My Own "Snow" Day

Well, after a long and tiring day, Mark made it home around 1:30. He was in Milwaukee for a business trip. He was supposed to be home around 6 I think originally. However, it didn't take long for his first flight (which went to Chicago) to get canceled. Somehow he ended up on a bus (with the airline's help) and made it to Chicago in time to catch a flight home. Unfortunately, there was a HUGE snowstorm, and flights weren't leaving quickly if at all. Every time the phone rang, my whole body tensed up because I knew it was another delay. At one point, Mark told me that they had de-iced the whole plane and were just waiting for a flight attendant to show up. One did but for whatever reason decided she wasn't going to work after all, so they had to wait again. In the meantime, the plane iced up again. Finally a flight attendant was in place, they boarded the plane, and another de-icing took place.

In the meantime, we had a lot of fun watching him get interviewed by WGN while at the airport. That was an unexpected treat.

I did ask him later why he mentioned his laptop, not having pajamas if his flight was canceled, etc, but no mention of desperately trying to get home to his wife. He assured me that he had mentioned me, as in, "I am trying to get home to my wife. She has been with our children a little too long, and I need to relieve her." In that case, I am glad they edited it out... (Just for the record, I was handling things fine. I have not been feeling well, so it had been difficult at times to keep up with the demands of four kids while battling that. And I was struggling with being in two places at once with basketball and swimming, totally different directions. But I really handled things well (I thought).

So by the time Mark made it home, I had had a little "catnap" and was wide awake. Then I of course had to share every thought and occurrence from the last two days (which really seemed more like a week :). And the next thing I know, it is around 2:30, and we were just drifting off to sleep.

I had been debating about whether I should stay home since I hadn't been feeling good (I didn't feel like I was contagious and wash my hands a BUNCH of times a day), just to recover (hopefully). I had decided I had too much to do and just would have to charge through it. Well, that would have happened, even on four hours of sleep, had I not found the youngest with food particles (from dinner) all over his bed. (The worst part is I had been so excited he had finally eaten ground beef for dinner the night before...he rarely touches meat. He had even had two helpings. I regretted that later :) Suddenly, I had no choice. I had to stop, even with too much to do. So, while Mark took the others to school as little snowflakes swirled beautifully in the sky, I stayed at home with our little patient for our own little "snow day".

As for child 4, well, we are taking it slow with food and such. And NO milk for him. But otherwise, he seems to be feeling pretty good. He has not slowed down one iota. He has been talking a mile a minute and has been into as much as he is always into. So hopefully his is short lived (moreso than mine!).

You would think with all of this time at home, I would have gotten a lot accomplished. My to do list is certainly long enough. But I haven't. I have done a few things (like change the patient's sheets and put away some things from the store) but I have also had moments to just rest. However, I have not napped which is what my body really wants to do right now. I am hoping to go to bed a little earlier tonight (and after running errands this evening, I should have no trouble being tired) and get back on some kind of schedule...maybe. :)

Hmmm, I think I had a few odds and ends to share.

Oh, at one point today I was painstakingly taking our little guy's bumper pads off (yes, he is still in a crib and I will keep him there as long as he wants to be there...I like that he is confined :). I don't think I have ever untied them. It was a long process. At one point, he asked if I was changing his sheets. Before I could even respond, he said, "Thank you, Mommy. Thank you." He does have some sweet moments!

I do hope all know (which makes it sound like a lot more read than actually do :) that the whole "Hazardous to Your Health" post was mostly tongue in cheek. :) I truly do find my kids to be a blessing, though they really do like to interfere with my exercise plans. Trying to put me in an early grave, no doubt...

Last night before bed, the kids prayed. I was very touched to hear child 3 pray for Ms. Bonnie and her heart to feel better this time of year. That surprised me a little since we hadn't seen Bonnie recently. I also was touched to hear Hunter praying for the Crumby family as they deal with their loss. Very sweet. You have to love a child's faith!

I am trying to figure out a way I can run all the errands I need to this evening without actually being out in the cold. I do not do well in cold weather.

I suppose I should go. I had more to share but those thoughts escape me right now!

Reba

Goodbye, Little One

Little Hannah Grace is now in heaven. Thank you for the prayers for her the past few months. Please continue to lift up the family as they deal with her absence. I have no doubt that she is is happy and healthy and loving life where she is. I also have no doubt that her parents are aching in a way they never imagined they could ache. It is hard to fathom waking up one day knowing that you will not be feeling those chubby arms grasp your neck any more. Please pray for them any time you think of them. They have a long lonely road ahead of them, a road many of us have not traveled.

I am sorry this is so short today. Mark is out of town and I am on my own again this morning with the kiddos. Yesterday there were some rough patches but we got through. I don't think I have mentioned but I am a little on the ill side. It has not been enough to keep me in bed but I am not feeling myself. I am hoping today is much better.

Okay, my dumb alarm is chirping at me. I have to go.

Reba

In Her Usual Flair

I wish I had pictures of the kids from the morning. They all looked adorable (in my very unbiased opinion of course). Child 3 had on this cream colored dress with taffeta (I think, I really don't know much about fabrics). It looked just precious on her. She almost looked like an angel.

Our family went forward today to light the advent candle during the church service. I don't know how or why we were chosen, but we were. I was feeling kind of ill and kept wondering if I should head home, but in the end, decided to stick it out. We sang a few songs, then it was our "cue". So we walked forward (note: The youngest did not. He was in the nursery. Had he gone, he would have started yelling, "Don't touch, Daddy. It is hot!"). The kids were well-behaved. They stood still as Mark read the Bible verses and said a prayer. Then we had a little issue with the lighter actually lighting the candle. (Mark had asked me to do it but I had declined, suspecting it would be difficult!) It finally did lit then burned out later. Not sure what that says about us. (On another humorous note, the "topic" for the advent candle..peace. In a house with four kids, we know NO peace. :)

When we walked back to our seats, Child 3 was right in front of me. She daintily walked down the steps until she was two or three steps from the floor. Then I saw those little arms swing as she jumped out and down to the bottom. She did land on both feet. There was a chuckle in the audience.

All in her usual flair...

Reba

Hazardous to Your Health

I wonder sometimes why children don't come with little warning tags. You know, you see them on refrigerators, medicine bottles, cleaners..."May be hazardous to your health..." I thought about this today as I was attempting to exercise. I don't really care to exercise. I can think of a lot more things I would much rather do (like eat or read a book). But it is a necessary evil, especially since having gone through two pregnancies and deliveries...my body has never been the same since. (I am sure I could somehow blame the other two also like all of the eating I did when I was stressed waiting for those adoptions to finalize. :) Anyway, so I am trying to exercise during the day rather than in the dark of the night when my muscles are screaming that they are tired and would rather be in bed. My children are happily playing around the house, making all kinds of messes. Then I turned on the t.v. to start my workout. (I have been working out with my own "personal trainer" on Wii Active; it truly is a workout!) Suddenly I had an audience. They abandoned all toys, all books, etc. and came to watch me "perform". Then they started asking questions like "Why is the sky blue?" as I am trying to exercise. Then the youngest just has to hug my leg. Oh, and the tattling, the non-ending tattling between the girls. All I wanted to do was something healthy for my body. Instead I got distraction after distraction. See, hazardous to my health.

Just in case I haven't built up my case enough, here is a little more evidence...

• Remember my swollen ankle that lasted for weeks? I tripped over a little toy bowl at the bottom of our one stair (that leads to the garage).
• I constantly step on Cheerios.
• I was climbing a little chair to put a gift away out of view when I hit my leg (close to my foot) on the chair. I now have a coffee cup size bruise on my leg. (In case you don't see the connection, the gift was for the kids...)
• My hands are so dry they are almost crackly. That is because I wash my hands all of the time after wiping faces, changing diapers, scrubbing heads, etc.
• I have a cut on my finger (required a Thomas the Tank Engine bandaid) due to the lid of a can of pumpkin when I made pumpkin muffins for the little child who I know LOVES them. (Okay, I have to be honest on that one...I love them too)
• All of the missed sleep due to staying up late to accomplish all of the things I cannot accomplish when little people are still up
• The strained voice from saying all day, "Does that really concern you?" or "Whose shoes are in the middle of the floor?"
• The frostbite (not really but sounds good) from getting out of my nice warm house to drive a few towns over to get out in the frigid temperatures just so my son could see one of his friends in the Nutcracker...again.
• The tired fingers from blogging which is the only way I will ever have any record of what we are doing in our lives (like watching The Nutcracker again)
• The bruises on my forehead from banging my head against the wall as I once again explain why we take showers every day
• The broken heart that we moms have every time our children get hurt from the ugly parts of life
• The sore knees from the constant praying for our children, their little personalities (and quirky traits), and their futures.
• The many colds I have caught thanks to the germs of those little people running around
• The high blood pressure when I look at my just cleaned kitchen floor and see a large puddle of sticky juice from a careless kid
• The strained neck from turning around in the car as we travel to hand dropped items, break up arguments, and explain again that we are NOT there yet.
• The wrinkles on my forehead from wondering if my child will always tell lies with a straight face or ever be able to sit still for more than three minutes apart or from guilt that I can never seem to get it right
• The half brushed hair because I am too busy brushing and fixing the hair of others
• The burns on my hands from the times I had to shut the oven door quickly before curious little fingers touched the hot door
• The overflowing heart from the love that keeps growing and growing and growing

I am sure there are many more but time is limited. Do you have any warnings to add?

Reba

Eating an Elephant...

It has been REALLY quiet on here recently. I keep trying to figure out if I said or did something offensive. I don't usually get a lot of comments anyway, but it has been even quieter than usual. Of course, maybe some of you (or the two of you or however many are there right now :) are dealing with some of the same issues as me...such as...

Sometimes I wonder whose list is longer...Santa's list of good little boys and girls or my list of things to do in December.

It is overwhelming at times.

A dessert for a Christmas party tomorrow night. Basketball game Saturday morning. Swim practice Saturday. Send out invitations to family for one child's birthday lunch. Nutcracker Saturday night. Church on Sunday. Chili lunch and dessert to take to church for missions meal. Life group Sunday night. Assessments in the classroom (first semester is about to end...). Endless loads of laundry. Endless emptying the dishwasher. Another trip to the grocery store to stock up for the week. Mark goes out of town, meaning early to rise for all of us. Blogging. Reading blogs. Prayer needs. Exercise. Our son's music program for school. More basketball practice. More swim practice. Wrapping presents. Ordering gifts. Taking pictures. Creating a photo card. Writing the Christmas newsletter. Sending out Christmas cards/pics. Buying Secret Santa gifts. Homework (for the kids). Signing papers and folders. Charities asking for help. Paying bills. Putting up the little tree. Facebooking. Maybe sleeping...if time allows. And that is just for the next week (and doesn't include all necessary events).

The list goes on and on.

It is overwhelming.

It can also suck all of the joy (sorry, I could NOT think of a different way to put that that was quite so effective) out of my season.

Instead, I am having to pick and choose. I sometimes am going to have to say "no". And I will need to take it one day at a time. I will need to keep my eyes focused, because if I look away for even one second, I will sink WAY down in the water.

I love the way a friends says it. "It is like eating an elephant...eat one bite at a time."

That is what I am doing. How about you?

Reba

Live on Your Knees

I rarely do two "calls to prayer" right in a row, but today I have one more request for prayer for little Hannah Grace. Her family has decided to take her off the ventilator this Sunday. I cannot imagine what a difficult decision that must have been, but over and over, the doctors have confirmed that it is the decision to make when they are ready. Please understand...turning the ventilator off is not choosing to let their precious daughter die. It is choosing to remove the support of the ventilator then letting God show His will. He may show Himself in a BIG way and touch her little body and heal it in a miraculous way. I believe He does that. Or He may choose to bring her on home. Only He knows. I am just praying for His will (though I throw in a LOT of votes for the first option). Please say a prayer for her and for her family in the next few days. I do believe people can "feel" the power of prayer of others. And right now, between that and a strong faith, I would imagine that is what is getting her parents through each day...

Reba
PS I will try to write more tomorrow. I am still wanting to share a little about Blind Side and the thoughts/feelings it provoked about adoption. I just need to start that BEFORE 11. :)

Chills

One more quick post...

I have mentioned Bonnie several times on here. (I would covet continued prayers for her as she enters the first Christmas without her husband Thomas here) I have also mentioned Hannah Grace. Just about three months ago, little Hannah Grace was not feeling well. Her parents took her to the doctor and learned that she had a diagnosis of leukemia. Unfortunately, since that time, she has had some complications, mostly involving strokes which have affected her brain. Now Hannah Grace is on a ventilator and sleeps much of the time. Her parents are treasuring their time with her which appears (at least to the human heart and eye) to be coming to an end...at least here on earth. All that to say, Bonnie and Hannah's mom were co-workers and are still friends. Bonnie just visited Hannah (and parents) and has offered a lot of support and encouragement to Hannah's mom. Well, today, Bonnie's daughter Caroline shared something with Bonnie. I cannot tell the story right, so I would just encourage you to read Hannah Grace's website to see the conversation. Just know it gave me chills (and brought tears to my eye). Sometimes I am not so sure that God doesn't give children views of Him that we don't see...

Reba