a week to forget, but we'll always remember!

***Update to below. I actually wrote this on Friday during the boys' nap, but left it to answer a crying baby. I saved it to post later, just so one day we could remember this 2 week period from you know where, not that we'll ever forget it! Ha ha ha! Saturday morning, we woke up to find Lukey throwing up. Poor little thing. He watched 6 movies on Saturday and 3 today. That's more screen time than he's had in the past 6 months combined. Against every fiber of my being, but a necessity to spare Miles from getting the flu, and one that made Luke a quick fan. We may have created a movie buff! Anyway, my stamina waivered this weekend, especially tonight, when my hubby left for a week long trip. However, as I write this update, I know friends and family are praying for us, that the Lord is ALWAYS with us and I'm still thankful.
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I'm kind of in shock right now. Currently, in our house, we have RSV, the flu, 2 sinus infections and an ear infection. I thought it was bad when Miles came down with RSV, but now with Luke getting the flu, holy moley. I did have a friend remind me today that it could be a lot worse. This is true, and she's a good friend. If everyone got the stomach bug, I might throw in the towel, or drive downtown to my sister's office (she works in a tall building) and jump. Okay, not really, but I despise throwing up. Who doesn't, right? But really, I do the most. Really. I know it could be worse. And I'm jesting with all of this so I can laugh. We've spent $100 just on co-pays for dr. visits this week. We've spent over $200 on prescrips and over the counter meds at Walgreens this week.

But I have to say, I know that in the midst of our painfilled and inconvenient sicknesses, we are truly blessed. Yesterday, I was feeling overwhelmed and down. Today, I'm feeling overwhelmed but thankful. Thankful to our friends who have called to see if they can drop off food. Thankful to a sweet friend who brought us a portable tv for Luke so he can watch movies and be quarantined from Miles. Thankful for my parents who kept the older boys for a couple of nights as Miles struggled with RSV, and have made grocery runs and done countless other things for us. Thankful for family and friends who have called and sent emails checking on us. And very thankful for all of your prayers. We aren't in the hospital, no tragedy has come upon us. And, we are thankful to the Lord for that. We are just sick, but we feel LOVED.

still packing a punch

The end of last week packed a punch on our family, and it's still punching! Charlie began last week with a fever and terrible cough, which turned out to be an ear and sinus infection. By midweek, Chad left town and I came down with the chills, extreme fatigue and fever--all leading to a pretty miserable sinus infection this weekend and now I have no voice. In desperate need of some Mucinex, my major friend during sinus infections, I dug through our medicine drawer. Oh. my. goodness. Apparently we hadn't done that in a while. I was in such shock that I took a picture of what I found to discard.

Want to know what's left in our drawer? Tylenol, Q-tips and Hydrogen Peroxide, and plenty of the last two if you need some. It was crazy how much we had in that drawer that had long been expired. Anyone know what you are supposed to do with old medicine? I'm a little ignorant when it comes to being green, but I've heard you aren't supposed to toss medicines. I'm just trying to be intentional, since that's my word of the year!

Anyway, Chad and Miles have now both come down with whatever upper respiratory infection Charlie and I have. Poor things. We are currently stocked with Vicks Vapo Rub for adults and babies and we are all really smelly! Sweet Lukey is the only one who hasn't come down with anything. . .yet. I know I should never write or say those things out loud, but I'm praying it won't work against me this time! He has his Pancakes and Pajama Day at school tomorrow and he is pumped! They are studying the letter P. Here's to Praying that our Pumpkin isn't feeling Puny on his Pancakes and PJ Day because we will surely have a big Pity Party if so! Stay healthy, Lukey!

healthiest foods

Around our house lately, Lukey has been obsessed with all things healthy. His mission: to become the fastest person in the whole world. Every food that crosses our table or his mind must be labeled and/or evaluated by its degree of healthiness. In fact, the other day he turned down a snack because it had sugar in it and replied "sugar isn't the healthiest thing for us Mommy!" Ummm, okay. That's my 5 year old telling his mommy that. Now before you go thinking he's the healthiest eater ever and that we've taken the fun out of his life by denying him sugar, we haven't. He knows all about moderation and just yesterday was begging us to eat lunch at a place with hotdogs---his still all time favorite food. The nutritional value of hotdogs have been fully disclosed to him, so his healthy habits kick in only on his own time-table.

I bring this up because I started perusing my new Real Simple magazine yesterday and there was a list of the 30 healthiest foods determined by dieticians and nutritionists across the country. Luke was thrilled to hear the list and we all sat around our den while I read aloud the list--we should have had a drum roll, but we didn't. Anyway, as I read the list, we came across many of our favorites. Blueberries, oranges, broccoli, avacados, almonds, spinach, kiwi, etc. BUT, there were several things on the list that we have never had or don't cook with. I'm wondering if you eat these. And, if you do, how? How do you prepare them or add them to your meals? Do your kids eat them? Here's the list that doesn't exist in our house. . .barley, quinoa, lentils, bulgur, kale, and chard. Sardines are also on the list, but even if you said you ate them, I just can't. So do tell me. . .!!

welcome snow!!

We just had our first snow of the new year and of course, we were beyond thrilled! I made it back from a weekend of wedding dress shopping with my mom and sister, and exited the airport to pouring down snow!!! As I walked inside to greet all of my boys, they were giddy (partly because I was home, but probably more for the snow)!! Daddy had already taken them outside to dance in the big flakes! He took this photo, which I thought was so cool--a reflection of our kitchen (with our Christmas cards still up) and the snow just starting to fall on the boys!

We ended up with between 3-4 inches of snow. Which was perfect! Just enough for Chad to stay and play a bit in the snow before eventually heading to work. A snow with beauty, just right for snowballs and snowmen, warm fires and snowcream! I told the boys about my mom (their Mimi) making my sister and me snow ice cream or "snowcream" when we were little girls. They thought that was the best idea ever, so we pulled out the vanilla, sugar, milk and then grabbed a big bowl full of snow! Our first attempt wasn't quite right---most definitely too much vanilla and not enough sugar or milk. Our second go around, with the right measurements was spot on and YUMMY! Brought back lots of fun memories for me as well!

Highlights of our first 2011 snow!

I love this pic of Luke--concentrating so hard on hitting a golf ball in the snow. I also love that this pic coloring is unedited--his lips and skin are that color!

Snow--we hope to see you again soon!

2011 word of the year

At the end of 2009, I decided to choose a word of the year for 2010. No resolutions. It was a new idea I picked up from someone--probably one of the blogs I read, but I don't know which one. You can read about my word for 2010 here. I remember starting to think about what word I would choose a couple of months ago. Nothing jumped out right away. However, over the past month or so, a word has really hit me and I keep coming back to it. So my word for this year, 2011, is . . .

intention

as in (according to dictionary.com)

in·ten·tion

1. an act or instance of determining mentally upon some action or result.

2. the end or object intended; purpose.

3. intentions,

a. purpose or attitude toward the effect of one's actions or conduct

I've found lately that I don't have as much time as I used to and I haven't been great at time management since Miles has been born. I'm planning to change that this year. It's not just about time management though. It's so much more. Chad and I want to live our lives for the Lord and raise our boys to do the same. We need to be intentional about doing so. I want to be thinking through decisions we make for our family. I want to know why we are doing this and that before we do it. I want the word intention and its meaning to be intermingled in everything we do this year. . .spending time with family and friends, budgeting, exercising, organizing, playing, living and most importantly growing in the Lord. I'm super excited to see what this year is going to bring and how I can live with intention! Anyone else choosing a word of the year?