Sick Day

You see that giant plastic bowl up there?  That is what we affectionately refer to as "The Barf Bowl".   Isn't barf a great word?  It has that "immature 6th grade boy" sound to it.  We prefer to say barf over vomiting, or throwing up, or even sick to my stomach.  Sometimes it is just the thing to make us giggle on days such as this.

At 4:00am Hannah came stumbling into my bedroom.  She actually went to Carl's side of the bed (probably because Laurel is often sleeping next to me) and said, "Daddy I barfed!"  She was quite upset and doing that post-puke shaking thing.  I jolted out of bed and found my way through the dark to hug her.  She had chunks all down the front of her shirt.  Lovely.  I threw her in the tub and quickly cleaned up myself.  And so it has gone for the last few hours.  I kept Emma home too with the hopes of giving her a day to rest up and NOT get sick.  She was thankful for the excuse to stay home and color.  She is quite the artist you know.  Check out her version of this made from paper that she cut and pieced together:

 

I have been doing a few bits of crocheting here and there.  I began making a scarf for my Grandma's birthday in September.  Unfortunately I ran out of yarn and couldn't find another skein anywhere. I could not bare to pull it all out so I made it into a neck cozy for Emma.

She is always very sweet about the things I make for her- so careful of my feelings :) 

And then there is this:

It is #1 of 25.  I am on my way to making my own version of this. The next few sick days should give me a good start.

I hope that none of you have an encounter with the barfs anytime soon. Stay well my friends, stay well.

changes

Well, we took a big step this weekend.  On Friday, Laurel climbed out of her crib.  I thought I was going insane when she suddenly appeared in the living room.  Didn't I just put her in her bed?  Was it just my imagination?  Her roommate (Hannah) ratted her out. She had escaped!

Saturday, I peeked through her door to see if she was awake or not.  I found her sitting up on the bookshelf at one end of her crib, teetering over the edge.  So, it was time....

(Laurel started crying 2 seconds after this picture was taken.  She was not pleased with Sophie's presence on her "new" bed.)

Carl took her crib down yesterday, and we set up the toddler bed for her.  She only got out 3 times last night.  Not too bad-- it is all a bit of a learning process to begin with.  The parts of the crib are disassembled in our hallway (it is a huge bed!)  Carl had the audacity to ask me if we could sell it.  He didn't want it taking up space in the garage.  I said, "what if we have another baby?"  He laughed. 

Even if we don't have another baby, there is something so special about the bed that my Sweet Ones slept in.  So many emotions are wrapped up in a simple piece of furniture.  Excitement as we set it up the first time when I was pregnant with Emma. Frustration when they would drop their dolls back between the railing and the wall.  Exhaustion when I would drape myself over the edge in the middle of the night wishing that they would just sleep. Silliness when we would play peek-a-boo between the bars. Tenderness when I would sing soft little songs to them and pat their backs over it's edge as they drifted off. Amazement as I would look at them sleeping in it- wondering "how did I deserve this little gift?" Joy as their smiling faces popped up from inside of it each morning. Ughh I am not good at letting go- but I will try to follow Laurel's lead.  She was ready.

In other news, our kitty has finally warmed up to us.  She came out of hiding just in time too- I was threatening to take her back.  I couldn't see the point of having a pet that lived behind the washing machine.  Her middle name has been changing.  At first it was Sophie Scared because she wouldn't come out to play.  Then, it was Sophie Sick because she had a cold. Next it was Sophie Snob because we all knew she was feeling a bit better but she still was content to hide away.  Now we are calling her Sophie Snuggles.  We all like Sophie Snuggles the best.  I hope she sticks around!

what to do?

What does a girl do when she is so overwhelmed by the messiness of her house that she doesn't know where to start?

(can't believe I just posted that picture!)

Does she whip up a couple cute aprons for her children hoping that it will inspire them to tackle their rooms?

Does she make fun little "to do" lists that are pink and give them the satisfaction of crossing things off as they go along?

Hmmm good ideas, but better yet-

she sends them outside to "help" Dad!!! You can see how much he appreciates that!

Okay, now I am rolling up my sleeves and digging in!!! (right after a I have another cup of coffee.)