Ending the Year With a Bang

We had a {mostly} wonderful Christmas and New Years this year.  Things got a little bumpy on Christmas Eve when Brad had to work unexpectedly due to an ice storm, and then our furnace broke...but thankfully it was fixed quickly and Brad was able to get off work in time for us to head to Canada for some much-needed time with my family.  We spent a lovely, relaxing, fun few days with my mom, dad and sister before returning home for the New Year. 

Unfortunately on our last day at my parents house Hannah came home with a cold and she spent the next 7 days like this....

It was just a cold but this is the sickest she's been since coming home.  She didn't want to be put down ever and slept on/with us for a week.  Not the most restful week, that's for sure!  But we are glad that today she is up and around and we are seeing many more smiles.

On New Years Eve we had a bit of a scare (ok, it was a big one for me) as Matthew had an allergic reaction.  It's been so long since he's had one....this was quite the reality check.

I had taken Nathan to speech therapy and was sitting in the waiting room (Brad was home with Matthew and Hannah) when I got a call from Brad.  He told me Matthew's lips were swelling up and he was giving him Benadryl.  I got this text from him...

The Benadryl did not do anything and he was saying his tongue and mouth were itchy, as well as his lips.  We wrestled with giving the Epi-pen, which is not an easy choice to make.  It is hard enough taking your kids to the doctors to get them shots, but to give one yourself....it's hard.  

In the end we opted to take him to the ER which is 5 minutes away.  We spent a few hours there where Matthew received more Benadryl and steroids.  

Thankfully his reaction never progressed beyond his mouth.  We have since talked to his allergist and realize now that we should have given the Epi.  *Sigh*.  It is so hard when it's happening to make that decision but I do feel more ready for next time, should there ever be one.

We think that Matthew reacted to a bagel he ate for breakfast.  He's eaten this brand for years without trouble, but after calling the company we learned that they are made in the same factory with nuts :(  I thought they were safe but I have learned that we need to be even more thorough with checking on foods to make sure they are safe.  I thought I had called this company before....apparently not.

The day got much better once we were home from the ER and the swelling went down.  We were so excited to have some friends over for New Years Eve and it was fun to have some "adult time" with the little ones in bed.

2013 was a wonderful year and we look forward to what 2014 will bring for our family!

A Cold and Cozy Week

Let me start by saying that I had to look up how to spell "cozy" here in America...being British/Canadian/American really messes with your spelling abilities!

It's been a cold one around here but I haven't let that stop me from running....all bundled up of course!

I was thinking as I ran that if you'd told me five years ago that I would be running (let alone running in winter!) I would never have believed you!  It's kind of fun to do things that make me not recognize myself, you know?  To do things I never expected I would or could.  Like training for my second half marathon, for example!

Even though its been cold outside, it is nice and cozy inside these days with our twinkly lights and roaring fire.  I came home to this scene the other evening and just smiled and grabbed the camera.  Brad was helping the boys fix a toy train and it was just one of those moments that made my heart really, really happy.

More happiness - snuggling my sister's sweet, beautiful baby girl!  Does she have the best cheeks or what? :)  I can't get enough of her!

One of the best things about this time of year (for me and for the kids) is all the new toys we get thanks to birthdays and Christmas.  It is always fun having something new to play with!  The kids have been enjoying this new toy, called "Straws and Connectors".  My favorite part - no batteries, totally silent, hours of creative play!  (And yes, this one required parental help!).

It's been a happy week.  It's Friday again, and I'm exhausted, but it's been a good week.  I love seeing these little faces every day!

And now I must go and do something productive before the whole day gets away from me!  Happy Friday!

Random

When Hannah says, "Water!" it sounds like she is saying, "Vodka!"  Kind of a funny mix-up :)

Today I got new running shoes.  And a fabulous Garmin GPS watch as an early birthday present.  I went for a very, very cold 2 mile run with my buddy this morning and wondered, "Why do I do this?!?"

Nathan is doing awesome in speech therapy!  He never complains about practicing his words and has been working so hard on the "f" sound at the beginning of words and in the middle of words.  Hearing him say, "muffin" instead of "muh-shin" was pretty cool tonight.  I'm so proud of him and excited to see his progress.

I got the urge to rearrange the basement (schoolroom) this week...so I did!  I like it a lot and it feels less cluttered.

Last week I got some fun stuff in the mail!  On Black Friday I got a great deal (60% off and free shipping) on some 10-drawer craft carts that I am going to use as workboxes for homeschooling.  The boys already love it and it makes organizing and going through our school time so quick and easy!  I will post more about this soon.

Matthew had ear tubes put in almost two years ago.  He has done really well and hasn't had any ear infections...until now.  He has been sick for almost a month and has ear infections in both ears.  We go back to the ENT in a month to see if he has to have ear tubes put in again.  In the meantime, his hearing is horrible because of the fluid in his ears.  It is hilarious trying to get three kids all with hearing loss to bed in the same room!  We have to talk so loud and it doesn't seem very restful or peaceful!

I just ordered the first book of a curriculum called Five in a Row.  I am super excited to add this in to our days.  It is literature-based and from what I understand we will read the same book for five days (we will do this over two weeks  as we don't do school every day) and then do activities for different subjects (math, art, science etc.) connected to the book.  I absolutely love books and want to pass this on to my children, and I think this curriculum will help!

We just made the switch from disposables to cloth diapers for overnight (the kids are all potty trained in the day) and I think I love it.  It is more work and I have to make sure I have them washed by bedtime, but I'm getting used to remembering :) They are super cute and we laugh at Hannah's huge behind every time we put one on her!

It's 8:30pm and I am waiting for the boys to fall asleep so that I can go to bed!  Another crazy Saturday night around here :)

Friday Friday Friday

It's Friday, and I'm glad.

I start out the week so full of energy, ready to take on the challenges of the week, eager for school, looking forward to the days ahead.

By Friday, I often feel like I'm barely hanging on, counting down the hours until Brad comes home!  The weekends are so great, having help with the kids, having an adult around to talk and laugh with, it's so refreshing.  I really am loving these days with my little ones and don't often feel like I'm just surviving (anymore) but there is something so great about having us all together.

We don't have any big plans this weekend as Matthew is still fighting sickness and Brad came home from work early today not feeling well.  I am starting to get excited about running again even though I have not been very consistent lately, and I'm looking forward to a run tomorrow morning with my new running buddy who lives just down the street!  I'm hoping to maybe get some new running shoes this weekend as I have big plans for the coming year...

Before blogging I was just working on this...

...my schedule for the next few months!  My goal is to run an 8k race in February (5 miles) and then to head straight into half marathon training to run a half in May.  I thought about doing one this year but with adjusting to three kids and the lack of sleep I just didn't have it in me.  I'm still not sure I do, but I am going to give it a try :)

My motto for this season of life: one day at a time!

A Fun Day of Allergy Testing

It's just what every little boy wants for his birthday - allergy testing!

Matthew and I set out this morning for his annual allergy testing, and even though the doctors visit part was not fun, the rest of our time together was great.  I love having one on one time with the kids.

I both dread and look forward to these tests each year.  I am always hopeful that things will have changed and we'll find out his allergies are less severe or even gone.  But I also know it's quite likely that it may be years until this happens, if ever.  So I try to take a "wait and see" approach.

Today Matthew had a skin prick test.  He was tested for milk, egg, casein (a protein in milk), peanut, almond, cashew, and hazelnut.  After only a few minutes it became pretty obvious he is still allergic to most of these :( His egg reaction was the largest, and the others were all pretty big too.  Poor kid was wanting to scratch his itchy arms!  No reaction to almond, which is good, but he probably won't be able to eat these anyway since they're so often processed with other tree nuts.

For some reason I've been having a really hard time accepting that Matthew actually has a peanut allergy.  That probably sounds silly; it doesn't even really make sense to me.  He has had a positive blood test and a positive skin prick test (several, actually) but I know that there can be false positives.  Somehow I thought this one wasn't right, he has never eaten peanut (as far as we know) so I thought that eventually they would do a food challenge and we'd find out he wasn't really allergic after all.  But when I asked the doctor today I got a little dose of reality.  He told me that when someone has a reaction (red bump) larger than 6mm, there is a 95% chance that if they eat that food they will have a reaction.  Matthews reaction was over 8mm :(  Peanut reactions can be the most severe, and that's scary.  But I guess it's time for me to accept that one.

So, here we are.  I always feel a bit down when he has these tests, being reminded that it's true, remembering that he could be really hurt one day by food, and that this isn't going away anytime soon...it just stinks.  So today I'll be sad about it, and tomorrow we'll get back to regular life, remembering that it's not all that bad after all.  There are blessings in even these difficulties, as I am reminded so often to trust the Lord with my sweet little boy. 

And Then He Was Five

It feels like just a moment ago that he was placed in my arms.  Tiny, beautiful, with big brown eyes taking in everything around him...and he was all mine.  That moment, the moment I became his mom, everything changed.  It's hard to remember life before him.  I know one thing for sure - it was way less fun!

Today my baby, who is not a baby but will always be my baby, turned FIVE!

His heart melts me on a regular basis and he never ceases to amaze me.  This week as we talked about buying presents for a little girl in foster care, we talked about how he lived with his foster mom before coming to live with me, his forever mommy.  He was quiet for a moment and then said, "I have a great idea!  Maybe you could be her forever mommy, like you're my forever mommy!"

We talked a little about foster care, how she might already have a forever mommy who needed a little bit of time to sort some things out, or how she might not have one yet, but that we can't be her forever family right now because we don't have any more room or any more beds.  With a smile he said, "Well I have a great idea!  She could share my bed!"

Oh, how I pray he always keeps that compassionate heart that is ready to love, to welcome others, to be kind.  More than anything I pray that he will know and understand how much he is loved by Almighty God.  I have no idea what the coming years hold for this precious boy of mine, but it is exciting and amazing to see him change and grow and learn every day.  What a gift he is to us!

Happy Birthday, Matthew!

We are so thankful that you're ours!