...to celebrate Halloween

...what a day it was!

Full of friends...

Audrey and her buddy the Wicked Witch of the West (a.k.a. Ms. Amy)
Trend?  Perhaps Audrey should have been a witch as well.  Sigh.
At least she loved handing out candy!

Abbey & her buddy Luke

Photo moments....

Fish.  Professor McGonogall.  Good Witch.

Hermione

Devin Funchess

Good witch

Note:  #4 Refused all solo photo opportunities.  As evidenced by the photos that she does appear in...Dressin' up ain't her thang.

My Crew.  Maybe #4 didn't like being a fish?

And lots of fun.

As you can see the weather even was cooperative!  No rain and a balmy 46ish degrees!

I think because Abbey was praying in her parade this morning...

...to watch the kids

...enjoy my newest project

A few weeks ago before the kids were sick I was walking Timber in the woods on a trail behind our house.

I found this treasure!

I think it is/was the swinging part to an old gate.

I walked past it a few times before I finally dragged it home.

"This is going to be great!"
"Huh?" stated the peanut gallery.

I am certain Mark would have joined the naysayers.

But with a lot of help from these tools...

Several of these...

It became this...

(it is hung on the large wall on the landing between the first and second floor)

And then this...

I have enjoyed watching my children stop and remember a memory each time they go up & down the stairs.

...to break for a few days

...it has been so nice having my better half home.

We spent the lone beautiful day of the weekend winterizing the yard for winter.  Mark and I took down the trampoline, put away all the toys, and Mark gave the yard one last mow for the season.

The kids have been ready to work on their pumpkins since we picked them out on our trip to Virginia several weeks ago.

Carving...really isn't my thing.

I left that job to Mark and Isabella:

Poking pieces into pumpkins to decorate them?  Now this is a task I enjoy...and I supervised it well. 

Pretty cute huh?

As the weather has turned cold and gray here in the great white north, we chose to spend plenty of quality family time hunkered down near the fire this weekend.

Now...We are all healthy and rested for the week ahead!

...to show the things my children

...pretend (because they are in a military family).

A month isn't a long time in the grand scheme of...well anything.

But for the Crow family it was:

• a trip to Virginia
• several soccer games
• a couple of piano lessons
• some really cold soccer practices
• several Sunday mornings drinking coffee alone
• a trip to the hospital with a sick little girl
• more rounds of Tylenol and Motrin than I can even begin to count
• and a clean bill of health for this household as of 20:00 this evening!

Seemed like a long time to us.

Anyway, today we had to bring Mark's truck back to his office so he can come home from work tomorrow afternoon.

Here is a snippet of my children enacting tomorrow's anticipation...

The only prop...

Mark's cover.

Looking forward to tomorrow.

I think they are too.

...really wanted

...the fog over my home to lift.

I pretended it did.

I had a shower.  Put on clothing that I had to both button and zip (i.e., good bye-yoga pants and hooded sweatshirt) and I even used the roller brush on my hair this morning.

Had I added a little lip gloss and mascara, Abbey might have thought I was headed 'out for coffee'.

I wasn't.

My schedule for the day still mostly included:

• several administrations of Tylenol and Motrin at four-hour intervals
• reading a few extra chapters of Harry Potter and The Order of the Phoenix
• and...I hate to admit it, but I have even learned to play Super Mario Brothers on the Wii.

Oh...the things a parent will do to make their children at least feel better.

And they ARE feeling better.

We are finally on the road to recovery...

#4 returned to daycare for a few hours this morning.
#3 returned to school today.
#2 will return to school tomorrow.
#1 is improving.  Hopefully, she'll return to school on Wednesday.

Maybe this all means I'll get some uninterrupted sleep tonight?

No matter.  Sleep is overrated.

Here is some more proof they are recovering...

Will running around with Katie and John for a bit during Abbey's soccer game...

Abbey at her last soccer game this evening...

so happy to be running around!

She even kicked a goal!

Taken after this said Kodak moment...very proud of herself!

(which of course I missed physically seeing because at this particular moment in time I was trying to bribe, threaten and cajole Audrey to stop crying (for heaven's sake..&%&)...apparently she wanted to go home...)!

Abbey and her coach

Though we aren't quite back to our normal crazy...I am thankful the chaos is beginning to return.

...to write a note

...about my thoughts:

Dear Brutal Virus,

You win.

You have stuck three out of four of my children so far this week.

Plaguing them with this horrible virus of terrible stomach cramps and super, super high fevers for an unprecedented five days each.

I have endured night after night of sleeplessness.  Time I have spent crying over my babies...so scared for them while I held them and rubbed their tummies, their backs, anything to try to give them some comfort.

Can I ask...

Is there a particular reason why you must show your nastiest symptoms in the middle of the night?  Is there something you have against daylight?  You know, the time when I have my wits about me and I am less likely to imagine worst case scenarios.

Two a.m. is when my judgement is most impaired.  How do I know I am making the right choice to not rush my baby to the hospital when she is having trouble breathing, sleeping, and even lying still because her fever is so high, beyond 104, she cannot get comfortable?

I am so much more cognizant at 6 a.m.

Can you strike at  6 a.m. next time please?

My next beef...

It is not fair to change the rules of this illness that you have plagued my family with.  You cannot just add the symptom of vomiting on day seven of this virus!

And in the mini-van.  Did it have to occur on...the only, very small patch of visible carpet, in my recently detailed swagger wagon?

Really?

As I write this, the last of my kiddos (#1) is beginning to develop a fever.

If this fever persists in her, I think I'll take the four of my cherubs and drop them off at a local safe house.  Perhaps four different ones...

And officially admit defeat.

Cause this momma is done.

I give up.

OR...

I have another idea...can you please strike me next?

I would trade places with each of them in a moment.

I will take their pain.  Their aches.  Their fevers.

I don't want them to hurt anymore.

Virus...go away.

Or take me as your next victim.

Please.

Sincerely,

One tired momma.

...to drink a lot of coffee

...and watch a lot of TV.

#2 joined the stay-at-home-party today.

Poor little man.

I spent most of my day doing:

In no particular order...

Drinking cup after cup of coffee

Holding kiddos

Rubbing backs

Sitting on the couch

Watching television show after television show

Handing out Gatorade 

Insisting on my children eating popsicle after popsicle

If it wasn't for the photos as evidence, the activities I noted sound as if it was the first day of vacation.

I can assure you...it is not.

...to work

...but I had to cancel all of my clients again

#3 is finally on the mend.  After a super rough night last night (her fever peaked at 104.1) I decided that we both certainly needed another day of rest.

Its a good thing I did, because shortly before we headed off to a follow-up appointment for her, #4 began exhibiting all of the symptoms Abbey started with on Sunday.

At least now I know what to expect...and can tell myself things like,

No...her appendix is not going to burst.
No...this is not a weird case of strep.
And definitely no, in spite of the neck pain, it is not meningitis.

A momma's mind sure can race when she is so worried in the middle of the night...

I am thankful for my kind friends again...

Emily for providing dinner and dessert.  She made these amazing meatballs and sauce as well as some pumpkin cookies that the kids have been gobbling up!

Luke, for making sure his best girl-friend has proven-sure-to-cure-you-Dora-popsicles!

And Heather, for this deliciousness,

and especially this one...

Night-cap.

...to manage

...Abbey's fever throughout the day

Just a little update on my sweet little girl.

I set my alarm through the night last night to make sure she didn't miss a dose of her Tylenol or Ibuprofen.  By morning her fever was much better at 100.7.

Throughout the day she really appeared to feel better.  We had a very low-key day.  We read books, did puzzles, played board games, and watched TV.

When she was feeling her best she asked to help me make some pumpkin scones.  The kids have been asking for the past few weeks for them.

I convinced her to take a nap when we were finished.

Thank goodness this little one took one as well.  Although, she required me to lie down with her to fall asleep.

I was happy to 'take-one-for-the-team' for an hour.  This allowed us all to get some much needed rest!

nappy time

After her nap she was ready to play again...Rested and refreshed she was feeling like she needed a mani and a pedi from her friend Katie!

looking pretty happy...

Unfortunately, as the day has progressed I have had more and more trouble keeping little one's fever down.  I'll set my alarm a few times this evening again...and say a few prayers that tomorrow is a better day for her.

Sleep well sweet girl.

...to be so thankful

...for Amy

#3 was sick today.

Really sick.

The kind of sick that makes a momma panic.

I understand that colds, fevers, and flus typically have to just run their course.

I think that ibuprofen and tylenol can cure just-about-any-ache-or-pain and I usually administer it promptly to my children when they are feeling under the weather.  This, in my opinion, helps the said colds, fevers, and flus, run their course less painfully.

Today was different.

Abbey woke up weepy.  Complaining of her back hurting and a stomach ache.  I dismissed this.  Then came the fever.  I gave her Tylenol.  Then came the writhing pain.  She said she couldn't breathe.  She couldn't lay down.  She couldn't sit up.  She couldn't catch her breath to breathe.  I began to cry with her.

I called my friend to come right away.

Of course she did.

She calmed me down.

#3 settled down and promptly fell asleep.

My mind was racing with all of the things that could be wrong; but over and over I thought it might be appendicitis and decided it needed to be ruled out.

Amy is such a blessing to me and to my children.  When I told her I needed to take Abbey in, she said of course you do.  No questions asked.  She dropped everything she was doing and dragged her own crew over to my home to come over and stay with #1, 2, & 4.

When Abbey and I got back late this evening Amy had the house tidy, the cherubs fed, and all of them dressed and ready for bed.

The beautiful thing about my friendship with her is I didn't worry once about imposing on her.  Because it wasn't an imposition.

She just stepped in to take care of my family when I needed her.

And for that I am so very thankful.

________________________

The doctor's diagnosis for Abbey is a UTI that may already be migrating to her kidneys.  Thus, his explanation for her back pain (she says there is no pain when she urinates).

...to go to a working dairy farm

...and watch it snow a bit!

The children had the day off of school today and I have been wanting to check this farm out since we have moved here.  Our timing was perfect!  We pretty much had the place to ourselves since it was a) so cold, b) the school groups were done with their field trips for the day, and c) our children were the only kids in the area with the day off.

But Brrr!  It was pretty chilly at The Old MacDonald Farm in Sacket's Harbor, NY today!

However...it was sunny and we were dressed for the cold.   We had a GREAT time enjoying the visit with our friends.

There were many things to enjoy...

We fed the goats,

pigs,

and the cows,

And we enjoyed petting and seeing so many different animals, including: Donkeys, Horses, Bunnies, Ducks, Chickens, Goats, and even Alpacas, Reindeer, and Emus!

There was even a bounce house,

and a corn maze...

...that finished with finding Oz!  

Does anyone else find it ironic that #4 wouldn't join the group for the photo opportunity, yet instead positioned her pouting-self under the witch sign?

Sigh.

No matter.  She loved this place.  And so did the rest of us.

It was a lovely, brisk, and enjoyable, fun-fall-day!

...to work on the little things around the house

...so I can check them off of my list

Checking things off of my list usually makes me feel SO happy!

And today was one of those days when I needed the little things to make me feel better.

My day started off wrong when I stayed up way-to-late-last-night watching the Tigers lose in game 4 of the ALDS.

Lack of sleep doesn't make me cranky and it doesn't make me short-tempered.  I rarely feel sleepy during the day if I don't get enough sleep...instead, lack of sleep makes me weepy and sensitive.  My feelings get hurt too easily, I get lonely, and I start thinking about that make me feel even more sad.

So, what do I do when I need a pick-me-up?  I try to check things off of my list.

These are the little things that have been waiting (some for a really long time) for me to do.

I picked up this headboard for Audrey at a thrift shop several months ago.  It is a perfect match for the girls' bedroom set.  But...It has been sitting behind her bedroom door waiting to be put on her bed; for several months.

Why yes.  She really does sleep with all of that stuff on her bed!

It's on now.  Bolts attached.  Checked off of my list.

Clearly Audrey is happy about it!

It took me so long to put the headboard on the bed because I was trying to figure out where to put this book shelf...

We decided to create a little reading nook.  Maybe Santa will bring a bean bag? Of course hanging this shelf was no easy task...luckily Amy came through and wielded a power drill like a champ!  Obviously, her son has taught her well.  

Hang shelf.  Checked off of my list.

Next..my plants.  Winter is on the path to arrive here a bit early this season in the great white north.  Below freezing temps are expected tonight.  Rumor has it that flurries are expected as well.

Fern.  New pot.  New spot.

Lemon tree.  New pot.  New spot.

Check.

And since I was re-potting...why not add a couple of new succulents?

Check.  Check.  Check.

Will's new water bottle holder has been siting on the counter for many days.  He received it for his birthday.  This child is not hard to please.  He was SUPER excited about this present.

It only took me 40 minutes, very long, of-course-needed-a-special-tool-as-well-minutes, to attach it to his bike.  Seriously.  It is much harder than it looks.

And it doesn't even fit.  The holder is too tall.  I shifted it to the left hoping it works. 

Sigh.  Check.

Here's to hoping his pedals (or ankles) don't bump it while he is riding.

Next project please.

The first phase of the project was actually completed two days ago.  Amy (once again came through for me) and her father-in-law helped me lug in my new treadmill, lug out the old one, and put that beast together.  We moved furniture, removed doors, and held our breath that new treadmill was going to fit in its place.  Mostly though, Amy and I watched and handed tools to her father-in-law.  We also offered helpful advice like..be careful of the door!

Tonight I finished preparing the treadmill for my first run in the morning.  I oiled it, tested it, and even tried out the fancy ipod option.

Isn't it pretty!

Check.

Next... 

I have to actually get up and get on this thing in the morning.

I am already feeling better.