Sing a little sick tune...

(Taken at a healthier, happier time...)

Poor Bryce has been sick for a couple days with a stomach bug or something. He spiked a fever at my parents Sunday night and proceeded to throw up through the night. I became part of a bedtime sandwich as he was in and out of our bed all night... climbing in on my side, squeezing me in the middle between him and Brady.
He ended up wetting our bed, throwing up the next night, and maintaining his fever. (104). He cries every few minutes wanting me to make his belly stop hurting and I totally would if I could! Now it's coming from both ends...
I feel bad for him... and myself too. I'm got a queasy stomach as well and it's just tiring not feeling well yourself, exhausted and caring for one sick and two well children. I sat down this afternoon on our second full day (has it really only been 2 days?) and wrote this poem to the tune of "My favorite Things..." It helps to find humor in these "fun" times. Enjoy!

Vomit on carpet at midnight that first day...
followed by crying, whens it going to be May?
Back aches and fever and crying some more...
vomit again by my bedroom door.

Up every hour to whining and moving,
snoring by husband- man, now we are grooving!
Wake to soaked bedsheets by boy not the man,
stomach still hurting, go and sit on the can.

Didn't quite make it, now floor is unclean,
so are the blankets, we'll need the machine.
Gross yellow splatter appears on the wall,
Diarrhea everywhere - oh what a ball!

When your son cries,
when he pukes too,
when he's feeling sad...
I simply remember how much I love him,
and then I don't feel so bad (or mad)!

Quiet moments

Baby girl had a fever a few days ago and wasn't sleeping. I had just laid my head down around 11:30pm and of course, almost as if she can sense it, she wakes up crying, "ma-nee!" (Not sure why she says ma-nee for mommy, but I can't bear to correct her b/c it's so stinkin cute)! Ok, almost everything she does is cute to me. :) Anyways... I drag myself out of bed, stumble down the hall and pick up my feverish baby and plop in the rocking chair. The exhaustion left my body as I began to sing some of her favorite songs. I began to trace her face watching her eyes slowly close and open in rhythem to my caress. Overwhelming love consumed me as I held this beautiful baby girl in my arms. "She is so beautiful..." is what I kept thinking over and over as I held and rocked her. "I can't believe she is mine! I made this sweet thing...." I felt so grateful to the Lord for my baby girl. For all my children. I felt so undeserving of such blessing... so inadequate and humble to be a mother to these choice spirits of God. I wanted so much to not let them down... to let the Lord down... to let myself down. I am all too aware how imperfect I am, how much I have to learn. I sometimes feel overwhelmed by the sacred responsibility of motherhood. How much it influences, impacts and molds their personalities and view of the world. I don't take that lightly. I know that I could never do it on my own. I am grateful to God and his Son to help make up for my failings. To have the ability to learn and improve each day. To teach my children, the Lords grace is available to them as well. As is Christ's redeeming sacrifice and unconditional love.
I love being a mom. It's in quiet moments like the one I had with Aubryn the other night that it hits me like a ton of bricks... I am everything I've wanted to be. Although not perfect, I am a mother. I am so blessed.

Trick or Treat

Seriously one of the best holidays ever! Gotta love Halloween and everything about it! The weather, the costumes, the parties, the pumpkins, hayrides, and who can forget the candy?!

Also making Halloween extra special this year was grandma and grandpa Darrington visiting from Idaho! We love having them here- and the kids love the extra attention, hugs and kisses and being spoiled. :)

Our kids (ok, and me too) love the idea of dressing up as a family. We decided to go with the theme of Peter Pan. Of course Bryce being Captain Hook since he is our Pirate man, Carter the main man, Peter Pan as he never slows down, has so much energy and moves about so fast it almost seems as if he really is flying... Who could be a more adorable Tinkerbell than little miss Aubryn leaving myself to be Wendy and Brady... hmmmm.... well we've got Smee or the Crocodile. We thought the crocodile was the best bet wearing all green and I would somehow make a snout or something and hang a timer/clock around his neck.... until I heard someone in Bryce's class doing the same theme and their dad going as Peter Pan's shadow. Easy and simple. Right down my alley and Brady's comfort level. Although I still think other trick or treaters were a bit concerned seeing a 6'5 man dressed in all black walking around the neighborhood... we got it. :)

To begin the day, we all went to Larriland Farm thinking we'd do the hayride, get cider, eat some apple fritters and pick some apples.... turns out...

With an early snow... apples weren't lookin so hot... pretty though right?


Brady with his three kiddos...


And Bryce did love making and throwing snowballs...


Watch out Grandpa!


I enjoyed being the one being pushed for a change... :)


Slim pickin's...


Good thing for Grandpa. He was determined... I was enjoying being pushed through the aisles of apples holding Aubryn, Carter pushing and Bryce throwing and eating snow... Grandpa walked up and down the apple orchard finding one or two here and one or two there until we got half a bag full...lol. At least we didn't leave empty handed. :)
Especially since pumpkins were so expensive! We decided after looking through them, to buy them at the grocery store closer to home. The boys were disappointed b/c they brought their dump trucks ready to find the perfect pumpkin... but I think they got over it and we were still able to have some fun.


It was our first year trick or treating in our new house as last year was Sunday. I wasn't sure how I'd like it as townhomes we got a lot of candy in a short amount of time as the houses were so close together. I seriously debated driving to our old house and trick or treating there. Turns our, it was great here! Still got more than enough candy and didn't feel so crowded and squished- kids could run around more. It was great! Oh, the kids had fun too.

Aubryn quickly got the hang of it! She mumbled her ick or eet and a-ooo (thank you) and toddled off to the next house. In fact, now that it's January and the boys still have a couple pieces left on the top of the fridge in their pumpkin buckets, she will point to it and say, "ween?" Or recently, "candy- ween?" Made an impact... :)


Our awesome cosutmes. I found my nightgown at the thrift store... although no one knew who I was... I think I totally look like her! Same color night gown, sash... come on now! At least our family knew as was excited about it... and of course no one got who/what Brady was. No, he is not a stalker... ;)

Arrrggg! Let's get goin mateys!


The trio!


Trick or Treat!


After gathering the loot, home again with the candy passer-outers.


Grandpa helping Carter find (or stealing) the best pieces... :)


Of course need to trick or treat and the Petersen Grandparents house and show off our cuteness!
Notice how in almost every picture Aubryn has a lollypop in her mouth? And no, it's not the same one... she must have had 6 or 7...
Maybe it was the candy high that led to this:


Aubryn trying out her wings...

All you need is faith, trust and pixie dust!

Gotcha!

Ok, maybe it takes faith, trust, pixie dust, laughter...

...and kisses!

Pirate Bryce's 5th Birthday!

Happy 5th Birthday Bryce!
Bryce is still loving pirates. We even did a mural painting on his wall of an island and "X" leading to the treasure. It's super cute. I'll have to post a picture of it.
He had about 14 friends (most from church and a few from preschool and a couple of friends from the neighborhood) over for a "pirate party" and it was so fun. The weather was unseasonable warm for October (yes, his birthday is Sept. but with soccer and other conflicts, the party was October).
The best part was the treasure hunt at the end leading them all over the house- inside and out finally to a clearing woods with Carter as "Pirate Pete" standing in the wagon trying to protect his treasure. The kids threw "cannonballs" at him, knocking him off his "ship" to get the treasure. Inside the treasure box was the kids treat bags with tatoos, silly bandz, candy, necklaces, rings, gold chocolate coins and silver bubble gum coins.

ARRRRGGGGHHHH!


I went out of my comfort zone this year and made a super cool cake if I do say so myself. It was awesome! Best part was that Bryce thought it was aweomse too. :)



Aubryn was part of the clean-up crew eating left over cake and ice cream off guests plates... not to mention the top of the ice cream containers lid. Those little pirates better have a firm hold on their treasure with this little one around!

Friends

What a blessing good friends are in my life. I just spent this past weekend with a good friend at the Time Out for Women Conference. I think having her there really made the experience more special and I got more out of it. We were able to "process" the things we heard, learned and felt at the conference together at dinner and on the drive home. I had so many moments of feeling like the Lord was speaking directly to me, I didn't just want to go home and get lost in my responsibilities and roles and not DO anything about the messages I heard and felt both through the speakers and the music. She is a safe person I can talk to without judgement, condemnation and loves me regardless of my shortcomings and at times I feel like I have more those than strengths.
Another friend just yesterday went clothes shopping with me FOR me. She came over to my house first to go through all of our closets to find outfits for family pictures. I am notorious for doing the classic white top, khaki pants and bare feet. This year, a different good friend is going to take our family pictures outside with this beautiful fall weather and scenery, so new venue, new outfits. After combing through shirt by shirt and talking about several possibilities, she loaded up her preschooler, my toddler and drove to the mall and target to help me color coordinate. This great woman is a mother of 5, wasn't feeling the greatest fighting off a cold and having a problem with her tooth, and still came over and then shopping JUST for me. AND she OFFERED to do so the few days before when we spoke on the phone getting her opinions about how she did pictures for her large family.
Good friends help me see the Lord in my life and feel of His love because just like this friend was so selfless or her time and energy - even though she didn't have a lot to spare. God is so willing and wanting to give us His love and His help if we chose to ask, seek it out and listen. Christ was the greatest example of all about selflessness. He came to the Earth entirely for our benefit and good. His life was one of service and love up until the ultimate sacrifice as he pleaded for each of us in the Garden of Gethsemane atoning for the sins of the world, MY sins... sins I hadn't even committed yet. God loved us... loved ME enough to allow his ONLY begotten Son to suffer so and not 'rescue' Him. Christ himself could have freed himself from such agony, such humiliation, such pain. Gotten Himself off the cross... but didn't. Why? Because of love. Love for me... for us all.
I'm grateful for friends to show me the love of Christ and love of my Father in Heaven through their sacrifice and love.
(Last years family picture in Hawaii... yes, white tops, khaki bottoms... but I LOVE this picture!)

Brady

Seeing God today in my life I'd like to write about my husband. He loves and cares about me enough to sleep on the couch with his long legs hanging off the end because he has a cold. Not just any cold... this cold results in him sniffing/snorting/snoring... loudly! He knows I'm a light sleeper and was not sleeping b/c he was not sleeping. He sacrificed himself for me. I love the whole bed to myself and the quiet, but love him more and hope he gets well soon so he can come join me again in each others arms.
He is an amazing father and I rarely see as many dad's enjoy their children as much as he enjoys ours. He will wrestle with them, hold them in his arms (all three of them at once!) and go in circles singing "I've got the whole world in my arms..." as they crack up and get dizzy.
He initiates family scripture study each night at dinner and family prayer at night and in the morning before school and work.
He is always looking to "become" himself. He is able to take a hard look at himself, see where he may be falling short and acknowledge that, make a plan and move on. He works hard at communication and loving us all the way we feel and need it best... even if it might be foreign to him.
He is a good man. A God fearing man who respects and honors his role as a husband and father and respects and honors his family who depend on him so.
Brady is how I see God in my life today. To feel of His love and see His wisdom in ordaining marriage between a man and woman. To have this union be essential to His plan. Without each other it is harder to "become" the individuals He would have us be. To grow, and learn in love through our spouses. Thank you Lord for loving me enough to send me such a great man to love.

Each new day

So one of my new goals in "becoming" (see previous post) is that I'm going to find God's love everyday. I know it is there, but sometimes I don't stop to notice it, or if I do, quickly move on to the next "to-do" on my list.
But I'm hoping to use this blog to take the time, notice and then record the hand of God each day in my life in the hopes of becoming more grateful, slowing down more, being present, and acknowledging the huge role He plays in my life even when I am too busy, tired or cranky to notice.
I didn't do yesterday yest so I will today.
I see God in my children. I see God in their smiles and in their eyes. I hear Him in their laughter, words of encouragement and kindness to one another. I feel it in their warm embrace, and as they take the other by the hand to lead another down the stairs, give each other hugs and kisses and work together to accomplish good. They are constant reminders of God's love for me as we share love for one another. What precious gifts he has given me. What sweet, glorious, active and mischievous spirits I have been entrusted with which allow me to never be bored and to always find humor if I chose to look.
Here are some examples from the day....

(she might need to join (or start)a self help group "binky's anonymous" as she is now not only trying to stuff in two binky's at once while holding at least one in each hand, but this morning she went for three...pretty talented I have to admit)

(Carter reading to Aubryn before bed).

(Bryce and Aubryn walking through a tent of apple trees).


(Discovering how to do somersaults in her crib).