Sick, Sick, Sick

Yes, we've all be sick this week. First, E. was in terrible pain while trying to get two more teeth to fill out his smile. They finally came through, and we have a much happier baby. Josh was wiped out early last week, and by Wednesday he was down and out with some major flu-type symptoms. Thursday, I started to have a bit of a twinge in my throat and my voice was faltering. As I type this, I still can't speak very well, and I'm trying to decide how to work tomorrow without talking. Ugh.

We took some great photos of E. on Friday after school. The sun was out, it was a warm afternoon (for October), and we grabbed a pumpkin off the porch to use as a "prop" in the front yard. Of course, E. went right to work examining dead leaves. Upon determining that they were way cool, he decided to taste them. Josh and I were busy taking a photo of "my pheasant" (watch the Christmas letter, the story will show up...) when we heard our little guy gagging behind us. I did a quick sweep of his mouth and cleared out a chunk of leaf. Thinking all was well, we continued playing. E. just kept gagging and sputtering. I wrangled him onto his back so I could open his mouth, and I discovered a piece of leaf plastered onto his tongue. Once we got that out, he was much happier.

The rest of the weekend consisted of cleaning, laundry, baking cookies for the church "Jack-o-Lanter Jubilee," going to small group, and trying to keep E. from tumbling down stairs, or otherwise harming himself as he discovers his world. He is so agile and so curious... we'll be on our toes for years to come!

Hope everyone has a good Monday. :)

PS--I'll post some of those pictures later. They are currently on the home laptop, and Josh is busy using it. I LOVE having a computer from work that I can bring home. :)

It's Been Some Time...

I know I've been lagging on my blogging. Sorry. I've just been busy. Last weekend was MEA break, and it was a much needed respite from the demands of school. The three days prior to MEA were conferences at my school, so I was at school for thirteen hours each of those days. Aside from the constant "game face" I had to wear for students and parents, I didn't get to see Evan or Josh for more than an hour each day. It was exhausting and not much fun at all.

Over MEA, Josh and his dad went hunting in Crosby, ND. Sandi came to our house and stayed with me for the weekend. At first, I had planned to just have a quiet weekend with Evan, but as I thought about how tired I would be after conferences, I realized that I just wouldn't make it on my own. It was great to have her around! We hung out, did a couple of projects around the house, and she got plenty of grandma time in.

Evan is getting his top two teeth, but they are giving him lots of trouble. His little gums are totally swollen and puffy. I hope the teeth break through soon--it's hard to see him in such pain! He's getting to be such a bit boy, though. He has learned to wave, and he can go from his tummy to sitting up all by himself. I can't believe he'll be eight months old in just a week or so.

Anyway, I need to turn in. I'm trying to catch up from conferences yet, and Evan wasn't exactly a great sleeper when Josh was gone. I hope everyone is having a good week. :)

Time

It never stops, and I never seem to have enough. I've been crazy busy again, and I still can't seem to get all the things that I want to accomplish done. Perhaps I have expectations that are too high.

E has been sick again, so that makes it hard to get things taken care of. He's been up late the last two nights. I think the medicine he's taking makes him a little hyper, so bed times have been stretched out. He's so stuffy that he has trouble eating and sleeping, so we've been a bit exhausted around here.

In spite of being sick, our guy is still pretty sweet. Here are some pictures from our trip up north last month, and a couple from just the past week. I can't believe he's already seven months old!