Falling into cooler weather...

Have I said lately how much I love these kids of mine?  I swear if it weren't for them I would be crawled up under a rock somewhere.  They are what keep me going on the good days and even more so on the bad days.  I am so grateful and thankful that they are in my life.  That they are these three, sweet, adorable little beans and that they are mine.  I'm not sure how I got so lucky, or what I ever did to deserve them but I can't even begin to imagine my life without them.  There's nothing more to it.  Period.  End of story!

We spent the Columbus Day weekend up North.  New Hampshire in the Fall is my favorite, although the temperatures were extremely warm that you would have sworn it was the dead of summer.  Thankfully, the foliage was so breathtaking that it reassured me that this surely was the Fall Season.  We visited our favorite craft fair and I even picked up a few Christmas presents.  I have this thing for the painted wooden country signs with the cute sayings.  Let's just say that the ones I chose fit the people I chose them for perfectly!  The kids then headed up to Loon's Octoberfest with Billy and the rest of the gang while I hung back with Cam so that he could go down for his nap.  Mama ended up snuggling up and catching herself a few winks herself.  Don't remember the last time I did that!  We spent the rest of the weekend visiting our favorite spots.  Sugar Hill Sampler, Harmon's Cheese Shop and the candy store.  I stocked up on my favorite Cider Tea at the Sugar Hill Sampler.  If you ever get there, it's a must have!  We carved pumpkins and raked leaves into a pile so that the kids could jump in.  Seven kids in total and yet you would never even know it.  They were so well behaved!  Sunday night I decided to head to one of the famous moose sighting spots.  (Yes, I am still obsessed with seeing one)  Hannah came along and we began our drive on the Kangamangus.  The traffic coming back into town was ridiculous so I was glad we were heading north and not stuck in it.  As we were driving, Hannah said she wasn't feeling well.  I told her to close her eyes and try to rest.  25 minutes later, I found our spot and it was exactly dusk.  (Best time to see a moose)  We got out of the car and Hannah was just not right.  I felt her head and yes, she was burning up.  I grabbed a blanket for her and we sat on a rock for barely five minutes waiting for a moose.  I knew I had to get her back home and back in the car we went.  (Again, no moose!)  The poor kid was so sick she was whimpering on the way home.  Heading south was a complete traffic jam and it took us forever to get home.  I got her up the stairs just in time and that was it.  Banana just about made it to the bathroom before she got sick.  We were up the entire night with her, but thankfully by morning she had begun to feel a bit better and her fever was down.  We packed it up and headed on home as Layla now had begun to feel warm and my stomach was not right. 


It seems as though we all ended up with a touch of something and now we are all suffering with these nasty colds.  Blech!  I feel so bad for the kids as they can hardly breath and their noses are all pouring.  Layla had a rough day at school yesterday and they said she was just not her usual, spunky self.  I brought her home and on the couch she stayed for the rest of the evening.  Cam's face is all chapped from his nose running and he is just not his happy self.  He hardly ate a bite of lunch and is currently conked out in the pack n play.  Billy went to bed at 8:00PM last night, so I know he is not feeling well either.  I am just feeling plain yucky.  It is the type of day where all you want to do is stay on the couch and watch movies.  Then again, that would only take place in my "Stay at Home Mom" pipe dream.  Hopefully we can get healthy again by the weekend.  We have birthday parties to attend.  Hockey practice, CCD and Hannah has her first game.  Fingers crossed we get on the mend! 


I was able to get an hour and half out with Hannah after work yesterday.  DATE afternoon!  We never get much time just the two of us and I was feeling quite guilty that that the child was suffering in the clothes department.  Everything is too small on her and she just doesn't have many clothes at all.  The other two get tons of hand me downs (TY Ant Denise) to add to what they get for their birthdays and Hannah doesn't get this.  She is the oldest and the biggest.  We didn't have the money to go back to school shopping this year so she has just been making do.  Plus the weather has been so warm that she was able to just continue to wear her summer things.  I scraped some money together and out we went yesterday!  She was so excited and so happy to be buying some new things.  We got her some great boots at Target and finally some new underwear!  Then we headed on over to Childrens Place and picked up a few long sleeved shirts and a jean skirt.  We tried our best to make the money I had stretch as much as we could and she was really good about.  (It drives me crazy how expensive clothes are... especially for kids!)  She was happy!  Her night was complete when her Halloween Costume arrived when we got home.  I was happy to have her feel special for the day.  She deserves it.  We finished the evening out with completing her homework.  She had to find a favorite poem and be prepared to read it to the class.  She chose "My Special Diet" by Kenn Nesbitt.  I have to share it because I just love it too much.  And if you heard her read it you would be grinning from ear to ear. 

My Special Diet

Fish sticks, Tater Tots,

Candy bars, baloney,

Ice cream, Bubble Gum,

Cheesy Macaroni.

This is all I ever eat

Don't knock it til' you try it,

I haven't lost a single pound,

But still I love my diet!

Love it!  The little booger!  I am a smidge concerned about her however.  She woke up yesterday complaining of neck pain on the left side.  It seemed to get a little better by night time but this morning it was worse.  She was crying this morning because it hurt so badly and she had a tough time getting a shirt over her head.  I had assumed that she had just slept wrong the night before but now that it is getting worse I am a little concerned.  At her check up last week, Dr. Sowa mentioned her ear tubes were out.  (great.. ugh)  The left ear is her worst ear and this is also the one where the hemangioma is wrapped around her Eustachian tube.  It's hard not to think that something could be going on here.  I'm sorry, I know it sounds neurotic, but after going through what I went through with her, I will never question my worry.  I told her we would give it one more day to see if it gets any better and then I would take her in to see Dr. Sowa.  I am hoping it is just a little muscle ache or maybe some achy glands from her cold.  Fingers crossed she'll feel better by morning.  

Happy Thursday!

xo



PS:  HAPPY BELATED BIRTHDAY SHANNY (OCTOBER 8th).. MY TWO TIME BREAST CANCER SURVIVOR!  LOVE AND BLESSINGS!  TO MANY MORE YEARS OF BEING CANCER FREE!