Dude, we don't look 18 years older--do we??!

Just discovered all the pictures from Adam's camera.  Yikes, we take a lot of pictures!  Here's one I just had to share: Mik, Soley, and me.  We've been best friends since Freshman Year at LC (18 years ago!!!) and are still going strong.  I love you both so much!!!!

(and I knit the sweater I'm wearing: the Tangled Yoke Cardigan from the Fall Interweave Knits)

Happy Cousins

One of the best things that has happened to me in the past fifteen years was reconnecting with my half-sister again.  And it has only gotten better since we now have motherhood in common instead of just a shitty dad.  While in Colorado, we only got to spend two days with Jara and her family, but we had a wonderful time--and the girls all loved playing together.  Now we just need to see each other more often!! 

Thanks, Jara and Soley, for a great time visiting with both of your families!  We all had a wonderful time.  I'll upload your pics soon--I promise.  And, thanks, Mik, so much for flying out to CO to see us.  It's always, always, always fantastic to spend time with you!  I love you all so, so much.  

Daddy Love

Not only is Adam a lot of fun, he's also a really good sport.  The girls and I miss you and can't wait for you to come home!

Catch Up

I've had lots of pictures to post from our wonderful trip to Colorado a couple of weeks ago...  I've finally started putting some on here, and will continue either tonight or tomorrow, so keep checking back!

Thanks to everyone who left kind words on my blog.  My friend continues to be amazingly strong.  The funeral is tomorrow.  I've been able to help very little, since she is flooded with family and church help.  I'm preparing to fill in whenever she needs me.  Right now, we're taking over breakfast goodies and peanut butter cookies (since her church has completely covered dinners for now) for them to find when they get back from tonight's viewing.  I only wish I could do more.  

Adam comes home in two days.  We're all very excited to have him back home.  He's been gone since last Monday to NYC, Connecticut, and now Baltimore for two conferences, etc., etc...  I feel so, so lucky to have a husband to look forward to having back home with us, believe me.  

Confetti Eggs!

(per Soley's request: hee hee.  Sorry, I can't figure out how to move this picture to the bottom...)

Every year, my mom makes confetti eggs for us, which the girls enjoy more each year.  This year, we brought them to Colorado to enjoy with Soley's boys.  It was a hoot.  Thanks, Oma!

Dress-Up at the Belts

Okay, so we learned that playing dress-up with boys is MUCH different than with girls...

Although initially a little jarring to see my little ladies (ha!) stabbing their daddy with swords and breathing like Darth Vader (never really did get used to that one), it was kind of a refreshing change from princess play and "Sarah and Emily" that the girls play together constantly (apparently the names I should have chosen for them).  The girls had a blast, and really, who could blame them?  Those boys have quite an impressive assortment of knight, viking, super hero and warrior garb.  You are amazing, Soley!

no title; no words

A very dear friend of mine here just lost her husband last night;  one of Anna's closest friends lost her father.  He was diagnosed with lymphoma three weeks ago, had surgery, started chemo, it seemed to be going well, was feeling bad last night, an hour later he stopped breathing.  I'm without words.  So, so tragic.  They were close family friends.  We would occasionally take care of one another's kids in order to go out on dates with our hubbies or just to be able to sanely run some errands.  I love these kids; I love my friend; I love her husband.  He was a good, good man, and a wonderful husband and father.  I cannot believe he is gone.  How does a family survive that, missing such an important member?  It makes my heart ache for them: these two girls and their mother.  It could just have easily happened to me and my girls.  I continue to weep for them.  And I'm just the friend.  A friend who doesn't really know what to do or say or how to help.  The only thing I can think of is to please, please erase the past 18 hours, but I can't do that.  

Even though most of you don't know them, please pray for my friend and her girls.

Oof

Just checking in.  I know it's been a while...  Things here are busy--but good.  Grace is completely better; Anna is doing great; we just got back from a fantastic trip to Colorado to visit family and friends; Adam is now gone for almost two weeks.  

We're all well.  I will write more.  Tomorrow.  

On the Up and Up

Wow.  I just have to send my youngest child into surgery and I get FOUR comments on my blog...  Although I loved getting all the comments (it always makes me feel good!), I still have to say it wasn't enough to cause me to get munchausen syndrome or anything (in case you were worried).  I'll just have to think of other ways to get more comments...  Hmmm.

This has been quite a week--one I wouldn't want to replicate again.  And it has made me very, very grateful to have such healthy children and really a very blessed life.  Because even as hard as some points of this week have been, I know it's NOTHING compared to what many people live every single day.  And, I am so lucky to know this is temporary, Grace is getting better, and will be better than new when she's all healed.  

With that said, Grace had a tough run for the first three days.  Once we stopped the tylenol with codeine, she totally turned a corner and started doing much, much better.  Who knew she'd feel better only being on tylenol??  After looking at her throat, I can confidently say I would still be in a lot of pain, but Grace is eating, playing, and is in pretty good spirits.  Kids are amazing.  The codeine was making her very nauseous, so she wasn't eating a lot and then throwing up, but had hardly anything in her stomach.  This made her really lethargic and just pretty miserable.  All Grace wanted to do was have me read Junie B. Jones: we read eight books in 2 1/2 days (and now 12 since her surgery!).  I have felt a bit like I have a newborn again, but instead of nursing, I'm reading.  Both I enjoy, but both are exhausting in excess nonetheless.  As you can see, Anna has done her best to make Grace feel better:

In the last couple of days, Grace has even been up coloring and watching movies (which feels like sweet relief, I have to admit).  She still rests quite a bit, stays in her jammies all day, and refuses to brush her hair, but if there is any time to indulge her it is now, I figure.  She is officially sick of sugar, too, preferring to eat green beans, macaroni and cheese, and soup.

Also news in our home is that the Girl Scout Cookies came Monday!  Picking up the troop's 143 cases at the Baptist church down the hill was quite a trip.  Our troop's cookies filled my Pilot to the ceiling and another mom's Expedition to the ceiling.  I'm just glad they all didn't have to come here....  There just isn't room AT ALL!  I must say, I'm proud of our girls and how much they sold, but I am glad they didn't sell anymore this year... One troop had 860 cases.  Dude.  That's a lot of cookies.   Here is Anna's haul:
Good job, Anna!