Princess, Fevers, and Daffylions

I am beginning to wonder if I'll ever be caught up -- on the blog, on the laundry, on vacuuming, on everything. Last week was crazy -- we seemed to pass around a bug. After we got back from Austin, Maddie had a few feverish days, followed by Ben, the Will got hit hard. Well, maybe it's just that he could tell us about it; whereas, the toddlers could only fuss and sleep.

Last Saturday (2/21) after I posted the garden pictures, Allen took me out for a wonderful dinner at a restaurant we hadn't tried before. Then we did something we haven't done since our senior prom -- we went to a dance! Our ballroom dance class instructor hosts a dance each month, and this was the first time we had a sitter and were in town and able to go. We had a good time, but I forgot most of the steps -- next time we go dancing, I'll skip the margarita -- I blame the drink.

Last Sunday morning while we waited for our family, Maddie asked for her princess dress and flower. I put on her tutu and put the flower in her hair and she pranced around. As soon as Ben and Jon saw her, they ran to her and said "Madnie pretty!" Yup -- both of them telling her what she already knew. After a bit, Randy and Shelley and Grandma Ann came to our house. They were bringing Grandma Ann to visit a friend nearby, but stopped to see us, enjoy lunch and birthday cake, and help Allen cut a tree apart. Allen had surprised me with a VERY YUMMY carrot cake just a few days early. It was a short, but fun visit and isn't it always fun to celebrate a birthday?

Tuesday was my birthday -- my fourth annual celebration of my 29th birthday. Will asked how old I was and I couldn't bring myself to say. I finally said we were celebrating my 29th birthday, but I was born 32 years ago. Seriously? What is my problem with my age? Never mind.

It turned out my birthday was a bit miserable. Or rather, I was miserable on my birthday. It wasn't the number so much as it was that my parents called to say "Happy Birthday." And it wasn't the call that upset me, it was the redecorating the kids did WHILE I was on the phone. When I discovered the dozen or so holes in my walls, Will tried convincing me that Ben did it. We finally got a bit more of the truth when he told us that he was making different shapes [holes] with the GeoTrax buildings. Needless to say, I was LIVID! For some reason I couldn't get over it to enjoy the day, plus I wasn't feeling great. A funny note, though. We were having pizza for dinner, and Jon pushed his plate to me and said "More please." I got him some more. Next Maddie shoved her plate my way and demanded, "More!" I asked her to find a nicer way to ask, and she restated her demand but added a cheesy grin and tipped her head to the side, "More pizza! I'm princess!" I choked back the laughter and explained that princesses have nice manners, and she finally caught on that I wanted a "please." Where do they get this stuff and how do I fix it?

I did manage a smile for a birthday picture. It is the first time I've actually seen a picture of me and noticed the difference. I know it was me, but I almost didn't recognize it.

Wednesday was Will's day with me. Sadly, I was still hung up on the wall-situation, but I tried not to let him know. We dropped off the little kids then came home to tidy up and scrapbook. He was in heaven -- he got to pick papers from my scrap pile and he created his own pages for a scrapbook. He kept telling me how much fun he was having scrapbooking with me, so I guess it turned out fine. We joined Allen for lunch, then picked up the kids. Later that night, Will had a fever of over 102, so I knew my Thursday plans would be altered slightly. That night while I was dealing with a sick five-year old, Allen bathed the two-year olds. It wasn't long until I heard him shout to come help and bring the camera. Allen had dried and dressed Maddie, and while he was getting Ben's pjs on him, Maddie went back over to the tub and climbed in. Jon, happy to have a playmate back, gleefully dumped cups of water over her head. She was mad. Very mad!

Thursday was Maddie's day, but since Will still had a bit of a fever, he came along, too. We met Grandma Ann and family friend, Barbara, and the five of us went back to the daffodil gardens. I am so glad we did because this was one of the most beautiful places on earth. The hillsides were covered in millions of yellow blooms. Maddie loved it, but she is the kid that loves flowers. She spent so much time just gazing into the individual flowers. We had to call to her to get her to move to another one. Later that night, she was excited to tell Daddy she saw "Daffy-lions!" and we couldn't help but giggle at that. We probably will all end up calling daffodils daffy-lions just so we don't forget her made-up word. After a day with no fever, and Will acting mostly fine, his fever spiked to 103.3 and I tucked him in with a bit of Tylenol.

Friday, Grandma Ann read to the kids while I tried to get laundry done so I could pack. That evening, Allen and I, the kids and Grandma Ann all went to Allen's parents for the weekend. Saturday morning we all went to see Elmo's Green Thumb, a Sesame Street show for the kids. The kids all enjoyed it, and all the adults enjoyed watching the kids. Randy, Shelley, Ann, Jason, Jenn, Allen & I and the kids all went out for lunch then returned to the house for playtime and naptime. Somewhere along the week, I think I ended up with part of what Will had. I had the headaches, and the coughing, sore through, stuffy nose parts anyway.

Today, I am feeling a little better, but I'm frustrated that I don't have much of a voice. We celebrated Dr. Seuss's birthday today by reading lots of Dr. Seuss books, coloring Cat-in-the-Hat pages, then making green eggs and ham for the kids for lunch. They are all napping right now and I'm trying to get caught up on a few things.

One last note since I don't want to forget: Jon calls his sister "Mad'line" now. It's "Mad'line's cup," "Mad'line's chair,""Mad'line's blanket,""Mad'line's fault." The other day I was playing with Little People and asked where the princess was (meaning the toy), he looked around, pointed at his sister, and said, "Mad'line." Just cute that it's not "Madnie" right now. . .