Reaching Normal

Life has been an absolute whirl wind since I've come home. I mentioned in my last post that both of the girls have recently been sick, but what I didn't mention was what seemed a quick-passing stomach bug for them was absolute tormenting hell for the adults. And did I mention it's highly contagious? Best of both worlds! The entire...and I mean ENTIRE adult portion of the household was violently, pathetically out of commission for several days. Meanwhile, my two hooligans continued to scamper about the house, wondering why everyone else was so boring. As I was taking Bailey to the potty in the midst of all this, Audrey asked me: "Mama, why's everybody not feeling good?" Pretty much all I could do was laugh.

That's really been my mentality since leaving for Scotland. The amount of stress this household has been under can only be categorized as laughable...because the alternative would've been to bury our heads in the sand and pretend we don't exist.

I know what you're thinking: what the heck could I possibly have to complain about? Well, the answer is: nothing. But I'll tell you what everyone else has to complain about!

Let's start with the fact that I abandoned my children and my home for a week, shall we? The repercussions are limitless. Someone had to fill my shoes while I was gone and in this case, it translated to a whole bunch of someones. (God bless them!) I had family members and friends helping take care of the girls, meanwhile, John was having one of the longest/most stressful work weeks of the year; the fiscal year at his job ended the day I got home. Yippee!

Also, in the week I was gone, Elizabeth traveled to Seattle to have surgery on her back, came home and has been enduring the pain of healing from her surgery and relying on others for help as she recovers. This means there were two unruly toddlers, a post-op patient in the house and no Mama. When I came home, there were still two unruly toddlers and a post-op patient in the house, just everyone started puking and moaning and taking to their beds.

You can understand why the need to laugh at this point is paramount. If nothing else, it has been a bonding experience. Everyone has been able to compare notes and decide who was the most violently ill (John) and who got off the hook easy (Me!). There's been a lack of dishes to do since most people have only very recently recovered their appetites. The girls are actually starting to come back to a place I would call 'normal' since we've recently been able to leave the house without fear of contaminating others. And I can make it through the day without having flashbacks to the morning sickness I endured while pregnant with Audrey.

There's your silver lining!

All in all, I think this sickness has made the feeling of reaching 'normal' even more glorious. Since we got out of the house Friday, I've just been reveling in this season; Fall is my favorite time of year in the Tri-Cities and it is starting to show itself in rioting beauty. The farmer's market is full of red peppers, pumpkins and apples. The mums in our back yard are going absolutely crazy. We started a fire in the pellet stove for the first time Friday morning and I've been feeling the urge to make stew and roasts (now that people in the house are actually starting to eat again)

Through all this craziness, the girls have been amazing. And I mean that; just absolutely incredible. They struggled with the transitions of my departure and arrival back home, but through all this sicky stuff, they've just been so upbeat, helpful and silly which is really what we all needed. If it weren't for their bright voices, this place would've turned into an absolute mausoleum.

I am so grateful for their joyful and vivacious spirits; they bring me so much happiness and it makes my heart burst to see them bringing light into the world.