Help Arrives!!

As I mentioned in my previous post, while the thick of most of the illness plagued our home, Nathan was in Nevada visiting family and helping his brother with some projects. Needless to say, his arrival couldn't have come sooner. Saroya made a "Welcome Home" sign and had a massive pile of Wekinz hold it for her. (Cause of course the Webkinz missed him too..)

At the airport, the kids were smashing their faces against the windows just trying to get a glimpse of the airplane. Jaleigh just kept saying, "What color is the plane? What color is the plane?!!" As if she could see it in the pitch black night and through the snowstorm. While Nathan was gone, it was not unusual to hear someone on the phone pleading with Nathan to come home, or "Daddy I miss you, can't you just come home now?" Jaleigh thought Nathan was just at the airport the whole time, so when I told her he was too far away to just go pick up she would say matter-of-factly, "No he's not!" They told him all about their days and Saroya gave him daily updates on her condition. Ethan had a countdown calendar going in his room, and when he had to study spelling with me instead of Nathan.... Oh my. Not good. Needless to say, by the time he finally arrived there were cheers and lots of hugging and kissing. Home at last!That night it snowed a lot and the drive home was a little hairy, BUT because it snowed the kids got to do one of their favorite winter traditions the next day. I will just say this first-Nathan is actually one of the most creative people I know. Every year he makes a snowman with the kids, and if I had a scanner, I would post all of the fun snowmen he has made. Even the snowman attempt that left his poor sister Ruth with a HUGE bruise from her kneecap all the way down to her ankle. ("Just hold this board and as I push this giant snowball up it, you push your end of the board upwards... It'll work-don't worry!") This year, Jaleigh said they had to make a snowGIRL. So they made the most adorable tiny snowgirl on the railing of our deck, and she looks into the house. She is soo cute, I just want to bring her inside! She got a new hat when it started getting late, to keep her warm I guess. This is her the next morning.It made me sad over the next couple of days because she started to melt. In fact, one night I was looking out the window at her and her smile fell off as I was watching. Oh well, at least we got a picture and she will always be one of my favorite "Nathan creations".

When I was looking through my pictures, I found some pictures the kids had taken when they were being creative with "Stackerz". For those of you who are lucky enough to not know what they are, they are a fruit snack that is shaped like little flat dots.

Anyway- here are some of the pictures I found...

That's what I love about digital pictures. I don't care that they take pictures cause I can always erase them, but the ones that capture their world as they see it -are priceless.

One last shot I love... Jaleigh was helping me get the garbage out by bringing be the wast paper baskets from each room. When we were done I said, "OK- now we need to put them back in the rooms they belong." And she took off down the hall with one on her head, and one in each hand... Now she is learning to be a mom!!! :)