So Long Summer

I can't believe its the last day of summer already.  Ours just flew by with all of Julia's treatments.  We never thought Summer 2009 would be the summer of cancer for us, but we pray it is our last.  We are excited about the beginning of fall and all the season brings (minus the germs and illnesses!).  One of the wonders of living in NC is that all four seasons have so much to offer.

Sunday was a beautiful day to be outside.  The kids were asking what we were going to do, so I wanted to let them have some fun.  Unfortunately Daddy was the only one who could go to church.  Julia has been running a fever all weekend.  She still seems to be feeling okay and is playing and trying to eat.  She is not at all as sick as she was last Wednesday, so I'm hopeful this is just the end of last week's virus.  We agreed to take her in Monday if she still had a fever then.

I'm so thankful for the online church messages.  Not the same as worship, but the next best thing.  I decided to put the kids in their play clothes and get out the fingerpaints.  They had a ball and went through at least a dozen sheets of paper with their masterpieces.  I don't know which they liked better the fingerpaint or washing their hands in the bucket of soapy water :)

Then they broke out the sidewalk chalk and the water buckets to 'paint' the house.  We found our stash of sidewalk paint from the summer and decided to spread it all out- including the splatter brush Mommy has been hiding.  It has a tip you fill with paint and mash on the patio.  Paint squirts in every direction in an 8 foot radius, making these cool sunburst designs.  I have to admit it was really fun and completely washable/wipeable.  (The folks at Crayola are really cool!)  Then they decided to make a bike wash.  So they drew lanes and made signs on the pation with the paint.  It was really cute and kept them happily playing for quite awhile.  So, time for Mommy to be productive.  We cleaned and put away all the summer toys.  (Julia still doesn't understand why she can't swim anymore.)

(The peppers are almost ready!)

Our sweet neighbors brought over gifts for the kids.  They didn't know she had been sick this week.  They gave her this adorable 'Fever Frog' with a thermometer in his mouth.  When you press his foot, his cheeks turn red, he dances, and sings along to the song "Fever".  It is adorable.  The kids love it and the timing could not be better.  He will definitely be coming along on our future fever stays at the hospital :)

After a quick lunch, Julia went down for a nap.  She still been sleeping a lot as she recovers.  It gave us a chance to get a lot done- mowing, laundry, weeding, meal planning, triple coupons and CVS, cleaning out the garage, and making dinner.  It felt good to finally cross some of these off our list.  All the unknowns lately have left our household routines a mess, so days like this make all the difference.  It's so nice to have things organized when we spend all our time at home.

And no Sunday would be complete without a little football...

Julia woke up fever-free this morning (Monday)- YAY! The kids have had a great day together.  I love watching their relationship grow over time.  They love to pretend together and will play just about anything.  Today they made a pretend surprise birthday party for one of their friends, played with Carter's military men, enjoyed this week's new teaching trays, played doctor's office, played dollhouse, and got out all their cars.

Julia has been feeling pretty good.  The quest for 'something to eat' continues.  We had a few successes today.  She has been whiney, but I think a lot of that is from hunger and just feeling yucky.  She was definitely ready for sleep by nap time, which gave Carter and I some good school time.  It's been frustrating having to start and stop with Julia being sick, but he's taking it in stride and has been very cooperative and enthusiastic lately.  Our school days may not be consistently scheduled and predictable, but they work for us and he's learning and growing.  Thankfully God's grace covers the rest.

I was reminded of that this weekend as I was thinking about their schooling.  I started really working with Carter when he was the age Julia is now.  I was trying to figure out some things we could be working on this fall.  She told me the other night she wanted to write and proceeded to write most of the alphabet.  She now asks me how to spell things and writes them out herself! I never taught her to write her letters.  One of her favorite DVDs to watch at the hospital has been Leapfrog Letter Factory.  Apparently she's a visual learner because seeing them make the letters was all she needed.  And she's already trying to figure out how to sound out words and read, so I think we are safe to wait on the rest for now.  This always happens with their schooling.  It is a humbling reminder for me that even though I am their teacher, I am not in control.  And as hard as that may be at times (especially times I can't make them to do what I'm asking), it is a HUGE blessing.  God is the one in control and I am just a piece of the puzzle.  How freeing!