Ahh…Spring!

Today my heart is singing a song of praise to the Lord for the hope of Spring.

Ben and I dread the winters here in the Pacific Northwest to be quite honest. They are wet, dark and dreary, with little hope of snow days. It got even worse when we decided to have children. Winter of 2009 I was pregnant and throwing up constantly. Winter of 2010 the boys got their first flu, constant ear infections and were horrible sleepers (oh and we passed that flu along to our family, who were throwing up on Christmas Day). Winter of 2011 we renovated our bathroom in the midst of the boys having sinus infections, ear infections, and you guessed it, being horrible sleepers. But, we faired much better this winter than usual in the Morris household; for some reason one bout of the flu, bronchitis, a major cold, and a kitchen renovation didn’t seem that bad. Is it a perspective change? Or perhaps that the boys can finally sleep pretty good? Regardless, when Ben and I flipped the calendar to March, we were ecstatic—we made it through another winter!

Then we had this week. Let’s be honest, I’ve had much better weeks. While I was looking forward to a week of putting final touches on the kitchen project, instead I’ve been spending a lot of time dealing with sick boys, while being sick myself. After a couple of days of Sam having a bunch of odd symptoms (saying his mouth hurt, on-and-off again temp, rosy cheeks, nausea, cuddling way too much) I decided to take him in to the doctor, feeling like something was “off.” I’m so thankful for God-given motherly instincts, because sure enough, he has strep throat. According to the doctor, it’s highly contagious, so we were just waiting for Seth to get it. So begins my day today:

4:15: waking up groggy with my own cold, I hear Seth crying/coughing/moaning. I get him to the kitchen sink in time for him to throw up. Poor baby. He has strep. (who would have thought nausea would be a symptom of strep?) I’m too out-of-it to make a lucid decision, so have to ask for Ben’s opinion on what to give him/how to start antibiotics. We decide to wait until after breakfast, in hopes of getting some food in his tummy first. Thankfully he goes back to sleep.

7:45: force myself out of bed for some quiet devotion time before the kids get up.

7:50: Sam decides mom doesn’t need that time, he’s up. I give him books in his bed in hopes of that quiet time.

7:55: Seth wakes up moaning again. Ugh. I’m sick, tired, and no quiet time.

8-9: cuddle with boys who both obviously don’t feel well. Neither do I.

9:00: leave a message for Seth’s dr. in hopes of getting antibiotics over the phone for him without an appointment.

9:05: call my dr. in hopes of an afternoon appointment for me, so that Ben can watch the kids. The only appointment open is for 9:30. Great.

9:15: by a miracle, we are all on the way to my dr. Both boys are not happy. Seth’s only eaten half a banana and I’m hoping that’s enough food to get the antibiotics (which are in my pocket) to stay in his tummy.

9:30: of course, now, the boys’ dr. finally calls me back asking questions about his condition. I quickly try to answer, but not quick enough. My name is called. The nurse gives me a dirty look for being on my phone as I drag two 2 year olds into my appointment: just what every doctor’s office wants. Luckily they are so cute stomping down the hallway in their rain boots that she gives a little smile as I hang up and explain to her my situation.

But in all this, today it was easy to be thankful. We made it through the doctor’s appointment, through Sam screaming that he didn’t want to poop on the toilet at the doctor’s office, through multiple bouts of diarrhea as a side effect from the antibiotics (all in the toilet!), through fevers, and another throw-up, and lots of tears.

We made it through because of the hope of Spring. Sun shined down on our pale faces as we lounged on a blanket listening to the birds sing. The boys were trying to imitate their songs. Every room had a window opened, filling my home with the sweet aroma of fresh air. In the midst of walking around inspecting all my plants and seeing various sprouts popping up through the soil, I even got the lawn mowed and the trees sprayed. I felt my mind and body awaken in anticipation of the growing season.

God did a fantastic job in creating the seasons. He knew just what He was doing, and the hope that it instills in humans. Thank you God for the hope of Spring. Sammy is just as excited about spring as I am :) Check out the socks (Seth’s even pointing at them for me!), and the necklace…silly boys  Sammy (again) sporting the two hat look. They’ve been really into drawing this week and even drew their first stick figures (with our guidance)

Spring means fire-pit season—Ben’s favorite nightly activity. They had a “guys night” by the fire tonight.