Three Weeks Later...

The last time I posted was about three weeks ago and Holly and Hallie had just started to get sick. Hallie was so miserable, she basically didn't sleep more than a couple hours at a time for a week straight. That weekend we had a JBQ meet and Nick started getting sick during the meet. By the end of the day, he was completely miserable. So with the youngest three sick, we had quite a couple of weeks. Then about a week ago, Hailey finally came down with it. She had to miss school because of her fever but we did go to the Science Fair last Saturday, where both her and Nick won blue ribbons and the silver medals for their categories. It was everything I could do to go because the night before I had the stomach flu. It was horrible but short-lived, thank God. So far no one else has gotten that bug...well, not in my household, anyway. And then on Sunday evening I got the yucky virus that has been going around here for the last month. I am feeling much better today but it's been a rough week. I think the fever is the worst because it just makes you feel awful. Unfortunately, now Hallie has it again and the cycle continues! It's so frustrating, but I am always thankful that we don't have more serious illnesses to worry about.

Now, on to more positive news! The kids did well at the JBQ meet on the 7th. Not as well as they have been, but the holidays made it more difficult to find time to study. Their team still went undefeated and won first place. Even though Nick was sick, we went out for dinner for Danny's 32nd birthday that night. He wanted to go to Ruby Tuesdays because he had a really good coupon for it. It was acually pretty good and we had a great time.

The next weekend was Valentine's Day and Danny had to work, like he does every year, it seems like! He brought me home some yummy chocolate and the movie The Notebook, which is one of my very favorite movies. We used to have it but lost it somewhere. It was a really sweet gift. Also, Hailey had her first volleyball game that day. I have to say that I think she is going to be pretty good at this! She was one of the only three kids that could serve the ball over the net. And best of all, she LOVES it. It's going to be fun to watch her skills develop. That night, Nick went to spend the night with a friend, so the girls and I decided to have a girls night. We had a slumber party and watched Father of the Bride 2 and Hairspray, and the dance rehearsals on the HSM2 dvd. It was so much fun! :-) It turned out to be a great Valentine's day.

Valentine's Night 2009

And this last weekend, as I mentioned, we had the Science Fair. The kids did a great job on their projects (despite Hailey being sick). Nick's project was freezing bubbles with dry ice and Hailey's was different experiments with static electricity. I'm not sure how their presentations went because parents aren't allowed to be in the room during judging, but they both won the silver medals. Personally, I think they should have gotten the gold, but I might be a little biased! :-) After the science fair, we headed to Indy for the Boat, Sport, and Travel Show at the fairgrounds. It's Danny's favorite event and we haven't gone the last couple of years, so it was the only present he wanted for his birthday. It's got to be one of my least favorite things to do, but I put a smile on my face and toughed it out. It didn't end up being too bad. The kids had fun shooting guns and bows at the deer expo. On Sunday, our drama group ministered in the morning service and they did a great job. That evening, Hailey and Holly were in a dance for our Black History program.

Drama Team in new costumes

Hopefully things will slow down a bit now. We have one more JBQ meet on the 7th and then we go to States on the 20th and 21st. Our afternoons are spent doing homework and studying JBQ and working on drama lines for the upcoming International Dinner Theater. Holly's schooling is going really well, despite our limited time. She has already learned so much. She seems to just be soaking everything up like a sponge. She has learned the correct printing and sounds for all of the vowels now, and I thought that she would have a lot more trouble with that. History has been fun. I think she likes it the most. She has learned all seven days of creation and is now in the process of learning all of the ten commandments. I love that! The book that they sent us doesn't have much in it so I have been finding things to supplement with on the internet. There are some really great sites on here with wonderful Christian homeschooling resources. Holly is speeding through Math so far because it has just been review work for her (numbers 1-10). Penmanship is probably her least favorite because she doesn't like to sit still and write letters over and over again. Science seems to be another one of her favorites, although I don't know much about it because Danny is teaching her that.

Other than being sick, Hallie is doing great. She is nine months old now. She has her third tooth and is working on her fourth. She is EVERYWHERE. It's about time to invest in a baby gate. I can't keep her out of the kitchen cabinets. She is cruising along the furniture and she can walk behind push toys. She's talking a lot now too. She says "Dada, Mama, Bubba, Wow, Woah," and all kinds of other syllables. She claps her hands and waves bye-bye. She can also follow simple commands like "Give it to mommy" or "Give sissy a kiss." It's such a fun age!!! She eats almost all table foods now, other than the occasional Gerber Graduate. Next week she goes to the doctor for her well-check (hopefully she'll be well by then!) and we'll see how much she has grown. I got her pictures taken this month and here are a few of my favorites.

Well, that's about all I have to write about right now. I hope everyone is healthy. I know a lot of my friends have had sickness in their families this month. There is a lot going around. I pray that Spring comes soon, and that with it comes good health! :-)