Sick But Grateful

Four out of five of my family members are sick. It's been a rough week and there really isn't much relief in sight.

But still . . .

I gotta be grateful for a few things:

1. Vicks infused tissues. Even though I can hardly smell, every once in a while I get a whiff of them and it clears my sinuses a bit.

2. Pseudoephedrine. You have to go to the pharmacy counter and sign something to get it, but it's worth it! It's even worth the weird looks I get from the pharmacist when I exclaim, "I need pseudoephedrine - anything with pseudoephedrine!" It probably doesn't help that when I'm there, my eyes are all blood shot and I look terrible. I swear it's for medicinal purposes only. JUST GIVE IT TO ME!

3. Nyquil. This gets me through the night. And did you know that they have an alcohol-free version of Nyquil? Um, what? How does that in any way help? I get the alcohol-laden version instead. Just call me a lush.

4. Afrin. Oh, where would I be without my Afrin? I would have suffocated by now because I hate breathing out of my mouth. A few sprays of Afrin and my sinuses are cleared for about 10 hours. This is THE miracle drug.

5. Tea Tree Oil and Eucalyptus Oil. This is for bath time. A nice hot bath with a few drops of each and I just feel a little better (even though I can't smell them because I'm so stuffed up).

6. Humidifier. My dad has been encouraging us for a few months to get a humidifier. Once this sickness hit, I finally did. Right now it's in the boys' room - where it now feels like a tropical rain forest. It's great! I'm wishing I bought one for each bedroom, but for now we'll rotate this one to whomever is in greatest need of it.

We're really blessed to live in a day and age where we have stuff like this that take the edge off and help us get through our days. I'm most grateful for medications that allow me to sleep. I think being able to sleep is a great way to allow our bodies to heal.

The Blind Leading The Blind

Overheard conversation between Carena and Colt:

Colt: I saw a porkee-pine!

Carena: It's not PORKEE-PINE, it's POKEY-pine!

A Moment of Awesome

Hate to admit it, but I'm not easily impressed. I feel like I've seen it all - or at the least - will have seen it all - and am therefore anticipating it. Whatever "it" may be.

But on Saturday I was impressed.

Saturday was a rainy chilly day here in Arizona. Chilly enough for sweaters and jackets. My little family and I were headed to church for an Easter brunch. It was pouring out. We're driving along when I notice something up ahead on the sidewalk. It looks like a person lying down on the sidewalk?! Doing something . . .

We get closer . . .

It's some guy - IN THE POURING COLD RAIN - doing stomach crunches ON THE SIDEWALK. Most likely he's training for something. Maybe he did a little running and then dropped and did a set of who knows how many crunches ON THE SIDEWALK IN THE POURING COLD RAIN.

I was impressed. I guess I'm impressed when I see people pushing themselves - and maybe at the same time I'm a little envious that I don't have the guts to do it. I have a whole lotta respect for that guy.

Breaking the Silence

Sometimes I feel a little awkward with my frequent blog silences. So, just like in real life I'll fill it with mindless chatter - or in this case, pictures. These are a few random pictures I picked off my camera.

See what you can do with a simple dinner roll?:

My little cowboy for the Way Out West Kindergarten play:

Jonathan loves his hospital hat. He wears it all the time:

Nap time:

Carena has some little play mice that she loves. She even made a playground and living room for them: