This and That

Disclaimer: As I went to write in my personal journal last night, I realized that I hadn't written in it for a few weeks. I usually like to jot down a few things about what we are doing, things I am feeling and learning as I raise my children, things I am grateful for, the things I believe in, and lots of other tidbits about life. As I started to write I thought about the events I had posted on our blog about and decided to try to record a bit about them in my journal. I realized about one paragraph into it that it was going to be too much backtracking and that I actually liked having the pictures that represented some of the experiences we have had as a family that were posted on our blog. What to do? There's a part of me that feels I should just write in my journal and forget the whole blog thing, and there's the part that loves that I can post pictures with the experiences, and I can share them with family and friends. So hopefully between the blog and the journal the gaps will be filled. Well anyway, in an effort to make sure there is some kind of record, I'll be posting more of the everyday hum-drum of our lives.

After our eventful Friday night (see previous post) we played musical beds with the kids. We had a couple of people on the couch, and a couple in bed with me. At 3 a.m. Aaron woke up with a fever and wasn't able to go to sleep because of that awful cough he's had. My mind and heart were still racing because of everything that happened with the neighbors. I was afraid someone would try to confront us for calling the police. (I am still alarmed that with that many people in a house, not one of them called the police). I was supposed to wake up at 6 AM to run with Karen. I texted her at 3:00 AM (thank heaven her phone was turned off) to tell her that I wouldn't be going, we had scaled down to 8 miles, but I didn't think I would be able to do even that many without my sleep. I need my sleep!

We all slept in, until 7:30 and then hit the ground running. The Priest/Laurel date was scheduled to be at our house that evening and we wanted to make sure we had everything ready. We were still in the process of getting all of our Christmas stuff out, so it was a good excuse to finish things up. Joseph LOVES decorating for Christmas and I think each year he pulls things out earlier and earlier. We bought our tree on November 17th and I thought we would wait a couple of weeks to put it up and decorate it, but Joe had other plans and he started pulling things out of the 18th of November.

He was quite the sport on Saturday. I had a long list of things I wanted to get done that day and he was supposed to go biking with Bishop Brooks that afternoon. He was really looking forward to it and I told him I would support him going, and I really felt supportive (you'll know what I mean as you read on). A couple of hours into projects he realized that the ride probably wouldn't fit into our busy day. He called Bishop and told him that he wouldn't be able to go. It made me so happy! I try to be supportive to all of his recreational activities but sometimes my mouth is encouraging and my mind and my heart want him to stay. Usually he goes (because he can't read my mind, and he's learning to read my heart) and some of the time I am left feeling frustrated. I know, it's my own fault. :) He followed his own intuition and realized that he didn't want me to feel alone in getting ready for the activity. He told the bishop that he could see in his wife' s eyes that it would make her happier if he stayed to help. It did make me happier. I think the thing that made me feel the happiest was that he made the decision to stay all on his own. I thought his response about seeing it in my eyes was really cute, and it was a bonus that I didn't ask him not to go, so I didn't feel guilty, just loved. He felt I had gifted him by telling him to go, I felt gifted that he chose to stay. Victory!

Joseph made lots of runs to Home Depot that day for this and that. Invariably, every time I would send him on an errand he would get sidetracked and come home with what I sent him for and a few other things. For the most part, it made me smile, even though time was of the essence on a day like that. On his Target run he took Brynn and Abby, he came home with a few gifts for the kids-from the kids. I tried not to ask how long that diversion took. At Home Depot, looking for halogen light bulbs he came home with Christmas lights for the girls bedroom and outdoor lights (which we still haven't put up yet :) ) And on another errand, I'm not sure how this one happened, but he remembered that I wanted a Willow Tree Nativity, so he stopped by a department store and picked one up. That diversion turned into another errand because he had to take the stand back,there was a tiny chip on the front of it. It was the last one they had so they refunded him for it and gave him 10% off the rest of the set. Bonus! He brings such an element of fun into our daily living. I've realized, I think we both have adult ADD! :)

So the Priest/Laurel party went really well! The youth were very well behaved and we enjoyed a yummy dinner of homemade Chicken Fettucine Alfredo that the YW helped prepare. The youth entertained themselves for a few hours with games and talking and Joe and I enjoyed visiting with the other leaders. Our kids were supposed to be babysat by some friends, but because of their coughs I decided to keep them at home. After everyone left, I think exhaustion hit and that's when everything sort of went downhill for everyone (except Joe)...healthwise.

Joe went to 6:00 bishoprics meeting and at 7:00 I made the final decision to keep the rest of us at home so we didn't spread any of our lovely germs to everyone in the ward. I hate staying home from church.... spiritual renewal aside, it's not fun trying to keep your kids occupied, entertained, and keeping the sabbath day holy, all alone when you aren't feeling well either. We did our best. I was overwhelmed when Joe called to tell me that he wouldn't be able to watch the kids for the YW meeting that night. Usually when we have a conflict with church callings where we can't bring the kids, one calling trumps the other or we are able to call upon friends (when no one is sick of course) and we're able to work things out, but these were meetings we both had to be to. I got everyone ready and he took the girls to his meeting and I took Aaron to mine. We survived.

Brynn woke up that night with an earache so I kept her home from school. On Tuesday things were still bad and she was complaining of more ear pain. Abby's cough started to sound super wet and rattly and Aaron was miserable and sleepless so I decided to call the doctor. Going to the doctor with colds is always a gamblet. I go with the expectation every time that they will send us away with "it's just a virus, nothing we can do." But because Joe and I are going out of town I wanted to do everything I could to get them healthy for my mom. The 3 co-pays were worth the gamble. The doctor informed me that Thing 1 had an ear infection in one ear and lots of fluid and redness in the other, Thing 2 had fluid in her lungs and an ear infection, and Thing 3 had an ear infection. As much as I hate being told that my children have a virus, I think I hate being told they have an infection and need antibiotics even more Their tummies never do well and they end up with 2 weeks of the runs. The potty trained bottoms handle things fine, but the child in diapers always suffers the most. With all of that good flora being killed, the yeast start to party! I asked the doctor to prescribe some Nystatin right then because I knew Aaron would be needing it. She declined telling me to use the OTC clotrimazole. In the past, I've felt the Nystain works better, but I wasn't feeling well and I didn't want to argue with her. Sure enough here I am 2 days later feeling frustrated that I didn't get the prescription for the Nystatin. Do doctors get frustrated/annoyed when patients make suggestions about what prescription has worked in the past? Is it a control thing? There are a few of you who are married to residents...what do you think? I need to become a better advocate for my children. So in the meantime, we're filling him full of plain yogurt and pasting him with oodles of clotrimazole hoping those probiotics will get to work. Is there a liquid probiotic you can give them to drink? Acidophilus milk I guess? Anything else?

I went and had a walk-in appt. with a family practice doctor for myself. I have to get myself better before next week too! We left the doctor's office and headed to the pharmacy for the prescriptions. After fixing a few problems with the Rx we finally got the goods and headed home. I made a schedule to remember who needs what when. Brynn and Aaron don't mind the meds, but Abby spends half the day telling me how much she dislikes the pink medicine and how she is not taking it anymore. I hate trying to reason with her. Luckily her's is more powerful and she only has to take it once a day for a few days.

So, despite feeling crummy I left feeling very grateful for good health insurance and called Joe to tell him thank you for working hard for it. Joe brought home dinner that night from Bel-Air. He brought some of their Nob-Hill gourmet soups and some crusty European bread, yummy! We tried the pumpkin bisque, corn chowder and chicken noodle. My favorite was the pumpkin bisque. How can something not be good when cream is the first on the list of ingredients. (So much for whipping myself into my best shape before our trip. :)) Unfortunately the nutrition label had to be pasted on the side. We won't be eating that one too often :) So with a little TLC and some help from the pharmacy we should be back on track in no time. Being sick sure helps me more grateful for the abundance of health we usually enjoy. Here's to hoping that Christmas will arrive with healthy bodies and spirits at our house!