Our day yesterday

Despite all my sanitizing efforts, germs have entered out house! I feel like ever since around Christmas we have not been able to rid out house of sickness. On Sunday, the day we had pictures taken, Timothy woke up with a very slight runny nose and minor cough. And now 4 days later, all three of the kids have coughs and I woke up this morning with a sore throat.

The weather was beautiful in the low 70s out, but I really didn't want to take the boys out with the coughs, I didn't want them to get any worse. So I busted out the arts and crafts box.

We sat there at the kitchen table for the longest time coloring. It is one their favorite things to do. Preferably with markers of course! I have to keep my eye on Mason because he starts out on the paper and slowly migrates to the table, then chair, floor, and before I know it he is drawing on the wall. I tend to give him crayons. BUT not yesterday, I threw caution to the wind and gave him markers. He stayed on the paper!!

And yesterday at that kitchen table we had a first. A very proud first! Timothy wrote his name ALL BY HIMSELF for the very first time. All I did was write his name at the top of the page for him to look at, and then he wrote it on the bottom without any help from me. I couldn't believe it. It made me so happy, he probably thought I had gone crazy!

We then jumped from painting to coloring. Well Timothy painted, Mason stuck with the markers! I tend to not bring paint out because usually I have a panic attack trying to watch whoever is painting and keep an eye on the other two, one being a baby. But Taylor was napping and I was at the table with them, and Mason was occupied with markers. So I let Timothy paint, and he was thrilled.

I watched as he was very meticulous about dipping the brush in the water after every time, in between colors. Slowly though he would forget to wash the brush here and there, and eventually he had all the colors mixed up. Thank god for those cheap water color paints, where it really doesn't matter if the paints get a little mixed up. And so we sat there painting, and then coloring, and then back to painting. Talking about letters and numbers, there was lots of coughing, and lots of laughing. Tim moved slowly for that hour we sat at that table.

Do your kids make cute faces when they are concentrating really hard on something? Timothy tends to pucker out his lips, and furrow his brow when concentrating. Mason likes to stick out his tongue when he is working really hard on something. It's so cute!

Before I knew it we had painted and colored until lunch time. So I made some popcorn chicken and yogurt. Then it was nap time, and the house was silent. Well for only a few minutes because naturally Taylor woke up minutes after I put the boys down.

I gave her some lunch. Opened the windows to hopefully air out the house a little and because it was so beautiful out. Taylor would stand by the windows and let the wind blow her hair, she was fascinated at the wind blowing the curtains out and then sucking them back up against the window!

And she did that for what seemed like the whole time the boys were napping, which was hours. Finally around 4pm, the boys were up, and Taylor was back down for a nap. The boys wanted to play play-doh but I just was not up for cleaning it up when they were done. Then they began to go outside, I was hesitant, but I just couldn't stand being inside any longer when the sun was shining outside.

I did make them wear sweatshirts, even though it was warm enough outside to not need one. They were still coughing their lungs up, but we were outside at our own house, and they were having fun!

Just being outside after being inside for SO LONG made me smile. Even though we all felt like crap, yesterday our glass was definitely half full. Half full of sunshine, and bike riding, and imaginary play.

For Christmas the boys each got a tool set that cake with all kinds of goodies. Some of them being real like a little hammer. Mason was definitely digging the hard hat and goggles. Seriously, how cute is he?!

Dear Mother Nature, please continue to bring us sunshine and warm weather. We need out of this house! We are longing for park play dates, to see out friends, picnic lunches, walks outside, and zoo trips. Spring and summer are so close I can taste it!

But first we have to get rid of these germs so we can actually go out and enjoy the weather. Today is another beautiful day with the high being 74 degrees. I am just about to die sitting in here at the computer, when I want nothing more than to pack everyone in the van and head to the park or Zoo.

Oh here I go again rambling on. I am just getting so excited about this weather. I guess I am off to nurse my sickies back to heath so maybe we can enjoy the sunshine soon.

I hope you all have a fantastic day full of sunshine. And if you do get out and enjoy if for us. Just don't tell me about it, I may be a little jealous!