Life with Three

Hello friends! I miss chatting with you regularly in this space. My time and energy is completely maxed out on most days, which leaves little strength or mental clarity for writing a blog post at the end of the day. I am still trying to figure out how to blog in this new season of life with three children. I need to remember to come here occasionally just to write a simple post or share a few pictures from daily life. I can probably manage that better than writing a “real” blog post. So today, here are a few pictures and thoughts on life with three!

Life was hard before we had Stafford. And adding another small member to the family has brought many more challenges. But it has also brought so much joy and laughter. We love having a little one in our family! I know we were happy before Stafford came along, but the happiness has been multiplied now by the simple addition of one family member.

Life with a baby, and now a toddler, has been a good and wonderful transition. It is hard, but it is totally worth it! I am so thankful that the Lord blessed us with this little one.

Someday I will be able to blog more often again. Meanwhile, I’m soaking up the time with my children, falling in bed tired at the end of the day, and thanking the Lord for the blessing of this good life.

Five Minute Friday: Play

It's Five Minute Friday! I wasn't going to write this week, but then I saw that the writing prompt was PLAY, so I just had to write! 

You are invited to join us over at Five Minute Friday this week, where we are all writing for just five minutes using the writing prompt, PLAY. This is quick and easy blogging. No over-thinking or fine-tuning. Just writing for five minutes.

I love to play. It is something many people probably don’t know about me. If you come to my house to visit me, I will be fairly quiet. I will probably be lying down on the sofa for a good portion of our visit. I will talk about life and normal mom and wife things. You probably won’t see it, but I love to play.

My son often talks about my inner 5 year old. He teases me that I’m actually 75% child. Because he sees the glee in my eyes when I talk about playing and how much I like it.

My kids know that if I had the energy, I would be going to the swimming pool with them multiple times every week in the summer, and that I would not be sitting on the side. I would be swimming laps for exercise and for fun. I would be going down the water slides and jumping off the diving board. I would be playing hard. Just for fun.

If I had the energy, I would take my kids to the park, and I would play on the swings and the slide. I would go for a walk or a bike ride with them. I would play because I love it! And because I love playing with my kids.

Our play now is usually something simple like a board game. But sometimes they see my delight for playtime by the gleam in my eye when I talk about fun things. I take joy in watching them play, even when I can’t participate.

I used to figure skate when I was a teenager. I dream of someday going to a local ice rink, putting on my old SP-Teri skates, asking for permission to take Cordell out on the ice with me, and then going out to skate. Even if my legs only last for 10 minutes. I would play, and it would be fun!

This body can’t do what it used to do. But one day on the New Earth, I am going to play and play and play! I will glorify God in my resurrection body by using it to work hard, swim, skate, and play.

I Have Survived Summer!

I have survived summer! When September came, I breathed out a big sigh of relief. In the middle of July it felt like summer was never going to end, but the end finally came! The night before the children went back to school I felt such relief and a sense of accomplishment. By God's grace, I had made it through another summer. The children are back in school now, the house is quiet, cool weather is here, and I am ready to get back to blogging.

Thank you so much, friends, for your patience and understanding this summer as I needed to step back from blogging for a time. And thank you for the messages you have sent to me through email, Facebook, and Instagram. I appreciate all of you so much! I am grateful to have such kind readers and friends.

Summer was long and hard, but it was fun and enjoyable too! Summer went much better this year than it did last year. In fact, I was even able to continue improving from my crash in the summer of 2015! I am not doing as well as I was in April 2015, but I am doing better than I was in June of 2016, and for that I am very grateful. I am hoping that I will be able to continue to regain some strength and energy this fall.

We planned for a lot more help and rest for me throughout the summer this time, and it made a big difference. A huge THANK YOU to all of our friends and family who helped out! I would not have been able to continue to regain strength and energy this year without their significant help.

Another thing that really helped this summer was weekly IV fluids and daily Oral Rehydration Salts. Those are two options that I didn't have last summer, and I think being able to stay well hydrated made a difference.

William and Adelaide are back in school now. William is in 5th grade, and Adelaide is in 1st grade! They are growing so quickly! I miss them while they are at school during the day, but the extra rest and quiet is good for me, and the school is good for them.

Now that summer is over, I am hoping to start blogging again once or twice a week. If you would like, you may subscribe here so that you never miss a post.

How was your summer? I'd love to hear from you! Let's catch up!

Five Minute Friday: Easy

It is time for Five Minute Friday! We write for just five minutes, no over-thinking, backtracking, or careful editing. Kate gives us a word, and we write for the joy of writing. Today the word is “easy.”

Being a mom isn’t easy. It takes hard work, dedication, patience, perseverance, love, and everything you have to give. It is hard! And when you add a chronic illness into the mix, it becomes even harder.

There are days when being a mom with a chronic illness is overwhelming because there is so much to do, and there is so much of it that you simply cannot do. The energy that is required during the “little years” pushes you to your limits and beyond. But in time it gets easier.

In time the children grow. They get bigger and stronger. They become more helpful and more skilled in doing chores. We have been doing chores with our children since they were toddlers, but their help during that time was minimal compared to what they can do now. They have become more helpful with each passing year.

Now at the ages of 10 and 6, our children can work alongside us and offer significant help! Last weekend William helped Will move furniture in the house. A few weeks ago I taught Adelaide to clean the bathroom counter, mirror, and toilet. Two weeks ago I taught the children to clean our kitchen floor. The work is the quality you would expect from children, but it is work, and is help. Their contribution to our home is helpful.

Dear chronic illness mamas of little ones, it gets easier. The little years don’t last forever. Hang on! It won’t ever be easy, but it will get easier.

Adventure and Joy

My word for 2015 was “Adventure.” It was a year full of unknowns. We were looking for a new place of ministry, and we were expecting another move. We knew that big changes were coming for our family that year, but we didn’t know exactly what those changes would be or when they would happen.. So before 2015 even began, I determined to embrace the adventure and enjoy the ride!

When we moved to Minnesota four years ago, it was for a temporary pastoral position for Will at a church here. Because we knew it was a short-term ministry position, we began looking for a place of long-term ministry soon after arriving in Minnesota in 2012. We have been praying that the Lord would make very clear what He wanted us to do next, and He has made it very clear. God has closed the door to every ministry position that appeared to be a good fit for our family. Much to our surprise, He has led us out of vocational ministry, and He has provided a job for Will right here in Southwest Minnesota. Will has recently accepted a full-time position as a paralegal at a local law firm.

At this point we are not continuing to pursue vocational ministry. The Lord has made it clear that vocational ministry is not what He has for us right now. Although we are very disappointed that we will not currently be engaged in full-time ministry, we are excited to see how the Lord may use us here in Southwest Minnesota, and we are excited for the opportunities that Will has to pursue justice through the practice of law. 

We are grateful for the 15 years that we had in ministry and in preparation for ministry. We trust that the Lord will continue to use our training to further His kingdom through work and lay ministry here in Minnesota.

Photo by Will Lundy, Graphic by Lisa Copen

My word for 2016 is “Joy.” As we face changes this year, I have been working on choosing joy. I want to enjoy this unexpected life we have been given in Minnesota. I want to enjoy my state, my house, my family, and our life here. And when life is hard, I am looking for joy in the midst of the hard things.

2015 was a year of adventure, and 2016 is a year for choosing joy!

Do you choose “one word” for your year? What is your word for 2016?

Awana

Our family enjoyed another year of Awana at our church. I was not able to attend at all this year, but I was able to help William and Adelaide with their verses at home each week. What a privilege to help them memorize God's Word!

We were gone on The Great Adventure during the Awana parent's night and awards program, so William and Adelaide received their awards after we returned home.

Adelaide finished her second Cubbies book this year. It is hard to believe that my youngest is already finished with Cubbies! She will be in Sparks next year, and she is so excited about that!

William completed his first Truth & Training book. He enjoyed Awana, but chose not to participate in pictures for my blog this time. :) My little boy is growing up!

Adelaide, however, is all about the pictures. She chose this pose for me.

I am so thankful for William and Adelaide. It is an honor and a privilege to be their mom and to love them and teach them about Jesus. I like programs like Awana that assist me in teaching my children.

Does your church have an Awana program? What is your favorite thing about Awana?

Busy Hands: A Blue Beard!

I like to keep my hands busy while resting in bed, and one of my favorite ways to do this is by crocheting. The disappointing thing about crocheting is that there aren't many patterns that are cool for a 9 year old boy. There are plenty of things I can crochet for babies, for Adelaide, and for myself, but there isn't much that I can crochet for William. So I was thrilled this spring when I found out that William was going to be Bluebeard in the Pirates musical at his school and that I would need to make his costume!

I found the perfect fuzzy, blue yarn to make an amazing blue beard!

It only took about an hour to crochet a blue beard for William. I wanted to make his beard bigger, but this fuzzy yarn is surprisingly heavy! I kept the beard short so that it would be more comfortable.

William makes quite the fearsome Bluebeard, don't you think?

Today I am linking up with the Five Minute Friday bloggers over at Kate Motaung's blog. Each week bloggers gather there to share their blog posts, written in just five minutes, and all written with the same writing prompt. This week the word is blue.

Five Minute Friday: When

Today I am joining the Five Minute Friday writing crew at Kate Motaung's blog. We write for five minutes on the same writing prompt. This week the word is "when."

Yesterday I needed to be in a very quiet house, so Will took the children out for the day. I had to laugh when he texted this conversation to me:

Adelaide (to waitress): My mom has a migraine.
Waitress: I hope she feels better.
Adelaide (to Will): She will when she dies.

Heaven is something that our family is looking forward to. The symptoms of my dysautonomia never go away. Each day Will, William, and Adelaide see how tired I am. They see the pain and fatigue. They wish I could join them for more activities, and they wish I felt better. We have a longing for eternity. Living with dysautonomia is teaching us to keep an eternal perspective.

Our family has often talked about Heaven, the New Earth, and the resurrection bodies that all who believe in Jesus Christ will one day receive. We look forward to the day when I will have a new body and will no longer be plagued by daily migraines, muscle weakness, and intense fatigue. One day, when I have my new body, I will feel better! It is something that I look forward to and greatly anticipate. Life in a broken body on this earth is preparing me to enjoy my resurrection body all the more!

For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed in us...For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. Romans 8:18, 22-23

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more.  And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Behold, the dwelling place of God is with man. He will dwell with them, and they will be his people, and God himself will be with them as their God. He will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain anymore, for the former things have passed away.” Revelation 21:1-4

Kissing the Wave

"I have learned to kiss the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages." Charles Haddon Spurgeon

Two months ago I shared a little about the challenges I faced with my health this winter. We made some changes to our schedule so that I could spend a week resting, hoping to avoid a crash like I had in the fall of 2010. While we did manage to avoid a bad crash, we did not avoid a crash altogether. And I’m not sure if it is even possible to avoid a crash.

There is so much that is unknown about my dysautonomia. For 15 years now my health has gotten progressively worse, despite treatment. Treatment does help, but only to a certain extent, and nothing has stopped the progression so far. Right now we are tweaking medications, and adjusting my activity level, with the goal of giving me the best possible quality of life we can at this point.

My energy levels have plummeted in the last two months. I tire out much more quickly than I used to. At my best, I feel like I did a few months ago, but my energy doesn’t last nearly as long. I quickly go from feeling like my “normal” self to feeling completely exhausted. My energy levels are like an old battery that discharges way too quickly. The battery is full, but then suddenly it is empty, and there is nothing left.

In time I will adjust to this new level of limitations and get used to it, but for right now it is really hard. It hurts. And it doesn’t just hurt me; it hurts my whole family. It hurts Will to see me suffering and losing strength. It hurts my children. I can see the sadness in William’s eyes when he comes in to tell me goodnight after I’ve had a bad day. I see Adelaide hurting and missing her mommy. Sometimes she cries and can’t even go to sleep unless I am lying down right next to her, holding her hand. She says she is worried about me and she misses me.

Life is hard, but we were never promised an easy or pain-free life. “Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery trial when it comes upon you to test you, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice insofar as you share Christ’s sufferings, that you may also rejoice and be glad when his glory is revealed” (1 Peter 4:12-13). 

Today, in the midst of grief, I count my blessings and I thank the Lord for Jesus Christ, who gives me reason to have hope. I am also learning to thank the Lord for the trials of life because He uses them for my good. Physical suffering drives me to Jesus. Dysautonomia is the wave that throws me against the Rock of Ages.

Photo Credit: Grant Rambojun

Awana

Throughout the school year it has been my privilege to help William and Adelaide memorize Bible verses for Awana. I was not able to go to church with them in the evenings this year due to migraines and fatigue. However, in April I pushed myself extra hard so that I could be there for Awana Parent's Night. It was rough, but I made it through even with a migraine! I laid down on the chairs, and when necessary I wore ear plugs and/or covered my eyes. It was totally worth it to see my children's smiling faces when they received their awards.

Adelaide completed a Cubbies book this year, and she was so excited to receive the green award ribbon for her vest!

William finished books two and three for Sparks! He worked so hard!

I love these two Awana kids!

Here is a video of Adelaide saying three of her Bible verses. If you are reading this post in an email, you may need to click over to the blog to see the video. Adelaide recites (or sings!) three of her verses:

"Great is our Lord and mighty in power." Psalm 147:5

"While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

"God loved us and sent His Son." 1 John 4:10

A Day in the Life

For many years now I have had people tell me that my Good Day and Bad Day posts are their favorites. A lot has changed in the past five years, so here is what an average day looks like for me now. This is neither a "good day" nor a "bad day." On good days I can do more than what you see here, though I may pay for it the next day. On bad days I struggle a lot, and I have to pretty much stay in bed.

Enjoying time with William and Adelaide.

I love it when they come into my bedroom to talk in the evening and give me hugs and kisses.

A Day in the Life
Monday, April 14, 2014

6:30 am – I hear Will stirring, but I soon fall back to sleep. Will gets up and gets himself and the children ready for the day. He makes breakfast for them, makes sure that they are properly clothed, and fixes Adelaide’s hair. Will walks William to the bus stop while Adelaide watches from the window. Then Will takes Adelaide to daycare at a friend’s home. Will and the children are very quiet in the morning so that I can keep sleeping and hopefully get the 10 hours of sleep that I need.

9:53 – I open my eyes and begin the process of waking up.

9:58 – I call Will and ask for some coffee and breakfast. Usually he is at work in his office, which is in our basement. However, today is Monday and is Will’s day off work. Instead of staying at home, he is out grocery shopping this morning. Will tells me that he left breakfast outside the bedroom door for me.

10:02 – I grab my breakfast, laptop, and Bible, and I lie back down in bed. I take my morning meds and eat breakfast. I check email and Facebook, and I read online while trying to convince my brain and body to wake up and get moving.

11:07 – I am feeling awake enough to start my prayer and Bible study time. I grab my prayer journal and pray for many of the requests listed there. Next I walk to the kitchen and pour myself a cup of coffee. I head back to bed to read and study my Bible.

11:50 – Will is home from shopping and comes in to see me. We chat for a few minutes. Then Will goes back to putting away groceries, and I turn my attention back to my Bible study.

12:04 pm – I finish my Bible study time, and I begin working on email.

12:40 – Will goes to pick up Adelaide from daycare, and I get up, get dressed, and brush my teeth.

1:00 – Adelaide comes home. I read to her and get her ready for a nap. Usually Will puts her down for a nap, but today I am feeling well enough to put her to bed. This is a special treat for Adelaide!

1:30 – I sit down at the kitchen table and look through the mail. I am excited that a new book has come in the mail for me! It is Rhinestone Jesus by Kristen Welch. I will start reading it later on this afternoon. Right now it is time for lunch, but my stomach is feeling pretty unsettled.  I choose Jello and ginger tea, knowing that even with gastroparesis, my tummy will probably be able to tolerate those two things. I am wobbly and weak from my activity in the last hour, so Will helps me to the bedroom. He carries the hot tea so that I don’t accidentally spill it while walking.

1:45 – Will heads out to do more errands while Adelaide and I have nap time. I lie down in bed to eat my Jello and drink my tea. I read a friend’s blog, and then I make a few edits on my own blog.

2:19 – I call my friend Dorina. We talk and catch up for a few minutes.

2:27 – Adelaide is having a hard time sleeping. I get up with her, help her in the bathroom, and put her back to bed.

2:31 – I lie back down in bed to read and rest, and I start reading Rhinestone Jesus.

3:15 – My stomach feels like it can handle more food, so I get up and get a banana. Adelaide still hasn’t fallen asleep. I help her in the bathroom again and take her back to her bedroom. I ask her to play quietly so that I can rest. I go back to bed. My legs are weak and a bit shaky from all of the up and down activity since waking up this morning. I haven’t done a whole lot today, but not having an extended period of time to rest takes its toll on my muscles.

4:00 – It is time to get up and spend time with Adelaide and William, who has come home from school. My legs are weak, so I grab my walker to help me get around the house. William is busy playing with Legos and listening to a story CD and decides to join us later. I get a snack for Adelaide. She sits on the floor in the living room, and I curl up on the sofa near her.

4:10 – Will comes home from running errands. We talk with him and catch up on our days thus far.

4:22 – My body feels weak and faint. I pray for renewed strength and energy, and I ask the Lord to help me have a good attitude and to love my family well.

4:25 – I ask Adelaide to get a Boost from the refrigerator for me. I drink the Boost and take some midodrine to raise my blood pressure.

4:30 – Will brings a box of Easter decorations upstairs, and we start to decorate the living room. I stay seated on the sofa, and Will and the children do the walking and placing of decorations.

5:05 – My body is too tired to continue, so we set the rest of the decorations aside for the day. Adelaide asks me to tell the Easter story using our Resurrection Eggs set. I am tired, but I know that I need to push through and tell the story. The Easter story is important!

5:20 – I lie down on the sofa to be with my children while William does homework and Adelaide plays with Easter eggs. William is soon finished with his homework, and he and Adelaide take turns hiding and find Easter eggs in the living room. I have fun watching them play together.

5:45 – We eat supper in the living room. The children eat on a blanket on the floor. I eat while lying down on the sofa, and Will joins me on the sofa.

6:15 – I am tired and have a migraine. It isn’t wise for me to keep pushing my body much longer, so I get a shower and get ready for bed.

6:45 – I fall into bed, so tired and ready to rest. This is both my favorite and least favorite time of day. I am thankful for the opportunity to have much needed rest and quiet, but I wish I could be with my family longer.

6:47 – Will brings a cup of tea to me. I check email and catch up with friends on Facebook.

7:15 – I want to type some emails, but my arms are too weak. Instead I need to lie completely still and just watch a television show online.

7:38 – The children come in to say good night. We give hugs and kisses and chat for a bit. Adelaide asks for a cape so that she can be Elsa from Frozen. I tell her that I have some fabric in the basement that I can use to make a cape for her, but that I can’t make it right away. She is excited about having a cape, but disappointed that she can’t have one right away. William comes to the rescue and brings his Darth Vader cape for Adelaide to wear. Adelaide pretends to be Elsa while walking around with the Darth Vader cape, happy as can be!

7:42 – Will brushes Adelaide’s teeth and gets her ready for bed. William asks me for help coming up with clever words for a Star Wars mad lib. We work on it together.

7:51 – Adelaide comes in for more hugs and kisses.

7:53 – Will puts Adelaide to bed, and William reads his mad lib to me. We then start working on a second Star Wars mad lib.

8:00 – Will comes in as William and I are finishing up our second mad lib. Will reads it out loud for us and we have a good laugh together.

8:07 – Will puts William to bed, and I return to my television show.

8:32 – Will comes in after putting William to bed, and we chat for a few minutes.

8:38 – I am in need of soft and liquid food regularly, so Will makes pudding for me. He makes a double batch so that I will have some in the refrigerator for a few days. He also works in the kitchen to clean up the messes from the day. While Will works in the kitchen I finish watching my tv show, and then I work on some online volunteer work.

10:00 – Will has finished cleaning the kitchen and making pudding. We talk for a few minutes.

10:20 – Will starts the night time routine. He fills my water bottle, gets an ice pack for my feet, and gets himself ready for bed. I finish up some email and Facebook messages.

10:38 – Will comes into the bedroom. We talk and spend some time together even though it is a later evening than usual.

11:25 – We pray together and kiss good night. I turn off my computer and take melatonin to help me fall asleep. I turn off the light and pull out my kindle. I read on the kindle to help my body wind down and fall asleep. Sometime around midnight I fall asleep and sleep peacefully.

Pecan Pie, Purple Ribbons, and Thanksgiving

This summer I discovered that Adelaide really likes to bake.  We had some special times together as we made pies and zucchini bread.  I love to bake, but don't often get to do so because it is too energy consuming.  I either need a really good day or a lot of help to get baking done.  This summer Will was able to help me a few times, and it was so much fun! Will did most of the walking around the kitchen to get the ingredients I needed, while Adelaide and I sat at the table to stir, pour, mix, sprinkle, and roll.

Pie crust was especially messy and fun!

There was a reason for all of the pie baking.  For many years I have wanted to enter something at a fair, and our county fair in August was the perfect opportunity!  My Gramma's pecan pie recipe is my favorite ever, and I knew that I wanted to enter pecan pie.  I made some practice pies a week before, and then I made a pie for entry on the day of the fair.  I was really hoping for first place in my pie category, and I anxiously awaited the judging results that were coming the next day.

I was delighted to learn that I didn't get first place in my category, but I received a purple ribbon instead!  That means that my pecan pie, using my Gramma's recipe, was the best of all the pies at the fair.

I think I was the only grown up who took pictures with her ribbons at the fair.  

I was just too excited to let this picture opportunity slip by. :)

We entered many other items at the fair too.  I entered some crocheted hats that I had made for Adelaide.  I also entered okra, kale, and tomatoes from our garden.  Adelaide entered a flower and a picture she colored.  William entered Lego projects and lots of produce from our garden and his Grandpa's garden.  You can see that William received a purple ribbon too!  That was for Wealthy Apples.

This week we have been enjoying some of the summer produce that was preserved by canning or freezing.  We've had vegetable soup, corn, and zucchini bread.  The vegetable soup stock and corn comes from Grandpa and Grandma's garden.  The zucchini for the zucchini bread was from our garden.

Tomorrow I plan on making a pecan pie for Thanksgiving.  We have had this pie many times for Thanksgiving over the years, but this is the first time that we can say it is a prize winning recipe!

William's Baptism

This summer William decided that he wanted to be baptized. Our church held a baptism service at Camp Shetek, and William was baptized in the lake. Will had the privilege of baptizing him. What a joy it is to watch William grow in the Lord and choose to follow Him. I am delighted to have William as my son and as my brother in Christ. Here are some pictures of William from the day of his baptism.

Pastor Ryan, William, and Pastor Will

 William was one very happy boy that day!

4 Generations of Godly Men

William's great grandparents were able to come to his baptism that day!  Having 4 generations of Lundys there was pretty special. 

"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth" (3 John 1:4, NIV).

Little Friends

Adelaide is my special little friend.  She is happy and affectionate, and she loves to be with me. She doesn’t understand yet that I am sick. I’m just her mommy, and she loves me.

Adelaide’s new favorite thing to do with me is come snuggle in bed.  She likes to talk to me about anything that comes to mind.  She likes my fuzzy blanket and soft mattress. She likes to snuggle down under the covers and pretend to take a nap with me.  She thinks it’s a game. Little does she know, I am in bed because I have to be. I sometimes play with her here because I don’t have the option of playing with her in the living room.

There are many times that I am too weak and tired to let Adelaide come into the bedroom to say hello to me while I am resting. When Will comes in to bring me food or to check on me, I hear Adelaide at the door, begging to come in. It breaks my heart when I hear her crying out, “Mommy!” I can tell by the sound of her voice that tears are pouring down her face. She just wants to be with me, and she doesn’t understand that I’m too sick to play.

It won’t be much longer, and she will start to understand.  I very clearly remember a conversation with William when he was 2 ½ years old.  I was stuck in bed, and Will brought William in to see me.  My son asked me, “Fell well, Mommy?” in a sad voice while shaking his head no.  (Translation: “Do you not feel well, Mommy?”)

I said, “No, I don’t feel well.”

William asked his daddy, “Feel well, Daddy?” in a happy voice while shaking his head yes. (Translation: “Do you feel well, Daddy?”)

Will said, “Yes, I feel well.”

I asked William how he felt, and he replied with a big smile, “I happy. So happy!”

William was young when he began to notice that I was sick and tired when no one else was.  He liked to snuggle me in bed and just be with me (and he still does, which makes me happy).

Now I also have Adelaide to come and be my little snuggle bug.  She likes to join me not only in my bed but also in my recliner.  Quite often now if I am resting in my recliner, Adelaide will climb up with me and just play on my lap.  I absolutely love having her with me.  I know it won’t be much longer and she’ll be too big and heavy to sit on my lap and play for half an hour, so I’m soaking it all up now!

My homebound days are made much easier by these precious children.  They provide endless entertainment, smiles, hugs, and kisses.  I thank the Lord for the blessing of these little friends.

Bad Day Turned Happy Day

I'm so blessed to have these three in my life.

A couple of weeks ago I had a particularly bad day physically.  I was weak and exhausted and needed to stay in bed all day.  Bedridden days certainly aren’t my favorite, but my family worked to make it a happy day for me anyway.

I woke up around 11:30am, and soon after that Adelaide wanted to come in for a visit.  I said that she could.  She snuggled me in bed, we talked, and we put on chapstick (one of Adelaide’s favorite things to do when she comes into my room).  After a few minutes I was too tired to keep visiting, so I told her that I was going to need to rest again soon.  Without any prompting, Adelaide sang her favorite lullaby to me and quietly left and closed the bedroom door.  What a special gift she gave me as she took care of me in the way she knew best.

In the afternoon William asked to come in and snuggle me.  I was glad to have him come in and keep me company.  And snuggling?  How could I turn that down?  He won’t be young much longer, so I want to soak up as many snuggles as I can.  Snuggling quickly turned into pulling out my laptop and looking at all the cool frogs and bugs to buy on insectlore.com.  And that quickly turned into watching YouTube videos about Madagascar Hissing Cockroaches, tarantulas, and other such nasty things.  It grossed me out, but I learned a lot, and I got to spend quality time with my boy.  It was totally worth it.

Will took care of me all day by cooking delicious food, taking care of the children, doing laundry, and coming to check on me throughout the day.  He also spent time with me in the evening after the children were in bed.

Will, William, and Adelaide turned a stuck-in-bed day into a happy day.  I am so very blessed to have a loving husband and caring children.

William's Lego Party

During our time in Louisville last month for Will's graduation we had a birthday party for William. We had never been able to throw a birthday party for him with his friends before, so I was really excited to be able to do this. We have missed our seminary friends since moving away last summer, and it was great to get to see them again and have some birthday party fun.

The Cake and Treat Bag table

I made the birthday banner and the happy birthday sign using a lego font.  I printed the letters on white paper, colored around them in a yellow marker, cut them out, and then glued them onto red construction paper.  I got the idea for the banner from Homemaking Fun.  The Lego man was a free printable from Winks and Daisies.

The Snack Table

We had lots of crayons and Lego coloring pages for children as they arrived.

The younger ones had fun playing with Duplo Lego bricks and Lego trains.

Game Time!

For games we played "I Spy the Lego Guy" and "Lego, Lego, Who has the Lego?"  I found both of these game ideas on Delia Creates.

"Lego, Lego, Who has the Lego?"

Happy Birthday to William!

You can read about how my mom and I made the Lego cake here.

The pinata was a favorite of the children.

Here's how my sister and I made the Lego pinata.

Diving for the candy!

William was excited to open cards and gifts from his friends.

Every child at the party got a treat bag that had Lego bricks, Lego Minifigure chocolates, candy, and a Lego coloring book.

My sister and I made the Lego Minifigure chocolates using a silicon Lego Minifigure tray.

The younger children had Duplo Lego ducks in their bag,

and the older children had bags of small Legos.

For more Lego party ideas, you can check out the Lego Party Ideas pinboard that I created while brainstorming for this party.

Happy 6th birthday, William!  I love having the privilege of being your mom and watching you grow up.