Random Tellings From February...

The Sick Ones are recovering...slowly. I'm more than ready for them to be Well Ones! During this sick week, what have we learned? That pepper and ginger are good additions to the traditional cough/cold remedy of lemon and honey hot drinks. That Jasmin knows all about the potty and would like to use it herself. That there is a time when Jasmin will refuse food! That Jasmin cannot tolerate even watered down orange juice...

We are still working out what exactly Jasmin's diet ought to look like to have our Jasmin Joy live up to her name. The latest discovery is that she cannot tolerate apples and juice - perhaps a fructose intolerance that can be connected to the gluten intolerance we know she has? Citrus fruits are supposed to be okay (it's complicated!) - but not in juice form! We found that out one morning this week when Jasmin got a hold of Grace's sippy in the night... that morning she threw up and had messy diarrhea twice... So, now she's a juice free kid :o}

One library trip we discovered an abandoned "pet" outside in the spring snow which we were compelled to rescue... The first day Grace fed it constantly and Jasmin rode it or pulled it around. Thankfully the electrics which make it neigh and move are broken :)
Grace and Jasmin's other horse is Daddy! After supper routine: "Daddy's Gracie"s horsey... what do horseys do? They say 'neigh!'" This particular evening, Daddy has a foal copying him :o)

One quiet activity for a recovering Sick One:
Grace managed to finish this 16-piece puzzle all by herself without much hesitation!
And Jasmin's favorite quiet activity:
Not exactly reading... more like taking all the books off the shelves! But at least she also gets quite absorbed in fitting them all back on too!

And finally, here's an impatient Grace. One warm, Spring-like day, Grace decided it was time for the snow to be all gone. So she began shoveling it into the cardboard box to take it away. Problem is, she only took it two or three steps before dumping it!

Our house is a hospital this week...
First Jasmin, then Daddy, and (hopefully last!) Grace got sick with a bad chest cold. Unfortunately they didn't wait for one to get better before the next got sick. So Mommy has been busy with nose wiping, soothing coughs with drinks, monitoring fevers, bathing and cleaning up after accidents... all the fun of being the only well one in the house!

Hopefully better posts soon to come :o)

I think we are all itching for Spring...

grace and Jasmin both are more often asking to go outside to play. I love it, but unfortunately not very often is it warm enough to go. Days like today when I can send them out in the back yard to explore the retreating snow are so wonderful! Other times they have to settle with playing dress up with outdoor stuff...
Or perhaps Mommy will twig with another captivating indoor activity! I let Grace have a glue stick, scissors and construction paper... and she was absorbed for nearly an hour!

Didn't work so well for Jasmin... 5 minutes after start time Mommy goes to hang up the laundry, and finds this upon return... Climbing and "fishing" is so much more Jasmin's style :o)

Family day Fun - on Saturday - with our church

We went bowling. I anticipated that Grace would have a blast and Jasmin get herself perpetually into trouble :o) Actually... Jasmin was fascinated by the ball return... she continually grabbed balls, took them to the foul line and left them there with no interest in actually bowling them or watching the pins fall down.

Grace, on the other hand, was clingy and scared! She hated the noise... mommy had forgotten about the crazy loud music and the combined noise of 16 lanes of busy bowlers! But once I brought out the snacks, she was happy enough to sit at watch :o)


Afterward, we went back to the church for supper, a movie, and games. Grace was much happier just running around the big empty room of our church and hiding with Jasmin under the potluck table! The game time centered around DDR, "dancing" by touching the correct arrows as you see them on the screen. This is a good picture of how NOT to play successfully :o)But at least we were demonstrating good cooperative family spirit ;O) Lots of people had a go, from those who are amazing to watch dancing the fast songs, brave beginners like me, and even just the curious parents and pastors. It was a good day. And best of all, an early bed time on Saturday night preparing us well for Sunday.