A good week

Last week was a good week.  The weather was beautiful; we cut back on some of our after-school commitments; and maybe, just maybe, it finally felt like we had a chance to catch our breath.

The week included moments like these:

Playing in the sandbox is one of Anna's favorite outdoor activities.

Anna is relearning how to pump while swinging.  Unlike last year, she actually enjoys swinging so far this year!

We are starting to find Kate in all sorts of places reading all manner of books.

"Mom, can I please just take a nap now?"

The week also included moments like these:

The jumping mattress from our basement was moved upstairs to our dining room recently to give Anna more of an opportunity to crawl and climb around.  Ethan and Kate seem to enjoy the opportunity to jump, bounce, do forward rolls and cartwheels practically any time they want.

Matt's birthday was on Thursday, so he took the day off.  Why not, right?  The girls still had school that day so it was probably one of the first days in a long, long time when Matt and I were both home and had only one child to take care of, and that child is one very sweet boy.

The boys had the opportunity on Thursday morning to watch the farmer plant the field behind our house.  I wonder if anyone else finds planting day as exciting as the kids in our family do.

The day also included many of Matt's favorite foods, a handful of cards and birthday surprises, and Matt and I working on the next "yard project" together.  (We are enclosing our perennial area with timbers to help keep the pesky weeds out of our asparagus, raspberry bushes, garlic, rhubarb, blueberry bushes, and flowers.)

Friday was Anna's port removal surgery.  We checked in to the 3rd floor of the hospital at the bright and early time of 6:15 a.m. for a 7:30 procedure.

Anna was wide awake and ready for the day well before our 5:45 a.m. planned departure.

Everything went wonderfully smoothly and Anna was back in the Post-Anesthesia Care Unit by about 8:45.  She slept off most of the anesthesia (instead of crying and screaming) for an hour and a half or so before she felt like doing anything much.  We were home by noon.

And the port is out!

Anna was doing well enough in the afternoon that she played in the sandbox with Kate for a long time before heading as a family to Olbrich Gardens.

In spite of Anna coming down with a mild cold on Saturday morning, the weekend was still pretty nice for us.  Matt continued to make great progress on the perennial bed while I was able to get some more things planted in the garden.  The weekend ended with the kids each taking a turn on the go-kart Matt built for them a few years back; even Anna was able to have a good time driving it around the yard.

Weeks like this past one make us long for the (hopefully) relaxed pace of summer.  Even though there were still tears and frustrations throughout the week, for some reason everything felt a bit more manageable.  The flowers are up; the fruit trees are blooming; life seems a little brighter right now than it has in awhile.  The girls have only a month or so left of school before the transition, but a lot is going to happen during that time!

Time for Prayers

Thanksgiving
Please give thanks for the safe and successful surgery Anna had on Friday morning.
Please thank God for the doctors and nurses who took care of Anna on Friday.  Some worked with her several times last spring and this port removal was a celebration for them as well as us.
Please give thanks for the beautiful and rejuvenating week/weekend we experienced.
Please thank God for the opportunity to have many growing things in our yard.
Please continue to give thanks for all those working with our children and family.

Requests
Please pray that this cold of Anna's is the last one we will all have to experience for awhile.
Please ask God to continue to grant us rest, peace, strength, and wisdom as we prepare for the transition to summer.
Please pray for strength, wisdom, patience, endurance, etc. for all teachers as they encounter the last month of school with kids who are already ready to be done.
Please ask God to be with all those classes participating in field trips and celebrations in the coming weeks.
Please continue to pray for all those working with Anna and our family.

Thanks for all of the prayers and support in the last 15 months!