kids

Four Days in Ward 408

/ amylynw / 1 Comment

The fact that I’ve warmed up my tea six times in the past four hours is not a good sign.  Neither are the blankets, pillows and bowls scattered over the living room floor.  Since Monday at 1AM we’ve had three to five kids sick: blazing both ends, fevers and weakness.  Right now the count is at five.  I’ve never experienced this in my ten years of mommy-hood.  Usually one or two at a time, but never all at once and in such an acute, long drawn out fashion.  I have been keeping it together pretty well.  Until around 10:45, when I realized it is Thursday.  Thursday over here means I better not forget to move the van to the other side of the street, or else our city gets an extra Andrew Jackson in their bank account.  Ugh.  When I ran outside and saw the unhappy yellow slip on my windshield, I burst into tears, sobbing into the steering wheel.  Don’t they know I have sick kids and can’t think straight??!!  I yelled.  Nope.  No, they don’t.  But my wonderful Heavenly Father does.

He is right here.
But I am continually with you; you hold my right hand.  Psalm 73:23

He loves them more than I do.  If I was living when Jesus was on this earth, I would have been one of those parents who brought their babies to Him, hoping He would touch them.  Luke 18:15-17

He is the Healer.
The Lord supports him on his sickbed; you completely heal him from his illness.  Psalm 41:3

He is my strength when I can’t do it anymore.
Assure me with these words: “I am your deliverer!”  Psalm 35:3
Don’t be afraid, for I am with you! Don’t be frightened, for I am your God! I strengthen you— yes, I help you— yes, I uphold you with my saving right hand!  Isaiah 41:10

So, one step at a time, we get through this trial.  There have been so many At Least moments this week.  At least I can be home and am not sick and can take care of them.  At least we have a working washing machine and beautiful sunny days to hang up wash on the clothes line.  At least we have water.  At least we are usually healthy!  God IS good, even when circumstances are horrible.  Just because we’re sick and tired doesn’t mean He took a vacation.  Just because I feel worn out, doesn’t mean He is.  He actually says that is when His strength is made perfect.  Not when everything is hunky dory and the sun is shining.  Nope.  His strength is perfect when we’re at our weakest, darkest, most vulnerable points in life.  That’s when His grace, strength, and glory really shine.

You know, this girl right here can’t handle another day in the hospital ward of my living room.  But because I have to, I’m forced to abandon my own strength and say it’s ALL Christ and NONE of me.   Hands full or hands empty. Whatever I have, wherever I am, I can make it through anything in the One who makes me who I am.  Philippians 4:13

Time for a fresh cup of tea.

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At Least

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I recently read an article which mentioned how saying At Least, when you’re about to blow up about something, can really help keep perspective.  See, keeping my cool doesn’t come naturally.  When several things bombard me each day to test my resolve, it’s not easy to keep the decibels low and the attitude right.  I’m finding at least has helped me tremendously not to dive-bomb into discouragement, anger and defeat.

Discovering my keys were locked in the van yesterday morning… again, I was upset.  At least I didn’t have to be anywhere, and many things were accomplished by being home all day.  In addition, someone else was able to find joy in helping me out of my predicament.  At least I have policemen for my friends!

Then last night I was moving the plastic slide from one spot in the yard to another.  The orange part came unattached and slammed down on my wrist.  It is still throbbing.  At least I can still move my arm.  At least my body knows how to heal.

Betty and the boys have been hanging out almost all week together while the older girls have had some time with Grandma Weldon.  Currently, they are practicing knife-throwing at a wooden target outside.  It was one of those moments where I almost told them they couldn’t do it.  Then I thought, at least they’re not playing video games and at least they’re outside and learning a skill.  I love that the target they drew is the Alley Cat.  The dreaded feline that poops in our garden and makes mommy mad.  Don’t worry, they won’t really kill it, all you cat-lovers out there.

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When I told them to get dressed, they reappeared from downstairs wearing the exact same clothes they wore yesterday.  The outfits that were just stuffed into the laundry basket after their bath last night.  When confronted with this information, I was answered in typical boyish fashion: But this is my favorite shirt!  I thought, why not?  What is the big deal, anyway?  At least there are two less outfits I need to wash this week.

Earlier in the week, we enjoyed a trip to the Franklin Institute with cousin Brian.  Betty stayed with Grandma Watt and we had a fabulous all-boys day, complete with Five Guys for the three guys.

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Betty is growing into her two-year-old-self very comfortably.  She’s learned how to utilize the faucet mechanism of her tear ducts and can turn them on and off quite quickly if she so desires.  Along with her strength of will and determination to communicate, she is growing in other areas too.  Going potty, getting herself dressed as much as she can, and sitting at the table more and more are just some of the ways she’s growing up.  When she cleans up, she does it 100 percent.  I will need this girl to keep me in line when I’m old and grey.

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On the flip side, when she makes messes, she does so 100 percent.  Take the tube of toothpaste all over the chair as one instance.

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She loves to eat wockles… or waffles.

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Elsie has been enjoying her pink robe.  She falls asleep in the funniest positions.  She is also full of the funniest things to say.  Look mom!  I can move my eyeballs!  She told me the other day, while she raised her eyebrows up and down.  Putting her hand over her heart, she told me, Mommy, my heart is beeping.

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Nadine is either exactly as tall as me, or a little taller.  She is good at taking her little sisters under her wing, though loves having her own space as well.  She loves a good s’more.  It is crazy to think how we’ve experienced a snowstorm, gardening, and roasting marshmallows, all in one week.  Yes, s’mores was our supper that night.

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As the clouds roll over the sun today, I’m reminded of a Friday no one thought was good, two-thousand years ago.  Day turned into night as God the Father left Jesus to suffer alone.  Our sin was too great for Him to see.  Then, darkness, sorrow, death.  Everything we experience without Jesus.

Then, the greatest AT LEAST in history.  At least it wasn’t the end.  God’s plan was finished, yes, but it was not the end.  At least after Friday, there comes Resurrection Sunday!  Jesus Rose From The Dead Day, as my brother-in-law has so fitly renamed it.  It’s not about eggs or jelly beans or hollow chocolate bunnies.  When Jesus rose from the dead, He did something no other god has done.  Because He didn’t stay dead, He gives us real victory over sin, real freedom from what trips us up, and real life from death.  At least it didn’t end on Friday.  Praise God!

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I Ate A Carrot Once

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Well, I finally found the Happy in my Birthday banner.  Our sweet Elsie Rose is five years old.  She writes, she nibbles off parts of her ABC crackers to spell her name correctly, she is full of hilarity.  Today while she and Betty were driving with my mom to Bible school, my mom pointed out that there was a lot of traffic and she could see a long line of cars behind them.  After turning around, she asked my mom, Why are so many cars following us?  Then tonight at dinner, we were discussing carrots.  Elsie is not a fond eater of veggies, although we sneak them into her diet many tricky ways.  While discussing carrots, mainly the one-foot-long carrot Jack was eating, Elsie put her chin in her hand and noted:  I ate a carrot once.  Just once.  That was enough.  Probably never again.  We’ll see about that.

This week I was pretty sick.  I’ve been hanging onto a cough for a few weeks and my kindly brother-in-law doctor gave my lungs a listen and put me on some meds.  Tonight I feel the best I’ve felt for awhile, so praying I’m truly on the mend.  I won’t put pictures on here of how the house looked at its worst.  Let’s just say: Mom’s Can’t Get Sick!  Highlights would be the erector-set flower Elijah made for me, Matt’s sister coming for a day to teach the kids Science, hand-holding, robe-sleeping children, creative minds, eclectic outfits, my mommy making me dinner, homemade Indian food with friends,  flurries along with crocuses, a clean bathroom, hot tea with friends, and a taste of spring!

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The older three kids even got to tour The Master’s Baker, owned by some awesome relatives of ours.  It was such a treat!

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Well, my tea is cold, my rice-bag is warm, and my bed is calling.  Good night.

My Perfect Normal

/ amylynw / 2 Comments

 

Tonight as I sit and sip my Bavarian Wild Berry hot tea, I am plunging into the memories of the past week.  A wonderful weekend with my sisters and sister-friends.  These girls knew me way back when… I never wore shoes, lived in mango trees, and seldom took a shower.

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Can you tell which ones are blood-sisters, and which are sister-friends?

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As I was thrown back into “normal”, I’m starting to swim again.  Before, I was gulping for air, unsure of where to put my feet, and had forgotten how to tread water.  Pennsylvania is vastly different from Haiti.  There are some things I don’t think I’ll ever be able to fully put into words.  My heart has a hallowed pondering ground, where thoughts between me and the Lord reside.  I’ve been asking Him to give me the ability to come back and 100% accept and take on the responsibilities given to me today, here, and now.  It’s not worth my breath to compare myself, my life, or my experiences with any other person.   I am realizing how perfect my crazy, messy, full, busy, joyful, loud, spontaneous, and beautiful life is. It is just as it should be, and is custom-made for me by our Creative God.

This week was full of perfect examples.   An empty box, full of clementine peels, stashed in the living room.   Betty sitting on the kitchen floor, pink jammies covering her sweet piggies, reading out loud with a tiny pile of pretzels beside her.  Being called into the living room, in the flurry hour of supper-making and evening rowdies, to see the amazing sight of all five kids on top of Matthew’s back.  Are we heavy, Daddy?  Schoolwork, flips on the trampoline, haircuts, beautiful shows by the sun while I’m driving, painted nails, a lost tooth, oats in the hair, on the face, on the floor, spills, fights, apologies, notes, special deliveries, and more punctuated my normal week.

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Today Elsie was crying about a sore tooth.  After calling the dentist, I was able to come in right away.  It turns out my mad scheduling skills forgot about her and Jack’s  check-ups for over a year.  Thankfully, found out there was nothing wrong with her teeth except super sensitivity, was able to schedule Jack for tomorrow, and earned a pair of silly glasses as a reward.  Ironically, yet another child has an already-scheduled appointment the next day.  I think that’s a record for us. Three kids, three days in a row to the dentist.

Since this happens to be my birthday week, so far the icing on the proverbial birthday cake was my Ikea date yesterday with Mom & Heidi.  Mom brought mugs and teabags, I ordered chocolate cake and other yummies, and we sipped hot tea at the cafe, then enjoyed ourselves at Ikea for the afternoon!  Tomorrow I will be three times the age I was when I was one year older than Nadine is now.  Yep.

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Touches of Love

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Healing as been a recurring theme this week!  It can never come unless there is something unwell!  Throw up on the couch.  On the kitchen floor.  On the bed.  In the bowl.  It’s been everywhere, and is magnified by the number of tummies feeling its effects.  Yet today, I can praise God for healing.  Full suitcases, healed bellies.  He is so good.

My geranium is in full bloom.

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This morning at breakfast Elsie climbed up next to Elijah at the table, laid her head on his shoulder and sweetly said his name.  Ji-jah.  Sometimes we only need to hear our name to know we are loved.  When God says my name and rejoices over me with singing, I know I am loved.

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I love this sweet little girl with hot pink fingernails, who keeps tripping over herself because she has her shoes on the wrong feet.  I will miss my babies this week in a heart-ache kind of way.  Great is our God who watches over His children.

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I’ll see you on the other side of Haiti.

My foes are many, they rise against me
But I will hold my ground
I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way, my help is on the way

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always

Troubles surround me, chaos abounding
My soul will rest in You
I will not fear the war, I will not fear the storm
My help is on the way, my help is on the way

Oh, my God, He will not delay
My refuge and strength always
I will not fear, His promise is true
My God will come through always, always

I lift my eyes up, my help comes from the Lord…

song by Kristian Stanfil that has been on repeat this week in our house.

Like A Kite

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The clouds have done nothing but rush by all day long.  The sky changes so abruptly I can barely keep up with whether it’s sunny or cloudy.  This week has done much of the same: quickly change from one thing to the next.  All of a sudden it’s Thursday again!  My thoughts feel choppy, like the gusts of wind whipping us about today.  I won’t try to smooth them out, but rather let them out as they fly.

Pig tails, brown eyes, and boo-boo’s on her nose.

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A frequented spot in our house: the potty!  This week Betty has successfully potty-trained herself.  She loves her panties, her potty, and the two chocolate chips she gets when she goes!  Sometimes even her pink baby bunny has to go potty too.  We’re going on day 3 of dry panties, even through naps!  It’s super fun going places without having to think about a diaper bag!

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I caught this boy engrossed in a book.  He was pretending to be annoyed at me.

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Recently, the boys started wrestling with our local school.  They love it!  Such a great experience for them both!

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Elsie is the queen of accessory.  While on an afternoon visit to Grandma’s, she had to bring half  her bed along.

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Looking at her eyes is like drinking dark chocolate.

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I’m so thankful that tea-parties are not above my boys’ taste.  They’re manly enough to enjoy fine china.  Elijah had a laughing fit at one point.

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In a week, Nadine & I will be getting ready to fly out of the country to Haiti!  We’re super excited to leave these wintry winds behind for a week and see the sunshine from another part of the world.  I haven’t started actually packing yet, but in my head I have.  There is school, cooking, laundry, and other things that don’t stop just because I think it would be super convenient of them to do so. My heart is more important than my suitcase, and I’m praying that God prepares me for whatever He has in store for us there.

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I love her creative self.  She’s always had a thing for kites, so she came up with her very own garbage bag kite to enjoy on this very windy day!  She told me she’d like to sell them for 50 cents.  AND they conveniently fit in one’s pocket.  Love it.

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It’s been a grand fast-flying week.

 

Christmas Week The Second

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What better way to start Christmas week, part two, than with a double dose of Joy?  My new favorite tea at Starbucks is Joy… the name alone is perfect, but the taste too is amazing.  Joy: A source or cause of delight.  We headed towards Syracuse, NY, van full, bodies sleepy, and arrived at my sister’s house around midnight.

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We had a full three days with cousins.  Betty got sick half-way through, so I wasn’t able to participate in any of the extra-curricular activities like sledding and ice-skating.  We hung out at home, and she napped.  It was sad to miss out, but baby girl needed her rest.  The first day there, she was her happy self, though!  Joy: the expression or exhibition of delight..

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It snowed a LOT.

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Joy: a state of happiness or felicity.

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A chess tournament between the kids put game-playing in high demand.

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Sister-time is always sweet.  One of the nights we left Grandpa and Grandma with all 13 kids and saw Les Miserables in the theatres with our hubbies.  It was fabulous!  Joy: something or someone greatly valued or appreciated.

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Joy: keen pleasure.

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Matthew’s work of art.

This year we did 100% home-made or “second-hand” for our Pollyanna gift exchange.  It was awesome to see everyone’s creativity spilling out through paper, wood, cloth, or other means.

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My gift from Heather was a hand-made W covered in red berries.  It looks perfect sitting on my “beautiful” shelf.

Our drive home was slower than usual.  About 3000 miles in 2 weeks made our van very tired.  Today we blessed it with a car wash.  When we came through the other side, Betty grinned and exclaimed:  Again!  

Joy: the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying.  We have been blessed with a week full of joy.  A filled to the brim, sweet, and running over kind of joy.

 

 

Christmas Week The First

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It’s hard to believe we were getting ready for our big road trip last week.  Now it’s come and gone.  Just like the seemingly endless roads from Pennsylvania to Indiana.  The two older kids came along with us on our thousand-plus mile adventure.  The van felt oddly familiar in an old sort of way.  More than once Matthew and I remarked about how big the kids had become since our last cross-country trip with the two of them in that very space, nine years ago.  We joked at how I didn’t have to hand Elijah a bottle this time, or that we didn’t give Nadine handfuls of Q-tips to keep her hands busy, ripping them apart.  They contented themselves with a kids’ meal toy, books, Odyssey, and talking.  I was a tad miffed that I never won a single round of the Alphabet Game.
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We had a marvelous time at our friends’ wedding.
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Then it was back on the road again.  We stopped in Ohio to visit our dear friends.  There is nothing quite like driving through the night, in the snow, on roads the map seems to make up as you go along.  Somehow we made it, with much opening of the windows so the freezing air would keep us alert.  It was an exciting memory!

From Ohio we arrived back home, and happily reunited with the other three kiddos.  We enjoyed a Christmas Eve-Eve with Matthew’s cousins.  There’s nothing quite as precious as a new baby.  Zachary Taylor made a perfect little Santa.
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Christmas morning was spent at home by ourselves for the very first time ever.  Matthew’s parents, brother, and sister flew to Italy on Christmas Day to visit his other brother and family who are stationed there right now.  It was strange to be on our own, but special as well.
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Then came the snow.  What a delight!  The kids played and played.
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Today was spent doing things which needed doing.  Making laundry soap was so much more fun when I had a cute helper who liked to smile into her reflection on the mixing bowl!DSC_1416-001

Next, an impromptu trip to Chic-Fil-A for the younger three kids to get their faces painted.  DSC_1455-001

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Betty sat oh-so-still while the lady painted her face.  Once she finished, it was as hard to keep her still enough for a picture, as it is to keep a butterfly from flitting away.  
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She became the butterfly painted on her cheek.
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It has been a full week.  Full of miles, brimming with memories, and overflowing with whimsy.  Tomorrow we get to keep our Christmas week going, as we pile into our van once again and trek our way up North for a Christmas weekend with my family.

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Merry Christmas!

Got Baking Soda?

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This week has been what I would call a baking soda week.  Sometimes when you’re eating a really delicious cookie, all of a sudden you bite down on a mouthful of baking soda.  No matter how marvelous that cookie tasted one moment ago, even the memory of it is temporarily spoiled by that one bitter bite.  Friday started it off.  We excitedly took a train into the city and blissfully enjoyed a day with the three older kids, while Grandma watched the younger two.
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We saw the light show at Macy’s, then headed to the Franklin Institute where Nadine and I saw the Titanic exhibit, while the boys watched the Hobbit. 2012-12-13
Elijah got to blow up a balloon with fire.  He was a great sport during the chemistry class.
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We hopped on buses, took tons of pictures, and enjoyed every second.
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I noticed a flag at half-mast, but since we are disconnected while out and about, I had no idea what had been happening in CT while we happily rode the train.  It was a bitter bite to swallow once I read the news that night.

Then Sunday rolled around, and I excitedly got my special Christmas outfit on, threw clothes on the kids that hopefully weren’t too torn or stained (it’s inevitable on Sunday mornings that these articles of clothing surface the most) and Matthew made me a nice big cup of hot tea to take in the car.  We had five minutes to get to church since the kids were singing, and as we happily started to pull away from the curb, what would happen?  Why, of course: the handle of my mug broke completely off and the entire cup of scalding tea (now it is no longer hot, it is scalding) spilled all over my specially-picked-out dress.  The tears immediately sprung, no, gushed out of my eyes.  I took my handle-less mug, yanked open the van door, slammed it (yes, I struggle with this even still), stomped up to the front porch crying… then stomped back down the stairs and sort-of intelligibly told Matt to get the kids to church on time and come back and get me.

That was really bitter on a morning that started off so incredibly sweet.  However, I am blessed to own more than one outfit, and so thankfully was able to still go to church, albeit late, and hear our children sing their sweet hearts out for Jesus.  The bitterness faded.

Then all of a sudden we were plunged into the week before Christmas.  How did this happen?  I’m loving the late-night sewing sessions, but the time is really going too fast for my liking.  I had a very bitter moment today when the long hours of Christmas preparations were “spoiled” after somebody saw my secret stash of presents.  Something about it just got to me so much that every single last ounce of sweetness turned into a bitter, unable-to-swallow pill.  I lost it.  The snotty mess that I was turned into even more of a mess when I experienced yet again the deep forgiveness children offer to their sinful parents.  God has quite a way of reflecting His grace through our kids.

God is actually in the business of turning bitter into sweet.  It’s not His purpose for our lives to be bitter and full of despondency   In Exodus 15, when the Israelites came to the bitter waters of Marah, God provided a way to sweeten the water and meet their need.  He also causes beauty to rise from ashes and mourning to turn into dancing.  His specialty is turning what others meant for evil, into good.  So often we focus in on that one bitter bite.  Yet we must remember: there is a reason for every sadness, every trial, every hurt, every tear.  We might not know it on this side of eternity, but we have to trust our Father because He is good.  God is good because that is who He is, not because of what He does or does not do.  He never tires of our tears and in fact He holds them all in a bottle.  (Psalm 56:8)  This week I thought maybe that bottle would be close to overflowing.  Yet He never stops unfolding grace upon grace on this child of His.
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Thursday Morning

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This morning, Elsie came down with her pillow and blanket and cozied herself on the couch.  When I asked her if she was ok, she answered, I feel sick.

Oh?  Where do you feel sick?

She scanned her whole body with only her eyes, then looked at me with them wide and full of conviction and answered solemnly, My arms.  Both of them.

I tried not to burst out laughing.

Now all five kids are piled on Elijah’s bottom bunk.  The reading light hangs down, and they keep pushing its red button.  The bunk bed has been transformed into an imagination station.  They apparently are visiting a castle and Tarzan came back with them once.  Loud, excited voices trail all over the house.

This joy is punctuated by arguing over not wanting to get mixed up on their adventures.  After all, if something goes amiss, the boys could end up being “Robin Hood in a pink tutu!”

Then Betty trots over to me with her big fuzzy blanket, plops in on my lap, and stands there.  When I don’t respond immediately, she taps my legs and says, Lap, lap.  Up she comes, and we cuddle while she flashes a huge smile, knowing she’s communicated with me properly.

So our morning begins.  So similar to every other morning, yet always unique.2012-12-12