One of my chief duties. . .

"Mommy!" My 4 year old yells from his post on the toilet.
"Where the heck are you? I need you to wipe my bottom!"

Make a joyful noise!

Last night was my 4 year old's Christmas program. He was beside himself with excitement beforehand. He got all decked out in his Christmas black and red, and even allowed me to wet his hair down a bit.
The church was packed, but if I sat up very tall, I could just barely see him. Thankfully, he is one of the tallest kids in preschool! He sang and sang his little songs. That is, he sang/shouted his songs. You know what I mean. In every school program, there is one kid you can hear above the rest. This kid is really into praising Jesus. Well, as we found out tonight, it turns out that is our child. We were in the back, and my husband and I exchanged several glances as we heard his voice quite clearly.
I think I could have heard him in the parking lot. I had tears in my eyes.

We give thanks!

We celebrated this Thanksgiving with almost all of our family. It was wonderful to share time with all of them. We laughed, played ridiculous games, and ate. A lot. We all enjoyed it!

The best part, however, of this Thanksgiving, was the news we received just beforehand. As if we don't have enough blessings already to be thankful for, we were given another. Yes, in 9 short months, we will add another baby to our family! Some may say we are crazy to add another member to our brood, but we say we are blessed. With each new child we are given, we are gifted with a treasure. We grow, we learn and we are joyful (most of the time!). We are so thankful for this new life growing inside me!

The kids are thrilled, and everyone seems to want a girl. My daughter has wanted a girl for awhile now, and I wonder if the boys think that having a brother is not all it is cracked up to be (sharing the toys, sharing the bedroom, fighting all the fights. . .the list goes on). I wonder if they think a little sister might be somehow easier.

Regardless of gender, we are thrilled. We look forward to meeting the newest member of our family in late July.

Beethoven's Ninth

This is a lovely piece of music.

However, it loses a bit of its luster after being played repeatedly on the piano by my daughter. I have encouraged my daughter to practice (as this does not seem to be her natural inclination), so I have no one to blame but myself. I suppose my parents can relate, as my sister and I pounded out countless attempts at piano pieces years ago.

Maybe someday she will be a famous concert pianist, and I will look back on these days (and the fact that Beethoven's Ninth is permanently etched in my brain) fondly.

Home again, home again

I returned last night from a glorious weekend in Galena, IL, with all my college girlfriends. It was heaven! We shopped, we ate, we talked (and talked and talked!), and we laughed together. What a blessing they all are to me.

When I arrived home, I had a reception I rarely receive (since I rarely leave for so long!). The kids all attacked me and gave me monster hugs. Though it is nice to get away (that is a minor understatement), it is always good to come home!

The cheese stands alone (er, make that the mommy)

I'm sure so many of you are waiting with bated breath to see who else is afflicted by the plague in our house. Well, (drum roll please) my husband was hit last night. Thankfully he is doing fine this afternoon.
I have not had the stomach flu in at least 20 years. I know I am tempting fate by writing that here, but I hope I go another 20 (or actually the rest of my life!) and remain unscathed by it.

And then there were two. . .

My daughter gave in to all the germ peer pressure this morning. Thankfully, my husband and I are still well. This evening, everyone seems to be on the mend. Maybe tomorrow I will be able to venture out of our house o' sickness!