Sickies.

You probably think this is a post all about my children and the swine flu and how tired I am and how much I'm missing my husband right now.

But it's not.

Today we skipped church. And designed.

I had the kids draw pictures of monsters. We picked our favorites and made them into stuffed animals.

And then named them Sickies.

Because my children are sick with the swine flu and I'm tired and I miss my husband terribly.

by Tyler

by Jared

by Evan

by Mom for Anna

I think we found a new family pastime.

That Little Turkey

Because of this...
And this...

With a little bit of this...

I just had to go with this...
It made sense to me.


And does this look like the face of a child who would be sick only a few hours later.
He must have had the ham.

The World. The Moon. Deep Thoughts by Andrea Handey.

I don't know why, but I think 4 am visits by my daughter declaring, "I have to go potty!" are somewhat endearing.

And then when I realize that she has a fever, I ball her up and put her in the bed next to me.

And love every minute of it.

Morning 2. 3 am.

High fever and labored breathing.

Not really endearing.

But to be able to hold her heating pad body in my arms and swipe the sweaty hair from her face as I monitor her breathing patterns and pray my heart out for her, I am reminded of why I signed up for this job.

And even though I am beyond exhausted,...

I love these mommy moments.

I wouldn't trade them for the world.

Or even the moon.





Sniffle. Sniffle.



I've been so excited about going.

I even have flair.










(courtesy of Rob's co-worker. Thanks, Michelle and I hope you have a VAMP-tastic time!)

But I can't leave my baby in the middle of the night when she needs me the most with a 15 year old kid asleep on my couch.



Anyone want my ticket for the midnight showing of New Moon?



Whaaaaaa!

Help, please.

The great Denise of Denise Beatty Photography took our family photos while we were in Massanutten (photos will be shown soon).

I especially loved the photos of the kiddos...

But I'm having a hard time deciding which to print of Evan...

#1

#2

#3

You can vote on the side bar or leave a comment.

Thanks for your help!!!

We're back...

And what a perfect way to unwind from our mini vacation then to sit inside all day away from the cold rain. Couldn't get better then this!

Happy to be home. Going to enjoy my time with my husband before he leaves, again.

Here are just a few highlights from our trip to Massanutten...

Shenandoah Caverns.
Route 11 Potato Chip Factory. We love Salt and Vinegar chips. And Habanero.
Geocaching.
Swimming.
Indoor Waterparks.
Arcade, unlimited play for everyone for only $9.
Horseback riding.
Mini golf.
Family pictures.
The Balloon Freak and stuffing 8 people and 7 large balloon things into the minivan and then driving home.
Late night game night. Shhhh...
Not eating out, yet managing to gain lots of weight.

It was a fun trip. I love being away from the everyday life. But still love my everyday life. And happy to be back at it.

And can you believe how nicely this group of kids clean up. This is a once in a lifetime shot.

Happy DSD!! Choo-Choo

Are you here to celebrate Digital Scrapbook Day??

If you're following along on the ScrapMatters blog train, then you should have just come from LuAnn's blog.

And I've got a little frame cluster for you for FREE. It was made using the new ScrapMatters Design Team collab "A Slice of Life." This fab kit is free with a $15 purchase!!

Download HERE
(download available until Thursday 11/12)

Thanks for stopping by! And tell Maria I said "Hi!!"

Dental Dilemas...again?

After our last dental visit, I posed the question "How do I help my kids become better flossers?" I received several suggestions and took none of them. HAHAHAHAHA. Really, I just kept doing what I was doing. I'd occasionally remind them to floss. Sometimes I'd help the little ones floss. And a few days before their dental visit, I pestered them to no end.

It must have worked.

No cavities. Great brushers. And even better flossers.

And while we've got flossing on our minds...

A little modern art from our youngest flosser...

Reduse. Reuse. Recycle.

Halloween was a great day. I think there should be a law passed...making Halloween always on a Saturday. All of our crazy Halloween fun was all last weekend. So yesterday was all about having a stress-free day. WooHoo!

We were invited to go to Cox Farm for a birthday party. Rain was looming in the forecast. The ground was muddy. And I had visions of Anna's tulle costume being torn apart, so we pulled out the kids costumes from last year and revisited Star Wars!!


We had our traditional Mummy Dogs for dinner and the kids headed out for a rainy evening of Trick or Treating with friends.


Sigh...another Halloween has passed. Now to start scheming up ideas for next year!!

I love Halloween.