Cabin Fever

Cabin Fever. As cold and flu season abounds, it seems we can all relate to being cooped up inside for days, weeks, months?...and I wonder if the inside of other people's homes look as disastrous as ours does?!

Our past week was exciting at first: Hooray! A great big snowfall! But that quickly dissolved into a week of staying indoors - literally going nowhere for seven days as the kids started throwing up, coughing, crying...

Ellis was both sick and working a ton, so me and the kids spent a lot of time together. You would think the week would be difficult, which it was, but it was also surprisingly sweet and doable even though it was exhausting.

We ended up spending hours reading books together, painting and doing crafts, and telling more jokes. I would have enjoyed being out and about, seeing people and doing our normal activities, but I found that I wanted to be exactly where I was. For instance, when I would read a book to Corrie, I would think, "this is exactly what I want to be doing right now." And so the week was fulfilling, even though the circumstances were not the greatest. I believe God really blessed us.

But I do have to be honest and say that I spent about all of Saturday crying. On Friday Ellis came home and said that he had tested positive for the flu, which resulted in the rest of us getting prescriptions for Tamaflu.

It seems though, especially this morning, that we are all turning a corner. Little D, who has been doing nothing but crying inconsolably for a week, seems to be returning back to his old laughing, little self. I almost forgot what his smile looked like! So glad to have him back.

I mentioned that we have been telling jokes to pass the time. By that I mean that the kids are telling me what they have decided to call "jokes," which really aren't jokes...unless your definition of a joke is something that is not funny, but makes the person telling it laugh hysterically. 

For instance, here is the joke (the ONE joke) that Mac tells: 

"Hey Mommy! I have one! I have a joke!"

"Okay, what is it?!"

"A pickle becomes a friend with a clownfish." 

When Mac tells that "joke" to someone for the first time, there is always a pause as the listener waits for the punchline. But that's it...that's the whole joke. And Mac laughs so hard. Bless his little heart.

The crazy thing is that if you are trapped in Cabin Fever for a long enough time, even that joke becomes funny. In your delirium, you become so stimulation deprived that when Mac says, "Oh! Mommy! I have one! I have a joke!," you genuinely think, "Oh, a joke? Yeah tell me!," and then he tells the pickle joke, with the same passion and enthusiasm as he had the first time he thought of it...as if he truly did just think of it, and somehow YOU are now laughing hysterically! "How did I not see that one coming? The worst joke ever!...TELL IT AGAIN!"

Corrie has been pretty funny too. Her joke repertoire is slightly more varied, but is still not composed of actual jokes. For example:

"What kind of nose eats a fish tank? (I don't know, what?) "A picture!!!" HAHAHAHA

"What kind of mommy is a refrigerator?"...."A PICTURE!" HAHAHA

And on and on it goes. I now know Cabin Fever has taken it's hold on me, because I actually laughed out loud as I typed those last ones.

And, as this new week begins, Ellis has been called away from us again. As we wait expectantly for Daddy to return, I am encouraged to continue leaning upon the passage of scripture that was so comforting and which sustained me through last week's challenges: 

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act. 

(Psalm 37:3-5, ESV)

I look forward to the opportunities to see His faithfulness in our difficulties together at home this week as we laugh, cry (and hopefully no more hurling) together. We look forward to emerging from our house cocoon this week, hoping to see friends and family. Well, I have an appointment at the dentist today, at least!

Bathtubs

What would we do without a bathtub? Seriously, I don't even want to think about it. Davey is in the tub at least a few times a day for a "rinse" after playing in the toilet or whatever else he might get into. He's also been throwing up the past couple days, and this morning sweet Corrie has been in the tub after throwing up once already. Poor little Corrie! And boy am I thankful for our tub.

A couple weeks ago, (when all three kids were healthy at the same time), they got in the tub together. It was pretty cute. Corrie kept pretty much to herself as she played with toys. Davey loved splashing, and Mac loved watching him!

Yesterday morning we found another great use for the bathtub: Science experiments!

Mac kept asking me on Sunday if he could "fill up a bag with water, put food in it, and gently squeeze it." (He said that last part with a such a serious, grave expression. So funny). Sorry Mac, as interesting as your idea was, I had to say big NO to that.

Yesterday morning Mac woke up still thinking about his "water bag" idea. After getting Davey down for his morning nap, I thought more about Mac's idea. For some reason I thought of a stomach digesting food, and then I remembered the kids watching a show about digestion the other day. Maybe he saw pretend stomachs made out of plastic bags?

Hey, we've got a bathtub, why not make "stomach bags" in it? I am always up for ideas of things to do other TV when Davey takes his nap. So when Mac asked me again, I said,

"Mac, that sounds like an experiment...maybe we can do it in the bathtub while Davey is sleeping?!"

"Yay!"

Once Davey was safely tucked away, Mac and Corrie climbed in the tub with their plastic bags. They played for a while just filling them up with water, closing them, opening them and emptying them. Once that got old, we added the "food" (crackers). The "stomachs" contracted (with little hands and fingers squeezing them...not necessarily gently) and the crackers got soggy and broke up into smaller pieces.

Then we opened up the bags and looked inside. That's when we realized that we made...

Throw-up!

It was the kids' first thought when they looked in the bags...and why wouldn't it be? I guess we couldn't have come up with a more applicable experiment to their everyday lives.

They wanted to keep the "throw-up" in their bags so they could show daddy later. Sure, why wouldn't Daddy want to look at even more throw up than what we already see?

After our experiment was done, we thought of another good use for our tub: eating drippy, sticky popsicles! Talk about the ultimate in easy clean up.

Ellis got home from work several hours later, and Mac ran to greet him, telling him all about the throw up he made. Ellis' reaction was pretty funny...and I guess by that I mean, he pretty much had no reaction. "Throw-up? Oh okay, where?," as if Mac was asking to show him a picture he colored that day or something.

What did Ellis say when he saw the "throw-up?" He suggested we add laundry detergent and an acidic substance like lemon juice to the bags to "simulate the acid and enzymes that break down the cellulose in the crackers."

That's our Daddy!

And that's just another typical day for us!

And did I mention how grateful I am for our tub?

Encouragement for 2014

Trust in the Lord, and do good;

dwell in the land and befriend faithfulness.

Delight yourself in the Lord,

and he will give you the desires of your heart.

Commit your way to the Lord;

trust in him, and he will act. 

(Psalm 37:3-5, ESV)

That's Dave

Well, I guess baby Davey is growing up. Yesterday he discovered the pure joy of throwing things at the walls (particularly the hard, dangerous items that makes loud crashing sounds). It just seems too early to have to start dealing with that.

I sat down in our brown living room chair a few minutes ago. As soon as I got comfortable, I heard the familiar "squeal of delight followed by splashing." Yep, that's Dave in the toilet again. Do'h! Few things will get me out of my chair faster than that these days.

If I were reading this, I would be thinking, "Seriously? Again? How hard is it to keep a kid out of a toilet?!" Well, my response to that would be: very, very, VERY hard.

But I must admit, even with his half mullet, male-pattern-balding hair, he sure is a cute little guy. Here he is today, being his loud, enthusiastic, playful little self:

A few days ago I decided to move the day bed and trundle up from the basement and give them to Mac and Corrie. For the past several months, Mac has been sleeping on a futon chair at night (he broke his original bed in half...don't ask), and Corrie was still sleeping her crib/toddler bed. 

Another reason I wanted to make the big bed change was because Davey was still sleeping in a pack n' play. Now that Corrie is in a big bed, Dave finally has a crib. I have loved seeing him standing up and waiting for me to come and get him, and something about seeing him in a nice, comfy bed really blesses my heart.

I feel the same way when I walk in to Mac and Corrie's room and and see their nice, big kid beds. Somehow it seems so much more like a cozy room now. I realize most kids in the world sleep on the ground, and I have been thanking God a lot for blessing us with such luxuries right now. 

I was pretty uneasy at first about moving Mac and Corrie to these particular big beds because they are super springy and bouncy. I imaged them flying off of the beds and landing all over the room (not that that's any different than what we had before). 

What a pleasant surprise it has been! (So far). The kids seem in awe of the big beds and have been careful not to jump on them. They wanted to spend the whole day laying in the beds and playing games on them, reading books on them, playing with legos on them, etc. When the sun went down, we turned off the lights and found flashlights. We spent at least a good hour singing songs, telling jokes, and basically just running in circles while yelling into the flashlights (that last activity was just the kids). 

Another new development in our family life has been the sad passing of Corrie's fish, Dori. That fish somehow managed to stay alive for almost two years in this crazy place. Corrie has since gotten a new fish, whom she has affectionately named, "Slimy Doo-Doo." 

So here is the line-up of fish on our table in the living room. From left to right, the fish we have are: Slimy Doo-Doo, Angry Bird Yellow Fish, Pinky-Pie Fish, and Otto. (The two fish in the middle are fake, but I am not really sure whether Mac realizes that or not).

So, I guess that's what's going on around here. Kids grow up, pets come and go, and we run around in the dark yelling into flashlights. It's a pretty good place to be.

Christmas

Just thought I would record a summary of our family's Christmas this year:

For one thing, the tree was a little "Charlie Brownish" this year. My mom gave me a small tree to use as a decoration, but I just decided to use it as our family tree. Trying to get the big one out of the attic and put it all together seemed like a big task, and I just didn't have the energy. 

You gotta love little kids, they totally went with the tiny tree and had a blast with it. When my dad came to visit, he laughed and laughed at our tree. He tried to take a picture of us sitting under it and looking up at it to see if he could make it look bigger, but it only looked more hilarious and tinier than ever. Oh well, it was still fun to decorate!

Dave got into some toys one afternoon, and he reminded me so much of when Mac was his age!

We got a package in the mail from Jeremy and Joy. All of the gifts we found inside were thoughtful and just right for each of us, and I suppose it should be no surprise that the bubble wrap was a big crowd pleaser! 

I don't listen to much music, but one artist I have loved since college is Sara Groves. I was quite surprised when I opened the mail one day and found Sarah Groves' latest CD AND a personally signed family Christmas card! 

Grandpa, Grandma Belding, Jake (the dog), and Aunt Rachel came to visit on Christmas Eve. It was great spending that time together. We had a relaxed dinner and then opened some gifts. Dean dressed up as Santa, and the kids had fun with that!

Around 6pm, Ellis got called in to the hospital to deliver a baby. He came home around 4am on Christmas morning. So, here was Ellis most of Christmas Day:

But even with the lack of sleep, God gave us a nice morning and afternoon together before visiting Ellis' family in the evening. 

And I sure did love getting a glimpse of the Christmas morning sunrise! I loved breathing in that crisp, cool winter morning air.

Dave

Do'h!

2014 Update

It's 2014, and I just thought I would include a few photos to describe where we are at the start of this new year.

The kids got painting crafts for Christmas, and they have surprised me by their mature ability to sit and paint. It's been rewarding as a mom to see them have such an interest in painting their wooden cars, butterflies and dinosaurs to give as gifts for people they love. "This dinosaur is for daddy," Mac said, "I am using all of the colors on it for him. He's gonna LOVE it." 

Everything Mac paints looks the same in the end: a blackish, gray-covered mix of colors, which he does on purpose and loves. Corrie prefers to keep her colors separated. :)

Ellis and I were given a couple gift cards for Christmas, and we took the chance one Saturday night to go to both dinner and a movie. We felt pretty spoiled. All I can say about the night is that I truly had fun. It felt like we were dating again, and I loved being with you, Ellis. 

Davey had a cold, so I decided to bring him along to dinner. By the time the waiter had come to take our order, Davey had eaten half of the children's pack of crayons. 

He learned to drink through a straw that night, as I just swooped him up and went out the door with no "baby" supplies. He had a pretty great dinner of milk and crayons, with a little potato soup on the side. 

My dad visited us the weekend after Christmas and surprised us with a wedding present. He is a talented woodworker, and he made our family a dovetail stool. We started putting it to good use immediately. :)

We had a surprise snow day, and I decided to let Davey out in it with Mac and Corrie for the first time.

At first, Davey did not know what to make of it all. He would just stand or sit in whatever position I placed him in for a while before starting to cry. Eventually he became more comfortable and started to enjoy playing with the snow.

The next morning, Mac and Corrie played with their stamps while Davey took his morning nap. I took a deep breath and thanked God for moments like that one...the kids working on their little projects with the bright view of the snow outside illuminating the kitchen. So peaceful. So full.

(Nice stamp tower, Corrie!)

And speaking of views, here is the view from our bedroom window...the sunrise over the mountains. It never get's old. 

Speaking of mountains, we took a hike together on New Year's Day. It's been such a great gift to live here, with beautiful mountain hikes only minutes away. You know you have got a pretty good deal when you can squeeze in a hike like this between your baby's morning and afternoon nap!

We've been exploring new hikes lately, and this one surprised us with a little stream and a beautiful waterfall right at our feet! We ate lunch at the top of the falls as we watched the cool, icy water cascade down into the little mountain gorge below.

Speaking of mountains again, I thank God often for granting me my own little "dream come true" for the past three years. I grew up visiting these mountains and always dreamed of what it would be like to live in them some day. I have loved the rare opportunities God has granted me to go up to the mountains alone and spend time with Him. The last time I was there, God gave me a great encouragement.

I believe He gently showed me that I did not need special mountains or anything else to find Him in a special way.  He has shown me that if I will seek Him there, He will be with me in the laundry, the dishes, the bedtime stories, and especially in the time that He's given me and Ellis together.

Perhaps I knew this truth before, but that day God granted me the grace to believe Him more.

So now we are waiting to see what 2014 will hold for us. Where we will live? And what will we be doing several months from now when Ellis finishes residency? There's so much we don't know.

But I do know one thing: as much as I have loved it, I don't need a mountain view.

"I'm here with you, and I'm going to be watching over you wherever you go." 

-Genesis 28:15 (ISV)

Banana Tacos

I wish you could experience Corrie in person rather than through written stories or pictures/videos. There's just something pretty sweet about her that you have to see for yourself.

She is always saying things like, "Ooohh, that's so BEAUTIFUL!" and "I LOVE ____." And the things that she "loves" are so random and may not even exist! The other day the phrase was, "Mommy, I just love banana tacos!" We were having tacos, so I gave her a banana with it, as requested. Pretty gross.

Here I am asking her, "Corrie, are you happy?" and she is saying, "Yeah...because I love banana tacos."

And meanwhile, at the other end of the table, was Little D :)

Corrie loves getting new clothes or discovering forgotten shirts/pants/socks in her drawers. I put her in a new outfit this morning, and I thought she was about as cute as I have ever seen her.

The other day at dinner she looked at me and said, with the most solemn, serious expression, "Mommy, do you know I don't eat very much food?" She stated it so matter-of-factly, as though it would guarantee her a free pass from having to eat her dinner. Sorry Corrie, you can at least eat a few bites!

I love hearing the thoughts that come out of her little head...being that I am a dreamer by nature, her realist outlook catches me by surprise and brings humor our days.

She loves "helping" with the laundry, cooking, cleaning, taking care of Davey...it's very fun giving her different jobs. I am sad to say that I have only recently started to make a pointed effort to include her, but I am grateful that God has intervened to make me sensitive to her desire to help. She doesn't always follow through so well, but it's fun doing things with her...

You are a sweet "arrow in our quiver," Corrie, for which we are very grateful!