The Puddles

Ben and Daddy have gone to the church to work on some networking lines.  Ben needed some time with Dad.  Daddy is gone a lot in the last few years.  It hasn’t always able to take the kids with him while he does ministry.  He trying to do more.

So Daddy took Ben with him to lay some networking lines.  Please take note of the matching tool belts!  Ben was so excited that he was running up and down the driveway while Dad got his tools together.  Ben told me to get my camera because this “needed to have a picture taken” of him and Daddy with their tool belts.

I should mention that Ben did get Daddy time most of the day yesterday while he and I had a stomach bug.  I took care of myself and Daddy took care of Ben.  Daddy time having fun vs. Daddy time while vomiting is not the same.

People told us that we would never use our snow stuff again.  They were so WRONG!!!!

Of course, we only got to use them because the school brought in an ice truck and made snow out of shaved ice.  When I dropped Ainsley off at school I had left my camera at home or I would have taken a picture of the ice truck.  It would have made for a good chuckle!

The kids had so much fun.  Sledding down the hill was fairly foreign to most of them (including the mothers).  So it was great to see the joy on all of their faces.  We were the only one to bring our own sled with us!  So we dug out our snow boots (she still fit in hers from the last time we were in Nebraska), our snow pants (they were Madie’s.  That made her mad, but we gave all of the other ones away.), and all of our other snow stuff.  Ainsley was a little warm by the end because of all of the layers. But she was the only one who was able to take off her outer layer and still have dry clothes on underneath.  We threw everything into the sled because it was all covered in mud.  It was gross.  It was about 50 degrees outside and we were the last group of the day, so it was a lot of mud.  But it was still fun.  Ainsley wasn’t always fond of snow when she was little, but she really enjoyed it today.  And I had a really good time with her!

Daddy went to a conference this week and there was much sadness.  Ainsley just needed her Daddy.  A few minutes of Daddy time and she was happy again!

We even convinced Ben to get in on the Barbie play.  Of course, Barbie suddenly gained some super powers and did you know that the Barbie car transforms into an airplane?  Is does when Ben plays!

Scooters are favorites around here.  The kids and the neighbors all love to ride.  Up the street. Down the street.  “Watch this trick!” “Watch, Ms. Katherine!” “Watch me.”  I am so glad that they love to be outside and just be kids.

Get a load of all of the kids at the children’s sermon on Sunday.  Our three love to show off (but not to share) their Daddy each Sunday.

This has been a long week.  You would think coming off a four day weekend that we would be rejuvenated and ready for the week ahead.  By Friday, we were all exhausted.  I could barely stay awake today, so Chris “forced” me (saying it that way makes me feel less guilty) to go take a nap.  Sick kids. Sick mom. Kids who don’t want to go school.  Kids who want to go to school but can’t.  A mom and dad who are really busy. And on and on.

We weaned Ben off of one of blood pressure medicines last weekend.  By Thursday the school nurse calls me to say that she took Ben’s blood pressure twice, an hour apart, and it was way up again.  So I drove up to school and gave him his second blood pressure medicine again.  That is frustrating.  We really want Ben to be off all of his heart meds, and so does his doctor.  We just can’t seem to figure out how to do it, and why Ben’s heart is not cooperating.  It just adds to the stress of the week.

All of the children seem unhappy at school this week.  Emails had to be sent to teachers.  “Is everything ok at school?”  They all said the same thing.  The classes in general are being naughty.  It has been a rough week on everyone.  My poor children are just part of a larger problem.  Ben had a hard day in school with some work.  Ainsley talked at lunch one day.  Madie’s class had library privileges taken away.  Bad week.  Must be the weather.

Chris is going out of town this week to a theological conference.  I will be glad when he gets back.  Doing everything on your own isn’t terrible, but I am usually tired by the end of the week.  It is just hard not to have anyone to vent too.  You can’t have those conversations like . . .

“Ainsley is driving me crazy.”

“Bathing suit issues?”

“Yes.”

“Will you please . . . ”

“I’ll talk to her.”   (Ainsley desperately wants to go swimming in the backyard.  Everyday she asks me to blow up the pool, so she can swim. In anticipation of the event, she is putting her bathing suit on and wearing it every where.  It’s January!)  I’ll just have to wait until he gets back.

This week will be different.  I am ready.  I have taken a nap. And I have made a promise to go to bed before midnight every night this week.  We’ll see if that helps.

Madie and Sonijah ready to go to the party!

Madie had her first sleep over last night.  We only got one tearful call at 10:30pm.  Chris and I got her to stop crying.  Christ got her talking about something else and soon she forgot that she was sad and was ready to finish out the night.  She called us this morning and even asked to stay an extra hour.  It was a good night.

The washing machine (the new one) quit working yesterday.  And of course, it quit working with a load full of wet towels in it.  That was truly fun to get out!  Chris had wanted to clean out the garage and had pulled everything out into the driveway in order to get it done.  Only to be called back into the house in order to fix the washing machine.  After reading the error code (thank goodness for that), Chris went to work.  I am so thankful that I have a husband who is willing to try and fix things.  He spent most of the day yesterday working to get my machine back and running.  And thank goodness he did!!

Turns out it was two nails that had become stuck in the water pump.  He removed the two nails, uprighted the machine, and today I am doing laundry.    I had to blur out the part of the picture that showed all of the yucky stuff that was underneath the washing machine.  Gross.  We did clean the floor before we put the machine back.

Thank you Chris!!!

Rosie used the overturned washing machine to finally make it to the top of the deep freezer.