Since returning from Michigan on Monday, I realized that I had lost my mind and it took me a while to find it. Well, I found somebody's, at any rate.
As nice as it was to be in Michigan, especially this time of year with all the beautiful Black & Red Oak, giant Elm and gorgeous Maple trees, it was equally as nice to get back to Bridgeport and back into a routine. Actually, our life is anything BUT routine, but that's the easiest way to define it.
The train ride back was a breeze, the kids were wonderful. My mom rode to Chicago with us and helped us off the commuter train and onto the Zephyr. We even managed to squeeze in a quick lunch and take a trip to the bathrooms. She then rode back to Lapeer while the four of us headed West.
Spent most of the week going through the mail, sorting laundry, running errands, paying bills, tossing the moldy food out of the fridge, and doling out Benadryl in six hour cycles to 2/3 of the kids, while the baby got her first taste of Amoxicillin three times daily. You know, the usual.
Friday, Lars and I went with Eden's Headstart class to the Pumpkin patch, which is really a local family's garden who lets the kids pick through the vines to find the big orange treasures. It was great fun, though Lars wandered off and was found near the bus in somebody's backyard, chasing feral cats and looking at the ducks.
Saturday was Pastor's birthday and since the made from scratch birthday cake fell apart into millions of fluffy yellow pieces, I mixed it with pudding and a cream cheese mixture and we enjoyed it that way. You'll be happy to know he received the full 11 seasons of M*A*S*H, complete with the blooper reel and several other special features, approximate running time is 6500 minutes. That should keep us busy all winter~
Today, we enjoyed the beautiful fall weather and started cleaning up the gardens. Lars helped me dig up the geraniums and put them in a box with a garbage liner and some soil. Hoping they last till next year, but we'll see. Nothing to lose, I guess.
Pastor cleaned out the garage a little bit more than he had before we got home. True, I was able to get my SUV in the garage when I got home, but unfortunately, I could not get in or out of the vehicle without stepping on metal, tripping over car panels, or opening the car door without spilling some interior part off the wall and having to balance it back in the same precarious position. It's about 90% cleaned up now and that's probably as good as it's going to get, so, Thanks, Honey.
Twelve hours from now, we'll be on our way to Rocky Mountain Hospital for Children at Presbyterian St. Luke's (say that Three times fast) in Denver, about 3.5 hrs away. Lars will be undergoing both a Colonoscopy w/biopsy as well as Endoscopy w/biopsy Monday afternoon to rule out or give definition to any medical condition in the gut that he may have. It's going to be a long day, but today's clear liquid diet, followed by the cleaning of the colon, went fairly well. For a sensitive boy, he's pretty amicable and probably stronger than his mother.
Blessings to you all on your week ahead.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Friday, October 15, 2010
Sisters Are Special
If you have one or two or three or more, you already know this. If not, listen up. Sisters are special. I am doubly blessed in that department. One from birth, and one from marriage.
My sister and I spent Wednesday afternoon together. We planned to go shopping at the outlets, then over to Frankenmuth for supper. This is nothing unusual when I come home, it's one of our two favorite places to be. And honestly, has anyone ever had a better chicken dinner than Zenders or the Bavarian Inn?
Anyway, only a really great sister would take time off from work that she didn't have, rearrange her children's after school schedule and find rides & cash for their extra curricular activities just to squeeze in a few hours between that and a 7:00 meeting at church to go shoe shopping with a preschooler and an infant.
Not only that, as she pulled in the driveway to load up the car, the sky opened up and it began to pour. The drive up went quickly and after finding the right driveway for a 7-11, we got Slurpees and hit the shops at a less than break neck speed. It was still pouring, but it didn't matter.
In the end, we ran out of time for supper and had to only think about it all the while being stuck behind a pick up truck doing 48 mph through the hills and no passing zones on the back roads trying to make it home in time for her to get to church on time. It was still pouring rain, the colors on the trees had turned to rainbow drip, and the steady stream of laughter had turned to more productive conversation, such as, "I can only go as fast as the car in front of me." It was more of a chant, really.
The afternoon was over as quick as it started.
The following day started out sunnier. My newer sister came over as soon as she found out school was cancelled (no electricity) and the kids instantly began playing together. We decided a quick trip to town was in order and maybe some lunch, so we started out the day by viewing her and my brother's newly renovated house, then heading to town for some fabric shopping. She helped me pick out a perfect fall pattern for a new apron before looking next door for second hand kid clothes. We went to lunch. It was quiet and peaceful and we talked about nothing important while sipping some sugary drink we don't allow our kids to injest, yet it was a completely relevant topic of conversation to life as we know it now.
Once again, the afternoon was over as quick as it started.
But I was reminded twice in two days how absolutely wonderful it is to be a sister, no matter how many miles may separate us the other 355 days of the year.
My sister and I spent Wednesday afternoon together. We planned to go shopping at the outlets, then over to Frankenmuth for supper. This is nothing unusual when I come home, it's one of our two favorite places to be. And honestly, has anyone ever had a better chicken dinner than Zenders or the Bavarian Inn?
Anyway, only a really great sister would take time off from work that she didn't have, rearrange her children's after school schedule and find rides & cash for their extra curricular activities just to squeeze in a few hours between that and a 7:00 meeting at church to go shoe shopping with a preschooler and an infant.
Not only that, as she pulled in the driveway to load up the car, the sky opened up and it began to pour. The drive up went quickly and after finding the right driveway for a 7-11, we got Slurpees and hit the shops at a less than break neck speed. It was still pouring, but it didn't matter.
In the end, we ran out of time for supper and had to only think about it all the while being stuck behind a pick up truck doing 48 mph through the hills and no passing zones on the back roads trying to make it home in time for her to get to church on time. It was still pouring rain, the colors on the trees had turned to rainbow drip, and the steady stream of laughter had turned to more productive conversation, such as, "I can only go as fast as the car in front of me." It was more of a chant, really.
The afternoon was over as quick as it started.
The following day started out sunnier. My newer sister came over as soon as she found out school was cancelled (no electricity) and the kids instantly began playing together. We decided a quick trip to town was in order and maybe some lunch, so we started out the day by viewing her and my brother's newly renovated house, then heading to town for some fabric shopping. She helped me pick out a perfect fall pattern for a new apron before looking next door for second hand kid clothes. We went to lunch. It was quiet and peaceful and we talked about nothing important while sipping some sugary drink we don't allow our kids to injest, yet it was a completely relevant topic of conversation to life as we know it now.
Once again, the afternoon was over as quick as it started.
But I was reminded twice in two days how absolutely wonderful it is to be a sister, no matter how many miles may separate us the other 355 days of the year.
Sunday, October 10, 2010
An educated bunch?
So, this morning we're in church and it's time for the children's sermon. Eden & Lars advance to the altar area with Cousin Zachary and Pastor takes them and all the other slew of children over to the baptismal font.
"Does anybody know what this is?" asks Pastor.
"Yeah! It's a baptism font! My daddy has one!" Eden shouts, somewhat matter-of-factly.
"Your daddy has one? Ok, has anybody seen a baby being baptized before?"
"Yeah, I have, because I have my own baby!" yells Eden again.
"You have your own baby? Ok..." as Pastor continues to speak, Lars stands to the side pointing and talking in his loud volume, "That's a sheep. That's a cross. That's a candle. That's a altar. That's a bible...."
The couple sitting behind us leaned forward and say to me, "Wow, your kids are really shy."
Then we sing Lift High the Cross and Eden walks over to me and whispers, "Are we at a funeral, too?"
Fast forward to the end of the service, during the benediction, Eden, remembering vaguley being in these pews last Christmas, leans over to my sister, Meegan, and whispers, "Is this where they turn off all the lights and give us candles?!"
Ah, life with the pastor's children....
"Does anybody know what this is?" asks Pastor.
"Yeah! It's a baptism font! My daddy has one!" Eden shouts, somewhat matter-of-factly.
"Your daddy has one? Ok, has anybody seen a baby being baptized before?"
"Yeah, I have, because I have my own baby!" yells Eden again.
"You have your own baby? Ok..." as Pastor continues to speak, Lars stands to the side pointing and talking in his loud volume, "That's a sheep. That's a cross. That's a candle. That's a altar. That's a bible...."
The couple sitting behind us leaned forward and say to me, "Wow, your kids are really shy."
Then we sing Lift High the Cross and Eden walks over to me and whispers, "Are we at a funeral, too?"
Fast forward to the end of the service, during the benediction, Eden, remembering vaguley being in these pews last Christmas, leans over to my sister, Meegan, and whispers, "Is this where they turn off all the lights and give us candles?!"
Ah, life with the pastor's children....
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Michigan Week One
Week One of our trip to Michigan, the Reader's Digest Version: Everybody is sick.
Well, that's not all, I guess.
The train trip that we nearly missed was fairly uneventful, unless you count the old people that sat behind us in the lower level seating. It was an elderly couple and their 60 year old son, and another older guy who had a bad case of emphysema and I thought at any moment, I would be beginning CPR. They were all hard of hearing, causing them to shout everything from the time we got on around 9:00 p.m. until well past midnight. Then began the trips to the bathroom, one every 30 minutes or so. Naturally, they were sitting behind us and had to hold our seats and step over my children, who were sleeping partially in the aisle, on their way. We were very happy to reach Chicago and see Papa and Grandma waiting for us.
We have been busy doing a whole lot of nothing, but we've all had colds since Wedneday, and like every fall cold for me, it turned into bronchitis. Thankfully (?) I have been on antibiotics for the 10 days prior to getting the cold for something else, so hopefully, I won't need more. And I would like to add that I'm a little ticked off because I had a nasty cold three weeks ago that I also shared with all my children. I'm hoping for a healthier winter...
Spent the first couple days playing outside, shopping, and seeing family. On Wednesday, we loaded up the truck and headed north for the cabin, passing through Sanford, which is a town that Allen's great grandfather settled. We don't know his name, but his daughter was Lily Belle Sanford, and she married Clarence Clevland Strawn. Ten miles north of there was Edenville, so we had to stop and take a short tour. We then went to the nursing home to visit Allen's Grandpa Ittner. He was hard to track down, but we found him 22 minutes into his daily hour long ride to nowhere. He was in very good spirits and was happy to meet his newest great grand-baby, Elia Clara. It was a short visit, but well worth the time.
Two hours later, we were passing the big wooden Kenny sign and unloading stuff into the cabin. Eden & Lars found their name on the sign, along with Elia's before checking out the 'really cool' loft inside, picking which bed they wanted to sleep on.
The weather was beautiful while we were there, the campfire was perfect, the wind was rustling through the trees and my kids didn't know what that sound was. It was surreal and I felt like they were a little deprived, but then Lars spouted off all the kinds of tractors that were in the fields on the way home, impressing everybody who was listening, so it was Ok. The lake was low and I was too miserable to take Ened & Lars in the canoe, but we took a walk down to the banks. The three of us went on a bear hunt around the lake but never found one. Lars wanted to have Dave's boat for the lake, but I convinced him it was too small and the boat was too far away. Papa found a mysterious four clawed cat print on the morning walk, but we couldn't figure out for sure what it was. Lars spent several hours in the sandbox and Eden spent equal time on the tire swing. It was a good time, even though everyone was hacking with runny noses.
The drive home was twice as beautiful as it was on the way up. The red and black oak trees are in full color and when the sun hits hundreds of them in just the right way, all at the same time, you're pretty sure it's a taste of heaven.
Last night was the first hockey game of the season, so we parked ourselves on the couch and watched the season start off well. I went to bed early when Meegan arrived with the blessed Vaporizer. She held Elia until nearly midnight, when I took over, sitting for the 4th night in a row propped up, pretending to sleep.
Today, we are hanging out at Meegan's house. Me, mostly on the couch and the kids being entertained by the cousins. Elia is not happy no matter what at the moment. Which means that tomorrow will have to be better :-)
Lars misses his house and his friends in Nebraksa, but is willing to stay the next week, as long as we can get on the train to go back home.
That's all for now...
Well, that's not all, I guess.
The train trip that we nearly missed was fairly uneventful, unless you count the old people that sat behind us in the lower level seating. It was an elderly couple and their 60 year old son, and another older guy who had a bad case of emphysema and I thought at any moment, I would be beginning CPR. They were all hard of hearing, causing them to shout everything from the time we got on around 9:00 p.m. until well past midnight. Then began the trips to the bathroom, one every 30 minutes or so. Naturally, they were sitting behind us and had to hold our seats and step over my children, who were sleeping partially in the aisle, on their way. We were very happy to reach Chicago and see Papa and Grandma waiting for us.
We have been busy doing a whole lot of nothing, but we've all had colds since Wedneday, and like every fall cold for me, it turned into bronchitis. Thankfully (?) I have been on antibiotics for the 10 days prior to getting the cold for something else, so hopefully, I won't need more. And I would like to add that I'm a little ticked off because I had a nasty cold three weeks ago that I also shared with all my children. I'm hoping for a healthier winter...
Spent the first couple days playing outside, shopping, and seeing family. On Wednesday, we loaded up the truck and headed north for the cabin, passing through Sanford, which is a town that Allen's great grandfather settled. We don't know his name, but his daughter was Lily Belle Sanford, and she married Clarence Clevland Strawn. Ten miles north of there was Edenville, so we had to stop and take a short tour. We then went to the nursing home to visit Allen's Grandpa Ittner. He was hard to track down, but we found him 22 minutes into his daily hour long ride to nowhere. He was in very good spirits and was happy to meet his newest great grand-baby, Elia Clara. It was a short visit, but well worth the time.
Two hours later, we were passing the big wooden Kenny sign and unloading stuff into the cabin. Eden & Lars found their name on the sign, along with Elia's before checking out the 'really cool' loft inside, picking which bed they wanted to sleep on.
The weather was beautiful while we were there, the campfire was perfect, the wind was rustling through the trees and my kids didn't know what that sound was. It was surreal and I felt like they were a little deprived, but then Lars spouted off all the kinds of tractors that were in the fields on the way home, impressing everybody who was listening, so it was Ok. The lake was low and I was too miserable to take Ened & Lars in the canoe, but we took a walk down to the banks. The three of us went on a bear hunt around the lake but never found one. Lars wanted to have Dave's boat for the lake, but I convinced him it was too small and the boat was too far away. Papa found a mysterious four clawed cat print on the morning walk, but we couldn't figure out for sure what it was. Lars spent several hours in the sandbox and Eden spent equal time on the tire swing. It was a good time, even though everyone was hacking with runny noses.
The drive home was twice as beautiful as it was on the way up. The red and black oak trees are in full color and when the sun hits hundreds of them in just the right way, all at the same time, you're pretty sure it's a taste of heaven.
Last night was the first hockey game of the season, so we parked ourselves on the couch and watched the season start off well. I went to bed early when Meegan arrived with the blessed Vaporizer. She held Elia until nearly midnight, when I took over, sitting for the 4th night in a row propped up, pretending to sleep.
Today, we are hanging out at Meegan's house. Me, mostly on the couch and the kids being entertained by the cousins. Elia is not happy no matter what at the moment. Which means that tomorrow will have to be better :-)
Lars misses his house and his friends in Nebraksa, but is willing to stay the next week, as long as we can get on the train to go back home.
That's all for now...
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