Busy

Matt and I painted our bathroom Monday night. We went to bed at 11 p.m., then got up early yesterday to put on a second coat before the men arrived. Jude has been sleeping terribly (even more terribly than usual) and I finally realized the antibiotic hadn't done its job of getting rid of his ear infection. Today we got another round of antibiotics to treat not just one ear, but two. No wonder he (and we) haven't been sleeping. I told Matt that if a doctor examined me, I was sure he would declare me legally dead.

Lots of work is getting accomplished around here, though, as evidenced by all the guys who come in to ask a question, then go out for a bit more work, then come back in to ask another question. The installation of a revolving door on this house might be in order. And I naively thought that none of this would disrupt my daily schedule.

Our friend Wayne from church was finally given the go ahead to get started on the new septic system/drain field, which he did on Monday. We had to jump through a lot of hoops to get the ball rolling, but thankfully we won't have to pay for this job as the septic system failed before we moved into this house.

We've been through this process before at our old house and we haven't been looking forward to it. We're especially disappointed that even though we tried desperately to save one of our big maple trees from having to be cut down, we weren't able to do it. The tree roots would interfere with the new drain field, so the tree had to be cut down. The kids were thrilled with the excitement as Wayne's chainsaw ripped into the trunk. When the tree finally fell, it was gushing sap. I was pretty sad about the whole thing, but the loss of a tree is better than not having a working septic system.

Wayne also tore out some overgrown shrubs and a couple of dead trees. Today all the tree branches that won't be cut up into firewood were chipped. Wayne is great about including Paul in as much work as possible. Paul announced to me tonight at the dinner table that Wayne let him put some limbs into the chipper earlier today. I shuddered as my brain went into hyper "Mommy Alert! Mommy Alert! Child in Extreme Danger!" mode. I wasn't here today when the "incident" occurred, otherwise the"incident" wouldn't have occurred. Wayne was just telling me yesterday what a relaxed mother I was. CORRECTION--I'm not THAT relaxed. Really though, Wayne is very good about making sure the children are safe while he works and I have the utmost confidence in him (at least I think I do :). Most of the time, Paul was made to stand up against the house while the chipper was running.

The bathroom is coming along nicely. The guys have been battling the flu, so things got slowed up a bit. Everything will pretty much be completed by Friday. The tub may not be here by then, but everything else should be done. The shower was reinstalled today. We ordered a new basin, but we were able to save the old shower walls, so we were happy about that.

Yesterday we had a surprise visit from our missionary friends who will be returning to Guatemala next month. I just invited them right into the chaos and we all sat down at the kitchen table and had tea together while all the kids played outside. After they left, the kids and I loaded into the van and headed to the restaurant to meet Matt and about twenty other family and friends for a surprise birthday party for my sister-in-law.

I was able to get the Bible study this morning, albeit a bit late. Our friend Lorie even stayed with the kids longer than usual so that I could get Jude to the doctor after Bible study. The Lord is so gracious in providing for all of our needs. The Bible lesson today was about Moses moving all the Israelites through the wilderness. The principle was about how God is a God of order and that as Christians, our lives should be orderly as well. I haven't felt very orderly lately, but if God can get 2 million+ people organized, I ought to be able to to the same for my little family. I'll add that to my "to do" and prayer lists and in the meantime, rest under the shadow of His wings. "But you, O Lord, are a shield for me; my glory and the lifter up of my head." Ps. 3:3

Here are some pictures chronicling some of the happenings of the last few days:
Wayne cut down the stump that was next to our back porch. Yeah! It's been an eyesore for me ever since we moved in.

The big tree on its way down.
The kids on the downed tree.
The girls playing "prairie" yesterday. Wayne asked them who was Mary and who was Laura. Then he pointed to Lydia and said, "I know who Nellie Olson is." I thought she kinda looked liked Carrie, but I know her personality is more Nelliesque ("my way is the best way"). Good thing she's so darn cute.
Paul (a.k.a. Davey Crockett in the woods of Tennessee)
Jude after his big sister Lydia got to him. "Look, Mommy, Jude likes wearing these goggles!" As if he had a choice in the matter.