and overflowing with thankfulness

Posted on November 25, 2013 by Shanda

Glorify the Lord with me
let us exalt His name together. Psalms 34:3

(brother dave on vacation in jamaica)

Hello my friends! We had such a good old ordinary weekend and I feel rested and recharged. Hope you do, too.

I usually do a “this moment” post on Fridays but didn’t get around to it the other day so here is my picture:

Brother Dave surprised me with a card and a giftcard to Starbucks. Thank you, my brother and friend, I love you! I only wish I could go to the Starbucks WITH you.

Gracie took this picture of our almost full grown kittens, in the sock basket. Poor Sammie (the black) got caught behind the oil tank on Friday night, the kids heard her yowling. When Jacob tried to get her unstuck, she bit and scratched him so Rich had to do it. She’s still limping around today. Sherlock has to play by himself but they can still snuggle together.

So what are your plans for Thanksgiving? We are having it here at our place with my parents, Amanda and Jason with their children, Nate and Melissa with theirs, a friend of Amanda’s, and brother Isaac. I am going to make a big list today and get busy on organization……also, praying hard that the weather isn’t too bad for travel on that day.

I love Thanksgiving; giving thanks is a regular spiritual practice for believers, and it’s lovely to have a special day simply devoted to praising God and counting blessings. It’s amazing how, in giving thanks, God fills up our souls with contentment. Last night I took out some old homeschooling materials and did dictation/copy work with the boys. Jacob said, “I want to do it, too!” so he joined in, even though he was already doing homework. It was fun.

Seth (the four year old) was inspired by all the writing.

He told me to write, “Dear Grandma” on it, and he pointed his finger to where I was to write.

This was taken early Saturday morning. I was sitting in the rocking chair all alone, when Caleb stumbled into the room. He was still half asleep and wanted to be by me. He tried to get in the chair with me but there was no room so he walked over to the other rocker, picked it up, and carried it all the way over to place it as close to me as possible. It was just the most precious act of love from him (8 years old) that I asked Rich to take our photo.

Seth asked if he could sit over by Michael during church and I said “yes”. Jacob was there, too. Mike took this picture of him during the prayer before offering……he wasn’t as angelic for the entire service, however. He’s a Seth.

Grace was going to sing in her school chorus at a church in town yesterday. I took her early to practice, it was so very cold and windy that the town lost power and I had to go right back down to get her, the service had been cancelled. We never lost power at our house, though, it was cozy and warm and Rich ordered a pizza for dinner. These are the days of party sized pizzas that get entirely eaten by seven healthy , growing children with big appetites.

(Ethan S, how is your ankle??)

I put on winter garb this morning to tend to the hens.

The sun was coming up, shining on the now icy ponds.

Ice in the stream, the air was icy cold, too. I took this photo with red and stiffening fingers.

Inside the house, Sherlock found the sunshine.

Cats are the best.

Every good and perfect gift
is from above,
coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights,
who does not change
like shifting shadows. James 1:17

So then, just as you received Christ Jesus as Lord,
continue to live in Him,
rooted and built up in Him,
strengthened in the faith as you were taught,
and overflowing with thankfulness. Colossians 2:6-7

PS. Seth just said longingly to me, “I wish I had fur, Mom.”

Perhaps when he’s a man, he can grow some on his chin like Uncle Dave!

(image via pinterest)

family working weekend

Posted on November 21, 2013 by Shanda

Hello, dear friends, today has dawned bright and nippy cold. I am glad to be inside, tucked under blankets by the window, with sunshine pouring through and Little Bear the movie playing on the tv. Seth and Sarah are still in their warm pajamas, Seth with a Bionicle in his hands, and Sarah with her beloved blankie.

Wednesdays are a very full day for us, with a dash out the door (after lunches, baths, and helter-scelter) to drive to Community Bible Study, where there are children’s classes for Seth and Sarah, and a continuing study in Deuteronomy for myself. I facilitate a small group, and then the classes go to the auditorium for a fabulous teaching time with Annie. I have come to love Wednesdays because of the time I can spend with other believers, with so many other women of all walks of life.

After CBS was over (at 2:30), we went to Costco to stock up on lunch supplies. I put Sarah Joy in the cart and proceeded to shop and keep track of adventurous Seth at the same time. We ended with a cart as full as it could possibly be. I caught myself complaining that I had to do a Costco trip to my friends at Bible Study, and my heart was convicted, how dare I complain when I should be praying thankgiving to God for my husband’s job, and the fact that I CAN EVEN GO TO COSTCO in the first place………….

When I got home, Grace and Caleb unloaded the groceries and helped put them away. I poured meatballs and sauce into the crockpot and set it to “high” and then enjoyed the children. We watched an old episode of “Reading Rainbow” on amazon prime, and before I knew it, it was time to get Jacob and Ethan from school. Ethan had stayed after for a test, and Jacob had football practice.

We had dinner, Rich had to work late, and when he came home he found me on the couch with Dave, Caleb, Seth and Sarah cuddled up next to me. I was reading aloud, and trying to stay awake. 🙂

Quotes from books (titles at the end of post) do you recognize them?

“This is a long tall mountain. And you are the last car on the train.”

“One day Granny Annie made a pancake so light and fluffy it floated right off the skillet.”

“Billy was a little boy who loved horses more than anything else in the world.”

“On the fourth day, the squirrels brought six fat, black beetles for Mr. Brown. They had wrapped each beetle in a leaf fastened with a pin made from a pine needle.”

“When the crowd saw that Harry was a dog, they gasped. They could hardly believe their eyes. All at once Harry began to jump higher than ever.”

Our cat Sherlock was so funny the other day, I had never had a cat sleep on my lap like this.

Seth has been difficult lately, just a very busy and not-really-meaning-it but very mischievous little boy. So much so that we couldn’t leave him home with the others on date night, he had to come along so we could keep an eye on him. He sat by me at dinner and when I asked Rich to take our picture, Seth turned to me with a smile, got ever closer, put his tiny arm around me……oh, and my heart melted, all was forgiven in his honest love.

Ethan came home from school on Monday and made mousse, yes mousse, completely from scratch.

Our overflowing with food-blessings, cart at Costco yesterday. Can you spy, with your little eye, a silly Sarah hiding?

So, on Sunday, we felt some guilt because we stayed home from church. Rich had rented a log splitter for the weekend and he needed to get his full use out of it so it was a family work weekend. Both Saturday and Sunday were spent trying to catch up on things around the house.

Seth, washing windows

We made a list of things that had to get done. Rich hung up curtains, and Ethan’s shelf that he made at school finally got hung. It was a proud moment for E and he promptly put his dirty sneakers on it.

They stayed for the day and then were removed and I put a picture of Ethan there, instead of the shoes.

David washing windows.

Caleb used the granite cleaner; he was thrilled to discover we have granite countertops, as he is learning about rocks and minerals at school. He loved making the counters shine (wearing a cape from Halloween).

Wood work

David and Caleb trying to get my sympathy.

I think he is so handsome; a quick little love story: the other day, I don’t know why but I asked him as we cuddled on the couch, “Rich, what made you fall in love with me and know for sure you wanted to spend your whole life with me?” He said, “Well, at first it was your long black hair, beautiful legs, and gorgeous body. Then……………it was your long black hair, beautiful legs, and gorgeous body.” He was laughing, and I laughed too, knowing that he was only half-teasing. MEN!

Ethan with the axe.

And Jacob with the log splitter run by motor; this was so amazing to watch…the log, put in place by Jake, gets “pinched” with a wedge-end and it cracks down the length. Most logs were so big that he had to run the same log’s pieces through it several times to get the right size for the fireplace. It hums along, loud but not too loud, and I found myself standing and staring, it was soothing in a way, and I think Jacob enjoyed it, too.

He wore out his gloves.

and drank mountain dew.

Ethan getting ready for another swing.

Oh yeah that’s what I’m talking about!

Time for a snack of Mom’s homemade bread!

He did end up stealing the end of the loaf from the picnic table. So mad.

Rich thought I was funny perched importantly on my log and took the camera from me.

Caleb

Yes, even Grace was put to work.

After they had a bucket full, Rich and Ethan drove it to the back of the garage to stack.

Rich wanted to get it all split, but at 3:30 I went outside to ~~beg~~ order him to please stop. Ethan was relieved, but Jacob had a hard time stopping, too. It was a very productive weekend.

The Little Red Caboose, by Marian Potter

The Jolly Pancake, by Donald Charles

Billy and Blaze, by C.W. Anderson

The Tale of Squirrel Nutkin (an adaption) by Beatrix Potter

Harry by the Sea, by Gene Zion

********

Thank you for stopping by the old blog and I hope each of you has a wonderful day. My older children have a half day at school so it will be nice to see them earlier for a change. I’ve been convicted about COMPLAINING and “bragging” about HOW BUSY I am, so if you would be so kind as to keep me in your prayers for these attitude adjustments? Thank you, dears.

God bless any and all who read this today.

You are loved.

grace in plays

Posted on November 19, 2013 by Shanda

(grace as a gypsy)

I’ve been blogging about Grace since she was 7, and now here she is at 14, a freshman in High School and member of drama. She is thriving in her new activities (she is also in writing club, and a singing group) and most evenings she does not get home from school until 6-6:30pm.

As far as Drama goes, a friend signed her up for it as a surprise, and Grace was scared. But once she got involved and started practicing, she fell in love. She memorized lines all summer long, and has been practicing with the cast since school started.

We were able to see both productions this weekend. Friday night was “Babes in Toyland” and Saturday night was “The Secret Garden.” They were performed dinner theatre style; the audience got to watch the play while being served dinner by students from other musical departments. We were so proud of all of them.

BABES IN TOYLAND

The tables were decorated with little cards that said, “Come live our fairy tale. Open your mind and see. You may never return again. Hold onto the dream. Come with us, fly away. Don’t look back, fly away. Once you grow up and say farewell to the dream.” So I was pretty much already crying before the play began.

We were served baked chicken, french fries, and corn on the cob. Rich and I took Jacob with us, who ate far more than anyone else at table (he had come from football practice). At one point, he accidently threw his plastic fork. I’ve come to realize that kids of all ages do strange things, you can’t trust any of them in public. LOL (Rich would say the same about their mother)…….

Back to Grace.

Grace had several small parts, and it was fun to see her in the costumes.

There was a stage on both ends of the cafeteria.

(grace in blue dress, school girl; fourth from the left in front row) This was during the song that goes “This is much too hard for me, I can’t do the sum.”

(Grace as a spider, on far left)

(Grace as an adorable, hard working Elf)

(I had to mend the skirt, she ripped out a good four inches on both seams, during rehearsal.)

(Grace as a serious soldier, second from left).

********

THE SECRET GARDEN

Grace was cast as Mrs. Medlock, a very stern housekeeper, with lots of lines and singing, too!

Rich and I took Ethan with us, and Grace’s church Youth Group leaders came; Seth and Jessica, along with two youth group teen boys, Ethan and Jimmy. We had a nice table full of friends to enjoy her performance, but the sentimentality was a little much for the boys at times.

The place cards didn’t help them: “There’s a Secret Garden within each of us. Here is a key to help you unlock the beauty within you. Thank you for coming to the show. We hope you leave with love in your heart.” This came complete with a lovely ribbon strung with a tiny key to take home. I thought it was absolutely precious, but the teen boys? You can imagine the fun they had with them as we waited for the play to begin.

I was thankful to be seated next to Jess, imagine being at a table full of boys/men during The Secret Garden. LOL

Anyway, back to Grace. She was brilliant!

(Grace as Mrs. Medlock, the mean lady!)

(discussing spoiled little Mary Lennox with maid)

(grace, right, holding flowers)

We got to the school half an hour early and still ended up at a table in the very back, I was using my zoom lens to take pictures. Grace had many, many lines and a few solos, too, complete with choreography. She never mentioned to us how big her part was, and I was just so thrilled for her.

She wore a whistle, and used it, too. Made me want to get one for my refereeing motherly moments. 🙂

Taking her bow, alone.

last bows, with group

at our table, eating a cookie; happy, tired, and relieved!

******

What a feeling, to see a production through to the end, and experience the pride and joy of a job well done.

She has some time off for a few weeks, and then, in December she will audition for a part in “Singing in the Rain.”

{this moment}

Posted on November 15, 2013 by Shanda

A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. inspired by soulemama

rose fiesta mugs

Posted on November 14, 2013 by Shanda

Gentle candlelight,

a brother,

a sister,

hot chocolate, cooled down for them with cream,

and rose fiesta mugs.

((love))

the season’s first

Posted on November 12, 2013 by Shanda

The north wind doth blow

and we shall have snow,

and what shall poor robin do then?

poor thing?

He’ll sit in a barn

and keep himself warm

and hide his head under his wing,

poor thing.

nursery rhyme
in honor of
our first snow
11.12.13

weekend pics picked by the picker of pics

Posted on November 11, 2013 by Shanda

I take too many pictures. But if you only knew how many pictures I want to take……… Photography has become a sort of love language for me. I love my life, my children, my surroundings, nature, and home. I can’t help but keep the camera ready. And on days when I DON’T love my life, if I just start “shooting” my mood lifts and I realize, oh yes, contentment.

I stumbled out of bed Saturday morning to the sight of three of my boys all cozy in the livingroom watching a cartoon. Caleb with the big cable knit down-filled pillow and the flannel patchwork quilt (I made). Seth on the floor with his pillow, blankets, and cat. Sarah, later on, with her book.

My heart was joyful; my husband was finally coming home from a long seven days in Jamaica. He, Jacob, and Ethan were there together with a Mission’s Team from church, a whole group of people went to do preaching, children’s VBS, ladies Bible studies, and anything else they could do. Last week was good for us here at home, but always in my heart was an empty spot, a worried part that just wanted my husband and teen boys home again.

So, Saturday was a day of waiting for them to pull in the driveway and step through the door. Little did I know they wouldn’t be back until 11pm, but in the morning I had believed it would be 7pm and even those hours seemed to stretch out ahead of me like a mountain to climb. What to do? I decided to take the children to the diner (five minutes away) for breakfast, which is where Grace and I became interested in tongue twisters. There were several on the paper placemats and I used my phone to look up more, we were roaring with laughter as I read them to her.

Two of our favorites were:

Luke Luck likes lakes. Luke’s duck likes lakes. Luke Luck licks lakes. Luck’s duck licks lakes. Duck takes licks in lakes Luke Luck likes. Luke Luck takes licks in lakes duck likes. (from Dr. Seuss’ Fox in Socks)

and:

One-one was a race horse.
Two-two was one too.
One-one won one race.
Two-two won one too.

English Tongue Twisters (try this site) it’s great fun.

Sarah’s hair was bothering me. On a regular basis, it looked like a wild mess. She has very thin hair, and had never had it cut, so the ends were uneven. I got it into my head to take her to get it cut. After our diner breakfast, I dropped Grace off at the end of our road with Seth and Caleb and told them to walk home (only a quarter mile or so) and drove away, smiling at big sister holding hands and walking with her brothers. I took David and Sarah on with me to the hair salon to get trims.

((I wish I had pictures of her in the chair on my lap)) She was so adorable and got about 3 inches trimmed off.

David was next in the chair and then, even though it was only about 40 degrees with a wind chill of about 30, they begged to go to the playground at the school next door and I said yes.

David (11) and Sarah (3)

By the time we left I was cold to the bone (but, if you noticed, David had run around enough to actually get hot and want to take his shoes off! he’s crazy)

I was cold so it was doubly wonderful to go home, put the younger ones down for naps, and make a fire. With Rich away, I was able to do it myself for the first time this week. This is our first home with a real fire place (we have a wood pellet insert in our other fire place) and we.love.it. The smell of wood and smoke, the sound of the fire crackling and popping, the heat…it’s bliss.

Old, old fire. When I stare into it, I can imagine I am in any other place or time in History. There is something so very basic and unifying about a fire, it touches something deep down good to the soul. I’m Anne, warming her hands. I’m Lucy in Narnia, falling asleep. I’m Laura on the prairie eating pancakes with molasses. I’m my great-great-great grandmother, busily working.

(give thanks banner and marble run; both from pottery barn)

This is where I sat for the rest of the weekend (every chance I could get, that is)……..right in front of the fire. Reading, of course.

When I got up to make dinner, Seth took my spot. I made spaghetti for the children and used half the pasta to do up my own yummy dish:

Pasta with Garlicky Greens and Beans

1 T. olive oil
6 cloves of garlic, pressed
1 small red pepper, diced
1 bunch kale, washed and chopped, with stems removed
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 pound ziti pasta
2 cans cannellini beans, drained
1/2 cup Romano cheese, grated
Freshly ground black pepper

In a skillet, heat olive oil over medium high heat. Add garlic and red bell pepper and sauté for about 2 minutes. Don’t let the garlic brown. Add greens and cook another minute. Now add broth and vinegar and cover pan and cook until greens are wilted, about 5 minutes. In the meantime, get your water started for the pasta and cook according to package directions, drain, and set aside.

After greens have cooked, add the drained beans and incorporate. Now add the pasta and toss gently to mix. Serve with grated Romano and some freshly ground black pepper on top.

FROM: Saving Dinner, by Leanne Ely

my kitchen

anthropologie mushroom salt and pepper shakers hiding amongst my houseplants

“Let me just forget and just giggle with them, and leave apples lying around the house with just a couple of bites taken out, and fly with the winds of now…….” Tessa Kiros

(there are also legos tucked away in her shoes)

chocolate cookie baking

Sunday afternoon sunshine

old pumpkin moonshine sinking into the garden bed

relaxing with our coffees on Sunday afternoon ((welcoming him home))

Thankful for:

chocolate cheerios
blossoms on the geranium
coloring books and crayons in a fiestaware bowl
the memory game
tracing paper
cooking books
play dough and cookie cutters
sunshine
banana bread and walnuts for breakfast
coffee in my new mug from Jamaica
a whole day ahead of me to love and enjoy with the people I love most of all

and, verses:

Worry weighs a person down, an encouraging word cheers a person up. Proverbs 12:25

Your home is secure; your nest is set in the rocks. Numbers 24:21

Live as children of light (for the fruit of light consists in all goodness, righteousness, and truth) and find out what pleases the Lord. Ephesians 5:8

For thou, O God, art a God full of compassion, and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth. Psalms 86:5

{this moment}

Posted on November 8, 2013 by Shanda

A Friday ritual. A single photo – no words – capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. (soulemama)

a babysitter is coming

Posted on November 7, 2013 by Shanda

Sarah ran around all evening like this. Sometimes I don’t bother asking why; I just get out the camera.

Hello internet friends, how in the world are you? I’m so glad to sit and type a little something here before the babysitter comes to watch Seth and Sarah for the day. It’s been one of those busy weeks and this morning I was frazzled and close to tears and I thought “oh I wish” and “but I don’t want to be a bother” and “ye have not because ye ask not” so I took a deep breath, picked up the phone and asked. She said yes! I love my friends. Erinn will be over after her dentist appointment and her mom said I could keep her for the day and I’m planning on doing just that. Oh, for some alone time, I dearly love my children but sometimes you just have to take a step away now and then, yes?

I haven’t been sleeping well, last night was better, thankfully, but I have to tell you what happened the other night. The kids all slept fine but the animals were crazy. I woke up to barking. Non stop barking. The kind that means “I’m stuck somewhere and I’m gonna bark until someone comes to save me.” I got up, thinking I would have to go outside to the garage (the dog sometimes gets shut in there by accident) but then realized he was downstairs. I opened the door and found out that he wasn’t stuck at all, he was in a corner, with his head down, barking at a tiny gray mouse, which promptly ran as soon as Parker was distracted. He ran after it, grabbed it in his mouth, and ran upstairs past me to the livingroom where he let it go. The mouse ran off somewhere, Parker forgot about it, and I ran in my room and shut the door, hoping it didn’t follow me in! As soon as I got into bed, a cat began meowing (the three cats didn’t even notice the mouse!) so I got up to let him out, then the dog was whining…and so on, you get the idea! LOL I can laugh now that I have a babysitter coming.

Seth was adorable the other night. He was overtired and kept calling downstairs to me about how he didn’t like the dark, he was afraid of foxes, etc. Finally I said, “Seth, you need to pray and ask Jesus to make you cozy and happy to be in your bed.” And would you believe, the dear boy instantly began praying out loud. I couldn’t hear the words, but I could hear his tiny trusting voice. He slept that night and into the next morning better than he has in DAYS. When I asked him the next day what he prayed this is what I got:

“I said. Please God. Make me warm? And kill the wild animals.”

Yesterday was Community Bible Study day. On those days, we are gone from 8-2:3o. It’s a long day but the experience is proving to be a big joy-builder in my life. The ladies are wonderful, we are over our initial shyness and having FUN, laughing, working together to be a blessing to our groups. The core leaders stay after to eat lunch together, pray, sing, and do our lessons for the next week. Each week a different lady gives a devotional that she writes, based on one of our Bible verses that we are studying. Yesterday was my turn, so I thought I would share my devotional here:

O Lord our God, You have only begun to show Your servants Your greatness and Your mighty hand. For what god is there in heaven or on earth Who can do such works and mighty acts as Yours? (from Deut. 3)

We all struggle now and then, and for me the biggest personal trials of my life have been with depression and anxiety, specifically with Post-Partum depression after six of my babies were born. Although every trial has the potential to be a beautiful learning time, it can be easy to worry and dwell on our problems until they seem overwhelming and terrible. God, at those times, can seem small and distant.

As a Christian, I have learned that a wonderful antidote to tough seasons in life is to purposefully meditate on the greatness, might, and BIGNESS of God. There is so much to contemplate in His attributes, His Holy Word, His creation, and even the amazing ways He answers prayer.

The verses I chose from Deuteronomy remind me of the greatness of God. There is no one in heaven or earth that can do what He does. Everything about God is amazing and abundant.

Practically speaking, if we could set aside some time every day to think about concrete examples of how big and mighty our God is, we would find our souls elevated in such a way that daily struggles become smaller and more manageable. We would experience more joy and contentment because we realize that even our biggest fears are like a helpless kitten compared to Him. My challenge to us all this week is to think of specific ways that God shows His tremendous greatness in the Bible, His general goodness to all humanity, and to us personally as we go about our daily lives.

They just called and are 10 minutes away! Must go brush my teeth.

Have a blessed day, friends!

all on a birthday

Posted on November 5, 2013 by Shanda

The morning of Grace’s 14th birthday dawned bright, cold, and clear.

I gave her a gift before school, and made her a breakfast of fried eggs and homemade toasted bread.

We took a few pictures; she’s 14 now.

I gave her this sweatshirt, because she is a big Sherlock Holmes fan.

Grace loves nail polish and keeps her nails painted prettily.

Grace and her best friend, Jenna.

Grace colored with the little ones the other day; and copied out these verses. (( love ))

Scissors and yarn make a good quiet activity for a four year old. This kept him busy for about 15 minutes yesterday morning. He cut little pieces and practiced tying knots.

After seeing the birthday girl, David, and Caleb, off to school, the preschoolers and I got ready to go to a brunch. The brunch was held at Sandi’s house for all the core leaders in Community Bible Study. We each took a dish to share. The decorated table held chicken salad, zucchini muffins, Greek yogurt with berry sauce, pumpkin mousse served with ginger cookies and graham crackers, banana bread with chocolate chips, pumpkin muffins, and a fresh baked quiche. With coffee and tea, it was a delightful meal. We sat in the living room, chatted about the crazy things our kids have done, (which would come back to haunt me) and shared easy recipes. Paula wrote all the recipes down, we have plans to make up our own cookbook of 2-5 ingredient recipes. Seth and Sarah were supplied with toys and they had a great time exploring a place we had never visited before. Seth had the best time with the automatic water and ice on the door of the fridge and he drank a LOT of water. I left with a smile on my face and a bounce in my step, after getting to know the ladies better and sharing a good time.

One mile down the road Seth was absolutely desperate for a bathroom. Thankfully we came across a McDonald’s and we ran in, the three of us together and holding hands; he made it!

Grace requested tacos for her birthday meal and I had to stop at Big Y. By this time Seth needed another bathroom break and I took him down by the deli department to use the restroom.

On the way home from the store, Seth began sneezing and sneezing. Next, his nose began to bleed. It bled all the way home and I asked him, “Did you put something up there, Seth?”

“Only paper.”

“WHEN?”

“A long time ago.”

(I found out later that “a long time ago” only meant “half an hour ago” but at the time I was thinking the worse; infection, mold, etc.)

(but I guess half an hour is a long time to have something up the nose)

I got home and spent some time with a flashlight, peering up my son’s tiny nostril. There was nothing I could do.

I had him lay down and called the pediatrician.

To make a long story short (and, I might add, I was exhausted at this point=headache) I was advised to just go to the ER (we live near a small, quiet hospital that doesn’t get much action). Caroline came over to help me with the other children. Seth and I left for the ER where he was put right into a room. The doctors were so nice to him but Seth hated the HurriCaine (the name!) numbing spray that they put up his nose and accidently sprayed in his eye and face. We had to hold him down (he didn’t scream at all, just wriggled) as the doctor “went retrieving”.

Eventually, out came: a deli ticket from the grocery store.

It was the doctor’s idea to take pictures. He even told me to get in the picture while Seth tried on the cool flashlight helmet. You see my strained smile. He gave me the deli ticket to put in my scrapbook. (HOW did he know?LOL) Seth was given an orange popsicle, and a dancing Snoopy. Really, he was treated so kindly that I’m afraid he will want to go back soon.

After that two hour adventure, I got home in time to start dinner, say goodbye to Caroline and then load the kids back up to go get Grace from school.