Howdy Ho!

Wow! Things have been bogged in our world the past month. April 7, Kate stayed home from school with a fever (yes, on her birthday). Every day for the next month (ending May 6), at least one child was ill. Of the work days, there were three in the whole month that all four kids went to school (well, four, but the teachers called us to get kids halfway through the day, so that day doesn't count). Owen had ear infections in both ears, his eardrums burst, he went to the ER, he ran through three rounds of antibiotics. Kate had fevers. Eli ran fevers, also had double ear infections and two rounds of antibiotics, and threw up. Collin was wiped by headaches and fevers and over a week of ridiculous fatigue.

BUT we did have some big things happen this past month despite the illnesses:

- Kate turned three! Happy birthday to the sweetest, sillinest, happiest, rowdiest, loudest, most joyful three year old I know!!

- I ran in the Mt. Si Relay with Rebecca, Kristen, Teri, and Marie! On Saturday, Eli came down with a fever, par for the course, so he joined our team! His fever had completely subsided by Saturday night, and he was a happy little guy during the race Sunday! I think the other team members thought we'd faked it so he could come along! ; )

- Collin stayed home alone for his first time ever! With a month of illness, Kevin and I were in non-stop juggle-mode. One Tuesday morning Kevin had to be in Bellevue, and I had to be in the jail. Collin was the only one sick that day, and his symptoms were under control. So he perched on the couch, remote in hand, and we raced off for our day. I worried for the entire two hours I was gone, contemplating every "what if." But when I returned, our 6 and a half year old was still in the exact same spot on the couch, watching his favorite show, and wearing a proud, independent grin! "I watched some shows, ate some grapes, and drank some water, Mom!"

- Owen experienced his first big disappointment. We have had lots of rain. It's been downright dreary. And unfortunately, the soccer season took a hit. Games were cancelled and rescheduled; practices were rained out. One Sunday, while Kevin was home with sick Kate and sick Collin, Owen, Eli and I headed to the fields for a make-up game. Surprisingly the fields were bright and sunny, and we were looking forward to a great game set! But Owen, my family-centered, team-oriented kiddo, was crushed to discover that he was the only boy on his team who showed up to play that day. We had to forfeit all the games, and they had to shift the schedule to allow the other teams to play on. Everyone invited Owen to play with another team for the day, but he couldn't see past his tears of frustration. His team had let him down. "I want to play with my team!" He couldn't understand why no one else had prioritized the games. He looked forward to them every week! Didn't they? It was awful to watch his sadness. He cried for a half hour, and I ultimately had to carry him (and Eli) off the filed. I wanted to call each and every parent and demand that they get their child out there immediately. I wanted to make the world fix his pain. Of course, I couldn't. The world couldn't. It was a hard fact. A lesson in disappointment, but also an opportunity to talk about team responsibilities and commitment. In the end, Owen was sad that he didn't get to play,, but proud that he'd showed up and been ready to. *Side Note: Is that how I'll feel when Owen gets his heart broken?! Ick!

- Grandma J turned 60!! Owen, Kate, Eli and I travelled to Seattle to celebrate in style! It was especially fun to see Uncle Evan and his fiance Mallory and Uncle Ben, who travelled from Montana to watch their Mom blow out her candles! ; ) We stayed at Uncle Zac and Aunt Carolyn's for the first time. Very fun! (Of course, I thought we were all healthy when we drove down, leaving sick Collin and Kevin behind. No such luck. Eli threw up all over me in the middle of the night. Yuck!)

- Kevin and I have been mountain bike riding a lot! Kevin also got a dirt jumper and is looking forward to improving his jump skills at the Bike Park! What a blast!!

- Eli is cruising everywhere! He's pulling up and cruising along all the furniture, moving all over on all fours, and racing up steps! It's only a matter of time now! Eeek! He says "Da-Da" and signs "all done" - not necessarily when he's "all done." I think he thinks it means "I'm done ... with that bite ... and now I'll have some more!" He also waives goodbye! This looks exactly the same as when he signs "all done." AND it doesn't necessarily mean goodbye. Sometimes it means "I can tell that you're getting ready to leave so I'm going to start waiving and hugging you even tighter so you can't finish getting ready!" *BTW - Eli gives THE BEST, tightest, snuggliest hugs!!!

- We celebrated Easter in yummy style! We dyed eggs - and ate them as fast as we could, literally as soon as the dye dried! And we ate chocolate (thanks to the bunny, who brought little treat baskets in the morning)! And we had a breakfast feast with the Schillingers, followed by a lively egg hunt! Imagine 150 plastic eggs and six kids racing around, searching high and low, filling their bags and laughing! Such fun!!

Here's to enjoying life ~ in sickness and in health! But in health is better! To a healthier next month!! Cheers!