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Well it's been a rough few days. On Friday the weather was so great. It was warm and sunny - full of the promise of Spring. Gary and I had been talking about getting some new outside furniture and a new grill for a while. Friday seemed like a perfect day to finally do it as Gary was coming home early from work. I spent the morning finding the perfect umbrella and then fitting it up with a set of twinkle lights. Then when Gary came home we made our way to Target for the furniture we wanted and then to Walmart for the grill. We got a screaming deal on a grill that was last years model. It has a side burner, this thing that sears meat and storage underneath. The racks that you cook on are removable and porcelain so easy to clean and very durable. The guy at Walmart said it would take about an hour to assemble. Perfect. Just in time for dinner!

As is often the case things didn't go so smoothly once we got home. There was a defective piece so Gary had to take it back and get another. In the end I had to cook the kid's hotdogs inside and they had to make do with that as it was getting late. We finally had everything set up by about 8pm. Just in time to sit there for a few minutes and admire the umbrella lights for a while.

Saturday we had high hopes for grilling steak and so on. Not only was it cold but it was raining as well. I had to bring the umbrella inside the garage. The kids were disappointed to say the least.

Saturday night I was starting to feel rough. Sore throat and yucky symptoms similar to what the kids had over Easter.

Sunday morning, it took ALL my willpower to drag my butt out of bed. My throat felt like someone was sticking a knife into it. But the kids were popping and Sunday is church so that's what we did. Grilling was on the menu for the afternoon but it was still too cold to sit outside. Gary grilled the food and then we had to eat it inside. The kids were unimpressed and I was ready to lay on the sofa under an afghan.

Monday morning looked like this.......

What the heck?? And to top it off my voice had disappeared. When I could get anything out I sounded like I had a serious disease. I didn't even get a late start out of the weather so instead of climbing back under the warm covers to nurse my sore throat I had to get up and make what seemed like a 1000 sandwiches and toasted bagels and then drive Leia to school. Fortunately the boys used their whisper voices since I was whispering, so it was a fairly quiet day all in all. Of course I had to deal with media presenting the swine flu as an imminent pandemic that's going to wipe us out. I am so sick of hearing about how the EU is discouraging travel to the US, and sick of seeing people in airports wearing medical masks. My family are supposed to be here in four weeks and it doesn't help their state of mind. I tend to think that as much will come of this as the bird flu which was basically nothing. It's a conspiracy to get rid of all the vaccine they never actually had to use last time.

So last night Gary started to have severe pain in his ear. He has been experiencing deafness in that ear for a while and went to the doctor a while back. He was prescribed steroids and antibiotics and told that they didn't really know what was wrong. Well the medications hadn't worked and it was getting worse culminating in pressure so bad he couldn't lay down let alone sleep. He eventually decided to go to the Emergency Room. $100 to get some numbing medication for the ear followed by no less than 4 prescriptions that will be at least $10 each. It turns out that he has a very bad infection that had caused fluid build up or something. The last antibiotics weren't strong enough. I think there may be more going on. He's going to go to an audiologist since the deafness, ringing in the ear and dizziness seem a bit more serious than just an ear infection.

I was still feeling bad this morning and I asked Gary if he could stay home. But no. Even a nighttime trip to the Emergency Room wasn't good enough reason to miss some teleconference he has going on and neither are my throat ailments which are still going strong. But it's sure to be nice and sunshiney to cheer me up right? Here is the sight which greeted me when I opened up the front door this morning.....

Gee - is Spring ever going to get to Colorado? Fog is meant to be confined to damp climates. I'm not being unreasonable. It's May in a few days. After a wonderful sunny winter I was lulled into a false sense of security. I suppose it serves me right that we are having a seriously awful Spring so far. I've done enough bragging about how it's always sunny here. All I can say is that it has no more than 4 weeks to sort itself out since I've as good as promised my family the best weather EVER!

So here's to another day of sounding like a frog and laying on the sofa. I can see Gary's ear numbing drops on the counter so maybe he'll be popping home in the middle of the day. That would be nice!

Easter

Well Easter arrived and the children have been ill all weekend. Coughing, chucking up, temperatures, snot and all those nice things. I had bought them all some new clothes for the occasion and I was sad that they weren't going to be able to wear them. Of course the Easter Bunny visited with a few chocolate treats. Sugar - the perfect medicine for ailing children! By mid-morning they weren't looking so good, particularly Spencer. But hang it all - I wanted to take pictures of them in their new duds. So I did. A bit of face powder helped mask Spencer's rosy cheeks and although he was the hardest to get a natural smile from, I am fairly pleased all in all. Leia of course performed beautifully and I love her pictures. I got the dress weeks ago and have been dying to have her wear it. I must say that I like the tradition of a new dress for Easter. Leia looks the best in something simple. I despise straw hats, gloves and all that fussy nonsense. It's a pity that the more tasteful dresses cost more. But then I only have one girl so why not splurge? Nathan did his best to keep still. So happy Easter one and all. I certainly hope your holiday was a healthier one than ours.

This was my attempt at being artistic. Unfortunately Leia can't keep a straight face. This was the best of them.

A natural smile.

This is my favorite.

We had to tell Spencer jokes to get a natural smile. It worked better than telling him to say cheese.

I like this one.

You can't tell he's ill right? Maybe a little in the eyes.

Always eager to pose. Now if he stays still for more than 2 seconds I'm in business.

I like dark colors on the boys. For once I avoided stripes - just to shake things up!

And for the finale.....I'm not 100% pleased with the composition but they are all smiling and looking in the right direction.

It's not even 9am and I'm blogging.......

This morning, we were late for the school bus. We could see it in the distance with the doors closed as we approached and I was sure we had missed it. But as we arrived at the bus stop, the driver put on the flashing lights and out came the STOP sign as the doors opened for Leia. It was almost as if the driver was waiting for us. When does that ever happen? I took it as a sign for a good day ahead.

Sure enough the boys both have a low grade fever. Spencer's is 99.8 and Nathan's is 100.4. Nathan has a cough and Spencer seems to be developing one. I'm sure you're wondering why this makes for a good day. It just slows the pace and once in a while it can be a good thing. The doctor once told me that if the kids have a low grade fever due to something like a cold/unknown virus then you should just let it run. They are comfortable enough but it still keeps them on the couch all day. When you have two boys that basically spend the whole day running around the house making tons of noise, a day which they spend keeping still is a welcome relief. Particularly Nathan. He is actually laying down on the couch shock horror. (Just to allay fears, I do not want my children to be sick and would rather have them in perfect health, but this is the hand I've been dealt today and so I'm looking on the sunny side!)

So for today my plans are to scrapbook, take an uninterrupted shower, potter around the kitchen, mixed with a bit of solicitude for my less than 100% honeys.

I've been trying to take more pictures of the everyday and not just the notable occasions. Here are a couple.

Leia wants to do everything I do, including wrapping a towel around her head after a shower. It's fun sharing things with her although this particular practise, I worry, might just injure her neck! The other night we watched Dancing with the Stars together once the boys were in bed. I really enjoyed that. I'm looking ahead to the days when we can go to the pool in the evenings to swim a few laps and then go in the hot tub to discuss our days.


Nathan absolutely LOVES Tom and Jerry. It's a good afternoon when I am in the kitchen cooking or something and I can see and hear Nathan laughing his head off at the cartoon. It's not just giggles either, it's belly laughs. He truly has a thing for slapstick and that makes me very happy. It reminds me of Dad and his sense of humor. There was nothing Dad liked better than a bit of slapstick. From bad guys getting their due on Indiana Jones to Home Alone or Tom and Jerry, that kind of humor appealed to Dad. I can picture Dad and Nathan enjoying Tom and Jerry together.

And to top the day off, Gary and I are going out tonight. I am going to try and eat very little today so that I can order dessert after my meal. We are also planning a trip to Borders after dinner. Not something that would cause heart palpitations in very many but for me there is nothing better than buying new books that I really want to read. In fact all activity during the evening with Gary, knowing the kids are tucked up in bed is bliss. And if we get the opportunity to get out and about, all the better. Who knows, we may even go to the movie theater as well. Our babysitter has been saving up for an ipod touch over the past six months. Any teenager who watches children over an extended period of time to save up for something special deserves a few extra hours.