Bobby's Sunday Summary

This week has been fun, but also very exhausting.  Well actually that was mostly yesterday.  Yesterday we went to the temple in Nauvoo.  Our ward had a ward temple trip and we went.  We left at 7 am and did not get home until just after 9.  It was long.  We went to one session and got to watch kids for another one.  The weather was in the high 60s so it was really fun to be able to walk over to a park near by and play with the kids.  Just before we left though we went looking for a place to eat dinner.  This is just a warning to everyone.  The tourist season in Nauvoo does not begin until about the 16th of March.  There was only 1 restaurant open, and we got there just as the kitchen was closing.  They were very nice and made us some sandwiches, so we didn't have to drive half an hour to find somewhere to eat.

Robert was so tired I don't think he would have made it.  I was a little sad that we didn't get a picture of him, but he fell asleep with his hand still in a small back of potato chips.   When we tried to take it away, he woke up and finished them, then put himself back to sleep.

We also got a new front door this week.

The old one was a steel door with no window and the door knob did not work, so the only was to keep the door shut was to lock it with the dead bolt.

Alice is 5!

Dear Alice,

You will soon turn five years old. Wow. That seems too small a number for such a crazy-fun little girlie who happens to fill my life so fully.

You surprised me this year by making your own close friend. You are more socially capable than I thought possible in one of my own offspring ;)

You also inspired me with your imaginative play.  You climbed, jumped, ran, danced, twirled, and composed fairy tales just about every day. Your stories took on a dark dimension this year with witches and bad guys tearing your family apart, but the heroine always seemed to come out braver and more powerful for it. You also started playing the bad guy, which was new for you, but not completely out of character since you would only play that way if EVERYONE was a bad guy. You still don't like conflict :)

This year, you helped me more than ever with your eager willingness to grow up. This year, I watched you learn to set the table, get drinks for Robert and yourself, practice sharing (again and again), and take responsibility for your choices. Oh Alice, you have been a "little mommy" to Robert in many ways this year. You have a unique talent for assessing a need and acting on it before I even get around to it. You understand Robert's toddler language better than me, sometimes, because you watch his visual cues very closely. What a skill! You have a strong empathetic chord in you, my dear, which makes you infinitely useful as a helper. Today, in fact, Robert was in a grouchy, selfish mood. You and I talked about it a little and brainstormed some ways to deal with the situation. Not only did our teamwork turn his crunchy attitude around, but you were simply glowing with pride that you could be SUCH a help to me in such a mature way. I racked my brain trying to think of some way to thank you, but no reward could possibly add up to how much your simple, empathetic, eager heart made the rest of this day glow.

I love that I can trust you. I love that you keep your word. I love that you are honest.

This year, we moved to a new house. You and I both said goodbye to some close friends. When I signed up to have kids, I kinda forgot about the part that we would be experiencing life together. I knew you would need someone to teach you and love you, but I never thought we would be happy together and stressed together and living life side-by-side. I guess I thought you would be the only one learning stuff. Funny, huh? I'm glad you're with me in this.

You are just getting to the age where permanent memories are being formed. You might actually remember snippets of our first house together. Here is where we start building common memories. Actually, we'll probably experience things together and then remember them in completely different ways, but it's a shared experience nonetheless. That's powerful.

Alice, I'm glad that you are the one that joined our family. I think about the day you were born and how I couldn't take my eyes off of your round little noggin with those dark, unfocused eyes.

Five years later, I still feel that way. I watch you and I marvel.

I love you, you crazy-silly girlie.

Quick Update

Someone's prayers are certainly working. Hooray for friends and family who read our blog and actually make a difference in our lives for it :)

Not long after posting my dismal report on Sunday, things started getting better. We're all the mend, it seems, but I don't want to jinx it by saying all is well ;)

Thank you, thank you, thank you for whatever you did to nudge this miraculous turnaround our way.

Whew.

Ahem

Three of Bobby's Sunday summaries in a row...that is HARDLY normal ;)

But he speaks the truth. We seem to be inflicted with one bug after another after another. The new norm? Our sinus issues have abated somewhat in favor of explosive diarrhea (Robert and Alice), itty bitty facial pustules (Alice), and more headaches and productive coughing all around. I function well enough to get food, launder clothes, and shuttle us to various appointments, but it's Bobby who is keeping our lives together (doing dishes, tidying the house, and preparing more than half of our meals) in his spare time. I can imagine it's not a week worth chatting about in a weekly summary, but I'm pretty sure there's a record of this in heaven somewhere :)

I've had a lot of time to bond with my kids in this series of sicknesses. They seem to react well to me staying in one spot most of the day :) I've been most surprised by Robert. His vocabulary is expanding, his memory improving, and he grows more and more capable of expressing complex needs. I love this age. In fact, I would say that I'm "in love" with this age. I'm smitten with him. He's finally reached an age where I feel like we have something to talk about. It's reciprocal! I can ask him about Nursery and he'll remember what they ate for snack and what he played with. Awesome! He's also hit the point where I like running errands with him one-on-one. Both of my kids are at that point. I'd rather take Alice OR Robert to X, Y, or Z than go by myself. Honestly. Most of the time.

Both of them? Not fun.

One at a time? A miracle occurs: a chore suddenly transforms into a fun little bonding time. I am SUCH a one-one-one kind of mom. Immersion is connection. Robert and I were at my dentist appointment this week and he was asking questions, following directions, making up new games, and generally making the whole experience a lot more fun than if I had gone alone. It's a good thing he's still afraid of face masks, though. That slight uneasiness kept him away from the automatic water dispenser button (why on earth did I show him that?). I had intended to find a babysitter for that appointment, but it fell through and I'm kinda glad it did.

So, we're truckin' on. I'm confident we'll all feel normal again at some point. I pray that it's sooner rather than later, but it's really not THAT bad overall. People do get over colds, or a series of them. I'm mostly concerned for Bobby. He's going to need some serious R&R when we're back to normal.

Bobby's Sunday Summary

Not a whole lot new to report.  Life continues on about the same as last week.  There still is a lot of sickness in our family.  Robert isn't feeling well so Susan and him stayed home from church.  Other then that life is fairly normal.