escape...

I was starting to feel at the end of my rope... Really stretched thin. I felt like I could hardly get a word out of my mouth towards the kids without it coming out at VOLUME 10!!

Thank goodness, at just the right time, my husband and I had a 5 day excursion planned- and it came at the perfect timing.

Of course, though we were on vacation, my body still woke up up before 7 a.m. But that's all right. It was worth it.
The morning sunrise was absolutely glorious...



We sat around and did...

well...

pretty much nothing...



See that smile on my face?? That's a combination of relaxation, some well-needed rest, and a little bit of a smirk at my adorable husband behind the camera.



It was such a huge blessing to get away and to be able to reconnect and spend time with the love of my life.

Sunday morning...

When I walked downstairs on Sunday morning, I noticed how the sun cast the shadow of a cross on the piano and I thought it was so pretty, so I snapped a picture...



A typical Sunday morning in our home...

Reading books with (or to!) Dad...



Or reading quietly by yourself...



Or playing quietly on the floor...



We don't enjoy "peace and quiet" very often in this house. It tends to be loud and a little chaotic! But, for some reasons, Sunday mornings seem to bring a spirit of rest and relaxation. Just the way it should be.

I could frame this picture and hang it up. To me, it is artwork. To see my baby girl EATING like this is a beautiful sight to me.



And if a picture of her eating isn't good enough, a picture of her asking for, "More, please" is even better. Can you see her asking for more? Ahhhh- a masterpiece of a photograph. And in real life, it was even better...



Ariana has been doing great these last 2 weeks. She is waking up hungry, eating and even asking for food throughout the day. It is truly miraculous and I attribute it to nothing other than prayers. Nothing about our life or our situation has changed- and yet, ever since we started praying fervently for her hunger to ignite, she's been eating... and- HUNGRY!

In other news, it's been a long couple of weeks. I've been a single mom more often than not and the days are long and the nights, definitely even longer. They are not without the constant occasional scuttle between the kids. And when the arms go swinging (THEIRS, not mine!) I am starting to send noses in the corner. Any other suggestions? My kids have never been pacifists by any means, but geez- lately, I feel like I'm ringside WWW smack down more often than not.



But, it's not all noses in the corner around here. Oh, no, my friends... we have plenty of just sitting around in chairs staring out the window wishing it were summer... or warmer... or something other than what it is... cold, dark and dreary.



But, I know that Spring is around the corner. The rain earlier this week was a beautiful, welcome reminder.

I gave up... for a while

I've definitely slacked before on my blogging, but never for this long! I guess the month in Florida came and went by so fast. And then... of course, the three day drive home. Somewhere between 28n04, 80w34 and 44n48, 93w32 Ariana contracted what I believe to be influenza. She stopped eating on Sunday- the last day of our trip, and pretty much ate only 2 bites of avocado and one string cheese for the next 5 days. Likely due to her 104 fever that she endured for nearly five days straight. Add that to the fact that we already greatly struggle with keeping weight on her, and it was- to say the least- a bit of a stressful first week home.

But- that really only brings me up to Thursday, February 5th. Because she was better by then and I had nothing other than (you know, the daily, typical chaos of life) to stress me out. I think I figured that I lost the 2 blog readers that I had. So, what was the point.

But! Then, I remembered, the real reason I started this, and am doing it, is to keep a journal for the kids and to print it out in book form... thank you, Blurb.

So- I am back.

I do have one request- if you are reading this, and ever think of it- please keep my little Ariana in your prayers. She is very small and hasn't gained an ounce in over a year. Thankfully, she's put on a little bit of height- but her weight gain is just non-existent. They have run every conceivable test- and every serious and worrisome "possibility" has been ruled out. But she needs to start eating more and for those of you who have (or have had) a TWO year old, you know how well it goes over when you try to "make" your toddler do anything. I have had to be very creative in what I am feeding her and in trying to load in extra calories (toddler "formula" sprinkled in dinner, anyone?? real butter slathered on everything? yummm) but it seems to be making a bit of difference. I have been encouraged the last week because- thanks to prayers- she seems to have had her hunger reignited. She has been eating great and, because I am tracking all of her calorie consumption, I am thrilled that her calorie consumption is sky-rocketing from a previous typical intake of around 600 calories a day... to over 1,000 calories. HUGE answer to prayer.

If she ever pops into your mind- I ask that you join me in praying that she will feel hungry, eat fast and furiously and that we will see REAL progress in the next 30 days. I asked the Dr. for one more month before we send her to the feeding clinic at Children's hospital.

Blessings!
Angela