Digging Out

Whew! What a wild last week or so it's been. The last I updated, we had a glorious snow day full of playing outside, warming up inside, and generally enjoying what's coming this season. And then Tuesday happened. I forget if I wrote about how Eloise just didn't sleep for many days last week. I mean, like no sleep at all, no exaggeration. Monday night was the worst it had been, so I decided in the night I'd take her to the doctor to see if anything was bothering her.

Well, Tuesday morning Ada also woke early screaming about ear pain. So, I ended up making my very first double doctor appointment for both girls. Milestone. The verdict? Both girls had double ear infections. And Ada had pink eye (as a result of her virus, the doctor thinks). We left the appointment with more medicine than you can imagine. I actually had to make a spreadsheet to keep track of all the drops and syrups, none of which seemed to be given in similar amounts at similar time frequencies, etc.

We were feeling a bit better for the day before Thanksgiving, so we drove down to Pennsylvania to be with my family. That only lasted a day because, of course, then I started getting super sick. On our drive back -- in the middle of nowhere PA -- we discovered that our van was hemorrhaging oil. I had a fever. Eloise and Ada both cried for almost two hours in the car. It was definitely a low point in the parenting of two children. There are days when I feel like maybe I am starting to get it . . . and then days when I feel woefully out of control.

We still managed somehow to cook our vegetarian Thanksgiving meal this year:

• Tofu short ribs
• Slow cooker mashed potatoes
• Green bean casserole (recipe soon!)
• Pumpkin garlic knots
• Peanut butter Oreo truffles

Anyway, today is the start of a new week. My head is still quite stuffy. I don't have much of a voice. But I'm determined to get back to my working groove AND to get this house in order and to start enjoying the Christmas season. For me, that means decorating the outside of our home, which I did yesterday. Then there's getting the tree up and decking the halls, of course. It's a joyful process and it doesn't last nearly long enough. I look forward to sharing photos!

And speaking of photos, my photographer friend back home took family photos for us before we left town on Thursday. She's amazing. If you're in the Wellsboro area, check out Elizabeth Compton Photography. I should be getting the rest of the photos tonight and hope to share maybe a few more.

Here's a peek:


The location -- having them done in Wellsboro -- is particularly special to me. I love my hometown. I'd move back if I could. But I still have roots there that are deep. It's nice sharing this place with my kids, and I hope to do more of that in the years to come.

I hope you guys are all happy and healthy and had good holidays!