Do you ever have those days, or events, when one rediculous thing happens after another? Last night was one of those times for me. As you know, if you’ve been reading the last few posts, I’ve had sick kids for going on two week now. My friend Kristen has been in the same boat, except her babies are newborn, one, and two! Wednesdays are usually my favorite weekday. Kristen, her sister Erin, and their four babies come to my house for lunch and a play date. It is so much fun. We take turns cooking, the kids play, and some weeks, it is the only adult conversation we’ve had ALL week! Due to Thanksgiving, sick kids, and being out of town, we haven’t had our Wednesday lunch in three weeks. I miss my girlfriends! So I called Kristen on Wednesday to make sure she was still alive and we both laughed about our weeks and how little adult conversation we’d had over the last two or three weeks. At that moment, we decided to meet for coffee (and laughs) Thursday night at 8pm.
I was rushing around my house to finish up dessert with the kids (we were decorating Christmas cookies) and trying to get out the door by 7:50. That did not happen. I left my house at 8:01pm to pick up Kristen. It had been pouring rain for 48 hours by now. There were flooded areas everywhere. Did I mention this was the first day since Sunday that I had actually dried my hair and put makeup on? On my way to her house, I spritzed a squirt of body spray in my car because I’m always paranoid that my car smells like dirty little boys and diapers. Well the smell was overwhelming at first, so without even thinking, I cracked both front windows to let in some fresh air. As the rain began to pour in, I immediately rolled them back up…except, the passenger window wouldn’t budge! Rain continued to pour in that window as I drove down the road trying not to plow into the car in front of me. I called Kristen, let her know what happened, and suggested she bring a trash bag that we could drape over that door so she wouldn’t get wet. Boy, did I feel stupid!
We arrived at Starbucks around 8:20pm. We ran through the rain soaked parking lot with my giant polka dotted umbrella and Kristens flip-flops sloshing through the puddles that seemed more like small bodies of water at this point. It was as if all eyes were on us as we entered the very crowded, very small Starbucks. We were laughing by the time we hit the door because my umbrella was not wanting to fold up and I was getting caught up in the door as rain poured down on us. We ordered our little cups of rest and relaxation and took the only two seats left in the building. We talked and laughed histerically for what seemed like only a few minutes, when in reality, we were there for an hour and a half. At one point, there was a sweet young couple, obviously dating, and they were exchanging gifts at the tabel beside us. Apparently they were wanting a sweet romantic moment and we were entirely too loud for that, so they got up and moved to a quiet corner table, away from the loud mouths (that would be US). We were actually laughing so hard at one point, Kristen, who is still breastfeeding her youngest baby, feared she was about to leak all over her shirt. That, of course, made us laugh even harder as we joked about running outside in the rain so the rest of her shirt would get wet too and no one would know exactly where the “leak” had sprung from. Finally, as the clock approached 10pm, for fear of turning into pumpkins, we packed up and ran back out to the car. As we jumped in and slammed the doors behind us, my van windows fogged up almost instantly. I couldn’t see out my windshield even a little bit. It’s okay, I thought, we’ll just sit here for a minute while the windshield defrosts. Well, what I didn’t take into account, was whether or not my defrost would choose to work that night! You see, my van, at the old age of SIX, tends to have a mind of it’s own. The automatic doors don’t work when it’s cold or raining, the heating and air only works half the time, and wouldn’t you know, this was one of the times it most certainly did NOT work. We sat in the parking lot of Starbucks for almost an hour as my windows slowly cleared up enough to see through. I still, however, thank God that I have a van that gets me from point A to point B, fits all my children and a few friends, and most of all, that I can now fill my gas tank up for a mere $28!!!! Thank you Lord, I can handle no air and manual sliding doors!
Although the night was histerically comical, it was much needed and we both went home refreshed and rejuvenated to finish out our week with the best jobs in the world. Sometimes you just have to have those moments with someone who understands exactly what you’re going through. Someone to laugh with you when you really feel like crying, someone to tell you they experienced the same thing the day before and no, you’re not crazy or a bad mom. God gives us different friends in different seasons of our lives. Some friends fade into the distance during some seasons of life, and in the right moment, they return as if no time had passed at all. Girlfriends are definitely a gift from God. I thank God that he’s given me a handful of precious sisters in Christ. We are there to carry each other through the hard times and laugh our way through life’s ups and downs. Laughter is definitely key. You can’t take yourself or life too seriously, it just wouldn’t be any fun.
~audrey
P.S. Kristen let me borrow her copy of “Multiple Blessings” by Kate Gosselin. That is the family from TLC and the show Jon and Kate plus Eight, in case you didn’t know. I haven’t been able to put the book down. I’m already looking forward to Owen taking a nap this afternoon so I can cuddle up in my bed and read some more. Thanks girl! Love you!

As a woman, I find it very difficult, at times, to live in the moment.  I am a planner.  I am cautious.  I am constantly thinking about what I have to do next, what I’m making for dinner tonight, what I have to do tomorrow, next week, next month…you get the picture, and are probably nodding your head in agreement.  It is hard to live in the moment when you are constantly aware of, and planning for, the future. 

I have a perfect example, in my life, of this horrible flaw and the effects it has had on my life.  My husband and I have said for some time that we want four kids.  Since I delivered my third child, I’ve been pondering and planning when to get started on the “final number four”.  People ask me ALL THE TIME if I’ll be “trying for a girl”?  NO!  I have three boys and I would be completely content with FOUR boys.  If I were to have a fourth boy, there would not be a “baby #5″, I can guarantee that.  However, I have been putting a LOT (and I mean, A LOT) of pressure on myself to plan this out perfectly (like that is really possible).  In my perfect plan, I would lose about 20-30 pounds by the beginning of 2009 and get pregnant sometime between February and April of 2009.  I wouldn’t be very big during the summer, the baby would be due in the winter, and I would have at least three months to lose my baby weight before getting back into summer clothes. 

Jeez, that wears me out just thinking about it!  I finally came to the realization that the pressure of all that planning for another baby has really gotten me stuck exactly where I am and I haven’t been able to budge.  I haven’t lost a pound, despite working out rigorously.  Every decision we make as a family, I’m thinking about baby number four, etc. 

The bottom line is, I love children.  I love having babies, I love babysitting, I love helping children in need.   I’ve never really felt like I’m a “teacher”, as in Sunday school, or early childhood education in the school system.  I just know I love kids.  As I was leaving the gym a few weeks ago, I noticed a sign above the coffee station asking for anyone interested in foster parenting to please call ‘this’ number.  It certainly peaked my interest and I called the next day.  I had just missed the orientation that morning, but the lady on the other end of the line offered to do a one on one orientation with me the very next day if I was available.  Yes!  I made arrangements and went the next morning.  My husband has always been open to foster parenting and adoption, so he was looking forward to hearing about this agency.  I left the meeting VERY encouraged and excited.  This agency specializes in cases in which the birth parents are actively working toward getting their children back.  They also specialize in keeping siblings together, which means, we would almost always have two children at a time.  Suddenly, I felt a sense of purpose.  Like this is what I was meant to do.  The desire to have a fourth child all but vanished.  I came home and called my OB doctor to schedule and appointment to get on some type of long term birth control (sorry if that is TMI).  I have kicked into a new sort of “nesting mode”.  I am sorting through our things and making bins and boxes for the children that will be passing through our home in the coming months.  I was informed that some of these children will come to us in nothing but a diaper.  That breaks my heart, but at the same time, it excites me that we can make a difference in these childrens’ lives.  We can provide clothing, necessities, food, shelter, and love.  It will also be a wonderful, character building experience for my children and teach them the true meaning of servanthood.  We will be opening our home, our resources, our food, and our hearts to these children who, at the time, have nothing.  Most of our placements will be fairly short term; just a few months at a time, and then we’ll have new placements.  The process is going to take about three months to finish.  We have to take some training classes after the first of the year, do a two part home study, and acquire a few things for our home, such as a daybed and a stand-up freezer for our garage, in order to accomodate these children comfortably.  I can’t fully explain to you how this makes me feel.  I feel like a weight has been lifted from my shoulders.  A weight that I placed there myself.  I feel like I finally see a piece of my destiny falling into place.  Don’t get me wrong, I feel fulfillment everyday when I wake up next to my amazing husband and spend all day with my three beautiful, healthy boys, but this is different.  I can’t explain it.  It’s just different. 

I’ll certainly be keeping you updated as details unfold.  It seems like it will be a fairly simple process as long as I stay on top of the paperwork involved and meet all of our deadlines. 

We’re excited about this new season in our lives and I look forward to sharing more with you when the time comes.  Have a Terrific Tuesday!

~audrey

It is so wonderful to be home after a nice long weekend at my parents’ house. I had quite a few things planned for today. Mostly errands to run, a little house work, unpacking the suitcases, Joshua’s piano lessons…you get the picture. Instead however, this is what the first part of my day looked like…

…I slept like a baby last night (for the first time in almost a week!) and woke up around 8:15. I walked in the kitchen and prepared hot chocolate for Joshua and Jesse. Owen was still asleep. As they drank their hot cocoa and watched a cartoon, I sat down to check my email. Within a few minutes I heard Jesse yelling from the bathroom for me to come and “wipe his booty”. Well, I don’t wipe his butt anymore! He’s four and a half and he knows how to do it himself. Then I heard him add “I have diarrhea!” So I went in and helped him wipe clean (YUCK!).
While I was in the bathroom with Jesse, Joshua had heard Owen fussing from his room, so he went in to see him and say good morning. This is a sweet everday routine for the boys. They love to run in Owen’s room in the morning and entertain him and give him kisses through the crib until I get him out. Well this morning was a little different. As Joshua opened the door to Owen’s room, he was hit with the smell of puke and the site of Owen (and everything in his crib) covered in vomit. It wasn’t just any normal discolored vomit either. There were large chunks of hotdogs and boiled peanuts everywhere!!! I held my breath and ran to his room to strip him down, pull the sheets off the crib, throw everything into a pukey pile and swept Owen off to the bathroom where I put him in the tub. Within five minutes, I could hear Jesse crying from the living room. What I heard next set the mood for the rest of my day…yep, you guessed it, Jesse puked all over my couch and living room floor. While Owen was in the tub, I put his nasty laundry (including his pillow) in the wash and cleaned up Jesse and his mess from the living room. Okay, I thought, that was nasty, maybe that was the worst of it…yeah right! Dream on!
About thirty minutes went by with no drama. I unloaded the dishwasher, got Owen out of the tub and into some clean jammies, and put the laundry into the dryer now. Then I heard Jesse crying again. This time he had pooped in his underwear by accident (yep, more diarrhea). So I helped him from the couch (MY POOR COUCH!!) to the bathroom and I brought him a clean change of clothes. As I took his poopy underwear and pants to the laundry room, I heard him crying again and saying, “nnoooooo”. At this point, I was afraid to go back in there. What in the world will I see this time, I wondered??? I opened the door to see Jesse sitting on my nice, large, black rug, completely naked and covered in puke. It was on Jesse, all of the clean clothes I had just brought to him, the training potty, and my nice rug. LOVELY! More clothes went to the wash (including my rug…I hope it comes out okay) and Jesse reluctantly went into the tub. Thank the Lord, through all of this, Owen seemed to be over it. He hasn’t shown anymore signs of sickness.
Over an hour went by and Jesse hadn’t spewed anymore, so I decided to load the kids in the car to run a mile down the road to the bank…it’s Monday and I HAD to make a deposit. I was smart, however, and I brought Jesse’s little trash can, lined with five or six grocery bags…just in case! Sure enough, as soon as I pulled through the line, he started vomiting again. Unfortunately for Jesse, he is kind of a pro at puking, so he always makes it to the trash can if one is available. At this point, I figured, we’re already in the car and he’s puking anyways, so why not improve my day slightly by getting some Starbucks? At least then I’ll have lots of energy to keep up with all this cleaning, laundry, and puke! So I got my espresso fix for the day and we made it home in one piece. Once we were settled in, I got out my Little Green Machine (thank goodness for those miracle workers!) and steam cleaned my couch cushions and the living room floor where Jesse had exploded. I sat down in my room, with the door closed, and drank my coffee in peace. It is now 1pm. No one has puked in the last hour and a half and it’s almost nap time. Wish me luck with the second half of my day! :) The good thing is, even with all that nastiness, I have laughed all day. I guess I’ve learned over the years, I might as well make light of all situations, as much as possible. Otherwise, I’ll go insane! I hope your day has been better than mine, with not as much laundry and bodily fluids.

:)
~audrey

It’s Monday and we are back at home sweet home.  Luckily, I completed my “before going out of town” routine and I had the privilege of coming home to a clean and tidy home.  I even had time to do all of our laundry before we left my mom’s house, so now unpacking will be a breeze and won’t leave me with three loads of laundry.  This was the first time we’ve gone away for four days with all three kids…we had a LOT of “stuff”!!  One HUGE suitcase that weighed as much as a large horse, two kids suitcases so jam packed, I thought the zippers were going to burst, a pack-n-play, three pillows, and two bikes, a toiletry bag, and my recipe box (don’t ask me why I didn’t put that in our suitcase)…

…I wrote the first paragraph of this post at 8:30am…it is now 9:15 and two of my children woke up puking.  So now I have a couch cushion to clean, about two loads of laundry to do, I already bathed the pukers, and I need to be on my knees praying that the rest of us don’t get it!  I hate to say it, but that just freed up my day!  Joshua can’t go to piano lessons now, I’m not going to bother doing school today with two sick kids, and now I need to clean the boys’ bathroom and bedrooms.  Well, like I said in the title of this post…back to life and reality!  Fortunately, we haven’t had any pukers in a long time.  This stinks!! 

The good thing is, once I clean up the hazardous areas, I can have a “nothing day” with my kids and nurse them back to health.  I hope you all have a marvelous Monday!

~audrey