A trip to the Frederik Meijer Gardens complements of Uncle Joel and Aunt Emily

Swimming outside on March 14

Other photos at home

A downtown adventure on a windy day

At the John Ball Zoo

Easter

First smile of the morning  (We had to wait a few minutes for this.  Even a birthday girl can wake up a tad grumpy.)

The requested birthday breakfast–Monkey Bread

One happy sister!

Getting flowers from Daddy

The cake Grandma made

At the table for dinner.  The pizzas were still in the kitchen.  I made a pepperoni & ham pizza, a barbecued chicken pizza and a Mexican cornbread pizza.

Grandma Mayes and the birthday girl

Madeline & Mommy

The cupcakes I made

The Tinkerbell cake

Blowing out the candles

Madeline & Grandma & the Build-A-Bear “fox”

Madeline’s new monkey and ballet skirt

Can you count how many different outfits Madeline wore on her birthday?  Two additional outfits weren’t pictured:  a fancy dress-up dress and her pajamas.  Madeline loves to change clothes!

Savannah with the hot chocolate cake she requested (made by me):

And the cake made by Grandma Mayes:

“Wherever you are, be all there. Live to the hilt every situation you believe to be the will of God.”  –Jim Elliot

“He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose.“  –Jim Elliot

“God waits to be wanted.”  –A.W. Tozer

“Refusal to take risks makes for a life of mediocrity at best.“  –Michael LeBoeuf

“Life is 10% what happens to me and 90% how I choose to respond to it.“  –Chuck Swindoll

“Making the decision to have a child–it’s momentous.  It is to decide forever to have your heart go walking around outside your body.”  –Elizabeth Stone

“A family is a unit composed not only of children but of men, women, an occasional animal, and the common cold.”  –Ogden Nash

“A vacation frequently means that the family goes away for a rest, accompanied by a mother who sees that the others get it.”  –Marcelene Cox

“The best inheritance a parent can give to his children is a few minutes of their time each day.”  –M. Grundler

“Children need your presence more than your presents.”  –Jesse Jackson

“Education is not the filling of a bucket, but the lighting of a fire.”  –William Butler Yeates

“I will get time to rest, time for myself. True, it may not happen for another 18 years, but at least I know the waiting won’t be boring.  –Moyra Jean Stiles

1.  Madeline

2.  Sophia

3.  Savannah

4.  Kayla

A few hours after writing the post “What a Night!” Sophia came down with the stomach virus.  We had four sick girls at once!  Then I came down with it the afternoon of the 2nd.  I had a fever and chills and felt very weak, but thankfully I wasn’t throwing up.  (A huge blessing, because I almost always catch stomach viruses.)  Aaron did 11 loads of laundry in one day, and he really did a fantastic job taking care of us.

This is day #7 for Sophia being sick.  The older girls were only sick for about 24 hours, but it seems to be hitting Sophia a lot harder.  Based on past experience, I’m pretty sure it’s rotavirus.  Tomorrow, hopefully, my baby will be back to her healthy, cheerful self.

I’ve been up all night assisting the girls in the bathroom or with the bucket and giving sips of fluids every 10 – 15 minutes.  I feel pretty wide awake, but if the vomiting slows down I’m hoping to get some sleep soon.  Aaron, I’m sure, will take on whatever duties necessary so I can get some rest.  I’m so thankful for his help!  We’ve had our share of stomach viruses in the past, but this is the first time we’ve had so many sick all at once.  Hopefully the worst part is behind us!