21 days later

Man, I really stink at the whole "updating the blog" thing. Sorry. Let's play catch-up, shall we?

After my last post, Madeline got sick again and that time was for a loooooong time. She's all better now but being quarantined for two weeks can make a girl crazy. And I'm not referring to her.

Almost two weeks ago, we received one of the worst possible calls, a 2 a.m. phone call with news that Joe's brother, Jason, and his wife Courtney were hit head-on by a drunk driver. Thankfully and miraculously, they are alive with minor injuries. If you saw the cars involved, you would not think this is the case but our family is beyond thankful that it is.

Even though it wasn't Joe and I in the car that night, it was still something that makes me re-evaluate everything and hug Joe and Madeline a little tighter.

Let me take this moment to say drunk driving is so insanely dumb and unnecessary and I would love to use stronger words but will refrain myself. OK, I feel better now. Thankssomuch.

In other non-life-changing news, I've been listening to Christmas music constantly. This is one of the by-products of being quarantined for two weeks, as mentioned before. I felt a little ashamed to admit I was listening to Christmas music shortly after Halloween but I don't any more. I'm loving it. I'm totally and completely in the Christmas spirit and I love it. For those who say, "It's not even Thanksgiving yet," I say two things:

1. I can still be thankful AND in the Christmas spirit. In fact, I can be thankful FOR Christmas music, among other things.
2. I believe Christmas music grace is extended to those who participate in Operation Christmas Child. It is one of my all-time favorite things to do, not only because I get to stuff a shoe box full of my favorite kid things, but because it happens right before Thanksgiving, allowing me to remember just how blessed I am AND listen to Christmas music while wrapping Christmas gifts in Christmas wrapping paper. Which, in my opinion, is bliss.
   

I have found a new Christmas CD that I love, Chris Tomlin's Glory in the Highest. So so beautiful. Also, Travis Cottrell's Ring the Bells. Frankly, I love my entire Christmas playlist. I think it's one of the best.

If I'm not back on here before Thanksgiving, it's because I'm spending five straight days with my family which I'm pumped about. I hope you all have a wonderful and safe holiday. Eat lots; I know I will.

Checking back in

In the past week, so little has happened but yet I feel like there is so much to blog about.

In other words, my apologies for the potentially boring and rambling post ahead.

For starters, I was soooooo excited for the last couple of weeks for Halloween. Madeline was going to be a princess and Non-Crafty Me actually made her tutu.

It might look impressive but really, any creature with thumbs could make it. Despite that fact, I'm still pretty darn proud of myself.

To say Madeline was excited to dress up at a princess is like saying I'm just OK with the taste of chocolate. She was stinkin' thrilled to wear her tutu, carry a wand and wear a crown and go trick-or-treating with her cousin for the first time.

And then the flu hit her. It was nasty, nasty stuff. And once again, another holiday ruined by sickness.

All this week, we had high hopes to taking her trick-or-treating tonight to our families so she could experience a little bit of Halloween but she got croup last night. Thankfully, it wasn't a bad case at all but enough to make my mom-heart break all over again.

So I'm hoping, HOPING, she'll be completely better by this weekend and maybe we can finally venture out of the house. Once we do, I'm also hoping to have gobs of photos of my pink princess.

In other news, Madeline told her first joke this week. She has always loved "telling jokes" but before, they were incoherent jabberings which ended with her laughing hysterically for 15 seconds Then she shot us bewildered looks once she realized we didn't get it.

But this week, she told a good one. I was getting her dressed and calling her all her many nicknames and repeatedly saying, "Are you my girl? You're my girl, aren't you?" which is something I say a lot.

To which Madeline looked me in the eye and responded, "No, I'm a BOY!"

Then she squealed and laughed, covered her face and crumpled onto the bed, and shouted, "I'm so funny, Mommy."

Seriously, I cannot express how much I love this little child.