Giving Thanks

I have been anxious to write a new post so that visitors to our blog would not be frightened by the view on their monitor when they see me in that crazy wig, but we have been sooo busy and I have had very little time to call my own.

The week of Thanksgiving was difficult, and I would NOT readily repeat the holiday (at least this year).  Rick was due to have surgery to repair a hernia on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving.  His surgery was an expected event, and I knew it would be challenging to carry the burden of everything on my own.  What wasn't expected was the timing of the stomach flu striking our house like a tsunami.  The Sunday night before Rick was to go into surgery, Ricky succumbed to the stomach flu that had been going through school and church.  Because Rick was afraid to get sick himself, I took care of Ricky all during Sunday night and into Monday.  Ricky's sickness brought the beginning of many days of laundry and bathroom sanitizing.  Ricky still had a fever on Monday night, so we were at a loss as to who would be with Rick during his surgery.I certainly couldn't ask anybody to watch our sick boy and I couldn't take him to the hospital with us.

Luckily, our good friend Tony came through for us.  He came at 7:30 a.m. on Tuesday morning to pick Rick up.  As difficult as it was for me to send Rick into surgery without me being there to support and help him, we didn't have much choice.  Tony brought Rick home around 3 p.m.  Because I was not there at the hospital to consult with the Dr. or to discuss concerns, the details of the surgery were a mystery to us.  Rick went into the hospital expecting to come out with two small incisions on his abdomen, but came home with a painful 4-inch long scar.

Tuesday was a long day for me--even without taking Rick into surgery.  With Rick resting on the couch in the afternoon, I tried to continue with what needed to be done on very little sleep (Ricky had not only been up most of Sunday night, but also Monday night).

By Tuesday afternoon, Makayla and Andrew weren't feeling great.  So, I had Rick on one couch, Makayla on the other, and Andrew went upstairs to rest on his bed.  While they were resting, I dared to take Emily to basketball practice and came home to find Andrew crying upstairs because he had thrown up on his bed and nobody could get up there to help him.  Thus, Tuesday began another sleepless night as both Andrew and Makayla were throwing up and I was on bucket, bathroom, and laundry duty on my own.

Wednesday passed OK as the kids and Rick spent most of the time watching TV or sleeping and I spent most of my time doing a million too many things.  Wednesday night was another sleepless night for me helping Rick with medicine and trying to keep him comfortable.

By Thanksgiving morning, I was a zombie, but the kids were feeling better and they were excited about the holiday.  We had a football game in our backyard.  A few guys and the missionaries showed up to play.  It was sooooo cold, but they played anyway.

The food turned out good, I guess.  Everybody had mostly eaten by the time I got a chance to eat.  Sean timed a stinky diaper just as I got everything on the table.

 Ricky made sure to provide many smiles and much excitement, as always.  I'm glad he is so cheery because I certainly wasn't.

 I had decided not to go early-morning Thanksgiving shopping on Friday considering my difficult, sleepless week, but we checked the ads the night before anyway.  As luck (or unluck) would have it, I found myself awake taking care of Sean at 4:30 a.m.  With Sean fed, Rick medicated, and the kids in bed, I thought I could sneak out, shop, and be back before the kids woke up.  This was the best part of the week.  Somehow, I didn't end up waiting in any long lines and I got most of what I was looking for!  I was exhausted, but happy as I arrived home from shopping a little before 8 a.m.  Unfortunately, a very sick Emily greeted me on the couch.  She had been throwing up since about 15 minutes after I left.  More laundry; more sanitizing; more unrest.

That doesn't sound like a great week, does it?  As I'm typing this, I'm realizing that it actually sounds very negative and depressing, so now I'm going to share some of what I should have been thankful for during that awful week:

1. Tony.  I'm so glad we found somebody to take Rick to the hospital.  What a great man to give up some of his day to help us and to take care of Rick in my place!
2. Bleach and Clorox wipes.
3. A working washing machine and dryer.
4. Good health for me, Sean, and Rick.  I didn't get sick--which is amazing considering the number of times I cleaned up  . . . well, you know.  My hands were chapped and painful from washing, but that's OK.  Sean didn't throw up at all.  He had a little fever for part of a day and that's it!  Rick worried plenty about getting sick, but he didn't which is a blessing considering how painful that would have been with an abdomen wound.  Also, he really couldn't get up and down from the couch or bed very quickly, so how would he even make it to the bathroom?
5. Medical care.  Rick's hernia had been very painful for him over the last few months.  I'm glad he was able to go in and get it fixed and I hope the repair is successful.
6. Heat.  It's so nice to turn the heat up when it's cold outside--especially when people aren't feeling good.
7. Food.  We had a ton to eat.

There are certainly other things I could list.  I have been very blessed with many things, I and don't mean to get negative about how difficult things are sometimes.

In addition to my "thankful list," I will share more of our Thanksgiving fun.  On Friday evening, when Emily wasn't feeling great, I took the younger kids to the Children's museum.  They had a lot of fun and it was so nice to get out of the house and away from the TV for a little while.

I love our children and my husband, and I am trying not to be so grumpy all the time.  When I look at pictures like these, it reminds me of how sweet these kids are and how blessed I am to be their mom.  I also have a wonderful, patient husband who puts up with my incessant bad moods.