Catching-Up!

WARNING, WARNING! This may be one of those out-of-control long posts. I have been sick with some kind of throat thing for the last few days...a virus that was spread throughout the preschool. Those seem to come our way quite a bit, and take over our household. But, this time, it was only me that go sick (as I knock on wood!). I will take that any day over sick kids and husband.

But, since I've been out cold on the couch in a sleep-induced Nyquil state, I haven't blogged about quite a few things. So, here goes another random post with lots of catching up on our last few days.

*Last Thursday and Friday, we got to have very special friends over to play and they had a great time. Emma B. and Lauren O. came over Thursday and had fun playing everything from dress-up to dinosaurs and wore themselves out jumping on the trampoline and playing hopscotch together. Friday, Lauren came back for more fun and we had such a great day. Playdough, popcorn, ballet class, and lots more trampoline time (Lauren's new favorite at our house!)

It is always fun for me to imagine what these friendships will be like as these girls get older. And, Lauren, Camryn, Kendyll, and Carlie will be a special friendship to watch grow. Alyssa, Lauren's mommy, and I were friends at the toddler stage of life, and renewed our friendship in the college years. Since then, we have seen each other through every stage of life, and continue to be close friends who can call on each other for anything. I pray that all of these sweet friends of Kendyll and Carlie's will be lifelong relationships they can someday depend on. I really feel like so many of them will be!

*Saturday was a sweet baby shower for little Mia and Mommy Amy. We had such a fun time celebrating her and showering their family. Baby showers are always such a happy time...and such a great time of catching up with lots of friends who I never get to sit and talk with (we're all chasing our kids on most occasions!) Note: This is when I started feeling sick, so I'm sorry if I passed anything to any of these nice friends I talked with....I really thought it was allergies, honest!

I also got to see my sweet niece Sophie on Saturday while we helped Grandma Cheri decide on the details for her NEW HOUSE!! Yes, Mark's parents have bought a house and will officially have a residence here by November of this year. We are very excited for them, and it's so fun to get to help with the building and decorating for someone else's house! We visited the design center, model homes, and their actual homesite on Saturday. What a fun adventure is beginning!
By the time I got home, I was really feeling the sickness coming. So, I hurriedly made a dinner for a family at church with a new baby, returned some phone calls, and crawled into bed. It really hit hard by Sunday morning, and I've been "resting" ever since ("resting" with two children, that is...). Mark did take the girls to church with him on Sunday, and I slept until 11:00 am!! I haven't done that since my college years! It was great.

*Sunday afternoon, Kendyll got a special birthday treat and went on an outing with Grandad and Grankay to the mall. They did build-a-bear (see above pic) and she decided on a Sleeping Beauty who is completely decked out...wig and all. I'm not sure how I feel about a bear with a wig....but Kendyll loves her, and that's what matters. Sleeping Beauty has eaten dinner with us, played outside with Kendyll, and is now sitting in bed next to her while she watches TV. She had such a great time at the mall eating ice cream, riding the carousel, and feeling special because little sister didn't get to join her! What a fun time for a four year old. It made her WEEK!

*Monday, was a stay-home-in-pajamas kind of day. We didn't go to school (thank you Alyssa for keeping my class!) and mommy stayed in lay-around mode most of the day. At one point, Kendyll stopped dead in her tracks and said "Wait! Today is Monday, Mommy!" I said "Yes you're right" She said "Oh no! (with hand on her head) We are supposed to be at SCHOOL!" I then explained why we couldn't go. She had a minute or two of drama at how much she would be missed by Mrs. Marla and then was okay with movie watching with mommy after that.

*Monday night, we got to have baby Braden at our house! (although I was not allowed to touch him!) Mark did a great job of taking care of the three kiddos, except that Braden seemed to prefer me over Mark (I secretly loved that!). So, I did get to give him a bottle from a distance and put him in bed. (I had to get a LITTLE Braden time, without breathing on him!) Daddy also decided to grill out hot dogs and eat outside with the girls, since it was such a nice night. It was beautiful out there, and we love our patio outside, so it was a very nice family night. Especially since we had not seen the light of day for a while! But, then, the darn mosquitos showed up to join us. So, inside we went. (That is a question I'm going to ask God some day. Why'd He have to make those little pests anyway???)

*Okay, my final catchup and then I'll stop this boring post. This morning, we went to the ENT for both girls. As of nextThursday, April 6th, Kendyll will no longer have tonsils. The ENT agreed that she is having every single one of the symptoms required for a tonsilectomy to happen. She also had severe hearing loss from the high amount of fluid in the ear without a tube, so we're getting a new set of tubes for this girl too. Man, she could not be more closely copying my childhood! This is exactly what I experienced.

It was such mixed emotions for me this morning. I have been quietly fighting for a tonsillectomy for a year now for her. So, I was thrilled to hear him finally say, "Yeah, we need to schedule this tonsillectomy pretty quickly", but then as I was booking the date, I got scared and sad for Kendyll at the same time. I know the results will make her feel like a new child. But, I just dread having to make her recuperate from the pain of that surgery. I know it will be tough, and I will have to be in full Mommy mode to help her through, but I am also confident that she will be so much healthier when we're done. I just know we'll both shed some tears on this one. It's a much bigger deal than her short, easy tube & adenoid surgeries.

So, if you think about it, say a little prayer for Kendyll's surgery and healing process next Thursday, April 6th. (And, yes, Kristen M., if you read this, I will have to get a sub next week. I'm already on it, don't worry! I also need your wisdom since you've been through this with Blake!)

Whew! That was a long one, even for me. I'll be back tomorrow to let you know how the braces go. Prepare yourself for a whiny blog.....