It's been too long...

I haven't posted in a while, and that is not because there is nothing going on in our lives, quite the opposite actually. So much to do, so little time, but everyone reading this can relate, I am sure!

Last week my little Annalina got sick on Mother's day evening. She had a fever and had very achy muscles and joints. Richard set up his camping cot and she stayed in our room with us. We gave her motrin and later gave her tylenol but she still had a fever of about 101. After consulting with the nurse we just kept her as comfy as we could and by Wednesday she was feeling pretty good! But Thursday morning a sore throat set in and coughing and again the fever so I took her in and she was tested for strep and the flu. Nope, nothing too concerning except for the fact that she was so miserable. So back home we went! Many popsicles later she was feeling better and finally by Saturday she was back to her usual self, minus the voice, which she had lost a few days before. It was a very confining week for me. I didn't want to leave her and yet could not get errands and normal running around done. I am grateful that Annalina is normally a very healthy girl. And she handled being sick very well. We read lots of books and watched LOTS of movies!

Friday was Richard's and my 9th anniversary. We ended staying home watching the last few episodes of Freeks and Geeks. I just love that you can check out tv shows from the library! After we got the kids in bed Richard went out and got us Strawberry Milk shakes from Burgerville. Yummy! Saturday was my birthday and I woke up to breakfast in bed and singing. I got lovely flowers from a couple of Grandma's in the family and the older kids got me a gift card to Barnes and Noble, my favorite place to browse! Richard took me out to dinner to a Sushi place in Portland that has great prices on Wednesday and Saturday nights. Then he took me to see the choral group Cantico at the Old Chapel in Portland. It was very hot on Saturday and we had time before the show so we wandered the PSU campus and made it back in time to get good seats for the program. They sang some beautiful songs, some fun songs and some foreign songs that also fit into the first two categories! It was a great day!

On Sunday we had visitors from Palm Springs! Richard lived with Donna for a while when he was younger and she happened to be coming through the Portland area with her daughter. We have not seen her since Annalina was a baby and it was so fun to sit and visit with her. The kids adore her, she showers them with love and attention and she truly is one of the family. Joseph even got her to play a game of Mexican Train with us. She is a very talented jewelry maker and for my birthday she brought me two stunning necklaces that I will cherish! It was sad to see them go!

Last night we watched Annalina play a game of Softball with her team the Pink Panthers-and they won!!! I will get pics soon, cause they are just so cute to watch! It was a hot day. We got to the field and there was a hot wind blowing! Everyone had on shorts and tees. But a half hour later the tmperature must have dropped from 80 to 60 because it got very cool. Clouds rolled in and we were lucky to get to finish the game before the rain came. Luckily I was prepared enough to have a blanket in the back of the van. We wrapped up Joseph and he kept me warm, though he sure did wiggle a lot! It rained much of the night and some of this morning and then the clouds moved on and its been fairly nice.

This morning Joseph and I got to go see Annalina perform in the Spring Fling Music program at her school. It was short and sweet and the smile on her face when she saw we were there was priceless! I love my children all so much. I think how boring life would be if I did not have them filling it full of sporting events and programs and such. Sure, I'd have a lot of time to myself, but that seems like it might be a bit boring compared to all the great things I get to experience with my children!