Praying for a healthy spring!

Shirt Rob got me for my birthday.

("I turn fabric into art. What's your super power?")

 Natalie got "called to the office" and because I happened to be there (because I'm there about 3 days a week lately trying to get the yearbook done), they called us both. I had forgotten they do these, so I was kind of worried. Not that she was being called for behavior (because she's probably one of the best at school for behavior of my kids), but because some event had happened that was serious or delicate in nature and had to be discussed with the principal.

Ha! Our school has a positive behavior incentive program and she'd been called to the principal's office to choose a prize and get her award for exceptional behavior. :) (sigh of relief!)

Project days...

As I type this, I was just informed over the weekend that the next project will be assigned Monday and will be due I can't even remember when...I'm going to have to get a 2nd calendar just to keep up with the kids' projects. (For someone who does nothing but projects, you'd think I'd like them, but they honestly stress me out even when I don't have to be involved much.) 

She pretty much did this one on her own because I'm already "projected out" for the year. I took her to the library to get the books and read through her "save the monkeys" section to edit out a little drama. ;)

 Originally her "curiosity project" was just on Monkeys, but after reading about all the endangered species, my animal loving daughter (well, almost all of them are, but only 2 are "save the earth" kids), she redirected a portion of her project to encourage monkey protection. I got cracked up at her drawing! Check out the monkeys in the trees as it's falling over. hahaha. I love it.

Our home teacher taught a lesson this month about having adversity and being pushed and therefore strengthened by it. (He had a paper airplane and a fan for an object lesson.) So, they bought 5 kites for the kids, and what do you know!, it was so blustery the next day! (In fact, all after school programs were cancelled that day because of the high winds. The kite flying was half successful though.)

Kaitlyn brought me "flowers" to the window while they were playing in the open field beside the middle school car rider line.

Hallelujah - spring is coming! I love to see them outside, even if they are just relaxing.

 (Alee is wearing the vest because she is being a "thinkquanot" from Cloudy with a chance of meatballs 2.)

The twins had a field trip, but the only part Natalie got to be there for was the state house. She got sick and I had to take her home during lunch. 

(Fortunately, my mother in law had already come to town to keep Alee who was home sick for the day, so she just joined the sick room and I went back to finish the field trip with Kaitlyn.)

For February, the health stats:

• We had 9 well days. Yes, 9 days of the month,  no one in the house was sick. (4 was the longest consecutive days well.)
• We had 3 different illnesses plague us. 
• We had 4 people of 8 be one of those invalids. (One of them had 2 of the 3 illnesses.)

For March, 

• We have not had a well day yet.
• I am expecting tomorrow to be our first well day if Alee does not wake up nauseous.

What I've learned from this trial and what I'm grateful for:

• Just like bad things can happen to good people, sick things happen to clean people. 
• I like the swimming pool smell of freshly over-bleached bathrooms. 
• Having a sick kid makes me work harder at keeping up with the laundry.
• I'm grateful I haven't de-cluttered our blanket pile so that washing load after load does not leave anyone blanket-less between cycles.
• It's a good idea to have extra trash cans and buckets and a stash of tissues.
• Looking on the bright side, none of the illnesses was lice. :)
• Most of my kids don't like gatorade/powerade. (They have no idea! I lived in the days of Pedialyte. bleh!)
• Alee can survive about 4 days with no food.
• I'm grateful that I don't have a job so it's not a huge deal to have kids stay home from school.
• I'm grateful I was able to make the NC visits before all this sick stuff started so we didn't have to cancel those.

On one of the sick days, I finally took down the hearts and put up some Easter stuff. I mix little clusters of eggs with pictures of the Savior, but I have the most fun arranging our little bunnies. This year I added an extra for my brother that lives with us.

• The green chillin' on the F is Seth - just relaxing and hanging out.
• The red curled up is Carolyn who really struggles leaving her nice warm comfortable bed each morning and likes to have alone time without a lot of noise.
• The green and yellow arm and arm are Rob and me. (Aww, so cute)
• The blue sitting in the M is Natalie wanting to be in the middle of it all, but quietly observing the chaos.
• The purple is Kaitlyn trying to be the center of attention. I would have had her standing on top, but the bunny wouldn't stay.
• David is the blue on the L trying to study and get through stuff.
• Alee is the pink on top looking for another way to get hurt.  My danger child... :)

Looking hopefully forward to a healthy spring and a Happy Easter this month!