Praying for daylight: Life, interrupted.

Had we known we would still be administering Tylenol at regular 4 hour intervals 8 days later we would have bought stock in it.  This is the cold from hell and we have been living it for 8 long days now.

It all started last Thursday night when Riley got up after being in bed for five minutes and said he was hot.  We told him to go back to bed and not use his covers.  D awoke Friday morning with a boy who was miserably hot with a fever.  Seriously didn't see that one coming.

Friday and Saturday night he had to sleep on the couch because he always gets a cough with his colds that brings the house down with it's force.  I slept with him and by 2:30 we hadn't slept a wink.  Poor kid literally coughed for 6 straight hours.  Saturday night it was more of the same only Daddy slept with him. Sunday I took Alyssa to church with me and sweet girl sneezed the whole time we were there.  It sounded sweet and people commented on how girlish her sneezes were but I smelled trouble and trouble it was.  Sunday night Riley was finally sleeping without coughing every 2.4 seconds but by 10:00 it was apparent that everytime Alyssa's "ocean" stopped running (18 minutes) she would sleep for another two and then be up, miserable, sweaty, snotty.  I finally had to wake D up and have him move Riley so us girls could take over the sick quarters.  Invade we did and amazingly Riley kept sleeping throughout the move.  We spent 2 hours on the couch and decided to bring her to bed with us where she continued laughing, talking to us and happily watching crappy baby TV.  Finally about 1:00 a.m. we had to shut our eyes and sister was exhausted so we moved her to her crib.  She slept, hallelujah, until Riley had a coughing attack that woke her up at 1:45 and sister was pissed.  She screamed for the next 3 hours no matter what we did.  She had lost her mind in tiredness and was throwing herself out of our arms, only to be put down and then throwing herself back up into them.  It was mi.se.er.ab.le.  Needless to say, I didn't make it to work on Monday and the kids had to go to my mom's so I could sleep.  Sleep I did.  We high-fived each other for the support in the middle of the night and we thanked the heavens for not losing our minds.  Things seemed smooth enough besides a faucet of a nose for Alyssa, a cough for Riley and fevers.

We continued with Tylenol, a massive amount of nose wiping and couch sleeping headquarters for Riley man, switching off on who slept with him on the other couch.

Alyssa was only inflicted for 36 hours and back to her normal self but Riley continued to be extremely lethargic, pale and feverish.  We watched lots of Bubble Guppies and blew through our short stack of movies pretty fast only to start them over again.

By Wednesday the boy needed to get out and I was so looking forward to his field trip that I had taken a half-day off for so we plowed through and went and we had fun.  He was tired afterwards but was in good spirits after seeing the light of day again.  I actually was able to go through the house and pick up all the hundreds of used Kleenex's strewn about and I thought we were on the upswing.  WRONG.

Riley was still miserable come Thursday and he hadn't eaten more than a few bites of anything for over a week.

Finally Friday my Mom called all excited to report that the boy ate 4 french toast sticks and then cried over wanting a cheesarito.  Holy crap, this is good, this is really good.  WRONG.  Here we are Saturday and Alyssa is miserable all over again with fevers, a runny nose and an eye cold.  Gross.  Our kids both get colds in their eyes and with their long lashes it's just a mess.

We have given an innumerable amount of baths this week and today sister has had two already.  She can't leave my side and although it's flattering I am going to need a massage as my shoulders are not used to baby holding 12 straight hours.  At least we are getting some sleep but we just can't believe we are still camping out in the living room.

This is the cold that keeps on giving and although we aren't still literally praying for daylight due to coughing/crying/screaming children we are praying for our life back.  We are praying for healthy kids and are keeping our fingers crossed that maybe tomorrow we will leave the house and finally remove the sick kit from the countertop.  Maybe tomorrow we will finally take the pillows off the couch.  Either way tomorrow I am stripping everything and throwing it in the washer.  Everything is getting the sick cleaned right off of it and we will get better.  Today, I am too tired and achy.

Planting onions at the farm.

Good sign, he is running!

Jesus loves the little children, all the children of the world.

A little exploring in the grass that needs to be mowed.

Could he look anymore pitiful?  

Rise and shine, sister feeling better.

and even better

Our sleeping headquarters with a dog on watch.

Tomorrow has got to be better, right!?  We miss life and healthy kids and adult television.

A little Easter and a little all over the place

There is something so special about my little girl.  I love her so darn much it hurts most of the time.  She just kills me with her blue eyes, blonde hair and perfect little lips.  When I hold her I almost always instinctively walk over to a mirror and stare at her reflection because to hold her is perfection but I still need to drink in her sweet self, full of expressions and smiles.  I remember holding her for the first time nearly everyday and it is still so fresh it feels like just yesterday.  Sweet, delicate, tiny dancer, you are just the perfect ying to Riley's brown haired, brown eyed yang.  You are the calm to his hyper.  You are the gentle to his rough.  You are our girl and we stare at you in awe all the time.  Can you believe the change in her in just a year?  She has so much hair now that it makes her almost unrecognizable to last year at this time.  Every time I see that commercial where the Dad is standing outside the passenger side window talking to his little 4 year old about driving safe and carefully following every road rule only to have her turn into her beautiful 16 year old self I could cry.  Ain't that the truth that it only takes a blink of the eye and they are grown?  I am just really loving being her momma and she is as previously mentioned perfection.  

Easter was good.  We got up and did the basket thing, bathed and completed the shower thing, dressed and primped to complete the polished look thing and then rushed out the door to make it to breakfast.  Our wires got crossed and we went to the wrong place.  Miscommunication seems to be my thing as of late.  It's like my brain is racing a million miles an hour at all times.  Reading takes tremendous effort and I can hardly make it through 2 pages without just putting it down to lose myself in something easier like FB or the TV.  Sitting down and doing absolutely nothing has become some what of a lost art at our house.  See?  There goes my train of thought.  I feel disconnected and unable to string together consecutive, adult thoughts.  So basically you need to bare with me, realize that a person who gets up everyday at 3 a.m. comes up with outrageous ideas and requires a nap everyday now.  I have this constant list of must do's running through my head like visit the new baby born, spend alone time with Riley just walking around and taking spring pictures, spend alone time with Alyssa walking around and taking spring pictures, think and find meaningful mother's day gifts, is Daddy out of town at all this weekend?, invite the neighbors over for dinner in appreciation for everything they do and give to our kids, find/make meaningful gifts for Riley's teacher, spend time getting Sunday school's lesson ready, what time am I working until tomorrow?, is the dog puking?, where is my Target list?, return all of those too big clothes back to Baby Gap, turn in Riley's field trip form and once again ask for the day off, see The Hunger Games, make mom's day out plans with Rach, dinner alone with D, take Riley to a movie, and on and on and on, certainly nothing new, certainly nothing no one else experiences but for some reason quite debilitating as of late.  

I need structure, I need lists, I need a calendar.  I need a day with no plans and a day to stay in cozies all day long.  I need to take pictures like a fat kid eats cake.  Now that I clearly can identify what I "need" I have started a very structured approach to everyday that includes my life planner, my kids and the breathing room to totally fail and still feel very fulfilled even when I can't cross anything off the list.  

It started with a quick night out just D and I.  The kids went to church and were babysat by the teachers, a deal we took advantage of at the last minute.  Win-win really.  The school makes some extra dough, the kids have so much fun they almost burst and we get a dinner out alone...Cue Ruth Chris Steakhouse, the best petite filet my mouth has ever tasted a homey, small, sophisticated room all to ourselves thanks to our elderly eating habits, easy conversation and a race to get back to our kids.  Is it normal to miss them so much you can't get back to them fast enough?  Alyssa was adored on by all and Riley was so excited to tell us "I made 2 new friends, one in a black shirt and one in a white shirt."  

It continues with impromptu car trips to farther away parks to just run around and lose our minds in slides, swings and rolling down hills.  To throw rocks in a pond, to go to the pet store because looking at all kinds of fish swimming around is fun, free and really relaxing.  To just take each day singly and just do the best you can with that day.  It's a constant battle and requires patience and practice.  I hope to get there someday.  

It's also following through with a game plan where Riley is concerned.  He has been a handful lately.  So much energy all wrapped up in a his little body makes for a rough and wild Riley.  He had been walking by Alyssa and just giving her a little push, enough to knock Sister down, or sticking out his legs so she trips, wrestling with her until it's not fun anymore and she is crying.  We did not know how to handle it and appropriately turned to FB for real life advice, kind of ironic eh?  What we learned is that this is pretty normal, experienced by nearly all and totally manageable.  How's that for sucking up your feelings of total parental failure and turning it into something positive, slowly but surely we are all guiding our way through the crazy year that 3 has brought to our boy, we are looking forward to 4 and taking deep breaths when things go awry but doling out mucho praise when things as planned and punishment/persistence pay off.  Needless to say my brain has been pretty much all consumed over worrying about the psyche of my 3 year old.  I was so embarrassed over it all, feeling so clueless and helpless only to find out, hello! this is normal sibling stuff.  My children are not perfect (trust me, I kind of already realized that) and they will be testing boundaries for the next 18 years, along with irritating each other to no end.  

On that note, here's my perfect (oops I am still working on that) children doing life lately.  

Cue the wind, knocked Sister's shoe right off!

tiny dancer, chubby knees <3

Sparkle, sparkle

Alyssa Lu is strong

Riley's Alyssa Lu impression!

Living, learning, loving.  

The skinny: It's been too long.

Hello there, miss me?  Ha, even I only come back to look at the pics of our kids ; )  It's feels like forever since I have sat down to get some words out there so bear with me and if you just can't well then scroll down to find the real goods i.e. the pics, I won't feel bad.

Daddy has been very busy at work these days.  I guess spring really is in the air because the appts are keeping him busy so the kids and I have been loading up on long walks and different parks nearly every night.  We found a duck haven and can't wait to show Daddy!  This last Saturday we all rode together to his home show in Maple Grove and the kids and I snuck away to do some summer shopping on his dime.  Two things I noticed were that Baby Gap is no friend to a shopper.  It's tight, not at all stroller friendly and must run super big because everything we bought Lyssi Lu was 6-12 months and Riley was only able to keep up on his waist 18-24 month old shorts.  

Mommy has been promoted at work and is keeping insane hours these days getting up at 3:00 a.m. (OUCH) and working til 1:30-2:00.  We had a pretty smooth inspection though and lot's of changes are around the corner so the many hours are flying by and keeping me too busy most days.  I also need a haircut but I cannot find the time.  Soon, maybe!?  What has been sucking my time other than work/kids?  The Hunger Games.  I have been utterly obsessed with these 3 books finishing them all in 3 weeks with the last 2 being read in 7 days.  7 days!  I don't even know where to start with a review but you just must read them.  I was pretty drained when I finally finished the last one last night and I may have gone to bed with a few tears in my eyes but I have always been a weeny emotionally and realize tears may not spring up in your eyes.  I will miss these books dearly though as we have been attached at the hands nearly every second of downtime.  I've also been busying myself with a new editing program I finally broke down and bought.  I am not an editor of pics, never have been.  I shoot in manual and try to get it as perfect as possible without having to make any adjustments cause who has time to do that and/or wants to sit editing every single picture!?  Well as you will see some turn out pretty good and some are clearly the work of a beginner who is not at all comfortable tweaking and has yet to find her editing style.  

Riley has been busy at everything.  He is obsessed with nature shows and reading books.  Little man can't get enough of learning and will school you on every animal from piranhas to cheetahs.  He can still be found sorting through his endless amounts of lures and now that we took the boat out of storage he doesn't let a night pass where he won't ask about playing in the boat and I must mention that he can get in there by himself now so keep your boats covered lest you want a tiny pro in it!  He is signed up for 2 sessions of summer camp at school this summer and although I am having a hard time getting him signed up for t-ball (you are supposed to be 4 and he doesn't turn until July) you can bet he already practicing his ferocious swing every chance he gets.  He really enjoys turning on the TV all by himself now in the mornings although I think we might enjoy that extra 30-45 minutes of sleep even more!  He corrects us when we let "stupid" slip with a "hey, we do not use that word in this house."  He knows when we spell something out that it is something bad so he usually reprimands for that also.  Riley and I have a funny connection.  He can say something or give me this look and we both bust out in laughter.  It happens all the time and I usually end up in tears.  He is silly and fun and the best of both D and I.  He continues to entertain and surprise us with his humor, insight and general love of life everyday. 

First fishing trip of the season and guess who's pole caught this nice northern?

Alyssa Lu is what we refer to as a tiny tornado.  Girlfriend officially started walking everywhere March 25th but up until then would only tease us with her walking for 5-6 steps before intentionally switching over to all fours and then turning around to grin at us as if saying "I will do it when I am good and ready."  She is a headache in the bathtub.  If you put her in her bath chair she stands up every 23 seconds  and just waits for you to react.  The more you react the funnier she thinks it all is.  It would be all good except that she needs a bath nearly every night because she gives herself food facials at dinner time and for extra measure uses it as mousse also.  Music and food move her the most.  She can't resist dancing to all music and when there is food in front of her she is at her happiest, throwing her hands in the air to dance, giving big old cheesy smiles and gobbling it up like it's her last meal. It's a wonder that she is only 18.4 lbs.  She walks around "ruffing" like a dog, it is adorbs!  We just love her from her blonde locks to her tiny toesies, she has us all smitten.  She now has 4 top and 4 bottom teeth in with 2 molars coming in that look awfully painful.  She's still in size 3 diapers, going to bed around 7:15 and sleeping all night.  I still have to pinch myself that she is mine.  She looked so much like her Daddy the other night as he was holding her.  They were both looking out the window with their mouths open and the resemblance was striking.  Just when I thought I couldn't love him anymore he scores brownie points over his contribution to our beauty. 

Happiness is peas and pumpkin pancakes.  

Deuce is not doing good.  He can't keep anything down and just after we spent over $600 dollars in Dec thinking that he was doing so much better he continues to get worse.  He eats his breakfast in the garage now and has to be locked up in there until someone gets home as we can no longer handle the puke/bile he throws up daily.  His stomach is hard to look at and we have started to talk to Riley about him being sick and going to heaven.  We go back and forth on putting him down but for now he still has life in his eyes and somewhat of a spring in his step although he doesn't have the stamina for walks anymore.  After every horrible thing I have said about him since we started having kids I regret nearly 95% of it.  He has been an incredible dog and this decision will not be taken lightly or made hastily.  

I feel like there is something more I was meant to type but that's all I've got.  Overworked, overtired, and needing to get back to my kids as naptime is almost done (man I love when I get to leave work at 12:30!!!!). This is where I leave you people looking at the best of me, my kids.  

Food facial of spaghetti!  

The birthday spread

The birthday girl

The birthday fun

The birthday cake

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