Like Mary

Flight into Egypt by Carl Spitzweg

In the days leading up to Christmas we have been dipping into gospel passages during the dinner hour, following our devotional, En Route.

Reading Joseph and Mary's story had got me thinking lately, about how thoroughly their lives were turned upside down. And yet they never wavered. They just believed. They continued on, not complaining. Not disappointed that their lives were not going to turn out the way they thought they would.

I want to be that way. I want to accept. Believe. Continue on without complaining or crying. No matter where he leads us, no matter how rough the road gets.

I want to be like Mary. I want to humbly say with her, “I am the Lord’s servant."

And at the end of that road, may I sing a song as beautiful as Mary's Magnificat.

Back to...Normal...

Ugh. The flu. Who needs it? Apparently a number of family members took home the bug from a gathering we had on Saturday. I spent Monday in the bathroom and bed! Thankfully Daddy is home for the holidays, so he spent the day with the boys, and made pancakes for dinner, of course! Pajamas all day and pancakes for dinner? C-note was on cloud nine, I think.

It seemed that I was the only one in our house who would be suffering from this vile virus this year, which was fine by me! I wasn't going to make it to our church's Christmas program on Tuesday, since I was exhausted and still queasy from the day before, so Stu in C-note went by themselves. I got a phone call at 8:30 that evening and at first all I could hear was a wailing boy -of course immediately I imagined the worst- but them Stu's voice came in and asked me to get a bath ready for that little boy. Poor C-note didn't last the whole concert and ended up throwing up all over Daddy's shoulder! They made it out of the auditorium just in time, but what a state they were in when they got home...hair, clothes, coats, shoes, all needed washing. I hope the caretakers of the church will let us come back...

We've been enjoying some family time since Stu has finished his school year. Last week we went on a couple of family excursions. Going out as a family is always much more exciting, even doing groceries is fun! I hope to post pictures soon of our trip to the Hamilton Children's Museum and the Warplane Heritage Museum, as well as photos from our family gathering ((s) if I get some pictures from my sister...*ahem* hint, hint! ;))

Tonight I'm roasting a chicken for dinner! It will be a nice change from macaroni, frozen pizza and sandwiches. Wanna come over? Just don't look at the mess, k? ;)

Nine Months

Our little redhead is now nine months old! One of his favorite activities is throwing things on the floor from his highchair and then gazing down innocently at the object, saying "Uh oh." I'm trying to get him to figure out how to drink from a cup, rather than blow bubbles into it. He shakes his head "no" if he dosen't want something...not sure where that came from. And like the rest of the family he loves books, especially lift the flap books. It's cute to watch him open flaps with his stubby little finger, squeal in delight at the picture underneath, and then carefully close it again. No other teeth have made their appearance, he still just has two little guys on the bottom.

Bouquet of Sunshine

C-note was quite taken with the beautiful daisies I recieved from a friend! Thanks, Jenn, for relieving a little of my cabin-fever-sick-of-sickness-grey-day blues!

Four Loads of Laundry and a Box of Tissues

There is very little to love about taking care of sick little ones. The exhaustion, loss of patience, the feeling that nothing is getting done, and did I mention exhaustion?
The little there is to love, though, is heartwarming, and sometimes funny.

Brotherly love: C-note sitting on my footstool singing "ABCs" and "Jesus Loves Me" over and over while I am rocking his moaning, fevered brother. The moaning would cease during C-note's serenades!

Tissue box discovery: "Can I have a Kleenex? I have a snot!" "Mommy is busy, but do you see that box over there? You pull a Kleenex up from out of the box and wipe your nose with it, ok?" He gets a tissue. "OH! Look! It comes out again!"
Ah, the wonders of childhood!

Nighttime woes: "I can't sleep, I have too many coff-ehz in my mouth!"

Probably the best feeling during illness is the feeling of being needed. Especially when a wimpering baby clings to you when you try to put him down. A normally non-cuddly baby quietly resting on your chest as you soothe him to sleep...

Oh, the laundry? Yeah, I got loads of it on my couch, but at least it's clean. There's not much room for sitting. I guess I had better fold it. Maybe tomorrow. Right now I need to sleep...