When you just. can't. stop. talking.

Yesterday I bought a couch for the basement.  All the kids in our small group are rejoicing right now.  They've been sitting on the floor for months.

I was excited to find exactly what I wanted in our price range {something that has eluded me for a year of off-and-on looking}.  I'll show pictures when we get it in, but it's beautiful, in a muted light green color, VERY comfy, and big enough to seat our entire family.  There's pilling on the fabric of a few cushions, but I'm confident I can fix that, and the cushions are machine washable, which is very nice with the aforementioned small group kids in addition to our own brood.

When the roads cleared, I drove out to the seller's house to check out the sofa.  Oh, friends.  I couldn't believe what I was seeing.  If you ever want to know where the one percenters live in Knoxville, I found it.  A-mazing.  I was so glad no one was behind me so that I could drive really slowly with my jaw on the steering wheel.  Beauty was everywhere.

By the time I got to the house, I was mush.  When they opened the door, I was a puddle.  These were the beautiful people you see on TV.  They both looked like models and their home looked like a magazine cover.  Contrary to what you might think, though, they were actually really nice, and were extremely welcoming, but for some reason not due to them, I suddenly felt like a frumpy housewife.  When some people are uncomfortable, they are very quiet and fade away.  I do the opposite and begin incessantly talking, nearly always to my horror in hindsight.  As soon as I stepped in the door, I found myself gushing all over the place about everything in this house.  The floor, the area rug, the kitchen stove with six burners, a charcoal grill, and a warming rack with heat lamps that I never knew I needed in my future kitchen.  I just started talking and could. not. stop.

Before children, I was a better conversationalist.  Now I stay home and my day is often filled with bodily functions of some kind or another from some child or another.  It has become normal conversational fodder.  This couple didn't have kids.  When you are talking to adults with children, you can have conversations about dirty diapers and you kind of bond over your shared battle with all things potty-related.  When you are talking to a couple who do not have those daily smelly blessings, it is best to avoid the topic.

Maybe now is the time to mention that we've had a stomach flu in our house. 

You see where this is going.

I opened my mouth and from this cavity spewed forth such details of this last week as I should not share with anyone.  I could see on their faces that they were going to double up on their birth control, and was able to reign myself in.  Until the girl mentioned the Ikea and how much they love shopping there.

That did it.  I couldn't help myself.  I launched into the greatest of Ikea stories, where we single-handedly shut down the play area and all the parents had to come back early to get their kids because Jack had diarrhea in the ball pit.  It's a great story.

Really, it is.

I wouldn't say that they propelled me out of the house, but they didn't ask me to stay and be friends, or better, bring back those kids who, if my account was to be believed, have an amazing capacity to-

Well, I'd better stop there.  I wouldn't want to say anything out of turn.

A post about slippers and carpet cleaning

Last night, I made homemade pizza.  We ate it in front of The Rescuers, which is the gold standard when it comes to movie night with kids.  Ella needed help getting the movie to the right place {we're still in the age of VHS}, so I came over.  What I didn't know was that she had placed her pizza on the floor while she worked on the movie.  I didn't even know I had stepped in it until after I'd walked all over the carpet in my brand new Christmas slippers.

I cleaned up the mess, put my dirty slippers in the laundry room, and we watched the movie and had a lovely evening.

This morning, I was enjoying the coziness of sitting by the fire, sipping my delicious coffee, while the snowy world around me went on.  The kids came in, and within 1.3 seconds, Nate had knocked my very full, very hot, very yummy coffee off the table and all over the rug. 

And my back-up slippers. 

I cleaned up the mess, moving couches so that I could get under the rug to make sure the coffee hadn't seeped through to the hardwood underneath.  And I put my slippers in the laundry room.  I sent the older kids outside to play in the snow so I could get the job done faster.  In a very short time, Ella came back in for booboo kissing.  Jack followed.  I have a rubber-backed mat sitting right by the door for easy snow suit clean-up, but while I was dealing with Ella's booboo Jack was stomping all over the room, trying his hardest to knock all of the snow and mud off of his snowsuit and onto the carpet like it was the coolest game ever.

I ask you.  Every kid.  Individually.  Within a day of each other.  My house smells like carpet cleaner.

The moral of this story?  I need a back-up for my back-up slippers.

Nate and the Blog

Blogging was awesome when I had two kids.  It was a fun way to share the funny stories and the home improvements and general ramblings percolating in my brain.  It was a hobby that was helpful in a new state with a husband traveling half of the year.  I was consistent, blogging every day, and loved giving myself a deadline.  It made me feel like I had something more than poopy diapers to talk about  Not that I mind talking about poopy diapers.  I blogged daily for well over a year.  It was great.

As I got pretty sick during my pregnancy with Nate, however, the blog was the first thing to go.  Then I broke my ankle when he was seven weeks old.  We didn't have a laptop at the time, so the blog continued to lay dormant. 

When we found we were moving to this house, I was really excited about starting up again, sharing all of our home improvements as we made them {we'd already done a lot to our last house when I started the blog and I hadn't taken many before pictures}.  But life happened.  It got in the way.  It does that sometimes.  At first I didn't blog because we didn't have internet for a few weeks.  Then I didn't blog because I was so busy with the holidays and getting things settled for the kids.  Then I didn't blog because I was potty training Jack. 

Are you getting the picture?

After Nate's illness began, blogging really took a backseat.  I felt like every post should be about him, and frankly, there wasn't too much news to share.  I felt guilty sharing about the house when we had a sick child, but kept taking pictures of our projects and updates for the day I would begin to write again.  After awhile, though, the sheer volume of potential posts from those pictures became overwhelming.  It was easy to just not write when I always felt like the house or the children really needed me more than I needed to write.

But here's the thing.  This little blog of mine has been very helpful to me.  Writing posts about the house helps me to think through financial and design decisions logically.  Writing posts about my kids helps me to view them through the lens of humor.  Writing posts about my faith helps me to grow in it and challenges me to learn more so that I have well thought out positions.  The comments through the blog, facebook, and emails have encouraged me more than you can know. 

I guess what I'm saying is this.  I need to start up this little neglected blog again.  My plan is to write a little each day, which may or may not translate into a blog post every week.  I need an outlet, and this is a good one.  I hope you'll stay with me as I begin the journey again.

On to the important information.  I haven't updated about Nate's condition in awhile.  That's because there isn't much to say.

I struggle with how to describe Nate's condition.  On one hand, as you can see above, he looks great!  He's happy, smiling a lot, looking pretty healthy, if small, and is growing.  On the other hand, his growth rate has drastically reduced recently.  He is nursing poorly and has all but dried me out, but I keep trying because it's the only oral food he gets.  Because of cutting teeth I'm raw and bleeding, but I'm afraid to stop because he might not nurse again if I take a break.  When he pulls the tube out, which he does every couple of weeks, he loses between six and eight ounces each day.  He still won't eat except for the odd seemingly random moment when he'll allow a few tiny bites.

We see three therapists each week.  Each has different things they want me to work on with him multiple times every day, but it's difficult to find the desire because I don't see progress.

Because of the humidity and heat, he's getting a rash under the tape on his cheek.  I know it hurts him and the only thing I can think to do is keep him inside, but that is hard on the other two.

 

If I were to sum up Nate's condition in a nutshell, I would say that no progress has been made in six months.  Something needs to change.  We are going to try a physiatrist as soon as we can get an appointment.  We are hoping that she may be able to at least steer us in some direction.  Neurological?  Muscular?  I don't know.

 

Our Gastroenterologist {GI}, whom we love, is retiring, and it looks as though we may have to travel quite a ways to find another.  We don't think Nate has a GI issue, per say, but the tube that the GI inserted is keeping him alive and kicking, so we would like to find a good doctor to work with, and pediatric gastroenterologists don't grow on trees around here.

It is easy for me to become discouraged over this.  It is easy for me to pity myself.  Every single part of my life has been effected by Nate's illness and I sometimes just want my life back.  Woe is me and all that.  But here's the thing.  The feeding tube is an amazing invention that allows our little guy to grow and I am so thankful for it.  He is so incredibly happy and handles the feedings like a champ.  I'm even thankful for his physical delays because if he were rolling around a lot or crawling, feeding would be much more difficult!

My dad once said, "God never promised us Heaven on earth.  He promised us Heaven in Heaven."  In fact, God promised us that this life would hold trials.  We are not entitled to an easy ride.  The beauty in the Plan is that He gives us the tools to "run with endurance the race marked out for us {Hebrews 12:1}," no matter what it holds.

So I'm running and praying for that endurance.  The race seems to be marked with potholes and uneven pavement right now, but if I keep my head up, looking at the finish line, eye on the prize, I never seem to trip.  It's only when my eyes are down, trying to avoid those problems on my own, that I stumble. 

How's that for an analogy?  You can borrow it, Dad.

Leaf Sledding

Did you know that leaf sledding is the next great olympic event?  On our last day with the Hickoks,  the kids were playing outside and Steve Daddy got the idea that they could sled down the hill using flattened cardboard boxes.

 

 

Well......not so much.  I tried this once.  In college some friends and I found a huge piece of cardboard and decided that we would sled down this very steep hill on it.  In summer.  We took it to the top of the hill and all piled on with visions of the awesome ride ahead.  And we sat.  Clearly the problem was that the cardboard wasn't slick enough, so we found some vaseline and gunked it on.  And we sat.  Clearly the problem was that we needed a running start, so we did a "ready, set, GO!" and leapt aboard.  And didn't go anywhere.  Clearly the problem was that too many of us were trying to go at one time, so we took turns running and leaping aboard.  And got battered and bruised for our effort.  Clearly the cardboard just wasn't the right cardboard, so we went searching for the kind of cardboard that's shiny on one side, but since the only piece we could find was not big enough to fit both cheeks of one of us, we gave up.  But we knew that, clearly, it would have worked had the right cardboard been big enough.



The kids had great fun, even if they didn't go anywhere.



But the wheels didn't stop turning.  Steve Daddy came up with plan B. Sleds!



They had a ball. It was perfect.

The girls wanted to push Miss Lydia.

 

 

And Lily cheered everyone on. Abnormally long arms she has....


The kids had such a great time.  It was hilarious to watch and heart warming to hear them laughing so hard.  It was a good reminder that it doesn't take much to have a fantastic time.  A couple of friends and a piece of cardboard. 

And maybe a sled or two.

Candy making with kids - not for the faint of heart

On Black Friday, we made chocolate dipped pretzels for neighbor gifts and the girls decorated them with red, white, and green sprinkles. It was lots of fun. I mean, what's better than wearing cute aprons over your dress-up princess clothes to work in the kitchen making sweets?



This was my first attempt having kids make treats for others. As you can see from Ella's face below, not all the chocolate stayed on the pretzels.



In fact, there seemed to be an epidemic of finger licking.



And sampling.



And, worst of all, sneezing.



I couldn't watch.



After trying to keep things as hygenic as possible for awhile, we realized it was a losing battle.



We gave up. I put all of their pretzels in a container and I sent them home with the Hickoks. Wasn't that generous?



From this day forward, I will be very suspicious of homemade food when little kiddos were involved. Still, the girls had a blast. Jack came in at the end for the spatula. Menfolk were not invited to this party.



P.S.  Somehow, the Hickok's container of sneeze pretzels found its way back into our pantry before they left.  I know it was a mistake and that they were heartbroken to realize they had forgotten to pack it.  Don't worry, guys.  I'll make sure you get it. 

Thanksgiving with the Hickoks part 1

Since I just got my internet hooked up, I'm a little late in my Thanksgiving review.  I have so many pictures of our visit with the Hickoks that I'll need three posts to get them all up!  Here's the first glimpse.

We had the best time over Thanksgiving!  Our Super Duper Ooper Schmooper {thanks, Sid the Science Kid} dear friends, the Hickoks, came to share the long weekend and visit our new digs.  Even amongst boxes and moving-in chaos, it was the greatest way to spend the holiday weekend.

 

We made a cardboard box castle from some of the leftover boxes.  The girls loved it.

Is it possible they have grown this fast?

How beautiful these young ladies have become!

I still remember this:

The girls' first Easter {much maternal sighing going on}

Little Addie, who was tiny when I last saw her, was a fireball of sweetness.  She's like candy with hot sauce.

And Jack, well, he's cool.  He's mellow like Jello with a car in his hand.

Our Besties, Steve Daddy {Handsome Hero is Bill Daddy to their girls} and Miss Lydia, and baby girl number three, were just what we needed.  It was such a blessing having them around and encouraging each other in the Lord.  And playing games.  They love games.  Games with strategy.  I am HORRIBLE at games like that, but I love the company, so I play.  And you know what?  I even won once.  I think it surprised everyone, including me.  I haven't won a game in seven and a half years.  It's my trademark.  It's what I'm known for.  

Nate just hung out with whoever would hold him.  He's the most content child you have ever met.  No. doubt.

We trekked down to my parents' house for Thanksgiving.  It was lovely, as always.  The Hickoks fit in like they'd always been there.  They tend to do that.  It's one of the things that make them special.

Now bear with me for some family portraits.  The Lewis family.

The kids with their Great Grandmother.  Jack rarely smiles in pictures, as you can see.  Here he's saying, "cheese," which is what you say when you take pictures and has nothing to do with smiling.

Four generations of Elizabeths {Betty, Betsy, Beth, and Ella}.

It was wonderful spending time with the Hickoks and having them spend time with my family.  I'm telling you, there is nothing like being able to let your hair down and laugh with people who know you so intimately.  And laugh.  And laugh.  And laugh.  My cheeks still hurt!  To see these girls and instantly love them as much as we did the last time we saw them,

To have the kiddos all get along as though they had never been apart,

To spend time with my kindred spirit and encourage eachother as wives and moms and sisters in Christ,

And to see our next generation goofing off and having a great time together just like we were,

My soul was blessed.  We miss you, Hickoks!  Come again very soon!  This big ol' house is empty without you!

The tooth fairy's a-comin'!

It has been a mad house around here, and I have lived without the internet for over two weeks {pat on back!} while getting the house to this as-yet-unfinished-but-coming-along-nicely state.  I have lots of stories of our adventures and pictures to share, but I wanted to show you how a certain little visitor will be welcomed to our house at some point in the next few days.  You know, it's amazing how life goes on even when you are living in a transitional state of chaos.  Ella, my tiny little girl, is going to lose her first tooth.  Actually, her first TEETH.  Both of her bottom teeth are loose and she's getting older and growing up and is really excited about it and it's not okay with me.  But, since I don't have much say in this and she would look really weird being twenty-five and with all baby teeth, I'm rolling with it.  I even made the tooth fairy a little door through which to come to retreive said tooth.  Or teeth.  Whichever.

I found this dollhouse door at Hobby Lobby.

A little paint, a little glitter, and now we have this:

A glitsy entrance for the tooth fairy.

When we asked Ella what happens when you lose a tooth, she replied confidently, "I get money.  Nine would be about right."  Dollars?  Is she kidding?  I got fifty cents, if memory serves.

The wee poem on the door says a tooth in the pillow is worth two in the gums.  Thank you, Steve-Daddy, for your contribution {more on that in future posts}.

 

The door will be hung on Ella's wall {high enough to discourage a certain two-year-old from trying to use it} awaiting the special day, which is the only day the door works.  It's funny to see her enter into the fantasy - she's very excited about the tooth fairy's portal into our dimension.

 

P.S. I know many of you reading this believe that doing this sort of thing is encouraging a lie, but I do not think so.  Ella is aware that this is a game, and is having a total blast with it.  It is a fun fantasy from someone who loves to play pretend and adores fairies.

 

P.P.S.  It's the only fantasy we do, but we embrace that the other ones are fun.  For instance, Ella never believed in Santa - she thought he was one of the seven dwarfs {which she called Hi-Ho's} and never thought he was real.  We would have had to work really hard to convince her that he was real and we did not see the value in forcing the issue when the real focus of Christmas should be the birth of Christ.  Instead, we talk about how St. Nicholas was real, and I have no problem reading Santa stories or watching Santa movies, but our focus will always on Christ.

 

Similarly, the Easter bunny is not something the kids think is even logical {Yes, I have surprisingly logical children}.  They like the Easter egg hunt, but don't associate it with a rabbit.  They know that Easter is the time we celebrate the resurrection of our Saviour.

 

The nice thing about the Tooth Fairy, as my mom pointed out, is that there is no Christian "equivalent" with which it competes.  It is just a little fairy tale.

 

P.P.P.S.  My sister believed in the tooth fairy for years.  She named her Jenny and they had a real correspondence going.  She would draw pictures and write letters to Jenny even when she hadn't lot a tooth.  Jenny had handwriting that was suspiciously similar to my dad's.... 

 

P.P.P.P.S.  Now I'm done.

 

P.P.P.P.P.S.  You're welome.

How're you doing? It's been awhile.

I've really missed the blog over the last few weeks {really since Nate's birth}.  While I don't see being able to write every day for awhile, I hope to do at least a couple of posts a week.  Of course, I thought I was going to be able to write a lot while I was bedridden, too....

Anywho, time for an update!

It has been a wild ride for the Lewis's, getting the house ready to put on the market, listing it, driving to Tennessee, looking for a new house, finding one, selling our current house, and driving back.  We are in the eye of the storm right now, so it's calm and I can actually update this little blog of mine before it all starts up again.

We are very excited to be able to say that we bought a new house and sold our current house in THE SAME DAY!  We didn't expect to sell it in this economy, but we had an offer in two days!  Unfortunately, we couldn't accept it because of some contingencies that the relocation company wouldn't allow, but once those were cleared up, they submitted the offer again and we were able to accept.  Woo to the HOO!!

Here is our new house.  Many pictures will be forthcoming, but here she is in her unassuming glory.



Doesn't she look sweet?  She's a shy house.  She doesn't like to brag about her assets until she gets to know you.  But when you are invited over, you get to know her from a different angle:



Since she is very demure, let me tell you what you are seeing.  Off the left of the picture is the gate through which you drive to come around to the third car garage/workshop.  Handsome Hero was actually giggling when he saw that!  Above the garage door you see the covered deck which leads to the sunroom that spans the rest of the length of the house.  Under the sunroom is a huge covered patio that looks over the yard. 

You might say that this house had me at Hey, y'all!  We are in the South after all.

I'm very excited to get to Knoxville and get cracking on the many projects that a new house brings.  I'm sure there will be many posts on decorating and settling in.  Posts on things like painting peach trim white and tearing out 80's wallpaper....   

The coolest playground

Recently, we met some friends at perhaps the coolest playground set I have ever seen.  This, my friends, is a space shuttle.

Can you see the lake beyond?  It is in a gorgeous setting, and all around are some of the most beautiful homes I've ever seen.  I should have taken pictures of them.  Dream houses, all.

Do you see the guy in the white Tshirt below?  He was well over six feet tall, to give you a reference for how tall these slides were.

 We met for a picnic after church.

The kids had lots of fun together.  May I say that I was thrilled that Ella was actually smiling naturally at the camera until I saw she had her hair in her mouth.  It's a pet peeve of mine. 

My kiddos share an infatuation with their friend, Amelia.  Jack prays for her family every night.

As per the usual, the rest of my pictures of Ella are some version of her running.

Jack's a little easier to catch.

This one is zoomed in.  It's the very top of the shuttle.  He's about fifteen feet up here.  I was so surprised that he wanted to go up there {and that he didn't freak out about coming down}!

Nate slept through the entire picnic and play time.  Bless that child for his thoughtfulness.

 

Have you ever seen such an awesome park?