Merry Christmas!! December 26, 2008

I know it’s a day late, but Merry Christmas!!!

Because Tessa didn’t want to make it through December without her annual ER visit, she and I once again spent many hours in the ER… this time on Christmas Eve.  This is sort of how she looked, but the picture doesn’t do it justice:

She was having a major allergic reaction and had hives all over her body… and was swelling up… and just looking awful.

Because she was already being treated for an allergic reaction, we weren’t sure what was going on so I stopped at a neighbor’s house who is a nurse at the pediatric ER.  After taking one look at Tessa, she called the ER ahead and told them we were on our way.  Unfortunately, I have been in the ER many times, and what happened next has NEVER happened before.  Right after we walked in, we were quickly ushered into a private room with a TV and get this: the doctor walked in immediately!  When does that ever happen in the ER?  You can’t beat having friends in the right place!!

They did a great job of treating her and making sure they counteracted the secondary reaction she was apparently having.  And then, since it was Christmas Eve, they gave her a gift to cuddle with during the wait:

She has fully recovered and all the hives are gone as of today!  We managed to have a wonderful Christmas at home and then a great trip to Grammy and Papa’s.  Fortunately everything else was seemingly uneventful!

I hope your Christmas was full of excitement and joy… and hopefully no ER trips!

Importance December 22, 2008

I haven’t felt like writing lately.  The things that come to mind to blog about quickly disappear in the reality of each day right now.  I spent last week running from one child’s school event to another with the in-betweens filled with holiday stuff and get togethers with friends… all the while completely aware that a very special life was coming to an end, and that there was nothing I could do about it other than wait for the news.

It was such a surreal time- trying to focus on my kids and their excitement, trying to accomplish the things that “need” to get done, enjoying fun time with various friends- and knowing that while each of those hold some sort of importance, they are just temporary.

Our dear friends lost their mother/ mother-in-law.  She was very sick with cancer, so it was not a complete surprise.  However, the reality of a life lost only makes you so much more aware of your life being lived.  The things that seem so important in the moment quickly get brushed aside in the knowledge that your friends’ lives have been forever changed.

So this is the reality that comes to me.  I am afraid of death.  Not of  mine, but of someone near and dear to me.  I have watched many friends lose loved ones and have to deal with life afterwards.  I have yet to do that… which only makes me more aware that my time is coming.  No one escapes this.  And I fear the grief and the having to “go on.”  The battle for me comes in not giving into the fear (which causes me to withdraw and try to protect myself), but in trying to realize that each of these moments lived… however big or small… are important.

Each moment holds a value, if I let it.

Avery’s Quote of the Day December 13, 2008

I think Santa has a dinosaur for Trey at the North Pole.

Me: Are you sure?  I don’t think that’s what Trey asked for.

Yep.  You ask Jesus for what you want.  And then he asks God.  And then God asks Santa Claus.  And that’s how it works!  See?!  It works!!

Quote of the Day (Yesterday) December 11, 2008

I just heard what Avery said last night… as she was dozing asleep on the couch at 7pm…

Avery: “I think the second one is better.”

Brent: “The second one?”

A: “Yeah, definitely the second one.”

B: “The second what?”

A: “The Second Noel”

Not as good as you think December 11, 2008

It came to my attention last night that some people think we’ve converted waaaay more than we actually have.

Yeah, we don’t eat meat anymore (unless served it).
Yeah, I’m milling wheat and making our bread.
Yeah, the lightbulbs in the house are compact florescent.
Yeah, sometimes we have more put out for the recycling than the trashman.
Yeah, our kids’ milk is organic.

But that’s pretty much it. We care a lot about our role in taking care of this earth and our family, but we can’t do everything. For one thing, we can’t afford it. For another, we don’t have the time.

So, to our dear friend who is bringing my husband his much loved, once a year happiness in the form of eggnog… we don’t care that the eggs aren’t free-range, or that the heavy cream isn’t organic, or that the animals who gave to this (nasty, in my opinion) concoction may or may not have been mistreated… okay, so maybe we care, but how in the world would we ever know??

What next??!! December 1, 2008

I just received a recipe to make my own laundry detergent today…  you know, so that the prairie dresses are nice and clean!

P.S.  It’s cheaper, better for the environment, AND will be gentle on my sensitive skinned kiddos!