November twelve, two thousand twelve.

That, above, was a day to be remembered. Or forgotten! :)

We arrived home from CO last night around 9:30. For some reason, the 7-8 hours home seemed to last forever. Maybe partly because they stretched into more than 9 hours. The kids were a bit more fussy, but some people would kick me if I called that fussy. :) They are angels with all our traveling.

We were so happy to be home! And so hopeful that we won't need to travel again for a long time. I did tell Craig that probably in about three weeks we'll feel like going somewhere again. :) But for now, just give me home!

We weren't home long before Hazel started throwing up. Now, except for a short stage while the girls were still nursing, my kids almost never throw up. So this was weird. And scary. She threw up every five minutes or so, out of her mouth and nose, which scared her badly because she couldn't breathe. Then she had diarrhea. I was slightly terrified. That leads to dehydration fast. She threw up milk. She threw up water. How do you hydrate a child like that?

Finally around 11:30, Craig came to bed (he had been taking a shift with her) and said she was settling down. So we would have gotten a half decent night if it wouldn't have been for Bomani who fell asleep at 7:00 or so on the road and slept on into the night. So around 3:00 am he was awake! He finally fell asleep on our bed and thus the night ended. :)

In the morning, Hazel wanted a bottle. So, being rather inexperienced with stomach flues, I let her drink. About three seconds after she was done, it all came forth in a gush of milky whiteness. Panic. More laundry to do. (My hall was lined with piles from the travels.) I put the blanket, her sleeper, etc. into the washer and poured Basic H in. I'm using that right now for laundry soap as my life has been too wild to make my homemade stuff. Alas, in my eagerness to eradicate all signs of vomit, I poured too much in and my H E washer stopped and told me, SUDS. Okay, so now what? I ran rinse after rinse cycle through, and it just kept on stopping toward the end, telling me, SUDS. And thus my morning progressed, without my laundry progressing. And I needed clean clothes for Hazel.

Finally the door unlocked and I took my now very clean blankets, etc. out. To make a long story short, it is now 5:00, Craig will be home soon. Daisy and Hazel are taking their second nap. Bomani is sitting beside me, resting his dear, little head on my shoulder. My kitchen is clean. An enormous pile of dishes washed. My fifth or sixth load of laundry is washing. Hazel ate a bit of bread and drank some milk. She grinned her mischievous grin and played. I think we're out of the woods. But it was scary there for a while. After her first nap she woke up so lethargic. I knew she needed fluid, and had fixed some water with sugar and salt in it. She refused to drink! So for an hour or so, I used a syringe and squirted the electrolyte stuff into her mouth. It was a fight! But then she started feeling better...

All in all, I am so glad it's this evening!

Does anyone have tips for me? I am one of these women who get depressed when the house is a mess. If my dishes are washed and my house is straightened up, I relax visibly. I sit down, breathe in the joy, and love life.

I have three toddlers. My house is usually turned inside out. Toys scattered, even though I keep half of them hidden away. Kitchen utensils, containers, and baggies strewn about, as those are some of their favorites. Blankets here and there. Upstairs, a mess. That is so not me! I am not a super good housekeeper, but I have noticed that if the basic clean-up is not happening, it's a challenge for me to relax and enjoy life. How do you manage this season, ladies?

One of my happy moments today...when Bomani was rinsing dishes for me, I taught him how to put the bowls in the slots in the drainer. We were both pleased as punch. :)

Another happy moment...he was being naughty and so I snapped his hand. He said, “tooop!” (stop) I couldn't help but laugh. :)

Sigh...I am so going to sleep tonight. (I hope)

11-13

Another morning. And Hazel still sick. She vomited again this morning. She keeps having diarrhea. I keep squirting fluid into her mouth. She pinches her mouth shut. /:) And I'm worried. I know there is a wild, nasty stomach virus around. And in a huge Menno community, with a huge Menno funeral, it spreads like wildfire. And my littlest little girl got it.

I'm in contact with my health center...see what they conclude. My little girl doesn't weigh enough to suffer this. My twins are like birds...eat a little here and a little there, and then would rather play! I can see them as teenagers, delightedly racing off to a party, too happy and excited to eat dinner. :)

Speaking of twins, at Teresa's wedding, we were milling around in the back before it started, and I noticed identical twin girls...teenagers, looking very interestedly at me as I sat holding my girls. I smiled at them and they came over and we chatted a bit. They nearly freaked me out! They both stood there, looked at my twins, then together they pointed at Daisy and said, “she's older”! I said, “Yes!” Becky asked them, “How did you know?” And together they answered, “It's a twin thing...” :)

I had fun watching them that day. They were best of friends. It thoroughly delighted me. :)

It's cold around here. Our floor heat is the best thing about this house, and there are lots of nice things about this house! It can be chilly upstairs, and you walk down the stairs and this cozy, gentle warmth just wraps around you. The furniture is warm. The concrete floor is warm. The carpet is warm. I love it!

And...the only electricity it takes is a tiny amount to run the little pump that circulates the water! Yeah for small bills!

Not that our bill is small. But that's because we take long, hot showers and baths. And my dryer is my maid on some days. But just imagine how large the bill would be if we would use only electric or gas heat! :)

Teresa's wedding was so awesome. I drank in the worship times, the music, the singing. Rick had the sermon. He along with Val and a few others from IGo made a quick trip to CO for the funeral and wedding. It made me really miss Thailand and the people there. Renita, did you see my little girls on the live feed? :) I should have found the camera and went up to it and chatted with you. :)

The kids did surprisingly well at the wedding. It began around 1:00 and ended around 7:00 or 8:00 or so. It was a beautiful wedding, full of glory for God.

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It's evening. We decided to have a "date" of sorts here at Craig's parents' house, after I return from my town run. I left Daisy at Larrys. I picked her up to hear that she had been throwing up. Oh no.

I picked Bomani up at Loyals. We came to join Craig and Hazel here at dads house. We were the only ones here. I sat on the couch, holding Daisy. Bomani came over to me, with a little chuckle and a smile. He leaned toward me and emptied the contents of his stomach into the air in a blast of force. I yelled for Craig. He came quickly, nabbed Bomani, and dashed for the bathroom. As they reached the doorway, Bomani threw up again. Craig slipped in the vomit, and they both crashed to the floor, bringing the shower curtain with them.

Hazel is barely recovered. Daisy is sick. Bomani is sick. I am sick. Craig is not feeling well either.

Please pray for us.