You Know Your Children Are Getting Sick When...

You know that your children are getting sick again when they ask to put on their pajamas at 5 PM and it isn't because they are playing some sort of dress up game. Unfortunately, they are complaining of stomach pains.... I think I prefer the fever variety of bug to the vomit/runs type bug... but then again, I don't think I prefer any kind of bug. I am tired. Very tired!

Let's hope the kids are just tired... not sick..... I can always hope, right?!

More pictures..... More snow!

Nathan Where did my LITTLE girl go?

Andrew loves his snow fort!

He doesn't love his picture being taken! (In case you haven't noticed that recurring theme throughout this blog!) Alex

Nathan adores his siblings

Finally a warm enough day to melt the snow on our driveway. Elizabeth has been enjoying riding her scooter. Nathan wants to be just like his sister, or course. Hey, where did you go?

Playing some sort of chase game.

Now don't run into the street!

Let's go see my fort.

Andrew didn't want to be overshadowed... he had to invite Nathan to "visit" his fort as well.

Nathan kept trying to walk on the ice, but kept falling. Andrew ended up carrying him back and forth to the fort, complaining about how heavy Nathan is... and falling quite a few times himself.

More Snow

Just sharing more pictures of the fun the kids have been having in the snow. Elizabeth, Andrew and Alex built a snowman with Meme the other day.... the first of the season.

I had fun playing with the camera and taking pictures of the sun.

The kids thought it pretty fun to try to slide around on top of the ice/snow without making it crack.Meme and the kids all managed to fit inside of Alex's fort. Daddy helped each of the kids dig their own fort/hole last weekend. It has made for hours of fun.

Alex "talking" with the snowman!

Snow

We've had a fair bit of snow and COLD weather this Winter. I can tell that I am getting older. I don't like it so much. My toes get cold, and I grumble about having to shovel the driveway. I worry about sliding off the road in the ice.

Our kids... that's a completely different story. They LOVE the snow and ice. They love days off from school, building forts, snowball fights, digging tunnels. They don't feel the cold. Their smiles and laughter are delightful. I ought to take lessons from them.

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Hutch and I decided to try our hand at poetry last night when we were making valentines for the kids. Thought I'd share our "handiwork".... It's definitely not award winning poetry, but the kids enjoyed it.

NATHAN

There once was a boy who was one
He laughs much and is lots of fun
He doesn’t quite talk
But he sure can walk
Some day soon he will start to run

He loves hot dogs and also the bun
His smile wins over every one
He loves his bottle
And can’t wait to cuddle
Our hearts he has completely won


ELIZABETH

There once was a girl who liked art
Who also had a loveable heart
She soon will be eight
We all think she’s great
She’s also incredibly smart


ALEX

There once was a boy who loved bread
He asks for it even in bed
He greatly loves birds
But can’t stand their turds
Bright flowers will do in their stead


ANDREW

There once was a boy who climbed trees
He ate peanut butter and green peas
He plays in his fort
And tries not to snort
He works very hard not to displease.

In case anyone wonders about the peanut butter and peas, Andrew has eaten that a couple of times at supper. He's not very fond of peas, but says he can handle them better when mixed with peanut butter. Whatever floats his boat! He's still eating his vegetables, right?!

De Je Vu

Last year at this time our family was hit hard by the flu. My mom was visiting and was sick. Both older boys ended up in the hospital due to dehydration.

This year God has been gracious. We've got sick kids, but not quite like last year. Andrew got the flu and had a 104/105 temp for several days, but managed to keep hydrated. Nathan got the bug last Friday and got quite sick really quickly. He had a high fever (over 105 with meds) and he had a hard time breathing.... we took a trip to the ER, and after steroids, blood work, x-rays, and nebulizer treatments, got to come home. Nathan's heart rate remained up over 200 for 24 hours, but thankfully that resolved on it's own. Alex now has a cold, but none of the high fevers that his siblings had. We're counting our blessings that Elizabeth, Hutch and I are healthy at the moment. :)
Poor kiddo was really miserable. All he wanted was up!

Good thing Kleenex was one of the weekly bargains a few weeks ago... i stalked up and didn't need to spend much money. We've gone through quite a few boxes in the past two weeks.

Why don't the kids see fit to throw their tissues in the waste bucket? They prefer the bowl.... probably because we clean it out for them.

Nathan's battle scar from the ER.