the living. Thank goodness!

All three kids are hanging out in the playroom right now. I just heard Emily say, "Oh, thank you Owen!" She's so awesome.

Olivia just said to Emily, "You're the best sister I know!" Ha! She's equally awesome.

Olivia was a bit of a beast yesterday, so amid the scream-cries I led her upstairs and laid with her in my bed. Within a few minutes she was asleep. An hour later she woke up and had puked. In. My. Bed. I can honestly say that's a first. Eeewww. At least it was early enough in the day that I had a chance to wash everything before it was bed time (since I don't even own a second set of king-sized sheets).

{And yes, this was just after I announced no one was sick anymore. She puked, and then was fine. No fever or anything. Just a sensitive tummy, I guess?}

Owen is standing on his own all the time now, but only a few attempts to take a step... and I think they were on accident. When he gets his hands on the phone, he holds it up to his ear and starts talking. This baffles me. He can't possibly be big enough to know how to do that!

All three kids woke up around 5:30 this morning. {WHY?} Since I just got Owen back in his bed, I may rely on the tv to babysit the girls while I crawl back in my own bed. (Wishful thinking, I know.)

Oh yes, and I'm totally in the mood to go shop all the President's Day sales. Not sure I really need anything, but I love me a sale. . .

i love every part of them...

{Emily, Olivia, Owen. November 2010}

church date

A couple weeks ago, I stayed home with the sick kids, and these two cuties took off for church. Olivia was sure it was her very own special date with Dad.