To say this has been a tough past 2 weeks is just being truthful. Not getting much sleep, taking care of the kids while they took turns throwing up (Samuel got sick again Saturday night, which I think was dehydration related), trying to keep up with school and therapy appointments, took a toll on me. I'm thankful for my mom and dad taking the little kids for a few days to let me sleep through the night, get some things done, and relax a bit.

It was odd not having 2 little ones around. We keep missing them and the silly things they would say and do at certain times. However, it was a lot quieter, there were a lot less interruptions, and we got some projects done in our school room we probably couldn't have. We put down the carpet moved in the desks, put up our big world map, brought in a book shelf, and planned what we'll do next. It really gave them a boost in looking forward to doing school. They're so excited to have their space and to see how quickly we could finish IF we stay focused. Hoping this will last...

We were gone a long time today, which would've been rough on C&H, so it was good they could rest at grandma's house. When we came home, we found little Frenzy not breathing. We'd noticed that he didn't look very good, wasn't eating very much, color wasn't so good, and just not much activity for the past -maybe week. Honestly, I think we didn't notice too much while everyone was sick. So, today was pretty sad for Samuel. He found Frenzy on a scouting trip in September and kept him alive so much longer than we thought he would. We did the appropriate burial, with last words, putting the dirt back on him, the marker and rocks. According to samuel it was the worst thing that's happened. Thankfully, the tears didn't last too long, and he was quickly on to what kind of lizzard he was going to get next. I think this was our first pet death. Wish we knew what happened to pets after they died. I'd like to be able to tell them we'd see them in heaven. We will know one day, and I guess for now we don't need to know for sure.

Looking forward to a great week. Hope yours is blessed!

It's time to head to the accountant's! I'm looking forward to having this year's tax season be done! It's always so fun gathering self employment taxes together. I do believe I did a bit better throughout the year to make it smoother at the end. Of particular interest is getting our credit for the adoption, which will allow us to actually pay it off.
After the fun is over, we're heading to my parents for dinner, complete with a dessert, I'm told. Tomorrow will be lots of fun with dance, Awana games, and Blue and Gold banquet, the decorations for which I haven't finished. Hoping to make it to the Shriner's Circus on Sunday. Still recovering from round 2 of the yuck, but doing much better. I'm thankful I've been able to stay healthy through it. PTL!

This past week has been rough! We went for our quick overnighter to Branson, came back to quickly take care of things and get ready for our CC day. Then, Monday night, Catherine came out and told me she wasn't feeling well. Not too long after that, she started throwing up. Sadly, I was so tired, and she was so quiet, that I only woke with her a few times to help her out. The next day, she was a little slow, but doing better.

That evening, Caleb got up on the couter and into our, thankfully, pretty empty cabinet where we keep vitamins and medicine. He got into my folic acid, taking an unknown amount. Quick call to the poison control center, whose number I at first, sadly had incorrectly and got a very bad place. No harm, give him water and he may have a tummy ache. He was fine. The next night he woke up crying from his legs hurting him terribly. Everything was fine the next day.

Then on Friday night, Samuel starting throwing up just as I was going to bed. He, unlike C, was not so quiet about his need to have me right there with him everytime! Finally, he was done, and Caleb started in. All night long was one then the other. Both boys were perky the next day. I did wonder at first about Samuel being sick because he ate a huge meal, then ran all over the place and jumped on the trampoline. However, when C started, I knew it was some bug. Hannah seemed just fine, and I was quite relieved.
There is a lot on my plate right now including getting taxes together, getting ready for Samuel's Blue and Gold Banquet for Scouts, which meant he had to finish up all his requirements for his 20th badge. We went to a pool and completed his swimming test on Sunday, while the others got in the pool and played, too. Hannah got a little water in her face, but did ok.

We were all ready for bed when it was time. However, shortly after I went to bed, in comes C informing me H was throwing up. Shoot! We didn't dodge it with her. Mom to the rescue! We had CC yesterday, and with me tutoring and 3 kids well, I needed to go. Mom stayed with her while we went to school. I ended up taking C home so he could nap as well. Bless her, she stayed while I took a nap.

Today, everyone is back to normal, as evidenced by the noise level and the amount of bickering going on. I should count that as a good thing? If only I could feel caught up on my sleep!

Dad brought a big cabinet with shelves, so we can start our reorganization! School stuff in the school room, house stuff in the house. However, we have to wait until we get home from therapy and errands to really get into it. Looking forward seeing what progress we can make.

One of the great benefits of wrist braces? You have a straight wrist with which to guide your fingers into that all important orifice- your nostril! Oh, dear! Now I have 2 who have an affection for this special spot!

We're having so much fun with this warmer weather! Not that we didn't enjoy the snow and all, but it's nice to wear a t-shirt and have a snow ball fight. The snow is almost completely gone and our back yard is a mud pit in some areas, which is just fine with a certain 3 year old boy! He has been busy making tea for us, using whatever he can find to stir the snow into the muddy water. I seem to be missing several wooden spoons, but the stalk of a sunflower works, too.
Today we had races and games of tag in the back yard. Hannah doesn't quite understand the whole game idea, but she did run around some. At first she wasn't happy about going outside and cried when told to get her shoes so she could go outside, but after some convincing, she had a great time. Both she and Caleb came in with a lot of mud on them. Sadly, so does my carpet. The door was open for a good chunk of time and the requests for taking off shoes was a little too much. We ended up taking a walk and having a late-for-us dinner, since it was so fun to be outside.
We are doing a fun Bible curriculum that has object lessons along with it. I'm not much of an object lesson kind of person because it takes me out of my routine, which I happen to like! Anyway, they've been pretty fun. One day we all had parts to read in a play. Today we make cupcakes with a piece of chocolate hidden in the middle. The point was that by following directions/God's plan for us we would be able to enjoy the good things He has for us, but if we don't follow, it just won't turn out right. We all enjoyed this quite a bit. I thank God He loves us enough to speak just the right way so we can follow Him. Step by step, it'll get clearer and clearer.
Since we have friends helping us on our project, it's coming as the weekends come around. We do have the padding down, and await the carpet install, which should happen this weekend! Then we can begin moving things out, which will help us know what we need to reorganize in the rest of the house. Looking forward to that.
I've also had to get serious about doing our taxes. Part of it is done, but the tedious part is left. Having a busines of your own has benefits, but this time of year, it's not as evident. Soon it will all be over. Which means I have to stop watching Food Network! Sadly, and I knew it would, having u-verse for a trial messes up my evenings! I should be accomplishing things and end up wanting to see what the next great creation is, or who is sent home. Terrible. Self control has started to kick in, and we've started watching an episode of Little House on the Prairie before bed. Brings back some good memories of our black and white t.v. that only got 1 channel, with our very limited amount of viewing each day. Didn't hurt me a bit! Ok, off to accomplish some more tax work...

Great news! After having the heater on and blowing under the washer all night, I was able to run a small load with no leaks! Now, to get all the laundry done...

Baby, it was cold outside! This morning when I took S&C to the dentist, and H to therapy, my car thermometer read 2*! Haven't seen anything like that for quite a while, which hasn't bothered me in the least! We have our first required filling. Interesting to note when molars are formed, they don't always join properly, leaving a tiny hole for bacteria to camp out in. That was the issue with S. He's pretty disappointed. At least it'll be white.

We're planning a quick trip to Branson for a special service at the church we attend when we're there. To help smooth things out, I started laundry today. Great idea, except the washer had some funking display when I tried to run it. I followed the directions in the handbook and made sure there was nothing kinked, and all the hoses were in place. I started it again and went off to do more school with the kids. When I went into the kitchen, I noticed some water on the floor in the laundry area! Oh, dear, it went into the garage, into a storage closet, and was under the washer. I called a friend who lives close by to help, but he wasn't available. On I went with my day. Nothing I could do about it. Not long after that, here comes my friend's wife to help me out. Funny thing was, we couldn't find a flashlight that A) had batteries, or B) had all its parts, or C) worked when you cranked it. We needed to look under the thing we made to raise the w & d and give us storage. We ended up using Samuel's Lego key chain! (Guess what's on my list for my next Walmart run?) No solution has been reached today, but when I talked to my dad, he thought it was a frozen place in the pipes that drain the washer. Who knew that that "leave faucets dripping" sign was for houses and not just for apartments? I know now. Thankfully, we hadn't put the carpet down in our school room, which is on the other side of the wall from the washer. Plumbing first, then carpet.

For dinner, after all this snow and cold and being stuck inside, I decided to make a soup out of left over veggies we'd surely end up wasting. At first I could hear the turned up noses in their voices when they saw it. However, not too many bites later, Samuel jumped up and got a recipe card so I could write it down. I must say it was pretty tasty. It was left overs, so there were no amounts measures, just pieces used. Potatoes, celery, carrots, onions, tomatoes, yellow pepper, and brown rice. I used a vegetarian bouillion cube and some salt and pepper for seasoning. Cooked it for about an hour, and served it with flakey wheat biscuits. Sadly, in Catherine's rush to help me out cleaning the kitchen, the lid on the container didn't quite get closed, and a large part of our soup ended up on the counter. We still have some left, and I'm sure it'll be better tomorrow.

Looking forward to some warmer weather next week!