Look before you sit

We are finally feeling better -well most of us.  I seem to take the longest to get better on account of lack of sleep and being worn out caring for the other sick ones :( .  I'm just glad I got the cold part of the illness only, and that Mark didn't get it at all :).  The other three took turns throwing up for about 12 hours each (not constantly).  I don't think I remember doing that much laundry in three days.  I had those machines going constantly  - thank God for washing and drying machines!  I can't even imagine how crappy that would have been to deal with washing everything by hand like people used to (still do in some countries).  Although all three of the kids were sick, there always seemed to be one that perked up when another one started feeling sick - so I had a sick kid, a semi-sick kid and a bouncy " get in trouble kid" every day for about three days.

Yesterday was a "making messes" day.  It seemed like I would clean up one only to turn around in time to see them make another giant mess.  By the end of the day I gave up.  I made sure that the floors were mostly clear (or they trip and fall) and it was not too annoying stepping on crumbled food....  if that is possible. While I was putting Abby and Sarah to bed Nathan decided to change his own diaper.  He had pooped in it and decided that the couch was a good place to take it off.  He then went to the change table and attempted to clean himself up and then proceeded to the kitchen with a chair and helped himself to a soother (I keep them in a cupboard until bedtime).  I know all this because he left a trail of poop smudges everywhere he went.  What could have been a 2-3 wipe poop turned into a 50 wipe poop as I searched the house to see where he had been.  It was my chair this time :(.  When I told Mark about the episode he replied "well, I guess the motto for today is 'look before you sit!'".  I love my husband :).  Nathan has developed a fascination for pump bottles filled with shampoo or conditioner in the bathroom - often when I find him in there there is a stream of shampoo or conditioner flowing down the bottle and making a puddle on the floor.  He looks so intently at it while it is dripping - I can't be angry.  I'm at a loss of where to put those darned bottles.  They come from Costco so they are huge - I am glad of that because the floor gets a lot of treatment but they are so big they don't fit anywhere :(.  

Recently I noticed that my supply of plastic containers was growing non-existent.  I also noticed Abby walking around with them , attempting to put lids on or take them off but never putting them in the same place or back where they came from.  Abby also , now that she is always walking, walks around with her food.  She used to make a mess around her high chair or by the coffee table where she was standing - now she scatters her mess all over the house!   She often will follow me around the house with a book clutched in both hands , wanting me to read it to her and getting very loud and angry when I don't immediately comply.  Abby is lucky she is so cute and we still love her no matter how crazy she gets...  I could say that for all three of them.  Sometimes I walk in on them doing something crazy and often the result is a lot of clean up for me...I stand there for a moment not knowing if I should laugh, cry or be angry.   I take a picture and puzzle about it - then clean up the mess usually ending up laughing.

Since the weather has been so nice I have been taking the kids out in the back yard more often.  Sarah has decided that she does not like bugs.  At first she seemed afraid of them and wanting me to flip them off the slide before she went down and freaking out if they happened to land on her clothing or skin.  I explained to her that the bugs live outside and that they were not going to hurt her.  She seems less afraid now.  Now, she smashes them in-between  her fingers and then hands them to me (or tries to) saying "Here mom!"  and I have to brush the remnants of the bug off her fingers.  Nathan seems to be much like his dad in that he  needs something to do outside.  He needs to blow bubbles or ....something .... I haven't figured out how to keep him busy yet.  Usually he is waiting by the door for us to go back in while Sarah and Abby are happily playing.  

I have concluded that we just need to survive May.  June will go quickly , then I will have a baby and everything will settle down after that ..... hopefully.  Ha ha -I think rather we will be adjusting to a new kind of crazy, but at least it will be summer and Mark will be home.  Just focus on surviving May Leanne.....

Nathan watching his favourite meal bake *fish* 

playing outside -watch out for bugs!

These girls don't need lessons on how to make a mess