One Year Ago...

We were getting ready to go to Florida for our first family vacation....

And I really, really, really...

Did I mention really really?

Want to go back!

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Just waiting for my million dollar check to come in the mail first....

Letters from Sickago (hahaha)

Hey Guys,

It's been a rough 6 days, as you can see... Please don't judge my hair, okay? This is what happens when you can't sleep too well 'cuz your nose is all stuffed up and you cough a lot. Your hair sticks straight up! Mommy called it "bedhead" or something like that...

My mommy says she saw a little spark of life come back into me today because I smiled at her a couple of times. I haven't felt like smiling much this past week. Or talking or playing. I've been feeling pretty bad.

I learned a secret though...

All I have to do is get sick, you know...red-rimmed, water eyes, tons of snot, nasty cough and cry a really pathetic cry and then my mommy will hold me lots and rock me and even let me take naps on her just like this....

I've got her ALL figured out! She's a softie, you see. I think I've got her and my daddy wrapped around my little finger. My brothers, too. I like this family! It seems like I was made for them:)

But boy has it been a rough week. I sure don't like this "sick" business. I was feeling fine one day and then BAM! the next day I was feelin' all cruddy and it just hasn't stopped.

Mommy says she hopes tomorrow I'll turn the corner and start feeling more like myself and then I can be all happy like in this picture. This was before I got sick. And maybe I'll feel like playing with my toys again and sitting in my "new" Bumbo seat that mommy's friend sent me.

Say a prayer for me to get better soon and for mommy NOT to get sick! It's a lot easier for her to take care of me and my brothers if she feels good.

Love,

Miss E

TGIF!

You know what they say: All sick and no play, makes the mommy a dull blogger!

Well..the saying goes something like that, anyways;)


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We are still in sickville over here. Poor, poor Eliana is just a snotty, juicy mess! She looks at you with these pathetic, watery, red-rimmed eyes and just cries. Purely to break your heart into a million pieces.



As a matter of fact, I'm kind of like Humpty Dumpty these days and wondering if I'll ever be put back together again! I glanced in the mirror as fast as I could yesterday only to be stopped in my tracks by the haggard face with circles under the eyes and flat hair staring back at me. Wow. Sleepless nights and 5 weeks of sick-kids does not agree with me!



Can we say spa treatments, massage and vacation anyone? Okay, okay, so I've only had 1 out of the 3 of those and I don't really know what a spa treatment or a massage feels like but still. It sounds soooo good right now.


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Zakkai is a million times better and holding strong, thankfully!!! He doesn't cough that much anymore and has plenty of energy to entertain us with his newest favorite words which include "Splendid," "Disgusting!", "Gross," "Wonderful," "Panic" and his very favorite of all "Ai, yai, yai!"



Ai, yai, yai is right! This kid is nuts!! But in a good way, of course:)


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And our morning started out a little crazy with the baby crying, Zakkai running after Samuel pretending to spray him while crying that he was a stinky skunk (long story!!) and Samuel kicking him in the face.



I didn't have one of my finest moments after that because I was pretty ticked off that he did that! I do not like to see my boys hurting each other!! And later when Samuel apologized and I talked to Zakkai about forgiveness, his response was, "Uh....I don't think I want to." Sigh. Obviously we still have some work to do.



But thankfully, all was peacefully settled by the time we dropped Samuel off. And now we are getting ready for homemade pizza and lazy family night!



TGIF!!

Where I start pulling out old pictures because I'm too tired to upload new ones...

Surely you can forgive me for no new pictures since my life is a little hectic always right now?

Yeah, that's right. My mommy's working overtime trying to take care of my little sis. Wus' up?

Um....have you checked to make sure all of your lightbulbs are working lately? Because, if not, I can come over and help you! :)

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Quick story: (although, it was probably much funnier when it happened and only to me....) I took Samuel to the laundromat the other day to get a few little prizes out of the quarter machine for both boys. Z brought his little dinosaur to school the other day to show his friends;)

That day I brought him a banana to eat after school since we were running to the store as soon as I picked him up. I strapped him in and saw him pulling his little dinosaur out of his bookbag as I got back in the car and started driving. I saw him looking at something and he said, "Hey! Where did you get this?"

Assuming he was talking about the dinosaur and just wanted to hear (again) where I got it, I said, "Remember I took Samuel to the laundromat the other day? We put the quarters in the machine, twisted the knob and it came out!!"

His eyes grew really big and he said incredulously, "A banana came out?!!" Only then did I realize that he'd been looking at the banana all along, probably wondering how his crazy mother gets bananas out of quarter machines! We both had a good laugh over that one:)

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My poor sweet baby is just feeling so yucky:( She is so congested and I cringe everytime I hear her cough. She cried a very sad, "I don't feel good. Please hold me" cry all day today. About 15 minutes before Ben got home this afternoon, she woke up crying from a nap and I bundled her in a soft blanket and walked around and around the living room, trying to comfort her because she felt so bad.

I had just gotten her settled enough to eat when Ben came home and do you know what she did? She looked up at him and smiled for the first time today! Little Stinker! The smiles didn't last long but they did prove something that we already know: She loves her daddy and he loves her!

I'm really hoping she feels better tomorrow and that she sleeps as well as she did last night! I was a little panicked this morning and jerked awake at 5:30am, realizing I hadn't heard a peep from her all night. I checked on her quickly and she stirred a little but quickly settled back into a good sleep til 7am! She really needed that rest.

And I did, too!!

Bummer

Hey there, Little Lady, did you miss the agreement that we made when you were born that you're never allowed to get sick? Don't you know it breaks your mama's (exhausted) heart?

Or is this your ploy to get even more kisses and hugs? If so, it's working!




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As you can sadly read, Miss Pink has joined ranks with her hacking brother and woke up suddenly this morning with a terrible cough and congestion. She sounds pretty bad:( Thankfully, Z already had a follow-up visit scheduled for this morning and the dr was kind enough to listen to her lungs to give me a little peace of mind.





We are under strict orders to keep a close eye on her and to bring her in immediately if she sounds anything like Z did this past week. I probably won't sleep a wink tonight!





Which is really sad, considering how tired I am:)




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In good news, Mr Z has an all-clear to stop taking his medicines because he sounds so much better!! He is NOT sad at saying farewell to his inhalers:) He also finally got to bring his birthday treat to school and get celebrated by his teachers and friends. He had quite a smile on his face today!




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And I had my first successful Craigslist sale today!! A lady and her husband came and bought ALL my baby boy clothes and outfitted their soon-to-be son for the first year and a half of life. Woo! It's a great feeling to let go of some things and clear out some space!





I just feel really bad that they got accosted by a crazy lady on their way out to their car......




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And continuing my thoughts on simplifying my life and getting rid of/organizing/and rearranging things (household and in my schedule!), I've realized it doesn't need to be huge changes to impact my life.





For example, I recently rearranged a few kitchen cabinets and moved dishes over the sink (which has cut down on my time when restocking clean dishes!) and moved my spice cabinet lower so I can actually reach them (I know...rocket science, right?). We also moved our kitchen table from the dining room into our kitchen which has been really great! I spend more time with the boys when preparing meals because they are right with me instead of in the other room and it makes for easier clean-up.





It's really simple things that can make a big difference. And now I find myself looking around thinking, "What can I rearrange or move or get rid of in here to make things more organized or to help me?" I am really excited about this new thought-train considering I may or may not have been labeled a pack rat before...





"My children might want to read this paper I wrote in 8th grade someday" or "Samuel drew that paper when he was 2 1/2 years old..." or "That was the very first outfit that he wore." Just being honest about the way I think!!





So, to remind myself and possibly to motivate you (in case you ever need motivation!), maybe I'll start adding some brief tips each week on simplifying your life as I figure out how to do it.





And if you already know how to do it and have your life all figured out....just smile and nod with me, okay?





Thanks:)