Busyness of our first two weeks

*** I just read an awesome, timely blog entry (something I've not done in a week, I think) by the people of Values Driven Family.com- about homeschooling older kids with toddlers and preschoolers underfoot. The summary: I need to remember what's important... and LEAN a little!***

We are faring well... all things considered. Mostly, we are tired of being sick - coughs (esp. at night) and runny noses seem to be doing us in. But, things could be worse! I wanted to list some of the things we've done in our two weeks home to try and explain why I have not been posting, why I've not chatted with you on Facebook, and why we are so tired!

* Three doctor appointments and one dentist appointment
* Our first official t-ball practice for E and M (go Royals)
* Two visits to church (Z sits quietly on my lap and absorbs every detail; Y goes and plays in the cry room with Keith after the singing!)
* Two sunny days filled with bubbles and scooters, as well as wonderful visits with neighbors and friends who stopped by. Plus, swinging and playing ball in the backyard, walks around the neighborhood, and visits to playgrounds. We've had more rainy days than I care to count --keeping us stranded inside much of the rest of the time.
* An OVERNIGHT trip to Seattle Thursday (for one of the doctor appts) took us to a fabulous Homewood Suites (love those hotel "points" for free stays) just a few blocks from Pike St. Market, where we celebrated Good Friday by watching men throw fish at the fish market!
* Two easter egg hunts and chocolate bunnies!

All this, with sniffles and snot to boot!! We are enjoying being a loud, busy family -- but are not naive enough to think our 'honeymoon' will last forever. We've encountered a few recent 'restless' moments (hours) in the middle of the night with our Yoseph (usually a 12 hour sleeper). Our Emma is challenged by the idea of being 'big' sis, when much of the time, she'd really rather just be silly... W are praying for new, consistent ways to speak her love language and help fill her up as often as we can. Murphy is our steady, as he is beginning to engage with each of his younger siblings in personal ways. He's learning to "offer help first, then tell" when Z is into or out of or near or away from something she should not be.

Next on my to-do list:
* MAKE A LIST of household chores for ME to do daily, so I don't get so behind.
* Create incentives to help the kids get involved in maintaining the house, so I don't get so frustrated... we had a good system before we were gone for so long. Got to find that rhythm!!
* Pray about (and remember the wisdom in) getting up early to get some things done before we all wake up later. No wonder I don't have time... I'm not making any!

With that, I'm off to bed. I'll try to post some pics of our latest adventures soon.

Hugs and sleepy drool to all!