Well, this past week, life has been quite. . . well, crazy! We have had some great times and some trying times as I am only 1 week out from my surgery. I just wanted to do a quick recap of all that we did this week, so here you go:
Sunday: Happy New Year! We did not ring in the new year like we have in years past with our dear friends, the Espiritu's, as I was only 3 days post-op, but daddy did wake me at 12:01am to give me my New Year's kiss! He took the kiddos out for a few hours this morning as I was still pretty sore and not feeling great. When they came home, we all huddled on the couches and watched some of our new movies and played with some new toys - the iPod and Kindle! We also did puzzles, read books, played games - Just had a great time! By night, the kiddos were exhausted from the day of playing. After dinner, they each did a few sparklers with our neighbors, Brendan and Aayden, and then came on it to bed.
Monday: Daddy stayed homes from work, which is always a wonderful surprise. We were able to sped a lot of quality time with him, as well as take down all of the Christmas decorations. He took the kiddos on an outing for a bit so that I could rest, which is always nice! Again, we ended the day with some sparklers in the front :-)
Tuesday: Today was my first day solo since the surgery. I was anxious, but as of this point, the recovery was flawless. We had a lazy morning until about 10, and then began our school day. We learned about muscles (
Uncle Will would be proud that they now know about the three types - Cardiac, Smooth, and Skeletal!) and finished up our math and reading work for the day. I am loving watching how the kiddos are becoming so involved with school. They are truly loving learning and I am so grateful that we are able to Home School - a gift that could not happen if it were not for daddy! After school, we ate and napped/rested. I tried something new with the girls, but quickly realized that it was a BAD choice. I allowed them to read
quietly instead of sleep. I left the lights on and told them the rules - suffice it to say, this has not happened since! We get our quiet reading time at a different time and nap time is back! After rest, we worked on some sight words and I am thrilled to say that they are really evolving in this area - Praise God! We played inside and relaxed for a bit as it was TOO cold to go outside - we had a fire in the fireplace by 3p as we were that chilly! As the day came to a close, the kiddos became quite cranky and earned an early bedtime! Before they laid down though, Daddy had the idea to set out a bucket of water so that they could see the ice in the morning. . .
Wednesday: Today was all over the place. Our neighbor was out of town, and we were animal watching. Well, one of the kitties became quite sick - I called and she asked if I would take her to the vet, so I did (It turned out to be a pretty intense virus). Once we arrived home, we began our school work - math, religion, and phonics. Then, we made cards to celebrate the Feast of The Most Holy Name of Jesus - a few days late! They loved making the cards and learning about this feast day. Robert even made one for Mrs. Yip, his CCD teacher! The rest of the day was uneventful until about 5p when I learned that Daddy's Uncle Jack had been called to Heaven. The children and I prayed for his soul and all of those left behind and then prepared for Little Robert's CCD class. Daddy arrived home and then the oldest boys left and I put Hannah and Wes to bed. Hannah did not last in her bed for long before she came to snuggle with me and was out in minutes! We realized while we were snuggling, that we had never checked on the ice from the night before, but luckily, we were expecting another hard freeze tonight!
Thursday: Today was a beautiful day, but before it warmed up, we were able to observe the transition from water to ice and they loved it! It was the first day that the kiddos were able to go play outside. So, after school, lunch, and naps, they did such and spent the remainder of the afternoon basking in its glory! This gave me an opportunity to prepare all of our lessons for the next 2 weeks, which is always a blessing! Also today, Wesley decided that he was ready to be a "Bid Boy!" We found some training pants and on they went. The older 2 LOVED helping him out and reminding him to go potty, although, Wes became tired rather quickly of their constant reminders! I took a cute picture of his little toosh in undies and sent it to my Mama. She responded with a message that informed me that Trey's mom had passed away on Wednesday. Now, Trey is my little brother JoJo's dear friend. They are both 13. Trey and his mom lived alone and he went to wake her to bring him to school, when she would not respond, he called 911. Please keep this precious child in your prayers. From what I gather, he does not have any other family - I simply can not imagine. Daddy arrived home just in time for dinner. We ate, played, did some more sparklers, prayed, and then went to bed.
Friday: Today I was having a severe case of mommy guilt, so I decided to take the kiddos to Home School Group. It was just a play day at the park, so we packed up a lunch and went. They loved every moment of it and I was able to have some VERY good quality time with adults. While there, I was also able to speak with a fellow member who is an herbalist and she recommended quite a few things that would be safe for me to try, so we will give that a go. While I think that the park was a bit much for me, I am glad that we went as the kiddos had a fabulous time with their friends. When we arrived home, all of the kiddos were in terrible moods, so we sat down and just watched movies. Finally when they perked up, we were able to play some board games and some imaginary games like "Puppy Pirate" where they the puppy (Hannah) has to stay away from the pirate (Robert). They also practiced their karate skills - not sure where they learned them from, though! Hopefully the rest of the day will be quiet and uneventful. I definitely see an early bedtime as they are still quite cranky, just not as fussy as they were when we first arrived home!
Finally, 12 hours prior to the race, both Daddy and Hannah's Tu-Tu's were ready; tiara's, hair bows, and all! 
Both Hannah and Daddy had a great time and completed the 5k in 36minutes! However, regardless of their final time, or the fact that Hannah placed 3rd in her age group, they had a great time and made memories that will last a life time! 
