Time

 This morning when we woke up the house was cold! Our furnace wasn't working properly when we went to bed and we stayed up until after midnight trying to fix it with no luck. The baby woke in the middle of the night with hands as cold as popsicles. I cozied him next to me in bed to keep him warm. Finley crawled in with us early this morning and warmed his cold feet on my legs. When it was time to wake up we went straight downstairs and turned on the fireplace. The infloor heating kept it relatively warm down there and I could change the baby without him getting chilled. We went upstairs for a quick bowl of cereal and then gathered in the basement again. Hyrum finished his bowl and then promptly barfed it up again all over the living room floor. He is the third child to get the pukes this week and now our basement smells of sour milk and corn pops.

The furnace repair man came by in the late morning. Turns out we had an ice blockage in our fresh air intake causing the pressure switch to fail. He took a few chunks of ice out of the vent and charged us an arm and a leg for labour! I guess we'll know for next time!

 

I think my favorite part of having sick kids is the extra time they spend sleeping! I even caught a few winks on the couch until Joe woke me up. We had a late lunch and I endured a few cranky littles. My sanity was walking a fine line with a counter full of dishes, a crying baby and a whiny preschooler. My Dad called just in the nick of time and brought a little sanity back into my day.

We enjoyed a relatively quiet afternoon. I made the littles up a batch of play dough and they happily played while I finished cooking the filling for the chicken pot pies.

The puppy settled into her bed for an afternoon snooze and Oliver was finally content just to lay in the bassinet and listen to the music and sound of his brother's voices as they quietly played. Just breath mamma, just breath. I tidied here and there in the kitchen between requests to "taste" their latest play dough creations. 

Finley asked to get down from the table after an hour of play. He had the sweetest twinkle in his eye and instead of placing him on the floor I propped him on my hip, placed his hand in mine, and started dancing right in the middle of my dirty kitchen. He swung his head back and giggled as we spun, then tucked in close for a cuddle. Tears of joy stung my eyes despite the trials of the day. We twirled and laughed for a few minutes more. Just as the song ended I heard the dreaded sound of barf hitting the floor in the dining room. It splattered and filled a two meter radius. Hyrum stood still in the middle and Joe stood frozen in the doorway to his bedroom on the other side. I felt the tears welling in my eyes and wondered how on earth I was going to make it until dinner. I mopped it up with paper towels and then pulled out the bucket and disinfectant and began scrubbing the floors. Camilla walked in from school before I finished and told me about her day. Just as I got to the table Finley reached for a rolling pin and knocked a full glass of water on the floor.

Everyone but Hyrum continued to play play dough while I made up a smoothie to fill hungry tummies. Joe insisted on using a spoon and while he grabbed one from the drawer his cup tipped in his arms and splattered all over my freshly cleaned floors. I totally cried. Defeated and frustrated tears. Recognizing it as an accident helped me not to lose it on Joe. When he saw my tears he hugged me and said sorry. I started counting down the hours until Mr. Stannix would walk in the door, wrap me in his strong arms, and whisper in my ear.

 Our girly started violin lessons this week and practised three times before dinner! I am already so proud of her and it's only been a few days. She loves playing it!

While I made dinner I listened to THIS incredible song that left me crying as I put the pizza toppings on with the help of the littles. It made me think of my Gramma and the need to hold my children close more often. So when Camilla begged me to play her memory game with her at the table while the pizza cooked I smiled and said "yes!" The dishes will be there tomorrow, but these days with the littles are fleeting. 

Mike got home from work just as the pizza came out of the oven. He wrapped me in a tight hug and whispered in my ear, "Hello, darling." The troubles of the day melted away in his embrace and I was filled with gratitude for our crazy, chaotic life with all of these littles and the joy that they bring into our home. Motherhood is hard, but I wouldn't trade what I have for anything