Grocery shopping & Fish Feast recipe

I decided on a bit of a whim to go grocery shopping with the babies for the second time this week. On Tuesday, I put them in the wagon at the grocery store and they did really well while I was shopping for our basics for the week. Today, after I dropped Will off at school we did it again, but this time with the mega-list in hand. The comments we get at the store crack me up. So many people comment that they've never seen triplets. My answer, "Duh! Do you realize how challenging it is to shop with all of them?" (No I don't really say that, . . .well . . . maybe I've said it outloud a few times. Here is why it is a challenge:

1. It is difficult to push a heavy cart while pulling a circus train and steering both so that I don't run into people, carts, or aisles, and so that the little ones cannot reach things on the shelf. I've learned when they start reaching things, they think it's fun to pull everything down.

2. It is frustrating when we pass bananas and all three scream "nanana - nanana!" at the top of their lungs then cry when I don't give them one. That's the perfect moment to pull out the goldfish and give each of them a handful. Luckily, they aren't into candy and other sweet treats like their brother is.

3. When my trunk is full of the wagon and the carseats are full of kids, there is very little room left to get the groceries home. I don't want to get them out and into the wagon for just a couple of things, so we make the most of the trip and hope we found the perfect amount to fit.

We filled the cart with produce and meat and had just a little room left for some canned goods and spices I need for the new recipes. All three kids are very well behaved in the wagon, but I could tell when we reached the point of exhaustion (for me and for Ben, who was ready for his nap.) They all fell asleep on the way home and stayed asleep while I put away all the groceries.

We got two 5-pound chickens, 6 pounds of chicken wings, 24 chicken breast halves, a 10 pound ham, 6 pounds of roast, 6 pounds of sirloin strips, 2 pounds of tomatoes, 1 pound of cole slaw, 2 bunches of green onion, 3 mangos, 4 pounds of red potatoes, 8 onions, 2 bags of celery hearts, half a pound of ginger root, 3 green peppers, 3 zucchini, a dozen bananas, 3 pounds of mini carrots, a bundle of parsley, and some other canned goods. We don't always buy this much meat and produce at one time, but we plan to cook a lot this weekend -- in case you didn't know, Allen and I love cooking together. When we make time to cook, we make enough in each recipe that we have several meals that are ready to pull out of the freezer and heat and eat. I didn't have room to get all the seafood and dairy products, but I can go tonight after the kids are in bed. Here are some of the main dishes I've planned to cook this weekend. Most of these are new recipes, so I'll taste them before I post recipes: Roast beef, Asian beef & veggie wraps, Asian steaks, Jumbalaya, roasted chicken, crock pot Italian chicken, Thai chicken wings, grilled garlic chicken (with mango salsa), herbed flounder, and fish and veggies, assorted ham recipes. If all my calculations are right, we should end up freezing about 30 meals. I know we love this recipe; it is light and tasty:



Fish Feast (about 8 servings)
3 pounds orange roughy (I've used frozen)
1 Tbsp. garlic, minced
1 large onion, sliced
1 green bell pepper, cut in 1" pieces
2 unpeeled zucchini, sliced
14-oz can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp. dried basil
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
1/4 cup white grape juice



Spray crock pot with cooking spray. Place fish in first. Mix all other ingredients and pour over fish. Cover and cook on high 2-3 hours until fish is flakey, but not overdone.
I don't like left over fish, so I split this recipe like this: I keep half the fish frozen and I assemble everything else as the recipe says. Then I put half of the veggie mix in a freezer bag. I package the frozen fish with the veggie bag (in a big ziplock bag) so they are ready to go when I am ready to cook them.

A long walk with Will (et al.)

What seems like "too much information" right now might be just the right amount of detail when I read about this day in a few years. Today is windy and cloudy, but the temperature is just right for the windows to be open and bringing in fresh air. The house is still in a bit of disarray with clean (yes, folded) laundry and unpacked suitcases still out in several rooms. The dishes in the dishwashed are clean and need to be put away so I can clear the dirty ones off the counter. There are toys littering the living room and all the beds need to be made. Why bother? Playing with the kids is more fun. All four kids are in great moods today, so we had fun playing with the ball machine, the dress-up hats, and pretend kitchen. We had fun making noises, clapping our hands, and tickling each other. The rooms were filled with laughter. When the tears and whining started, it was naptime. While the babies snoozed, Will and I played a Berenstain Bear game on the computer. The kids and I had a tasty lunch of scrambled eggs cooked with leftovers bacon, creamed spinach, and yummy gruyere sauce. We had sides of canned mandarin oranges and white cheddar cheese-its. While we ate, Shadow sat at the backdoor waiting impatiently to be let in so he could "vacuum" the kitchen floor under the three highchairs. All four kids inhaled the food and then we all went for a long walk. I let Will choose the pace and the path, so we stopped to observe a lot of little things. The triplets were happy to be outside and in the circus train; they had their feet up and were humming and chattering while they nibbled on Teddy Grahams. Along the way, we stopped and compared an ant to an itty-bitty bug, looked at all the prickly thorns on a pretty cactus-like weed, smelled the dogwood flowers and azaleas, picked a few small yellow puffs of petals, blew on fuzzy dandelions, counted a lot of pinecones, wondered what that was (trash), investigated the baby pinecones on a broken pine branch, climbed the ladder and crossed the bridges at the park, let the little ones out of the wagon to play in the grass, pulled pebbles out of Ben's mouth, took away a stick Maddie was gnawing, watched Jon study a lot of the rocks and sticks the others passed over, visited with an elderly neighbor, kicked sand and made a dusty cloud, watched a forklift move piles of lumber at a new home site, and checked for mail in our mailbox. It was peaceful, we all enjoyed it, and it entertained the kids for about and hour and a half.

When we got home, I put the little kids down for nap #2 and Will and I read stories until it was time for his nap. Now that they are all asleep, I am writing everything down while it is fresh on my mind and catching up on the parts of the TV shows I missed. Here are my takes on this week's episodes of reality shows I watch.

Jon & Kate Plus 8 -- I only watched one of them & was saddened. Jon & Kate took all the kids to the Crayola factory & Kate had a fit when the kids (ages 3 and 7, I think) wanted to do the crafts. She said "no" a lot because she didn't want to spend a day doing stain treatment on the marker and chalk spots on eight outfits.

My take: it's okay for kids to be messy. Let them make a mess; they are washable. Most days I am okay with messy kids, many days I thrive on it. Clothes can be replaced, but creativity has to be nurtured. Look what Will made on the porch yesterday while I made dinner! I am so proud of his drawing of himself and his name next to it. He did this all by himself. Oh, he was a mess, all right -- chalk all over his clothes. . . Dancing with the Stars -- I was only impressed with a few of the dancers. I think the final three should be Kristy Yamaguchi, Mario, and (my favorite) Jason Taylor.

American Idol -- Who will go tonight? I think any of these could, and I wouldn't be heartbroken: Ramielle, Kristy Lee, Syesha, Chikezie. Since Kristy Lee sang "God Bless the USA," she will be around for a bit longer. Simon said it was a brilliant song choice & I agree; it would be blasphemous not to vote for her, right? Personally (and my husband agrees), they should quit the competition now and give the mic to David Cook. He continues to be awesome!

Happy Easter

(Want to know our secret? . . . we knew it would be cold and damp on Easter morning, so we did the egg hunt Saturday just before dinner). We let Will look for his eggs first; it was challenging enough to keep him busy, excited, and entertained, and just difficult enough that we are still missing an egg. After he found all his eggs in the backyard, we took the little ones to the front to collect eggs scrattered in the grass. Will joined the fun and tried to show Ben, Maddie, and Jon how to pick up an egg and put it in the basket. He was so sweet with them. Maddie held her yellow egg, Jon's first was green, and Ben finally got into the game and spotted a blue one. I think Jon may have gone to get one other egg, but otherwise, the adults and big brother had to pick up the eggs and put them in the babies' baskets. The babies were content to sit in one place and rattle the eggs. Maddie quickly took all of hers out and threw them on the ground, then scrambled to get them back in the basket just as fast. She did that several times and never got bored with the game. Jon and Ben figured out that there were sweet treats inside and they got a bit chocolatey. For me, it was fun to watch their joy and surprise as they discovered the noises, colors, and m&m's inside. When we sat the four down for an Easter photo, Jon stole Maddie's eggs while she was taking Ben's. All the kids had a great time. Yup, it was fun!

Unfortunately, the little ones are still supposed to stay away from other kids, so we haven't been to church in awhile. I am really looking forward to going back. I miss being at church, but I am fortunate that our church services are on the local TV station on Sunday mornings. Amidst the colored eggs and baskets of candy, is the real blessing. . .Will knows (and the others are learning) the reason we celebrate Easter is because God sent Jesus to save us.

Baby's first haicut (times 2)

Here is the before picture (Ben is on the left, Jon on the right):Here they are after:

Ben and Jon both got thier locks trimmed today. Although I did get pictures, I am so sad that I forgot to pick up a few pieces of their baby hair. Pre-cut, Ben's hair was very straight except for a tiny little curly-Q at the very bottom of the back of his head. Jon's, on the otherhand, was very curly -- especially when it was wet. He had a "superman curl" in the middle of his forehead, and several others all over his head. Both of the boys had pretty bad bed-heads when they woke up or after they had been in thier carseats. I really wish I had a little bot of the baby hair, because now they are looking like little boys. { s i g h }

Both guys were very calm and well-behaved. It helped that the hair-dresser had a little bag of goldfish, but I was so glad it went smoothly (except for forgetting the hair . . .)

When we got back from the hair cuts, Allen and Dad went fishing. After the little ones woke up from naps, they fussed for Daddy because they could see him from the kitchen window. I went to a crop at the scrapbook store and had a good time doing several projects and visiting with other ladies who share my insane hobby.

Will is not home

This week Will is at my parents' hanging out with Granddad (since Gramma had to work). I am glad he is having fun hiking, fishing, learning about critters from Granddad, and eating ice cream; however, I love, love, LOVE it when he calls. His high pitched pre-school voice is so happy to be talking to me. Last night he called and asked me to sing his lullaby (this week it is the ABCs). Odd as it feels singing on the phone, I did it. It brought tears to my eyes when he joined my at Q. I don't know why it made me teary, it was just so sweet that his pure, albeit off-key, noise was joining mine. . . .and I really miss him.

Allen and I watched the American Idol results last night, and we thought it was a little too soon for Amanda to go home. I don't actually vote, so I probably have no right to complain, but I can so I will. I was surprised that Ramiele wasn't in the bottom three and that Carly and Amanda were. As for Kristy Lee, I can't believe she is hanging on still. And I think it is absolutely horrid that American Idol and Dancing with the Stars overlap on Tuesday nights!! How am I to decide which to watch?? This Tuesday, we mostly watch Idol since I can easily catch all the dances online. But the guys danced Monday and we all (I apologize to Allen for revealing that, but the triplets were still up & he was helping herd the cats) watched the guys dance while we switched to Jon & Kate during the commercials. Yup, all my TV habits occur on Monday and Tusday nights. I missed Mario dancing & he had the high score from the guys night, but I didn't miss Jason Taylor -- wow! He is a hottie, I had to watch him online later & he is really graceful. It will be interesting to see if he can pull off the Latin dance as well as he did the foxtrot. . . .and the girls? No surprise to me that Kristi Yamaguchi started the season with 27 of 30 points from the judges. As a skated she had to focus a lot on posture, motion, acting the part. Overall, we thought the women danced better than the men, but it should be a fun season. I am so sad that my favorite professional dancer, Julianne Hough, was paired with Adam Corolla. He will be out of there very quickly, and I won't get to watch her dance. So sad, so sad. There is my reality show bad habit shining through. Which reality shows have I seen this week? American Idol, Jon & Kate Plus 8, Dancing with the Stars, Living with the Mek Tribe, Iron Chef America. I think that's it. Allen will comment if I missed anything.

Today I need to pack for our Easter weekend at my folks'. Will is looking forward to "Eastertime" and he plans on it starting when we arrive. It might be a challenge to his patience waiting until Sunday for an egg-hunt, but he is eggsited. Tomorrow Ben & Jon will get their hair cut for the first time, and in the evening, I am going scrapbooking. I am sure Allen and Dad will compete to see who can catch a bigger bass, and Will will probably join them with his new SpongeBob fishing pole. Hopefully the weather will cooperate and we will all have a great time. Happy Easter!

Lucky Me!

Watching the little ones play. Maddie in pink, Jon in green, Ben in blue. These photos were taken over a 2 minute period and explain why it is so hard to get them still enough to be in the same picture. . . .busy, busy, busy, but so much fun!

Here are the layouts I created for a class at Chasing Rainbows this month. It was fun creating with the St. Patrick's Day papers just because that is not something I would normally use. I love how they turned out, and it really reminded me how lucky I am.
Here are some Easter and spring layouts I created for the same class.

One, two, buckle our shoes

Well, I forgot to wear green for St. Patrick's Day, but I'm not Irish either, so who cares? But since this seems to be the day most associated with Luck, I've had all day to think about how lucky I am. Luck is fortune: the overall circumstances or condition in life (including everything that happens). Although I guess I could say I am "lucky", I really feel like "blessed" is a better word to describe my life. Enough on that subject.

The day started with Will taking a short trip to the dentist for a little filling in a cavity. Then the kids and I met my Dad for lunch. Will went with Granddad for a week of fun and adventures, and the little kids and I headed home. It was so hard to beep good-bye to Will as he and Granddad drove west and I turned to the east. Nope, it doesn't really get easier as he gets older. . .or more ornery. I'll miss that little squirt, but it's just for a few days, and I know he will have a blast.

We took a detour to a shoe store and got Ben and Maddie their first pairs of shoes. Jon didn't get any because he isn't walking yet. Don't tell me that isn't fair. . . we aren't going to spend $45 on a pair of shoes if he doesn't need them. When he is walking he will get some Mommy time on a Saturday and we'll go get his pair.

We started with Maddie & measured her foot. Maddie is gernerally a very joyful little girl who likes to stand and walk, but when I set her on her feet over the foot-measuring tool, her legs both went straight out (like she's sitting, but she only has air under her tush.) I wish my abs could do that. When the lady tried moving her feet to the tool, she would move her legs to the side (still perpendicular to her body). After a little dance, we finally got her measured, and she started trying on shoes. As soon as the first one went on, our happy little sunshine girl WAILED! Yes, LOUD, not a cry, but an awful scream that turned all the heads in the shop! We finally found a pair that she didn't scream about, but she was still pretty cranky. They were the best fit, and I liked them the most. How did we get her to quit screaming? We stood her in front of one of those shoe mirrors that was the perfect height for her. She stood there smiling at her pretty little self with both hands on her hips. Then we got Ben out and repeated the process. I have never had so much trouble getting shoes on a kid. It took three of us to hold that busy little boy long enough for a professional to get a shoe on him. He wasn't wailing, but he was so squirmy all over. He really seemed to have fun giving me a hard time -- curling his toes so the shoe wouldn't go on, acting calm then pulling his leg back really fast after I got one almost on, turning upside down in my lap. Since we went to a real shoe store, as opposed to one in a mall or department store, the people there were very helpful and extremely patient with our crew. The kids were all very well behaved for the most part. . . .and after we picked out Ben's shoes, Maddie was still smiling in the mirror and pointing at herself.

Now we are home and the triplets are running around using up all that stored energy. Ben got his shoes off pretty quickly since I haven't installed the tie-keeper.

I can't believe I LIKE reality shows

Last night we HAD to get the kids out of the house. Well, let me rephrase that. . .I had to get out . I am starting to get cabin fever, but probably only because the weather is so pretty and since Will's school has spring break this week, we haven't gotten out. The tree grinder was going so we could not just play in the yard. Allen and I packed up the little ones in the circus train, and Will took his trike and we started walking. We got about 100 feet from the house and Jon spewed so we went home. Not to fret, Allen and Jon got cleaned up and changed, Jon smiled, so we were back to our trek. Our neighborhood has a pretty little green belt and sidewalk that meanders through the middle, sort of in the backyards of a lot of houses. The nice thing about it is that I can let Will go ahead of us on the sidewalk since there are no cars to worry about. So we traversed the path to the playground and waved at the couple barbequing (that smelled great!), we said hi to the dad and his two young sons walking the same trail, we watched a dog prance his fence line looking for someone to play fetch, we watched two girls jumping on a trampoline and two other girls walking in barefeet. We stopped at the playground and Ben, Maddie, and Jon and I played in the grass while Allen helped Will climb and swing to get rid of some excess energy (Someone please explain why a 4-year old without a nap seems to have more energy that a well-rested one.) Then we went back home, but this time on the street for a change of scenery. We stopped and chatted with some neighbors and looked at the trees that were still standing.


When we got home, we got the kids in bed and cleaned up the kitchen. Usually that is done right after dinner, but we wanted to enjoy the day while we could still see. And then, GASP, I sat down to find out who in the top twelve was eliminated from American Idol. For some reason it bugs me that I like that show. . .that I am apparently addicted to it. I can actually live with out the results show and look the eliminated ones up online, but I really do like watching the show when they are singing. Unfortunately, the other show I am addicted to starts Monday -- I am hooked on Dancing with the Stars. Ever since my aunt watched one when we were visiting my parents, and Heather Mills fascinated me by dancing with a presthetic leg, I've been hooked. This season will prove to be just as fascinating -- Marlee Matlin is one of the contestants and since she is deaf, she will only be able to feel the beat of the music. So now that I have admitted that I have a silly addiction, I can start the 12 step program, right? For Americal Idol, I vow to take one step per week toward eliminating the habit. . .Number 11 eliminated next week, then 10, 9, . . .hey, I should be over it right about the time they announce the winner!! And on DWTS, they are doing a double elimination the first week, so. . .hmmm. . .that will be over about the same time. I can do it! Yes I can!!

The view of the forest

What are they so excited to be watching?
On the other side of our backyard fence, this is what is happening. There used to be a "forest" here. In the last month, almost every tree has been removed and now it looks ugly. Instead of the scent of pine, we smell diesel. Instead of green trees, we see a chain link fence and the back of the city recycling center. It's not pretty. Will keeps asking me what God is going to do about it (because He made the trees and the machines knocked them down.) On the upside, that means we'll have neighbors in a few months. There are supposedly three lots that are in this space being cleared. Maybe the view will be better when homes & fences block the view of the city and road. Maybe they will plant new trees.

How are my kids supposed to nap with all this noise? How am I suppose to relax when I am wondering if that tree disposer is going to fling shrapnel through our window? I took the kids outside to swing and play for a little while, then these folks moved in and ruined our peace. I brought the kids and dog in because this machine does throw trees. I am sure these people do this everyday and know how to do it safely, but please pray this will all be over soon and our home and family will not be hurt. I knew when we moved into a new neighborhood that as it was built around us, we would have construction noise, but I hadn't anticipate this scale of racket.

Allen asked me why I hadn't blogged lately, and my answer was that I often write when Will is at school and the babies are napping. Since they all had been sick, Will wasn't in school & the babies weren't napping. It was difficult to get any time to myself, and when I did, I needed to do all the busy work -- laundry, dinner, napping. Last Sunday, Randy, Jason, and Allen went skeet shooting while Shelley and the kids napped, and Jenn and I ran around town. We all had a wonderful dinner at Texas Roadhouse, and Allen tried embarrassing all of us as he danced on the birthday saddle at the restaurant. It was a tasty meal and it was fun to share it with family. The kids are feeling much better, but Jon is still coughing enough that he throws up at least once a day, thus, adding at least one load of unplanned laundry to each day. The poor guy is having problems sleeping, too, but he is having fun during the day, so I know he will be better soon. Last night we celebrated Allen's birthday with a home cooked meal -- he and I tried our hand at fried chicken breasts with mashed potatoes. We had recently seen a Good Eats episode where Alton Brown described how to make the perfect fried chicken; although we didn't make it using his exact recipe, we did use his methods, and it was VERY tasty. We ended the meal with Allen opening his cards and gifts and we all enjoyed Tres Leches cake. Happy Birthday, Babe!!

Today is a beautiful, sunny 73-degree day & I wish we could all be outside. Instead, we can only open the windows to bring the fresh air in while we stay away from the Snorts* out there.

* In the children's book "Are you my Mother?" by PD Eastman, the baby bird calls a power shovel a Snort. That's what it gets called in this house, too.

Note to self. . .

. . . before it slips my mind. New words this week:
Ben tells me when he wants to go "ni-ni" (night-night)
Maddie likes to play "tatty-kay" (pat-a-cake)
Jon enjoys eating "na-nana"(banana)

This morning, I was about to change Maddie's diaper and she held her nose, nodded, and told me she was "dinkdy". . .but she wasn't. She just likes the sound of "stinky".

Body parts the three know, cumulatively: nose, mouth, eye, head, ear, teeth, tongue, hair, hand

Tooth count: Ben (8), Maddie (6), Jon (6).

Yesterday, Ben was weighed at the pediatrician's office and is 19 pounds, 4 ounces, age 16.5 months (adjusted age is about 13.5 months). He is the heaviest of the three, but not by much.

The view from the staircase

Here is the view as I sat at the top of the stairs this morning. It is a cold, wet, gloomy day. I am glad it's warm inside & I made it cozier by lighting some scented candles. It is very muddy since it rained or snowed all night. The snow didn't stick around much, but Will was excited to see it falling. I overheard him asking Allen, "What is that? It's the same color as snow. Does that mean it IS snow?"

Jon and Ben are still sick, but Ben was playing this morning, so maybe he is starting to feel better. Jon threw up all over the carpet. While I was tending to Jon and trying to keep him out of the mess until he was done, Ben got out the gate and Will started getting in trouble in the kitchen. All at the same time, and after 5 days of sick, cranky kids, I am getting frazzled. I have to keep my cool just a few more hours, then Allen will be home. Things seem so much easier for me when he is around. Partly because he is so helpful, and partly because I am a lot more calm and collected in his presence.

Allen's family is coming this weekend and we plan to just have a relaxed weekend. My mother-in-law offered to keep the kids on Sunday so I can get out for a little while (the guys all plan to shoot skeet). I had planned to stick around the house with Shelley and Jenn and the kids, but after this week, I think I'll need to get away at least for a short while. Maybe the kids will all be feeling great, and we can all just escape. . . .or maybe I should try to get some time away from being Mommy. . . .we'll see how it all works out.

Although it's been a rough week with all the kids being sick, I managed to find a little time to create. Since Ben & Jon were the sickest, I guess I wanted to see them smiling even if it was just in the pictures. I decided on one layout for the photos from when they turned 6 months, then I only changed it a little when I created the second layout. (You've already seen the layout of Maddie on the same day.) As I was neatening the office, I found the advent calendar I made in December. I made it after Christmas, so we didn't use it yet. . .I can't wait to fill the little drawers with little goodies for next Christmas, though.

The babies are sleeping their morning nap right now, and the carpet has been cleaned. Now I will collect my thoughts, take ten deep breaths, and see if Will is ready to paint his paper mache bowl we made earlier this week. Have a great weekend!

Mama, you can do anything!

Last Thursday, I kept Will home from school because he was a bit feverish and had a nasty-sounding cough. Yes, I am over-protective -- I don't want other parents bringing sick kids to school, so I won't. He "cold" progressed slowly at first and not much changed Thursday. Friday, he still felt warm to me and he was still coughing. Friday night he was up a lot and definitely had a fever and complained that his throat hurt every time he coughed, which was about 3 times a minute. . .all night. Sunday, the babies were getting feverish then the coughing started. Monday, I called the pediatrician and he said to just bring Will in and he'd treat all four for whatever Will had. That was quite a blessing, not having 4 office visits and co-pays to cover, and only having to take one inside instead of 4. Well, he said it was nothing major and we'd just have to wait it out. Ben has been the worst of the bunch -- feverish, can't quit coughing, and his eyes look so sick (puffy, dark circles, gunk, etc.)He cried all day yesterday, and so far most of today. The whiney, pitiful cry that says "Mom, I feel awful. Why?" It breaks my heart when my kiddos are sick. Yesterday I rocked him most of the day and at least got the crying down to a slight whimper. I was holding him while I did what I could to make dinner, and while I held Ben in my left arm, I stood stirring a sauce, while debating whether to put him down to start noodles or just wait till Allen got home to help. Will wanted me to color with him on the floor, and here's how that conversation played out:
Mama, you wanna color with me? Huh?
Honey, maybe later. I am pretty busy right now.
But, Mama. You can do ANYTHING! You are a GENIUS!
I had to walk out of the kitchen so Will wouldn't notice me chuckling. After trying to clean house, do laundry, cook dinner, educate my kids, work in a little personal time, all while dealing calmly with 4 sick kids, my four-year-old put words to the feelings I had all day. Somehow I DID manage to get things done yesterday amidst the chaos, snot, and tears. It felt good.

Today, my nerves a bit more frazzled. I've had Ben and Jon both crying most of the day. They want to be held, but they don't want to share Mama's lap. I can usually fit one on each side with their heads cradled by my shoulder. The crusty spots on my shirt will show you I've been holding them a lot. When both boys are settled and I am comfortable, Maddie wants to be held, too. So I try to make room in the middle for her, but then it's just too crowded. When she's happy, the boys start to wail, and that's when Will needs my attention, too. Now they are all four resting for a little while this afternoon. I get a few minutes to organize my thoughts. I get to write down the exciting events of the week, and can only think of all the boogers and tears, and how much I am blessed to get to be the one that can make them feel just a little better. I only wish I had the super-powers to heal them, but praying is all I can do for now. So if you are still reading, please say a little prayer that my little ones will heal quickly and fill our home with laughter again. I know God will take care of us, but sometimes I feel like I have to remind Him. . .or at least remind myself.