Tuesday, April 29, 2008

all clear

well, Matthew had his follow up appointment today after his surgery 11 days ago, and he got the 'all clear.' Doctor said everything looks perfect and he can go back to normal activities. Yeah! We made it!!
I keep thinking about last week though; it was possibly one of the longest weeks ever, so hard seeing your child in pain and feeling helpless since I can't fix it; I also started wearing thin on the compassion toward the end of the week. Not that I didn't feel bad for him, I did, terribly, however, being sleep deprived does not do wonders for me emotionally, nor physically. One day last week when Matthew started crying because he wanted goldfish to eat, and knew it would hurt too much, I started crying as well. Not a normal response, obviously, but keep in mind I was extremely tired, and pregnant!
Anyways, something positive did come from last week.... aside from getting the infected parts out of his body, and correcting his snoring like an old man, resulting in more restful sleep for all of us, something even more!
The compassion that I saw from Ben was something I'll treasure forever. Sometime during the week, as Matthew was laid up on the couch, a friend of Ben's came to the door to see if he could go out and play; we asked Ben if he wanted to go, and he replied, "no, I don't want to since Matthew can't." My heart melted. Now, don't get me wrong, they do have their moments as siblings where things aren't so picturesque, but most of the time, they really love each other to death. I posted a couple pictures of things they made for each other during the week; Matthew was missing Ben since he was off at school, and Ben just felt so bad for Matthew, and each day asked 'do you think Matthew's getting better?'
So many things about parenting are so hard, but one thing that I pray will continue is for their relationship to stay so loving and close. What a great support to go through life with. Something about the bond of brothers.



Monday, April 21, 2008

look out, here she comes!


Abby got this new bike for her birthday last month, and already has gotten so good at riding.

It's such a riot though, from our driveway to the one across, or vice versa, she crouches down like she's racing and yells out a "yee haw, yahoo..." It's so funny. (I'll try to catch it on film one of these days) I guess she's been watching those 2 big brothers for a little too long!

Saturday, April 19, 2008

the bravery award



here's the patient....


sweet little guy. We are so proud of him for being SO brave yesterday. He had to have his tonsils and adenoids out, and the anesthesiologist didn't let us go back with him til he fell asleep with the mask, (which I was annoyed by, because that is scary stuff), but being the laid back little trooper he is, he gave us a hug and walked back with the nurse.

We saw him next when they wheeled him back up to his room where we waited for him and we just chilled for the rest of the day, and he had to do a few certain "jobs" before they let him come home.

We got home yesterday afternoon, and had a rough night, but he's doing pretty well and on the road to recovery.

We're so thankful that it went well, and so glad it's over!

Wednesday, April 16, 2008

signs of summer

ah, finally, a few refreshing signs that summer is, in fact, on its way.....
Ben's new buzz cut

watching the Cubs, while enjoying.....

Frosty Malts! mmm!!

The kids loved them, but asked why they were eating them with a stick?

We actually told them that it's just something mom and dad did when we were kids.

"it's just old-fashioned!"

Thursday, April 10, 2008

twirl!


I never got around to posting about our Easter..... so rather than rehash it all now, I decided to just post this picture instead.

There's just something about a little girl twirling around in her fancy dress.

Adorable. But I'm biased, of course!

Thursday, April 3, 2008

i've been "tagged", again


The picture is just for fun. I've had a couple requests for a pregnant photo from my far away friends, so what the heck!
As you may have noticed, I haven't blogged FOREVER. It's not that nothing's been going on, there has been plenty, I just wasn't feeling it to write about any of it I guess. So as a result, to spur some blogging, I've been tagged by my friend Sara.
So I'm to tell you 10 random things about myself, and then tag 5 friends afterwards. I'll be anxious to see how many of you knew these things about me, or if they're all a surprise.


1. I LOVE fountain soda. From the can is a distant, distant second.

2. I also enjoy chewing ice. It seems to be a pregnancy thing; I did it long ago until I cracked a tooth and had to have a root canal as a result, but I'm back at it now. ?

3. Am obsessed with smells. My favorite is new shoe smell. Ben looked at me like I was from Mars the other day after we bought him new shoes, I took them out of the box and went straight to my nose with them. He thought it was gross, which normally smelling shoes is, but they were brand new! I think this also may be a pregnancy thing.... not certain.

4. Baths. Pretty much daily during winter. Wonder how I'll relax once it's summer!! I look forward to evening for my bath. Jason always does bedtime with the kids, and that's my window of opportunity for a quiet bath alone!

5. OCD about blankets on the bed. Just ask my husband. If the blankets at my feet get wrinkled or tangled in any way, I have been known to get up, tear off ALL the covers and remake the whole bed. It makes me nuts. It makes me feel trapped and I start to panic.

6. I've always wanted to play the cello. Maybe when I'm an empty nester. :-)

7. I don't feel like I can start my day if I haven't heard the weather forecast. Maybe that's a glimpse of my controlling nature, but I don't feel well enough prepared unless I know what to expect with the weather.

8. What lifts my spirit the most is cranking up the music and having a dance party with the kids. Techno, hip hop, fun (clean) club music.....

9. I cry ridiculously easily. Cards, commercials, seeing anyone else cry, etc. Having kids has SHOT my emotions. I hope someday they'll recover and I can feel composed again.

10. Things I could ALWAYS shop for: bedding and pajamas. (hmm, does that reveal how much I love to sleep too?)


Ok, that wasn't so bad!! Did you learn anything about me? Well, I'm hoping to learn a little more about these 5 that I'm passing the tag onto: Laura, Amy, Steph, Leah and Ann. Have fun girls!