From Bliss to H*ll in 24 Hours..

A little somethin' to make you smile:


So Wednesday was another great day. The weather was absolutely fantastic. Let's see. It was so long ago it seems. Ah yes. I started the day at the gym. I'm attempting the couch-potato to 5K training program. Now, I'm not exactly a couch potato and I have run 2 miles a couple times lately, but I think I take it too fast sometimes. So I'm going to try this approach and see if I get better results. The girls played with their friend Abby. They set up a stand selling lemonade, freezie pops, rocks, and Pokemon cards. They actually ended up making about $12. Devon had his first tee ball practice. When I first told him he was going to play tee ball he wasn't too thrilled about it, but by the day of he was pretty excited about it. I was so happy to see him get right in there and do his thing. He didn't hide out by my side or refuse to join the group. He batted, ran the bases with great enthusiasm, and practiced fielding balls. (OK, really they held their gloves down to the ground and the coach rolled the ball to them. Baby steps.)




Speaking of his coach, I am so excited about him. I really think he's a great coach and the kids will actually LEARN something from him. After so many less than stellar soccer coaches it is refreshing to see a coach who will actually teach them the sport. After tee ball, we grabbed Happy Meals for the kids, dropped Kennedy off at Activity Days and headed to the park for the first event of the summer concert series. The band was Madisalsa, a fun Latin group from Madison. It was a perfect evening for a concert in the park. The kids ran around in the fields and danced with the art teacher from school. When we weren't busy chasing kids we got a few seconds to sit on our blanket in the sunshine and enjoy the perfect atmosphere.





The concert series is sponsored by Lands' End, another great thing they do for the community. They really make an effort to provide some nice perks to the area that wouldn't be here otherwise. So, Wednesday was another great day.

Then came Thursday. I should have known what the day held when I woke up late (8:00) to the phone ringing. It was very dark and cloudy and even at 8 I didn't want to get up. It was my dentist office calling to tell me they had some extra time around my scheduled appointment so I could come early if I wanted to have my fillings done while they had my mouth numb for my other procedure. I decided to do it, but that meant I had to see if my babysitter would take my kids for an extra hour and I'd have to rush like a mad woman to get us all out of the house on time. My gracious friend was willing to take the kids for the extra hour so I changed 2 diapers, dressed 5 kids and myself and rushed out the door. Of course, when we pulled into the driveway to unload kids at Kym's, it was pouring rain. Soaking, drenching rain. In fact, as I stood in her doorway passing off kids, we watched as recycling bins and dumpsters were carried down the road in the run-off. The drive to the dentist was slow-going. The rain was coming down in sheets and I often had to slow to about 40 mph on the highway. We made it safe and sound on the dot of 10. I spent the next 2 hours with my mouth propped open and the bottom of my face numb. And I was freezing. I had gotten drenched in the rain and was chilled right through, even with a blanket over me. After my appointment my neck, jaw and head ached and I began yearning for a nap. We picked up the little ones and went home. It wasn't long before I realized that the chills and aching were because I was sick, not from all the other stuff I had been attributing it too. So my sincerest apologies to my dentist and the 2 other people who played around in my germ-infested mouth. I didn't know! I promise! I spent the rest of the day in the throes of a fever. I could barely function and holding my head up was excruciating. Kennedy did a great job watching the kids and came to wake me up about an hour later to tell me the tornado siren was going off. Everyone sat on my bed and we watched and listened. The siren went off 3 times and then Lincoln called to tell us the internal alarm had gone off at Lands' End and they were sending everyone down to the tornado shelter. A funnel cloud had touched down near Platteville (where we go to church) and the storm was moving in our general direction. In my semi-comatose state I moved everyone to the basement and we turned on the TV. We watched for some time, as it poured buckets outside, until we were convinced it had passed us by. Meanwhile, Jesse, still working on those molars, was screaming his head off. Each scream left me reeling as it cut through my skull. Once I was sure the coast was clear I put him in his bed. Then the kids watched a movie while I slept in the chair. When the weather cleared the girls ran off to play again and I was left with three little stinkers. Jesse, now up from his nap had returned to screaming. I had called Lincoln and asked him to stop to buy infant Motrin on his way home, but knowing he would be very late, I decided I needed to call a neighbor to see if they had anything to stop the screaming. After talking to Kym I determined I could adjust the dose of children's Motrin for him- why I didn't think of that before I blame on the fog I was existing in. Bless her heart, Kym arrived a few minutes later and whisked my kids away and sent me to bed. At this point it was nearly 8:00. I had to go haul the annoying dog in a few minutes later, but then I finally fell asleep, curled up in the fetal position trying to stay warm. I barely remember Lincoln arriving home with the kids around nine and waking up drenched in sweat at some point in the night. But at 7 this morning my eyes popped open and I was feeling worlds better, you know, aside from that fever taste in my mouth and the post-sick blahs. So today is recovery- house, body, spirit.

Oh yeah, due to weather the girls' last soccer game was cancelled. Here's a team photo.