“Good Things” from Family “Sick”-cation

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We had 2 little trips planned for Dustin’s week off. We had to cancel the first one to visit family friends with little ones because one of our little ones had a fever. He had it for several days (after his sister missed her last week of school with it). So we decided to extend our other trip down to New Braunfels and head down a little sooner, sick kid in tow.

• Good thing: Sick kids are snuggly, lower energy, and sleep more! (Am I a bad Mommy for enjoying that little “break” every now and then? I’m not talking hospital-sick – just “take a morning nap on the couch” sick.)

• One morning while the sick boys slept in, Ellie and I shared a “Mommy and Me” date at a nearby coffee shop in Gruene. She was super-cute in her kitty cat pj’s and pink backpack, and the girls behind the counter thought so, too! Sometimes I’m proud to claim her!
• On another early morning trip, Ellie and I shared more special time together to reload on Ibuprofen for the boys at Target. We arrived a few minutes before they opened, and had fun driving in circles around the empty lot. And then, she got to be the very FIRST customer of the day!  (I thought they should give her a balloon or free toy, but she was happy with a high five.)

Thank God for my cousin Matt’s family! We stayed with them a few nights, not far from Heimat, and it helped a lot to have some older kids around for the kids to play with and some grown-ups for me to talk to. If it had not been for them, we probably would have headed home. Lots of good things from our time with them:

• Listening to my kids enjoy Matt and his daughter Kate (8) reading elephant and piggie books to them, including the new Caldecott winner and existential conundrum – make sure to read it twice so you understand the first page!
  
• Watching the kids hide under Kate’s bed.
• Watching MJ enjoy a squirt water fight with cousin Matt, Kate, and Daddy
• Playing in the pool with Ellie as she jumps in, glides, swims, wiggles on kickboard, and works on a jump/ turn trick
• Ice cream/ sno cones at Gruene general store
• Daddy and Ellie discover a new trick: Daddy squeezing toots out of Ellie – everyone is amused!
• Watching out the kitchen window at Heimat while the kids are on a “doodle bug hunt/ dig” outside under the trees by themselves with shovels, baggies, and gloves. Even when it only lasts for a few minutes, I like giving them opportunities for this “free-range” play as it helps them to develop a little independence, self-confidence, and bonding. (Not to mention it gives me a break to sip late-morning coffee while sick Daddy sleeps in.)
• Sleeping with Ellie in bed (except for when she suddenly whopped me in the eye during her sleep with her fist) – feeling her still-soft skin, and her soft hair.
• Harvesting in the garden, and watching the kids getting exited about veggies, even trying some snap peas and tomatoes right off the vine!
• Waking up to coffee and Krispy Kreme donuts at Deanna’s house, the quiet humming of the dishwasher and the hummingbird outside the kitchen window while everyone else still sleeps.
• Cousin Jonathan(16) cooking “made to order” pancakes for us one morning! (A T-Rex for MJ, and Mickey Mouse for Ellie)
• Playing “Things”game with Matt’s family after my kids and hubby went to bed, and looking forward to family game nights with my own children as they get older. The next day, I played a simpler version with my family on our drive home – good road trip game!
• Looking at MJ’s animal “book” that he has proudly created with stickers, a whole ream of paper, colorful tape, and watercolors over the last few days in Kate’s craft room.
• Discovering “The Jumpy Place“ in New Braunfels – a big room full of bounce houses for kids and sofas and free coffee for grown-ups! Ingenious for hot summer days. (Surely this will make for a good nap time.)
• Exploring the fabulous McKenna Children’s Museum in NB – lots of great indoor and outdoor fun for cheap!
• Singing lullabies together at bed-time. While he was lying sick in bed, and I was getting the kids down on mats on the floor, Daddy grabbed his phone to record the sweetness. As usual, Ellie sang along to Brother’s song, and he sang along to hers instead of singing their own. Bur I LOVE that they have these words in their little heads from years of repetition. MJ’s lullaby, Ellie’s lullaby
• On our drive home, Listening to the delightful recording of “Winnie the Pooh” audio book read aloud by Jim Dale with charming voices for all the characters. Great for kids and grown-ups of all ages! My son (5) listens to it in his room almost every day at “rest time” and can recite some of its rich vocabulary and dialogue. Watch and Listen to him recording the “Exposition” for a sample…Watch video

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