Have You Ever...

Have you ever had a week when there was going to be lots of things going on that you were really looking forward to? That is this week for me. It started on Saturday night when Greg and I went to a party that my work was hosting. We had a nice dinner and then had a fantasy casino night afterwards. After the roulette table was taking more of my money than it was giving, I parked myself at a blackjack table and spent the rest of the night there. I won a ton and in exchange for my 7 cups of chips, I got 70 tickets for the silent auction draw. Greg and I then proceeded to win 3 of the 8 prizes so it was a great time! Plus we were without children for the night so that was an added bonus.

My birthday is on Wednesday and I am meeting a friend from work for lunch and then that evening my parent's are having us all over for Chinese food. Thursday is our fourth wedding anniversary so we will celebrate that a bit. Friday night is date night for Greg and I. The girls are heading for a sleepover at my parents and we are going to the Keg for dinner and then to a movie. Saturday is my birthday party with my friends. We are having people over to our place and I am really looking forward to that. Sunday after church, we are having family over for lunch. Then Monday is a holiday for us Manitobans so Greg is home for an extra day which we really enjoy.

So yeah, I'm looking forward to a fun filled week!

Missing What Might Have Been

I haven't really blogged about our third child that we lost this past year, mostly because it is a private matter for me, but there are times when I sit and wonder who that child was and what he or she would have become. I wonder how they would have fit into our family and I wonder what kind of relationship Danica would have had with her brother/sister. For the most part, I do feel a sense of peace about what happened - I believe that God knows what he is doing and that we are meant to grow and learn from this experience. Perhaps I feel at ease with what happened because we were blessed with Danica who is just a joy to parent.

Anyway, the other day I was doing some cleaning and came across a poem that a friend of mine had given to me just after we found out that we had lost one of the babies. I thought I would share it with you.

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Don't fret about me, Daddy and Mommy

I am one of God's lambs, most blessed

I'd have loved to stay there with you all,

But the Shepherd knows what's best.

Many dwelling in Heaven with me,

Waited years to enter in,

And struggled through a world of sorrow,

Their lives were marred with sin.

So, dear Daddy and Mommy, don't you sorrow,

Wipe those tears, and chase away the gloom,

I went straight to Jesus bosom, from my mother's womb.

Thank you for the life you gave me,

It was brief, but don't complain,

I have all of Heaven's glories,

And suffered none of earthling's pain.

As I leave, please do not sorrow,

Do not wish me back again,

From the bosom of my Savior,

To a world of grief and pain.

Another Trip to the Doctor

So today we had a follow up visit with Danica's orthopedic bone specialist Dr. Monson (or as Emily calls him - Dr. Monster). Her hips feel perfectly normal to him still so that was great news. We go back to see him in four months at which time he will take one more set of x-rays to make sure that the hip joints have formed properly and then we should be done!

The other day, I brought Dancia into bed with me once Greg had left for school and we both fell back asleep. I woke up an hour later but she was sound asleep. Emily decided to get in on the action and pretend to sleep as well!

Funny Story

So the other day, my in-laws came home from a vacation and we went over to their place for dinner and to catch up. So Emily and my nephew Noah were playing in the basement after supper and they were having a great time - we could hear them laughing and playing and just generally having fun. All of a sudden we notice that it has gotten pretty quiet down there so my father-in-law heads downstairs to see what they were up to. He finds them in the bathroom together. One of them (and I assume it was my child) had managed to open up a bottle of baby shampoo and spill some of it on the floor. So Emily thought that the best way to correct this situation was to use her socks to clean it up. Once her socks were covered in shampoo, she then decided that Noah's hair needed to be washed so there she is, lifting her foot, getting some soap off of the bottom of it and putting it in Noah's hair. And then she would repeat this process over and over. Poor Noah's hair was so slimy by the time we had caught them doing this! Kids make me laugh sometimes!

And now for some updated pictures:

How Danica likes to sleep during her afternoon nap

Big smileFun in the backyard

Watching Daddy and Emily play with playdoh