Today is a special day. It is my mom’s birthday. Happy Birthday to one of my  best friends and confidantes. I hope that today was special and may you always know how much we love you. Thank you for always being there and for being such a great mother and grandmother.

Love,

Your favorite savages!!

Ok folks, here’s a first world problem.

I got a coupon code for the Redbox today in my email. On a whim I thought, Hey- a movie sounds great!! So, I reserved one at a box near my work. After work, I headed to the Redbox, which is literally less than a mile from my job, but in the opposite direction. I fight traffic to get there, find a parking spot and go up to the machine. I touch the screen…

Nothing.

I touch it again…

Still nothing.

Seriously?!? I tried everything, but nothing worked. No movie was coming out of that machine. Now, I knew I had added at least ten minutes to my commute and I had no movie to show for it. Back on the road.

Wait… It’s Friday… On the Beltway. Make that 20-30 minutes added to my commute. *Sigh* So, I got home pretty late from work. Poor C fell asleep waiting for dinner to be made and I am so tired that even if I had succeeded in getting my movie, I probably wouldn’t have made it through it. Oh well. Another day.

Like I said, first world problem.

I’ve been waiting for this smile for days and finally, this morning, it arrived. Baby E woke up this morning grinning and giggling, happier than he has been in a week. I’m glad to have my little man back to his old self. I should note that C took the above picture. It is almost impossible for me to get a good smiling pic of Baby E because he has discovered my phone and wants to hold it all the time. If I get too close to him he starts fussing and reaching for it. I should also note that Baby E says approximately five words. Dada, Mama, No, Uh-oh, and Cheese– which is indeed proof that I take way too many pictures of my kids!

Baby E definitely has a favorite parent. It used to be me. Seriously, I was the only person he ever wanted (except Ms. Rebecca, he would snuggle with her too) but lately he only has eyes for Daddy. On the first night that he was sick, he woke up in the middle of the night and wanted cuddles. I tried holding him and rocking him, but he only wanted Tim and wouldn’t calm down until Tim was holding him. If Daddy isn’t around, he will settle for me, though!

Every morning while waiting for the bus, C and I play hide and seek. You would think this game would get old as there are very few places to actually hide, but it doesn’t. This morning Big E joined us at the bus stop, so he played a few rounds with us. It looks like he might need a little more practice!

I was going through my pictures from today and I came across this one and I almost didn’t post it because I looked at it and thought, “Wow, I look tired!”

Well, I am.

I was up most of the night with Baby E who was still having some tummy issues. So today I ended up staying home with him again. I think his dinner last night didn’t agree with his just-getting-over-being-sick-tummy. He was fine today. He ate a lot, drank a lot, and played a lot!

Last night during bedtime, Tim read them the story of the Tortoise and the Hare. They really liked the story and asked lots of questions. It was amusing today when their favorite game was to play Harry and the Turtle and race each other around the house. Of course, Harry kept stopping to take a nap or eat a snack, but the Turtle just kept right on going. C played the part of Harry, while Big E was the turtle.  C is more of a revisionist when it comes to her play acting and she had to be reminded on more than one occasion that the hare never actually won the race because he kept getting distracted, so therefore she couldn’t win the race either. For my competitive little girl, that’s a tough lesson to learn.

I’ve been watching their play a lot lately and I am noticing that Big E is really starting to push back on many of her ideas, much to the disappointment of his sister. She is used to getting her own way and being able to boss him around so it is really annoying to her that he wants to make decisions and make up rules, but it is definitely good for her.

Amazingly, I got the kids to be early tonight so I am going to head there soon too. After all, I have a big day ahead of me going back to that place I used to go to every day… What was it called? Oh yeah, my job. Good night!

Today is President’s Day, one of the minor holidays sprinkled throughout the year that I work and then is applied during the week between Christmas and New Year. And while I always kind of grumble that I have to work on what should be a long weekend (I know, I know, I’m spoiled), I am always really grateful that I do when December comes around! But yesterday evening I was still feeling under the weather, and I didn’t have anyone to watch the kids so I knew I was going to have to take the day off, which was a bummer because I took off four days last week. Why stretch out your leave time when you can burn it all in one week, right?!?! So when I was crawling in bed last night and got the text that we were closing due to inclement weather I was so relieved!

By 2 am we had several inches on the ground already and by this evening I’d say we are close to 6 and now it’s supposed to turn icy. C’s school has already closed for tomorrow, news she took with disappointment because apparently tomorrow is hot dog day in the cafeteria. When I explained to her that hot dogs were the alternate meal for the entire week she cheered up and got excited for another day off. Hot dogs. Who knew?!?

As I was still under the weather, today was a pretty lazy day. My sweet neighbors heard that we had been ill and cleaned my van, parking spot, and sidewalk. That meant the world!

We watched Inside Out and the shorts that go alone with them. One of them is called Lava. It’s a story about two volcanos falling in love. Well, C and Big E like to watch this video and pretend they are the volcanos, which is adorable and hilarious.

Beyond that, we played some board games and card games. We made a huge pot of soup. We took baths/showers. We played with the train set. And we took a nap. So all in all, I’d say it was a pretty successful day. Baby E is back to himself, but I have noticed that he continues to be clingier than he was before the sickness.

Well, this post is pretty much a great, big, meandering train of thought, so thanks for hanging in there with me. May you be blessed with more closings and delays in the morning!

Tim’s schedule has switched so he is home in the evenings and we love it!

My loves.

old man face!

One year ago!

Look at C! She was so tiny!

This season we have had the stomach bug twice, 3 ear infections, thrush, pink eye and a head trauma. And poor Baby E had every single one of those except the pink eye and head trauma.

It’s very rare for all of us to get sick at the same time, but this one came in like a whirlwind. It’s been a gross, disgusting house for the past few days, but at long last it is coming to a close. I am the only one that is still dealing with symptoms.

The big kids were up most of the night Friday into Saturday, but you would never guess that by the way they were running around and back to normal by mid Saturday morning. Kids bounce back so much quicker. Except Baby E. He doesn’t bounce back very well from these things. He usually sleeps nonstop for a few days until his system kicks back in. Today was the first day that his personality was back since Wednesday.

I’m glad it’s over and I am desperately praying that we are done for the season.

2:32 am
I’m laying here in their room, staring at the ceiling, waiting to jump up again to put a bowl under someone’s mouth. Fortunately I got three hours of sleep in before this round began. I’m tired though, tired from days of high alert. Now that everyone is sick I can let down my guard and hang on for the ride. So much for all my preventative measures. Those stomach bug germs are mighty determined.

Big E is still awake. He’s very chatty and seems to be enjoying the time between throwing up. C on the other hand is doing much worse. So far it has hit her harder. Her little body strains so hard. Poor girl. Fortunately she falls asleep after each time.

Tim is sleeping. I’m praying he feels better so that he can take the early morning shift with them.

2:48 am
I finally gave in and got my pillow. Looks like I’m in this for the long haul. Big E is still awake. Had to tell him to stop talking to himself.

3:04 am
Big E just threw up again. I wish he could just fall asleep. He’s not so talkative this time. It’s starting to wear him out.

3:12 am
And he’s finally asleep!!

4:01 am
I snuck in twenty minutes of sleep before C got sick again. Poor little girl. I hate seeing her like this. Meanwhile, the floor is really really uncomfortable.

5:26 am
Over an hour since anyone has thrown up. An hour of sleep. Everyone will be exhausted today.

7:07 am
Changing of the guard. The kids are still throwing up but Tim is taking over now so I can get some sleep. But you always take care of us when we are sick! C muttered. Mommy just needs a little sleep honey. I’ll be back to taking care of you soon.

I hate stomach bugs… No, wait.. I loathe them. When I see them coming I want to hide in a corner and rock back and forth in the fetal position. Seriously despise them.

If you recall, Baby E and I got a nice stomach bug right at Christmas time. Well, the other day Baby E started throwing up… and throwing up… and throwing up.

This naturally sent me into vomit-induced-anxiety, with the question looming loudly in my mind… Who’s next?!? 

When stomach bugs hit, I get a little neurotic… See, I hate them so much and I hate that they spread so easily that I go crazy in my attempts to keep them at bay.

Step 1– Everyone wears a mask. If a mask is over your face, you are much less likely to stick your fingers in your mouth, right? And since I have a little boy that always has fingers in his mouth and a little girl that bites her nails, then let’s cover the main entry point for germs!

Step 2– Lysol everything. Lysol the things you just lysoled. Wash your hands followed by a round of hand sanitizer. Oh… and when at all possible, wear gloves.

Step 3– Only eat foods that won’t be horrible if they come back up. Things to avoid- seafood, red sauces, popcorn, and hotdogs. Stick with applesauce, toast, chicken noodle soup.

Step 4– Barely eat. Admittedly, this is a stupid step, but for some reason, when there is a stomach bug in the house I cannot eat! This usually backfires into making me feel nauseous even if I wouldn’t normally be. Stupid step, but one that always happens.

Step 5– Don’t touch anyone. No one is allowed to touch anyone else when the stomach bug comes through. Except for cuddles with a sick baby, because babies need cuddling.

So there you have it, the rules we live by when the stomach bug comes knocking. Currently we have two men down. Baby E (who is on his road to recovery and wants to be held every single moment of the day) and Tim, who got sick this morning. I’ve been feeling ill since last night, but not as bad as them so either I got a mild version or I’m gearing up for a bad day tomorrow.

Pray that steps 1,2,3, & 5 work well for the big kids and everyone starts feeling better soon. Thank you!

It’s gotten cold. Painfully cold. It’s nights like these as I sit in my nice warm house and I thank God we aren’t shivering in the farmhouse! The little ones are down in record time this evening. It’s been a long day and Baby E has been under the weather again. Poor kid can’t catch a break. And poor mommy and daddy can’t wait for winter to be over! There’s not much to say tonight and not much energy to say it, so goodnight for now!

Oh, and I haven’t forgotten about the Giveaway, I just haven’t had a chance to draw a name. I promise I will be doing that soon! Thanks for all of your awesome responses!!