Sadie's opinion on sleeping and "The Happy Guy Game"

Everyone has been taking turns being sick. Thankfully there has been no vomit or "other" but Darren's fevers caused a lot of dizziness and a couple seizures. Carrie is the one in bed today. I was feeling a little wiped yesterday too so decided to go to bed around 6 pm. I never do this but it was the best idea in the world. We've had Darren sleeping on the floor of our room for the past couple nights because of seizures and Sadie always seems to sneak in with us as well, so at one point in the night I woke up and heard the sound of my own tired sigh, Darren's sick sounding breathing, Sadie's soft yawn and Curt's deep snore. It was a symphony of blissful sleeping. Suddenly, in her sleep, Sadie started whining. "This is BOooooRING!" It struck me so funny. Needless to say, our days have been a little slower than usual. This morning, when i asked Sadie if she wanted to use the old egg carton to make a craft, Darren offered to help her make a game. A roll of the dice and the little drawn men move forward that many spaces in the egg carton. When your man reaches 30, you win. Sadie was thrilled. She named it "The Happy Guy Game".

Baby Board Books

I am a little bit of a sucker for baby board books and recently discovered a new favourite so I'm putting my plug out there. Every one of my kids are in love with this series by Leslie Patricelli. (Even the ones in grade 5 and 6) They are hilarious. Mostly because they are so true to life. They picture baby doing/eating/discovering various truths about life. "Burgers are Yummy...Boogers are yucky." We found ours at the local Walmart and now my eye will be peeled wherever I go. I noticed that there are more listed in the series. Anyways, these would make a great shower gift for a new mom...or for yourself if you have a thing for kids books like I do. :0)

The oldest student in my homeschool

This morning I did something that I am terrified of--city driving. :P Sadie had an appointment with her endocrinologist and I didn't really want to truck in there with 6 kids and my chauffeuring husband again. We take up all the waiting room not to mention the appointment room. Curt offered to stay home with the kids and run "school" while I drove in. The last time I thought i was going to have to drive in alone a friend suddenly offered to come along for the ride. (Thanks Laurianne!) Today I had to "grow up" and learn how to maneuver traffic circles and underground parking by myself. I am 34 after all and i guess it's about time. I printed off directions from Google maps and held my breath the whole way...except when i was praying that I wouldn't get lost. Halfway into the city i thought i had missed a turn and started to pray out loud. "Please Jesus, help me find my way there!" Around the next traffic circle i saw a building that i recognized and shouted out "Thank you Jesus!" Sadie, so excited in the back seat hoots "Did Jesus help us to not get lost!!???...YAY!!" After we waited in line for enough vehicles to exit the full underground parking lot, I thought we may have difficulty finding a parking space inside but a large truck pulled out of a slot after only one "circling" and Sadie announced "Jesus got us a parking spot too!" haa!! The appointment went well and we headed home. Curt had gotten everyone through math and science and the little ones through LA, and had cleaned our room to boot! (He should do this more often) I thought i would send the older kids off to practice fiddle, Wes for a nap and spend time with the little 3. We read 3 books about honey bees and then i decided we would make candles with the beeswax block i had been keeping in the freezer for a time such as this. Well, by the time the wax was melted, i had lost my audience and there I stood...alone... dipping candles. Sometimes I feel like the oldest student in my homeschool. I quit after 3 dips and decided to try again tomorrow now that the candles were all started. Someone is going to have fun whether they like it or not!!

Who wants to lick off the beaters?

While studying Australia, we found a dessert recipe called Lamingtons that we thought we would try out. It was an eggy white cake, cut up into tiny squares, drizzled with runny chocolate sauce and rolled in coconut. I'm sorry, but anything drizzled in chocolate and kissed with coconut makes me dizzy. YUMM. As we were drizzling chocolate on the forked squares, Sadie accidentally drizzled chocolate all over her dress and leg. She cheerfully yelled out, "Who wants to lick off my leeeegs!!!"

Nothing good happens after midnight.

o.k, o.k....i know it's midnight and I've learned over the years that my mother was right. "Nothing good happens after midnight." These are the hours that my worries drag me out of bed. Why did we have to watch that stupid episode of "Little House on the Prairies" on the way to x-country this afternoon? Curt and I sat in the front of the suburban and listened to the soundtrack of the episode the kids were watching in the back. The one where Mary is kicked by the horse, gets an infection and has to go to the big city hospital for surgery. I've seen it before...I know it ends in blindness. I crawled into bed tonight and layed on something soft. It was "Blaash", Sadie's plushy lamb her uncle Neil gave her when she was in the hospital. Whenever i bury my nose in it's softness, i smell my sweet Sadie. I keep trying to forget that she has to go back. I just want to believe that she's all better. We have a synthetic hormone that's working for her....
Can't we just leave things the way they are?
Do they really have to look for a tumor?
I'm afraid.
I'm learning that I'm not a good fighter... Maybe we all feel that way though sometimes?...I hope it's not just me.
"So much pain to avoid, so little time."
God, I need your strength, your wisdom, your heart for this leg of the journey. I need you.