Proof That Actual Fun Was Had

If you've read my last couple of posts, you're probably starting to wonder if we actually had any fun at all on vacation. To tell the truth, it was a little rough on me at times to spend a full week around only my children and my mother-in-law. Without going into too many details, I can say that, when we first met, my mother-in-law didn't exactly like me. That's evolved into something that seems to at least resemble some kind of fondness, but she's still got her share of unasked-for-opinions-about-the-raising-of-our-children to dole out. My general policy has become to keep my mouth shut and continue to raise them the way I feel is best. They seem happy (and most of the time healthy), so I'm sticking to that. Other than that, she apparently (unbeknownst to me) was there on vacation to "help me". I never asked for nor felt like I needed this help, so it was a bit of a surprise when I learned it from my sister-in-law. This knowledge did shine a little light on some annoyances that occurred quite frequently. For me, the best way to have "helped" me would have been to take any and all unwanted chores off my hands so I could spend a fun-filled week with my kiddos. Her idea of help was actually the opposite - taking the kids off my hands so that I could do fun things like grocery shopping and laundry. Oh well. I'll at least know next time that a full week under those circumstances is too much for my tastes.


Despite this misunderstanding of the meaning of the word "help," there were some stolen moments with my babies here and there, and I really cherished them. One of the most fun times throughout the entire week was an afternoon when their grandmother apparently needed some time alone. It was just before illness really set in (though there had been some fevers in the days prior to this one), and the kids were in great moods just after a nice, long nap. We played on the swing set just next to the cabin and made up fun adventures on the picnic table nearby. Wanting to memorize these precious moments, I snapped a few shots. And, since their American grandparents can't get enough of their sweetness, I thought I'd share.





I do have more pictures to share, but they are of animals we saw at the bison reserve, so I'll save those for another day. I'd rather spend some time getting some cleaning done. Today seems to be a turning point in the kids' illnesses (yay! bigger appetites, less nausea, and more energy), so they've allowed me more time to get chores done. Considering baby day is coming up fast, this is a really good thing.



And, for those of you who don't want children, I'll let you in on a little something you're missing out on... in case your spouse is like mine and frequently forgets minor things like birthdays, you've always got a little back-up person. With the kids sick, I told them they needed to take their meds, because I wanted to have a cake on my birthday (but I wasn't making one if they couldn't have any). This was a few days ago, and today is my birthday (I ain't telling how old, but I'm officially over a certain hill). The very first person to tell me happy birthday was my sweet Lambchop #1. This was even before she had seen her daddy this morning, so I know for sure it came from her. She's also really good to have around for guilt-tripping her daddy with comments like, "Mommy, where are the presents? It's not a real birthday without presents." That's my girl (okay, to his credit, he did remember to say happy birthday, and since he's sick AND working on the new house, I'll give him a break)! In case you're wondering, I never did make that cake. They really aren't up to it yet, so I pulled a few slices of a previously-baked chocolate cake from the freezer to share. They each had a tiny bite just to say they had some, and I got to make a wish and blow out a candle.

Oh, and as my sister-in-law pointed out in the comments on the last post, I may have jinxed myself (by saying I was glad it was only a virus??). Well, I have been taking extra precautions not to get sick. Besides the immunity boost that often comes with pregnancy, I've also been really obsessive about washing my hands. That, combined with the fact that I refuse to finish their plates, even though I hate the waste of throwing the rest of their meals away is probably what has kept me healthy in the last week or two. Funny thing is (well, not that funny, really), my husband has come down with the original feverish yuck thing they had while on vacation (that's what he gets for finishing some of their meals!). Although I'd doubt it'll reach the same proportions in his body as it has in theirs, it probably shows that if I were going to get sick, I'd have done it by now (again, jinxing myself, but I'll continue to be careful). I've only got a few weeks of pregnancy left, and I plan to keep healthy throughout that time so I can get this house as clean as possible before the baby arrives.