This morning, for the very first time ever, (that I can remember), I went berry picking! My good friend Tammy, Matthew, Mia and myself. It was really fun and even though it was work, it was not much different than the feeling of weeding and I do love that feeling. :) We picked strawberries. We picked for two hours which meant we got some sun and a very lot of berries! I believe we got 32 quarts! Matthew and Mia did well. They did just as I expected they'd do: Mia was very busy and interested for the entire time, doing a very good job picking the good berries and being sure to not step in the rows. Matthew did well too, for a short time! He picked about 20 berries altogether I'd say. And maybe he picked and ate another 10. But he really did enjoy himself for most of it. I think it's one of those experiences that he'll remember and maybe not want to do again for a while. I will invite him the next time of course, and I do hope he'll want to, but I will be very prepared for him to last not even quite as long as he did today. :) Two hours IS quite a long time for a boy to be "picking" though but really, the only hints of him getting worn out was in the last few minutes of picking. All in all, a quite positive experience. I'm planning to pick raspberries and blueberries very soon!
Tonight with about 13 of the 32 quarts, I made freezer jam, (another first for me!). That was a good time in the kitchen - just me after the kids were all in bed, with Ron popping in now and then to stir and put the lids on the jars so I would have a bit of an assembly line. He also wiped any sticky stuff from the outside of the jars with a hot paper towel so they would store nicely and neatly. I need to go out tomorrow and get more SureJell and make another few batches. Tonight, we ended up with 14 and 1/2 jars! I'm so excited! I want to put some downstairs in our freezer and I'm looking forward to giving some away as gifts. I bought these cute jar label stickers with strawberries on them and I'll put those on the ones that will be given away. I love the idea of bringing something like that to someone's house when you are company or when you stop by for a surprise visit. :)
Titus is crawling!!! He began on the 22nd and has not looked back. He didn't really practice at all! For two or three days before, I saw him do 4 or 5 "knee-slides" while on his hands and knees and then all of a sudden, he was going across the room and ending up in back of me as I was washing dishes or putting books back on the shelf! He's mobile! I love it. He's happy. Every time my babies crawl I sing the song, "I Get Around." "Get around, get around, I get around....ooooh I get around...." I love that Titus James by the way. What a dear baby. His smile can pull smiles out of me when I'm just waking up in the morning - but then again, all my kids do that to me. :)))
So! School. Today I wrote my "letter of intent" to the Superintendent of Schools here in Fulton that will let the school district know that Matthew will be schooling at home as a first grader for the 2011-2012 school year. Tomorrow the letter will go out in the mail and it will be official! Apparently soon after they recieve that letter, they will send me a big packet of information and then I'll have until August 15th to get them my curriculum choices and quarterly dates for grades. I'm getting more excited about this and Matthew is too. Of course Mia will be doing school too, (pre-school and K) but nothing yet that will get reported and seem so much of a big deal!
This past Wednesday was our first ever Women's Fellowship Meeting at our church. We will be having it monthly. This particular one was more of a planning one where we all brought our ideas to the table of what we want our focus to be, what exactly we want to work on together etc... We decided that we'd share testimony, one person each time, and we are also volunteering each month to lead a devotional. I'm so excited about this. We said our focus is to grow closer to each other as a group and closer to God. Life is so busy. It's not easy to make time to get to know each other better unfortunately. This is an opportunity to do that among other things. We won't be a gossip group or just a way to pass the time. We will be working towards our goal-our focus: learning about one another, praying for one another, lifting each other up and learning together more of God's word. I will be sharing my testimony at our meeting in July and my Mom will be leading the devotional on Esther. I'm really looking forward to that. I have many ideas on subjects of devotionals I would like to lead. I'm confident the forming of this group will be a real blessing to each of us.
This coming weekend, Ron and I and the kids will be traveling to Melrose, MA to visit Ron's brother Ryan and family. We're excited! Our niece, Tabatha, and our nephew, Sean, will both be celebrating their birthdays and we are able to attend their joint party! It's really fun when we're all together. It's nice to see the kids play together and form closer relationships and the grown-ups always end up staying up late talking. These are the good old days! Both our families have young children and there will be 10 of us in a 2-bedroom apartment, but we'll have fun when they're older talking about these good old days of piling all together and sleeping over. We are so blessed to have family within traveling distance. Ryan's family has come to our new house several times in the last year and so it was definitely our turn to make the trip! Anyway so that's coming up this weekend. Planning and packing going on beginning tomorrow.
Last night, I visited my friend Jen, who is a kindred spirit of mine, and she and I began the workings of a camping trip for our two families! Jen and her husband have four children also, including twin 3 yr-old boys! We talked to "the guys" and we are planning a weekend this month to go camping altogether. I love to camp. Ron and I have not gone since we've had children. We ended up deciding to go to a more local (about 1/2 hr. away) campground. That way if it's necessary, we can come home if we need to if we forgot something or ya know...all the what ifs.
I have great memories of camping. I remember camping with my family when I was younger like it was yesterday. They are really some of my fondest memories of my youth actually. Camping is work, but it's fun work and for me, I love the organizing part - the setting up of camp; the planning and cooking of meals; the resourcefulness one requires to really rough it. I remember laughing alot at bedtime by the fire and also while we were in our tents ready for bed. My dad told stories and he would crack himself up and we'd all laugh at him laughing at himself. :) I remember going sleep with a smile on my face. :) And waking up to my Dad cooking a great breakfast of over medium eggs with onions and peppers....Mmmmm!!!
Needless to say the kids are really looking forward to their first real camping trip. We've read lots of books that have camping in them. And we've read the Box Car Children books together so they have read / heard a lot about "roughing it" and resourceful living in the woods. That kind of stuff really intrigues them as it intrigues me. We won't 'truly' be roughing it though. We'll have a bathhouse at this campground. Of course it helps also that our Matthew and Jen's son Evan are pals. The adults can't wait either!
Let's see...there's the update here at the Tumbrys! I'm leaving out SOOOO much but there is just no way to cover it all.
Thanks for reading!
I'm off to bed at 11:46pm!
Love, Rachel
Monday, June 27, 2011
Thursday, June 2, 2011
Our Garden...
"Of all the wonderful things in the wonderful universe of God, nothing seems to me more surprising than the planting of a seed in the blank earth and the result thereof."--Julie Moir Messervy
It IS such an amazing thing, planting seeds and realizing the dream of growing your food and being able to be such a close audience to the glory of God's creation.
Ron and I planted our families very first garden this year. It's a raised-bed garden and a good size for our first one! It's 17 and 1/2 feet by 4 feet across. We've planted a pretty wide array of vegetables and I graphed out each square foot so that I remember exactly what's where! It's so exciting! We planted the following: Yellow Onions, Orange Bell, Red Bell, Green Bell and Banana Peppers, Lots of Cucumbers, Beefsteak, Grape and Cherry Tomatoes, probably too much Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Anise, Marigolds (to keep out pests), Green Beans (both climbers and bush beans), Snappy Peas, Corn, Butter Leaf and Red/Green Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Lemon Balm, Basil, and Beets!! After only 5 days, I saw sprouts! The Green Beans, both the Pole and Bush varieties are actual plants now after only 13 days and the corn is coming up as well as the peas! The tomato plants have blossoms and the zucchini and squash are about there too! I'm just imagining going out to our very own garden to pick the veggies we'll have for our dinner! I have taken some pictures, but I'll wait until I take some more at various stages before I post them all.
I'll post a Garden Update Soon!!!!
Thank you for reading!
-Rachel
It IS such an amazing thing, planting seeds and realizing the dream of growing your food and being able to be such a close audience to the glory of God's creation.
Ron and I planted our families very first garden this year. It's a raised-bed garden and a good size for our first one! It's 17 and 1/2 feet by 4 feet across. We've planted a pretty wide array of vegetables and I graphed out each square foot so that I remember exactly what's where! It's so exciting! We planted the following: Yellow Onions, Orange Bell, Red Bell, Green Bell and Banana Peppers, Lots of Cucumbers, Beefsteak, Grape and Cherry Tomatoes, probably too much Zucchini, Yellow Squash, Anise, Marigolds (to keep out pests), Green Beans (both climbers and bush beans), Snappy Peas, Corn, Butter Leaf and Red/Green Romaine Lettuce, Spinach, Lemon Balm, Basil, and Beets!! After only 5 days, I saw sprouts! The Green Beans, both the Pole and Bush varieties are actual plants now after only 13 days and the corn is coming up as well as the peas! The tomato plants have blossoms and the zucchini and squash are about there too! I'm just imagining going out to our very own garden to pick the veggies we'll have for our dinner! I have taken some pictures, but I'll wait until I take some more at various stages before I post them all.
I'll post a Garden Update Soon!!!!
Thank you for reading!
-Rachel
Wednesday, May 25, 2011
Beginning...Again :)
So! I was reminded by my very astute sister-in-law Aleisha, (and I mean that sincerely), that I have not updated my blog in a while...like for only 16 months or so... :) I am so glad she wondered why I haven't posted, because I have meaning to "begin again" for quite some time. I need it. It also helps to know that someone cares enough to want to read these "things" that sometimes take on a life of their own. I'll try to make things interesting, humorous, and positive, although I PROMISE (a word I never, ever use - just ask my kids), that I will keep it real.
I'll just act like I've been posting all along then, even though since I've last written, we've gotten pregnant, purchased and moved into a new home, and welcomed our 4th baby, among a great many other things! :)
This morning, God showered, I'm mean "poured" His blessings on our family. We are home-schooling and since Matthew is not quite six yet, I haven't been doing anything officially although he is doing some reading already and doing great at Math concepts and other general things. Anyway, I've been having some anxiety about which curriculum to use and how to begin exactly and wondering if I'm "cut-out" for this sort of thing. Ron and I agree that this is something we want for our family. We have been praying for wisdom and guidance, perseverance, patience, and that God would lead us to exactly what we should do, right down to what curriculum we would use.
Today, a friend who is continuously showering blessings upon me and our family has done it yet again! Her name is Katie. She brought over literally thousands of dollars worth of "Calvert" curriculum from grades K-3rd grade!!! (And a bunch of other curriculum too.) Every subject has a Teachers Manual included which is what I would prefer. Not only these things but a whole box of flash cards for everything from States, and Presidents to Addition, Subtraction, Sight Words, Alphabet, and several great learning games amoung other things she's collected and found very helpful in her Homeschooling journey. Of course, beyond the huge amount of money we will save by using these hardly used, mint condition, (some completely unused) books and tools, is the picture of what gracious, self-less giving is. Katie could have easily sold these and received a lot of money for them. She could've thrown them out, or she could have put an add in the paper and sold these many boxes of curriculum for even a relatively tiny amount of, let's say $100. But she thought of me. She contacted ME, knowing our plans for homeschooling, and drove them 25 minutes to MY house. What a great friend. And what a testimony she and her family is to all of us who have more than we need. (Besides all of the curriculum, she brought over a small childrens craft table, a great book shelf that displays the books, AND a sit-n-spin, something the kids have never seen before and are already enjoying.)
This whole thing reminded me of something that I think about very frequently. We can give time, money, material possessions, and we can give these things over and over again, all our lives even, and one thing is for sure. We can NEVER out-give God. He is the source of all that we have. He gives everything we need and so much more than we need. I feel that God used Katie today to show me, blatantly, that He is in control. He will provide for me and our family the best way. Bottom line. Trust! God will always give us what we need and He will always do it at the right time! We have to be patient and wait on God, KNOWING, not just hoping, that He will take care of it. He ALREADY HAS taken care of it. We just don't know it yet. :)
I hope and pray that anyone who reads this entry will be moved to trust God more as the events of today have moved me to trust God more. One of the kids favorites books at bedtime is called "He Provides for Me." It's about a mother bear and cub who are depending on God to provide the food during the changing seasons. We often remind the kids of that book when any of them begin to worry. They remember the words and the truth of that book.
I'm so thankful. May we all remain thankful.
-Thanks for reading, RACH
I'll just act like I've been posting all along then, even though since I've last written, we've gotten pregnant, purchased and moved into a new home, and welcomed our 4th baby, among a great many other things! :)
This morning, God showered, I'm mean "poured" His blessings on our family. We are home-schooling and since Matthew is not quite six yet, I haven't been doing anything officially although he is doing some reading already and doing great at Math concepts and other general things. Anyway, I've been having some anxiety about which curriculum to use and how to begin exactly and wondering if I'm "cut-out" for this sort of thing. Ron and I agree that this is something we want for our family. We have been praying for wisdom and guidance, perseverance, patience, and that God would lead us to exactly what we should do, right down to what curriculum we would use.
Today, a friend who is continuously showering blessings upon me and our family has done it yet again! Her name is Katie. She brought over literally thousands of dollars worth of "Calvert" curriculum from grades K-3rd grade!!! (And a bunch of other curriculum too.) Every subject has a Teachers Manual included which is what I would prefer. Not only these things but a whole box of flash cards for everything from States, and Presidents to Addition, Subtraction, Sight Words, Alphabet, and several great learning games amoung other things she's collected and found very helpful in her Homeschooling journey. Of course, beyond the huge amount of money we will save by using these hardly used, mint condition, (some completely unused) books and tools, is the picture of what gracious, self-less giving is. Katie could have easily sold these and received a lot of money for them. She could've thrown them out, or she could have put an add in the paper and sold these many boxes of curriculum for even a relatively tiny amount of, let's say $100. But she thought of me. She contacted ME, knowing our plans for homeschooling, and drove them 25 minutes to MY house. What a great friend. And what a testimony she and her family is to all of us who have more than we need. (Besides all of the curriculum, she brought over a small childrens craft table, a great book shelf that displays the books, AND a sit-n-spin, something the kids have never seen before and are already enjoying.)
This whole thing reminded me of something that I think about very frequently. We can give time, money, material possessions, and we can give these things over and over again, all our lives even, and one thing is for sure. We can NEVER out-give God. He is the source of all that we have. He gives everything we need and so much more than we need. I feel that God used Katie today to show me, blatantly, that He is in control. He will provide for me and our family the best way. Bottom line. Trust! God will always give us what we need and He will always do it at the right time! We have to be patient and wait on God, KNOWING, not just hoping, that He will take care of it. He ALREADY HAS taken care of it. We just don't know it yet. :)
I hope and pray that anyone who reads this entry will be moved to trust God more as the events of today have moved me to trust God more. One of the kids favorites books at bedtime is called "He Provides for Me." It's about a mother bear and cub who are depending on God to provide the food during the changing seasons. We often remind the kids of that book when any of them begin to worry. They remember the words and the truth of that book.
I'm so thankful. May we all remain thankful.
-Thanks for reading, RACH
Thursday, January 14, 2010
A house?
Well! Let's face it: Although it's completely doable, we are thinking that we can't have three children, age 4 and under all in the same bedroom for too many more years so... A couple of weeks ago we went to see a house very near us - actually only about 1/2 mi. away! We liked it!
Here's the link:
http://www.realtyusa.com/property/property.asp?VAR_SearchCriteria=selRegion%253Dsyracuse%2526PRM%255FAddress%253D%2526VAR%255FPropertycity%253DGranby%2526PRM%255FMLSNumber%253D%2526PRM%255FMinimum%255FPrice%253D110000%2526PRM%255FMaximum%255FPrice%253D120000%2526VAR%255FPriceChanged%253D%2526PRM%255FMinimum%255FBeds%253D%2526PRM%255FMinimum%255Fbaths%253D%2526search%253D%252BSearch%252B&VAR_PropertyPagingList=220637%7CSyracuseNY%3B2211707CSyracuseNY&VAR_CurPropertyPage=1&VAR_MaxPropertyPage=1&PRM_MlsNumber=221170&PRM_MlsName=SyracuseNY&VAR_SearchType=&VAR_RecordCount=2
Anyhow, a week later we went to see it again, taking with us my Dad and another contractor-friend who both have much experience with being able to assess the finishability, and being able to give a trusted thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Both my Dad and our friend Aaron gave the thumbs up. We prayed many times about this change, all the while updating our budget with worst-case-scenario figures and decided to put in an offer contingent of course to the sale of our little home here on Batavia Ave.
On 1/12/2010, we sat at the diningroom table and signed the paperwork for that offer. The next afternoon, we received a reasonable counter-offer from the seller and last night, 1/13/2010, we accepted the offer! Crazy. So, tomorrow, 1/15/2010, we'll have a sign in our front yard! Our house will be up for sale! Absolutely crazy!
And I thought things were busy NOW! It will be interesting to see how we fair with getting and keeping our house in a nice and neat state with three rugrats around here!
We love our house here on Batavia Ave. and have really made it our home. If we leave we will miss it very much. All three of our babies came home from the hospital to this house. All three will have begun to walk on these floors. . . But! If it's the Lord's will, we may be moving on to a bigger house - one that although it's not perfect (none are) will certainly serve our purposes better and award our children each a bedroom (even though they are COMPLETELY uninterested in separating at this point!). We've talked to the kids about it: "Matthew, how would you like to have your own room?" He responded with no time to think about it: "No thanks." :))) I said, "Well - don't be so sure - you might like it! I mean, you could have your own room and you could keep all your things together etc..." He responded, "But what about Mia and Kayla?" I told him they could each have their own room, or share a room together. "No thanks," he said again. Hilarious. If he only knew that one day he will be DYING to get away from his two sisters. :)
We are in daily prayer about this and we just trust the Lord. Whatever He wants is what we want. If God wants us to stay in this house for a few more years, then we'll be just fine. However, if He wants us to move on and have this place only be in our fond memories, then so be it!
Please remember us in your prayers as we work on getting the house ready and as we deal with the stressors that selling a house can bring. We sure will be busy little beavers over here!
Thanx for reading!
Love, RACH
Here's the link:
http://www.realtyusa.com/property/property.asp?VAR_SearchCriteria=selRegion%253Dsyracuse%2526PRM%255FAddress%253D%2526VAR%255FPropertycity%253DGranby%2526PRM%255FMLSNumber%253D%2526PRM%255FMinimum%255FPrice%253D110000%2526PRM%255FMaximum%255FPrice%253D120000%2526VAR%255FPriceChanged%253D%2526PRM%255FMinimum%255FBeds%253D%2526PRM%255FMinimum%255Fbaths%253D%2526search%253D%252BSearch%252B&VAR_PropertyPagingList=220637%7CSyracuseNY%3B2211707CSyracuseNY&VAR_CurPropertyPage=1&VAR_MaxPropertyPage=1&PRM_MlsNumber=221170&PRM_MlsName=SyracuseNY&VAR_SearchType=&VAR_RecordCount=2
Anyhow, a week later we went to see it again, taking with us my Dad and another contractor-friend who both have much experience with being able to assess the finishability, and being able to give a trusted thumbs-up or thumbs-down. Both my Dad and our friend Aaron gave the thumbs up. We prayed many times about this change, all the while updating our budget with worst-case-scenario figures and decided to put in an offer contingent of course to the sale of our little home here on Batavia Ave.
On 1/12/2010, we sat at the diningroom table and signed the paperwork for that offer. The next afternoon, we received a reasonable counter-offer from the seller and last night, 1/13/2010, we accepted the offer! Crazy. So, tomorrow, 1/15/2010, we'll have a sign in our front yard! Our house will be up for sale! Absolutely crazy!
And I thought things were busy NOW! It will be interesting to see how we fair with getting and keeping our house in a nice and neat state with three rugrats around here!
We love our house here on Batavia Ave. and have really made it our home. If we leave we will miss it very much. All three of our babies came home from the hospital to this house. All three will have begun to walk on these floors. . . But! If it's the Lord's will, we may be moving on to a bigger house - one that although it's not perfect (none are) will certainly serve our purposes better and award our children each a bedroom (even though they are COMPLETELY uninterested in separating at this point!). We've talked to the kids about it: "Matthew, how would you like to have your own room?" He responded with no time to think about it: "No thanks." :))) I said, "Well - don't be so sure - you might like it! I mean, you could have your own room and you could keep all your things together etc..." He responded, "But what about Mia and Kayla?" I told him they could each have their own room, or share a room together. "No thanks," he said again. Hilarious. If he only knew that one day he will be DYING to get away from his two sisters. :)
We are in daily prayer about this and we just trust the Lord. Whatever He wants is what we want. If God wants us to stay in this house for a few more years, then we'll be just fine. However, if He wants us to move on and have this place only be in our fond memories, then so be it!
Please remember us in your prayers as we work on getting the house ready and as we deal with the stressors that selling a house can bring. We sure will be busy little beavers over here!
Thanx for reading!
Love, RACH
Sunday, December 27, 2009
It's been a while!
Well! I MEANT to keep this up but am most certainly not doing a very good job of that am I?
A lot has happened since I've last updated. I don't even know if I can remember it all! Our trip to Florida, Matthew's 4th birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Our trip to Florida was really great. The 21 hr. trip there straight thru went very well and that's including all of our stopping. We left at about 2pm and drove right thru the night and we'll never do it any differently. It was perfect since we could get a lot of driving done while the kids were sleeping during their normal bedtime hours. We arrived at about 10:30am - in time for lunch and naps! Ron and I both smiled ear to ear and didn't stop for quite a while once we walked into Ron's parents house that first day we arrived. It's such a haven for us. The five of us stayed in one room. Ron's parents got 2 blow-up beds for Matthew and Mia! They were so psyched about that! And then Kayla slept in a porta-crib that was just perfect for her. We got to be with Ron's brother Ryan and his family, Ron's sister and her family and of course Ron's parents whom we stayed with the whole time. On top of that we got to see Ron's Aunt and Uncle AND his Cousin and their family whom we haven't seen in 4 years! It was nice celebrating Matthew Thomas's 4th birthday while we were there and having lots of people attend. It was a fun, special birthday party. We got to have a couple of low-key outings like going to see Christmas lights and going to a place to see some Manatees. Besides that, we just laid low, hung out with the family, baked, celebrated Thanksgiving together which was lovely, and ate a whole lot. We got together with my brother Matt and his family and my Aunt & Uncle who live about an hour and a half from Ron's parents house. We visited their church and spent the day with them, plus we met the newest member of the Iamaio family - my cousin's wife! I am realizing that we really did fit in a lot of visiting now that I'm writing this all down! There was very little stress on our trip considering we were away from home for 15 days. Ron's parents are great hosts and we were right at home! Probably too much at home! :) Even our trip home, back to Fulton, NY was fun and went smoothly. We were sad to leave but glad to arrive home and get back to our "spot".
We still have not gotten back to our routine though cuz Christmas came so soon after we got home! We put our tree up the day after getting home and decorated. The kids were looking so forward to that and we were glad that we didn't put it up before we left for Florida. It helped the kids be excited to be going back home even though it meant that we were leaving our vacation. Between our arriving home and Christmas, I've been baking SO much! It's so much fun and I love getting the kids involved too.
We had a beautiful Christmas. This year was the first year that we stayed home for Christmas Eve and began a tradition of spending the whole day together doing meaningful things. Long before we had kids, Ron and I discussed that we were not going to tell our children that Santa was real. (Matthew says: "The only person who 'sees you when you're sleeping, knows when you're awake and knows when you've been bad or good' is God!") He picked up on that himself from the "Santa Claus is coming to town" song.) Matthew and Mia know that Santa is only a story that is fun to talk about and that's it. They know the gifts are from loved ones and that Mommy and Daddy fill the stockings. They know very well what Christmas is truly all about. So, we wanted to firstly recognize the true meaning of Christmas as we celebrated. We began before light with Ron reading the Christmas story in the Bible. Matthew said, "I'm not going to think about the presents, I'm trying to think about Jesus." :) He really is very spiritually minded and we are grateful for his love for God and his attention to spiritual things. Mia is right behind him with that, although she get embarrassed each time she prays out loud and ends up repeating herself a lot. :) Anyway, we all prayed separately and thanked God for sending Jesus to be born into the world to be the Savior of all who believe in Him. We thanked Him also for all of the gifts under our tree and for all of the people who gave them to us. Next, we opened our presents and then our stockings last. It was so fun and the kids were so thankful and not in a rush. That was a relief! It's no fun when there is just chaos and no one stops to take into consideration each gift and appreciate them. The only thing Ron and I bought for the kids besides stocking stuff was snow sleds! Other than that, all of the gifts were from other family. There were a good bunch of presents under the tree! Everyone gave the kids such great gifts including a basketball hoop from Grandpa and Grandma Tumbry which we've ALL been having so much fun with! The thing I'm mostly excited about is my new cookbook!!! Taste of Home! I've been looking thru it and putting post-it's next to all of the recipes that I MUST make!!! (Thank you family for all of the great gifts you gave us!) So, that was Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, we took our time getting ready, ate breakfast and packed up our stuff to head to my parents house for the night. My brother, Nathaniel and his wife and their three girls were there too and we all spent the night. We had a wonderful prime rib dinner and the kids had so much fun playing together and sledding/playing in the snow in my parents backyard. Then the adults had some fun time together after the kids headed to bed. A very enjoyable Christmas! It was sweet waking up and having all six kids playing in the living room already - they were so happy! Watching them buzz around when they are together brings us great joy. :)
Kayla Evangeline will be turning ONE already on 12/29! The poor girl. I hope we can recognize her birthday in a special way each year despite it being so close to Christmas. She took three steps to her Daddy the other day and is saying a bunch of cute words including her most recent "What's dot?" (What's that?) I love it! She's a sweetheart.
Well...so Christmas is over. As always, it's bitter-sweet. Just a little bit bitter though, and mostly sweet. Sweet, because it means that a new year is very close by. New possibilities! New goals and new opportunities! We depend so much on our routines in this family so we are very much looking forward to January 1st, 2010! Back to eating better and keeping up with the day-to-day stuff that's been getting purposely left behind or forgotten. I still am feeling sad that I did not get to publish my 2009 Christmas letter and send it to all of our loved ones. I will have to get back on track with that early this time in 2010.
We are beginning school with Matthew in January! He's just turned four, so I was planning to start in the fall with his schooling, but I have chosen to start early. Given Matthew's personality, I thought it would be a good idea since he takes a while to become settled into a new routine. Things are going to get very busy around here. My Dad made Matthew a wonderful desk for Christmas! He was thrilled! The top opens, and it really looks like a nice piece of furniture. The height of the desk adjusts for when he grows! Matthew is already reading some and he's writing all of his letters too. He is always writing his name on everything and he is looking forward to getting back into his reading lessons. He'll also be working thru some PreSchool and Kindergarten workbooks which include quite a bit of Math I realized. I'm very excited about all of this! I know that it won't be easy, but I really am looking forward to teaching Matthew on a little more of a formal level than what we've been doing. I have a schedule of the day planned for school, but I know that most days it will not be possible to stick to with Mia and Kayla needing attention too - not to mention housework and meals. Mia has expressed an interest in starting Matthew's reading lessons too and she enjoys working in the pre-school books so she may be occupied with some of those things as I work with Matthew with his lessons. My Dad is working on Mia's desk next and she knows it and keeps asking when it will be ready! Right now, I am working with Mia on her letters and their sounds. She knows her ABC's just fine, but doesn't recognize the letters or know their sounds so obviously that is first! We have an abundance of craft supplies now and are already doing quite a bit of that kind of stuff regularly. That is the kind of stuff that is just so fun - for me too!
Ron and I will be turning 30 in February! It's crazy. When I was 20, I thought 30 sounded old, but now I am just about there and I still feel young! I guess that's good. My Mom always says that having kids keeps you young - there are some days that I don't agree with that! :) I DO have a few gray hairs now!
Okay, I guess that catches people up to speed. We are leaning on the Lord to persevere us through whatever He brings our way in 2010. He only knows the future and we are so thankful that He has given us the gift of faith. What a blessing to be able to trust in Him and have peace and contentment in all circumstances! Thank you Jesus!
Thanx so much for reading! :) Take care!
(I don't know how to add pictures to my blog or anything like that. I haven't really tried to figure it out yet! If you are reading this and you know, then give me a clue please!)
A lot has happened since I've last updated. I don't even know if I can remember it all! Our trip to Florida, Matthew's 4th birthday, Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Our trip to Florida was really great. The 21 hr. trip there straight thru went very well and that's including all of our stopping. We left at about 2pm and drove right thru the night and we'll never do it any differently. It was perfect since we could get a lot of driving done while the kids were sleeping during their normal bedtime hours. We arrived at about 10:30am - in time for lunch and naps! Ron and I both smiled ear to ear and didn't stop for quite a while once we walked into Ron's parents house that first day we arrived. It's such a haven for us. The five of us stayed in one room. Ron's parents got 2 blow-up beds for Matthew and Mia! They were so psyched about that! And then Kayla slept in a porta-crib that was just perfect for her. We got to be with Ron's brother Ryan and his family, Ron's sister and her family and of course Ron's parents whom we stayed with the whole time. On top of that we got to see Ron's Aunt and Uncle AND his Cousin and their family whom we haven't seen in 4 years! It was nice celebrating Matthew Thomas's 4th birthday while we were there and having lots of people attend. It was a fun, special birthday party. We got to have a couple of low-key outings like going to see Christmas lights and going to a place to see some Manatees. Besides that, we just laid low, hung out with the family, baked, celebrated Thanksgiving together which was lovely, and ate a whole lot. We got together with my brother Matt and his family and my Aunt & Uncle who live about an hour and a half from Ron's parents house. We visited their church and spent the day with them, plus we met the newest member of the Iamaio family - my cousin's wife! I am realizing that we really did fit in a lot of visiting now that I'm writing this all down! There was very little stress on our trip considering we were away from home for 15 days. Ron's parents are great hosts and we were right at home! Probably too much at home! :) Even our trip home, back to Fulton, NY was fun and went smoothly. We were sad to leave but glad to arrive home and get back to our "spot".
We still have not gotten back to our routine though cuz Christmas came so soon after we got home! We put our tree up the day after getting home and decorated. The kids were looking so forward to that and we were glad that we didn't put it up before we left for Florida. It helped the kids be excited to be going back home even though it meant that we were leaving our vacation. Between our arriving home and Christmas, I've been baking SO much! It's so much fun and I love getting the kids involved too.
We had a beautiful Christmas. This year was the first year that we stayed home for Christmas Eve and began a tradition of spending the whole day together doing meaningful things. Long before we had kids, Ron and I discussed that we were not going to tell our children that Santa was real. (Matthew says: "The only person who 'sees you when you're sleeping, knows when you're awake and knows when you've been bad or good' is God!") He picked up on that himself from the "Santa Claus is coming to town" song.) Matthew and Mia know that Santa is only a story that is fun to talk about and that's it. They know the gifts are from loved ones and that Mommy and Daddy fill the stockings. They know very well what Christmas is truly all about. So, we wanted to firstly recognize the true meaning of Christmas as we celebrated. We began before light with Ron reading the Christmas story in the Bible. Matthew said, "I'm not going to think about the presents, I'm trying to think about Jesus." :) He really is very spiritually minded and we are grateful for his love for God and his attention to spiritual things. Mia is right behind him with that, although she get embarrassed each time she prays out loud and ends up repeating herself a lot. :) Anyway, we all prayed separately and thanked God for sending Jesus to be born into the world to be the Savior of all who believe in Him. We thanked Him also for all of the gifts under our tree and for all of the people who gave them to us. Next, we opened our presents and then our stockings last. It was so fun and the kids were so thankful and not in a rush. That was a relief! It's no fun when there is just chaos and no one stops to take into consideration each gift and appreciate them. The only thing Ron and I bought for the kids besides stocking stuff was snow sleds! Other than that, all of the gifts were from other family. There were a good bunch of presents under the tree! Everyone gave the kids such great gifts including a basketball hoop from Grandpa and Grandma Tumbry which we've ALL been having so much fun with! The thing I'm mostly excited about is my new cookbook!!! Taste of Home! I've been looking thru it and putting post-it's next to all of the recipes that I MUST make!!! (Thank you family for all of the great gifts you gave us!) So, that was Christmas Eve. On Christmas morning, we took our time getting ready, ate breakfast and packed up our stuff to head to my parents house for the night. My brother, Nathaniel and his wife and their three girls were there too and we all spent the night. We had a wonderful prime rib dinner and the kids had so much fun playing together and sledding/playing in the snow in my parents backyard. Then the adults had some fun time together after the kids headed to bed. A very enjoyable Christmas! It was sweet waking up and having all six kids playing in the living room already - they were so happy! Watching them buzz around when they are together brings us great joy. :)
Kayla Evangeline will be turning ONE already on 12/29! The poor girl. I hope we can recognize her birthday in a special way each year despite it being so close to Christmas. She took three steps to her Daddy the other day and is saying a bunch of cute words including her most recent "What's dot?" (What's that?) I love it! She's a sweetheart.
Well...so Christmas is over. As always, it's bitter-sweet. Just a little bit bitter though, and mostly sweet. Sweet, because it means that a new year is very close by. New possibilities! New goals and new opportunities! We depend so much on our routines in this family so we are very much looking forward to January 1st, 2010! Back to eating better and keeping up with the day-to-day stuff that's been getting purposely left behind or forgotten. I still am feeling sad that I did not get to publish my 2009 Christmas letter and send it to all of our loved ones. I will have to get back on track with that early this time in 2010.
We are beginning school with Matthew in January! He's just turned four, so I was planning to start in the fall with his schooling, but I have chosen to start early. Given Matthew's personality, I thought it would be a good idea since he takes a while to become settled into a new routine. Things are going to get very busy around here. My Dad made Matthew a wonderful desk for Christmas! He was thrilled! The top opens, and it really looks like a nice piece of furniture. The height of the desk adjusts for when he grows! Matthew is already reading some and he's writing all of his letters too. He is always writing his name on everything and he is looking forward to getting back into his reading lessons. He'll also be working thru some PreSchool and Kindergarten workbooks which include quite a bit of Math I realized. I'm very excited about all of this! I know that it won't be easy, but I really am looking forward to teaching Matthew on a little more of a formal level than what we've been doing. I have a schedule of the day planned for school, but I know that most days it will not be possible to stick to with Mia and Kayla needing attention too - not to mention housework and meals. Mia has expressed an interest in starting Matthew's reading lessons too and she enjoys working in the pre-school books so she may be occupied with some of those things as I work with Matthew with his lessons. My Dad is working on Mia's desk next and she knows it and keeps asking when it will be ready! Right now, I am working with Mia on her letters and their sounds. She knows her ABC's just fine, but doesn't recognize the letters or know their sounds so obviously that is first! We have an abundance of craft supplies now and are already doing quite a bit of that kind of stuff regularly. That is the kind of stuff that is just so fun - for me too!
Ron and I will be turning 30 in February! It's crazy. When I was 20, I thought 30 sounded old, but now I am just about there and I still feel young! I guess that's good. My Mom always says that having kids keeps you young - there are some days that I don't agree with that! :) I DO have a few gray hairs now!
Okay, I guess that catches people up to speed. We are leaning on the Lord to persevere us through whatever He brings our way in 2010. He only knows the future and we are so thankful that He has given us the gift of faith. What a blessing to be able to trust in Him and have peace and contentment in all circumstances! Thank you Jesus!
Thanx so much for reading! :) Take care!
(I don't know how to add pictures to my blog or anything like that. I haven't really tried to figure it out yet! If you are reading this and you know, then give me a clue please!)
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Swine Flu - Post #3
Well just in case I am at risk in disappointing anyone by not writing anymore re: our H1N1 experience, I will go ahead and do another entry. :) heehee
First, I just want to take a moment or two to say that the Lord has persevered us through this so well. We had only a few moments of true chaos, which is a lot to say considering we have been so ill and have been caring for 3 very little children. God has held us together and strengthened us in what was so far in our established household the very worst of times. God, in His merciful providence, allowed me to get the least sick so that our home did not completely fall apart. I was able to care for everyone without getting totally burned out. I was even able to keep the house somewhat organized and laundry kept up with, and thanks to my Mom and Dad, we ate just fine! Vegetable beef soup, homemade pasta sauce, and ginger ale were delivered to our doors! We just now have run out of "easy food" and just in time since I feel that I am well enough to get back to meal-making tomorrow. :) The Lord cares for His children. He has blessed us so much through this sickness - that I'm sure many people do not realize. We were given many opportunities to pray with our children. We pray with them regularly during family worship and at mealtimes, but during this trial, our children have seen Ron and I look and act very concerned and worried and then pray together, out loud so that Matthew, Mia and even Kayla witnessed the way our relationship to God should be: in humble reliance upon His grace. We had many chances to talk about being content in all circumstances - even circumstances in which we don't feel well or scary times which we had many of this past week. We should be thankful to and always trusting in God - even when we may feel as though He is overlooking us. He is NEVER overlooking us. He cares, and works everything together for good in the lives of His children. We talked about fear and trust and that when we are afraid, perhaps of taking medicine, we just need to do the right thing and take our medicine, even though we don't want to. We need to trust Mom & Dad AND obey them because God put them as leaders in our household, and all that they do, or have me do, they are doing for my good. When we obey our parents, we are obeying God because He commands us to obey our parents. This reminder helped many times when the kids were squeamish about taking medicine, or about coughing in the middle of the night and panicking. This illness in our family is just one example of the Sovereignty of God. He is in control. Though we lost control several times, He NEVER lost control, and boy did we ever feel His hand on us during this time. :)
So! Today is seven days. We are still quite ill over here. Fevers still for everyone but me. Since the last time I wrote, much has happened, but not all of it I can remember. Beyond the fevers and coughing, there was Matthew's halllucinations. At the time he had a fever of over 105. He was laying in our bed in the middle of the night. This particular night he did not sleep more than a half hour all night. He was laying there, eyes half open, talking at a normal day-time volume, saying things like: "Mia??? Hi Mia." (She was in her own bed in another room.) I said "Matthew, Mia isn't in here." He said half-annoyed, "Yes, she is, she's right there. Mia? What are you doing Mia?" (Sounds funny now, but was scary.) Also, with his eyes wide open, he was saying "What? What did you say? I SAID What did you say?" and I would reply "Matthew, NO ONE is saying anything." He would just keep saying the same thing but faster: "I said What did you SAY? What did you say? What did you SAY???" Then he was claiming to see "slugs" and he was pointing to "leaves" and asking me if I saw them too. He went from mad to a sort-of giggle and then back to being quiet for a little while, and then burst out with some other exclamation and it would wake Ron and I up and we'd start all over again. I mentioned this to the Dr. and he said he was not surprised that with a temp so high he would hallucinate. So! That was interesting.
Mia and Kayla the last few days have been just extremely emotional, and crying almost constantly. I finally came to the conclusion that since Mia came down with this crazy flu first, she should be on her way to feeling better first. That wasn't happening. In fact, she was getting worse. She and Kayla were not sleeping AT ALL. I called the Dr. on Monday morning and made an appointment for Mia and Kayla even though I felt like a complete wacko. (During the time when I took Mia and Kayla to the Dr., God was taking such good care of us! Ron was SOOO sick with a high fever and with some other symptoms which I won't mention, and Matthew was feeling "ok" for the moment. Needless to say, Ron was not in any condition to "babysit" Matthew while I was away with the girls. I explained to him that he would have to pretend that he was a grown-up until I got back. I made him a sandwich (which of course he did not eat) and put it in the fridge and told him that if he was hungry, he could just go get it. I filled his sippy cup, turned a video on for him and left with the girls. Ron was laid up the whole time I was gone but Matthew was as happy as a clam, caring for his Daddy (just checking on him), and sitting watching T.V. and keeping watch over the house! At the girls appointment, they were both so groggy and strange acting, which was a blessing in disguise because had they been feeling any better, it wouldn't have been an easy time with two as little as they are. Additionally, I was so relieved and almost broke down in tears when the Dr. said that both of them had double ear infections caused by all of the drippy noses and sniffing. :( I just was relieved to know that it wasn't just the flu causing their misery, but was something on top of that which could actually be treated! They have been on the antibiotics for 24 hrs. and they are so much better, albeit still carrying fevers around 101 degrees. Things are slowly getting back to normal.
One thing that I learned thru all of this is that fevers don't kill kids. My kids, although they did not eat almost the whole time they were sick, (and still aren't eating, grrr...) drank a very good amount of all different fluids, but did not eat. They kept well hydrated and although they had VERY high fevers, they pulled through just fine. We treated the fevers constantly and they didn't really go down much. They would just get out of the 104-105+ range, and go back to the 102-103+ range. We were concerned about the fevers being dangerous and each time I'd call the Dr. he'd just tell me that a fever is just a reflection of the condition of the body and to not pay attention to the number unless the kids were acting sluggish (to a scary degree), or if they weren't drinking. Now, I am still always going to be concerned about a high fever but at least I'll have that in the back of my mind - that they've been through the worst.
Ron, who was the last to get sick, is still quite sick. He is still getting fevers, and has a horrible, painful cough. We were convinced that he had pneumonia but nope; he visited the Dr. today and he just has the same thing that plagues all of us. Dr. even said that we could keep our plans to leave for FL on the 12th, but we aren't about to do that. We want to be completely back to normal, and well-rested, which I believe we'll still have a hard time achieving in the 9 days we have until we leave. That's how much of a DOOZEY this virus was/is!!!!
I think it goes without saying that we absolutely recommend getting vaccinated. Ron and I both said that we had NEVER been this sick in all our almost 30 years and that we'd both rather have a one or two day bug where we were vomiting etc... than have this swine flu. The body aches, very painful cough, and dehabilitating fevers were mind-boggling to say the very least.
Even though we aren't out of the woods yet, this will be my last "Swine Flu" entry. We sincerely appreciate all the prayers, all of the kind and encouraging words thoughts and deeds from all that were aware of our "condition". Stay tuned to hear about what happens next in the Tumbry family!
And thank you so much for reading my rambling! :) Stay well all.
First, I just want to take a moment or two to say that the Lord has persevered us through this so well. We had only a few moments of true chaos, which is a lot to say considering we have been so ill and have been caring for 3 very little children. God has held us together and strengthened us in what was so far in our established household the very worst of times. God, in His merciful providence, allowed me to get the least sick so that our home did not completely fall apart. I was able to care for everyone without getting totally burned out. I was even able to keep the house somewhat organized and laundry kept up with, and thanks to my Mom and Dad, we ate just fine! Vegetable beef soup, homemade pasta sauce, and ginger ale were delivered to our doors! We just now have run out of "easy food" and just in time since I feel that I am well enough to get back to meal-making tomorrow. :) The Lord cares for His children. He has blessed us so much through this sickness - that I'm sure many people do not realize. We were given many opportunities to pray with our children. We pray with them regularly during family worship and at mealtimes, but during this trial, our children have seen Ron and I look and act very concerned and worried and then pray together, out loud so that Matthew, Mia and even Kayla witnessed the way our relationship to God should be: in humble reliance upon His grace. We had many chances to talk about being content in all circumstances - even circumstances in which we don't feel well or scary times which we had many of this past week. We should be thankful to and always trusting in God - even when we may feel as though He is overlooking us. He is NEVER overlooking us. He cares, and works everything together for good in the lives of His children. We talked about fear and trust and that when we are afraid, perhaps of taking medicine, we just need to do the right thing and take our medicine, even though we don't want to. We need to trust Mom & Dad AND obey them because God put them as leaders in our household, and all that they do, or have me do, they are doing for my good. When we obey our parents, we are obeying God because He commands us to obey our parents. This reminder helped many times when the kids were squeamish about taking medicine, or about coughing in the middle of the night and panicking. This illness in our family is just one example of the Sovereignty of God. He is in control. Though we lost control several times, He NEVER lost control, and boy did we ever feel His hand on us during this time. :)
So! Today is seven days. We are still quite ill over here. Fevers still for everyone but me. Since the last time I wrote, much has happened, but not all of it I can remember. Beyond the fevers and coughing, there was Matthew's halllucinations. At the time he had a fever of over 105. He was laying in our bed in the middle of the night. This particular night he did not sleep more than a half hour all night. He was laying there, eyes half open, talking at a normal day-time volume, saying things like: "Mia??? Hi Mia." (She was in her own bed in another room.) I said "Matthew, Mia isn't in here." He said half-annoyed, "Yes, she is, she's right there. Mia? What are you doing Mia?" (Sounds funny now, but was scary.) Also, with his eyes wide open, he was saying "What? What did you say? I SAID What did you say?" and I would reply "Matthew, NO ONE is saying anything." He would just keep saying the same thing but faster: "I said What did you SAY? What did you say? What did you SAY???" Then he was claiming to see "slugs" and he was pointing to "leaves" and asking me if I saw them too. He went from mad to a sort-of giggle and then back to being quiet for a little while, and then burst out with some other exclamation and it would wake Ron and I up and we'd start all over again. I mentioned this to the Dr. and he said he was not surprised that with a temp so high he would hallucinate. So! That was interesting.
Mia and Kayla the last few days have been just extremely emotional, and crying almost constantly. I finally came to the conclusion that since Mia came down with this crazy flu first, she should be on her way to feeling better first. That wasn't happening. In fact, she was getting worse. She and Kayla were not sleeping AT ALL. I called the Dr. on Monday morning and made an appointment for Mia and Kayla even though I felt like a complete wacko. (During the time when I took Mia and Kayla to the Dr., God was taking such good care of us! Ron was SOOO sick with a high fever and with some other symptoms which I won't mention, and Matthew was feeling "ok" for the moment. Needless to say, Ron was not in any condition to "babysit" Matthew while I was away with the girls. I explained to him that he would have to pretend that he was a grown-up until I got back. I made him a sandwich (which of course he did not eat) and put it in the fridge and told him that if he was hungry, he could just go get it. I filled his sippy cup, turned a video on for him and left with the girls. Ron was laid up the whole time I was gone but Matthew was as happy as a clam, caring for his Daddy (just checking on him), and sitting watching T.V. and keeping watch over the house! At the girls appointment, they were both so groggy and strange acting, which was a blessing in disguise because had they been feeling any better, it wouldn't have been an easy time with two as little as they are. Additionally, I was so relieved and almost broke down in tears when the Dr. said that both of them had double ear infections caused by all of the drippy noses and sniffing. :( I just was relieved to know that it wasn't just the flu causing their misery, but was something on top of that which could actually be treated! They have been on the antibiotics for 24 hrs. and they are so much better, albeit still carrying fevers around 101 degrees. Things are slowly getting back to normal.
One thing that I learned thru all of this is that fevers don't kill kids. My kids, although they did not eat almost the whole time they were sick, (and still aren't eating, grrr...) drank a very good amount of all different fluids, but did not eat. They kept well hydrated and although they had VERY high fevers, they pulled through just fine. We treated the fevers constantly and they didn't really go down much. They would just get out of the 104-105+ range, and go back to the 102-103+ range. We were concerned about the fevers being dangerous and each time I'd call the Dr. he'd just tell me that a fever is just a reflection of the condition of the body and to not pay attention to the number unless the kids were acting sluggish (to a scary degree), or if they weren't drinking. Now, I am still always going to be concerned about a high fever but at least I'll have that in the back of my mind - that they've been through the worst.
Ron, who was the last to get sick, is still quite sick. He is still getting fevers, and has a horrible, painful cough. We were convinced that he had pneumonia but nope; he visited the Dr. today and he just has the same thing that plagues all of us. Dr. even said that we could keep our plans to leave for FL on the 12th, but we aren't about to do that. We want to be completely back to normal, and well-rested, which I believe we'll still have a hard time achieving in the 9 days we have until we leave. That's how much of a DOOZEY this virus was/is!!!!
I think it goes without saying that we absolutely recommend getting vaccinated. Ron and I both said that we had NEVER been this sick in all our almost 30 years and that we'd both rather have a one or two day bug where we were vomiting etc... than have this swine flu. The body aches, very painful cough, and dehabilitating fevers were mind-boggling to say the very least.
Even though we aren't out of the woods yet, this will be my last "Swine Flu" entry. We sincerely appreciate all the prayers, all of the kind and encouraging words thoughts and deeds from all that were aware of our "condition". Stay tuned to hear about what happens next in the Tumbry family!
And thank you so much for reading my rambling! :) Stay well all.
Thursday, November 5, 2009
Swine Flu - Post #2
So here's a quick update. Today was the second full day that the H1N1 virus has been lurking in our home.
Kayla began getting symptoms yesterday afternoon, which include high fever, a very hazy look, and ugly, painful sounding cough. Mia continues to have those same symptoms as well. Today it was very hard to keep the fevers down. The girls were only going like 3-4 hours after a dose of medicine before their fevers were right back to 103 degrees. Kayla after only 3 hours of Motrin woke from her nap and had a 103.6 rectal temperature. I called the Dr. and they said that I should give she and Mia a cool, (lukewarm) bath. I did that. It brought their temp's down to about 101 only. They really were never under 101 all day. The nurse at our pediatricians insisted that as long as I'm following their directions with alternating between Motrin and Tylenol, that things will eventually work themselves out. I keep telling myself what the Dr. told me yesterday which is that the fever usually lasts 2 and a half to 3 days. So if that's true, by the end of tomorrow, Mia will be done with the fever which is the most scary part. But then of course, there's Kayla and Matthew.
I know the Lord will take care of every detail. I'm just doing what I think I should do and what the Dr. says.
Matthew began his symptoms at six this evening. Within ten minutes he went from happy, normal and full-of-energy, to an uncontrollable wheezing cough, and a high fever. He has asthma and therefore is at very high risk for taking this swine flu very, very hard. Ron and I prayed with him multiple times tonight, and it took several attempts to calm him down enough for him to take the Motrin.
So, all the kids are medicated and in bed. We'll see how well they sleep. We're hoping and praying to get some good sleep tonight. Even though I know that the Lord can do anything, I'm sure, given the footprint of this virus so far, that we're in for it tonight. Matthew is just very bad at being sick. He will be the most difficult to deal with by far.
Tomorrow should be interesting. Mia just woke up while I'm writing this. Her lips are all dry and we're trying to get her to drink some fluids. She's eating a popscicle on our bed right now too.
I know I'm next. The kids all had wheezing coughs right before they got the fever, and I've got a painful, wheezing cough right now. I'm expecting this to hit me pretty hard tonight. Ron just started his wheezy cough about an hour ago. This crazy virus moves fast! But I'm almost thankful for that. We are in great need of your prayers. Mostly that the Lord would give us the grace to deal with all of this drama!
Nighty-night. If I'm right about what I'm in for tonight - I'd better get all the sleep I can.
Thanx for reading.
Kayla began getting symptoms yesterday afternoon, which include high fever, a very hazy look, and ugly, painful sounding cough. Mia continues to have those same symptoms as well. Today it was very hard to keep the fevers down. The girls were only going like 3-4 hours after a dose of medicine before their fevers were right back to 103 degrees. Kayla after only 3 hours of Motrin woke from her nap and had a 103.6 rectal temperature. I called the Dr. and they said that I should give she and Mia a cool, (lukewarm) bath. I did that. It brought their temp's down to about 101 only. They really were never under 101 all day. The nurse at our pediatricians insisted that as long as I'm following their directions with alternating between Motrin and Tylenol, that things will eventually work themselves out. I keep telling myself what the Dr. told me yesterday which is that the fever usually lasts 2 and a half to 3 days. So if that's true, by the end of tomorrow, Mia will be done with the fever which is the most scary part. But then of course, there's Kayla and Matthew.
I know the Lord will take care of every detail. I'm just doing what I think I should do and what the Dr. says.
Matthew began his symptoms at six this evening. Within ten minutes he went from happy, normal and full-of-energy, to an uncontrollable wheezing cough, and a high fever. He has asthma and therefore is at very high risk for taking this swine flu very, very hard. Ron and I prayed with him multiple times tonight, and it took several attempts to calm him down enough for him to take the Motrin.
So, all the kids are medicated and in bed. We'll see how well they sleep. We're hoping and praying to get some good sleep tonight. Even though I know that the Lord can do anything, I'm sure, given the footprint of this virus so far, that we're in for it tonight. Matthew is just very bad at being sick. He will be the most difficult to deal with by far.
Tomorrow should be interesting. Mia just woke up while I'm writing this. Her lips are all dry and we're trying to get her to drink some fluids. She's eating a popscicle on our bed right now too.
I know I'm next. The kids all had wheezing coughs right before they got the fever, and I've got a painful, wheezing cough right now. I'm expecting this to hit me pretty hard tonight. Ron just started his wheezy cough about an hour ago. This crazy virus moves fast! But I'm almost thankful for that. We are in great need of your prayers. Mostly that the Lord would give us the grace to deal with all of this drama!
Nighty-night. If I'm right about what I'm in for tonight - I'd better get all the sleep I can.
Thanx for reading.
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