Stomach Bug

Our first attempt at painting the salt dough ornaments failed. Sadly, three of my four kiddos were stricken with the stomach at the same time. Abigail had Speech Therapy this morning and literally as soon as I walked in the door from dropping her off, Mrs. Tara called to tell me that Abigail had thrown up. Poor Mrs. Tara! Luckily she is the only one that vomited and it was only once, but MG and J both had potty issues and tummy aches all day. Abbz feel asleep on the floor at about 4:45 this afternoon and woke up for about 20 minutes before she asked to get into bed. I swear that sweet girl falls asleep somewhere on the floor when she doesn't feel well.

Tomorrow is my baby boy's first birthday so I am praying everyone will wake up feeling back to normal. I have had a terrible headache for two days now and still have a birthday cake to make...that may have to wait till morning.

On a happy note, Mandy saw my Facebook status stating my need for chocolate and she delivered. I love having a friend so close that she can swing by just to bring me chocolate without being asked because she loves me. Thanks Mandy, you have no idea how badly I needed that! Sometimes it's the small things in life that help you make through a day with 3 sick kids and a hubby working the night shift. Oh and as far as the ornaments go, next week is the new plan for painting.

Wednesdays

Today has been a long day. Not a bad day, just a long one. I made, cut out, and dried the salt dough ornaments. Now all we need are 5 little girls and 1 almost one year old little boy to paint them!
Speaking of that one year little boy; I CANNOT believe my baby will be one in 2 more days! It makes me sad.

I took Mary Grace and Hannah to church for choir rehearsal and a pizza party for all of their hard work preparing for their Christmas performance. If you are in Northwest Arkansas and need something to do on Sunday morning, Cross Church (formerly First Baptist Church Springdale) is having their Christmas Program; it starts at 9:15.

Wednesday's are always hectic. Especially since we live 25 minutes from the church. We scramble to get the on time and then we rush to get home so the kids are up too late on a school night. Although it's chaotic at times it's worth it. Our kids always love going to church which makes this momma happy. Okay I'm exhausted so I'm callin it a night.

Finish Well

Yes. It has been a ridiculously long time since I have blogged, but honestly I haven't been in the mood. Until now. Pastor challenged us to "Finish Well" on Sunday. What does that mean? It means between now and the beginning of the new year, we should strive to finish well in all that we do. Finish well personally, relationally, professionally, and spiritually. We cannot start well if we do not finish well. I intend on doing just that. I am going to follow through with the salt dough ornaments that we have been talking about doing. To ensure it gets accomplished, Mandy is bringing the girls over after therapy on Thursday so that all of the kids can participate. I'm so excited. I have wanted to start this tradition the past few years but haven't done it yet. Let this be the first of many ornaments to come. For the next 24 days, I am going to ask God to give me a life verse, complete what seems like an impossible God-sized task in me, and give me new direction over the 2011 year. I also intend on doing my everyday wife and motherly duties to the best of my ability. I am finishing 2010 well so that I am able to begin 2011 on the right path.

Shifting gears a little. Alex and Emma came over for a little while yesterday while Mandy was taking care of things with her mom. I just love those girls! It is so much fun watching Alex, Emma, and Abigail play and interact. Half the time no one, not even Mandy or I, can understand them; but I promise you they know what each other is talking about. They crack each other up which in turn makes me laugh...good times! Other smiles to share...feeding time was at 1 so this is how it went: Alex. Check. Emma. Check. Abigail. Check. Jonathan. Check. Me. Check. It was hilarious! Every time I fed one another was hungry, including myself. At least they were kind enough the patiently wait for the one before them to finish eating before the next one voiced their need to eat. I love it!!! :) Thanks Mandy for entrusting me with your little ladies.

Now I am getting ready to head to the store to get salt for our salt dough ornaments. I'm making the ornaments tonight so they will be ready to paint on Thursday. I can't wait! I hope you are all having a blessed day, and remember to finish well.

Hannah

Hannah's teacher sent home a note asking parents to write a little note describing their child. Here is my Hannah girl in a nutshell...

If I had to sum Hannah up in one sentence; she is my sunshine! Her smile lights up any room and her giggle is contagious. She is a ball of energy, but her warmth and compassion tame that energy. She is incredibly creative and dreams of becoming an artist someday. She thrives in environments that are creative yet disciplined.

Hannah likes playing with her sisters and brother, and she is a daddy's girl through in through. Her greatest like would have to be panda bears; real or stuffed it doesn't matter, she likes them all! She also likes helping others; even it is as simple as holding the door open for them.

Dislikes. It's funny because the only thing I can think of is chili and embarrassment. The girl does not like chili. She also does not like it at all when she gets embarrassed. She wears her heart on her sleeve so hurtful words and actions bring and extra sting. I hope this brings some insight into who Hannah is. She cannot wait for this year to begin, and her daddy and I are excited to see her grow throughout this first grade year.

Daddy and Mommy love you very much Hannah!

Thursday-Ross' Scope & Abbz' Results

So this morning started out early again. Ross had to be at the office by 6:45 am for his scope. When he came back to recovery they allowed me to sit with him, and I noticed a nurse talking sort of secretively to another nurse and I suspected it was about Ross. It turns out my suspicion was correct. Apparently Ross put up quite the fight this go around. He kept trying to pull the scope out. Dr. K's exact words were, "He's a strong guy. I thought we weren't going to get it done today." He also suggested that next time we might want to scope him at the hospital so they can put him under general anesthesia. Lovely husband, just lovely. There is nothing quite like apologizing for someone who has no remembrance of their actions. Other than them having to give him a hearty dose of several sedatives he did great. He slept most of the day while Blair and I went to the mall and other stores with the girls.
The good news for the day....
Abigail PASSED her scope!!! She gets to eat grapes SAFELY!!! YEAH!!! :)

Wednesday-The Creation Museum

Today was a great day. My mom surprised us by calling the Creation Museum and told them our story to see if they would be willing to give us discounted tickets to visit the museum while we were between doctor appointments. They did even better. They blessed us more then We could have ever imagined; they gave us free guest passes for the day to the museum and planetarium. Thank you, Jessie, for this unbelievable experience! It was wonderful to not only explain but also to show the girls how the world as we know it was created; how the flood explains things such as the making of the Grand Canyon to the extinction of dinosaurs, and much more. It was very interesting and I am humbled by the fact that we had this experience so that when my children are taught evolution in school I will have educated answers that support Creation. I think the exhibit I liked the most was the one that showed a child playing next to a dinosaur...pre-flood obviously.
So tonight was date night! Ross and I were able to enjoy dinner out together while Blair stayed at the hotel with all of the kids; yes even Jonathan. It was wonderful to spend a little quality alone time with each other for a few hours. Especially with Ross' scope tomorrow.

Orthopedist and Water Park

Waffles for breakfast again then off to some stores before Abigail sees the Orthopedist. We went to big Dick's and found MG a pair of tennis shoes for school that were too good of a deal to pass up. I should probably explain...there is a big Dick's and a little Dick's Sporting Good's in Cincinnati and Ross just can't contain himself. Plus the big one is nicer. As he would say, "Size does matter." Enough of the off-color humor :).
We left Dick's and headed to see Dr. Wall about Abigail's legs. We were there for about two hours and literally 5 minutes was with the doctor, the rest of the time was spent waiting. The doctor was great though. He said that all we can do is wait and see how she does. Bracing will not help. Her legs will either correct on their own or she will need surgical intervention. The important thing he told us was that her legs will likely get worse before they get better. They should be at their worst at age 5, which is when he would like to see her again. Done with doctors for today so bring on the fun!
Kristen was so kind to ask her sister if she could get us tickets to the CoCo Key Indoor Waterpark which she was able to do. We had ALOT of fun!! Thank you so much Kristen and Carrie. Words cannot express our gratitude! It was such a blast watching and playing with the kids in the water and on the water slides. It was very age appropriate for each of the kids and us grown ups had fun too. Ross and I each road with one of the big girls on the big slides while Blair watched the little ones and then we all switched. Abbz had the best time just playing in the kiddie pool under the mushroom waterfall. After swimming for about three hours we went to Chili's for dinner and then back to the hotel to pass out from pure exhaustion.