Last year, I posted my first week in the life blog (read it here) and I am so glad I took the time to write it. Its so funny how I would have forgotten all of those little details. So this year, I am posting a new one.

Every week looks a little different for us because we have such a unique job scenario but this week has been mostly normal. So here is our week in the life:

Saturday February 3

We woke up and basically lost our minds the whole morning because JuJu was coming so that meant the kids were going nuts trying to patiently wait for her.

At some point Saturday morning I took a pic of our clean kitchen. Hahaha its so rare these days I had to document it.

FINALLY, Juju got here. Ruth and Lydia had spent HOURS doing their hair and makeup to get ready for JuJu’s visit.

About an hour after Juju arrived, our sweet C and her family came over for a visit! C is Micah’s first Mom and she brought her Grandma, Mom, and one of her sisters with her. They are all like family to us and we ADORE them. We hadn’t seen her extended family since November so we had lots to catch up on and everyone had fun meeting Abi. (I don’t share pictures on our blog because one day Micah’s story will be his to share and I’ll let him be as open or private as he wants to be)

Micah got a new green ball and he is STILL thrilled about it. After they left, Daddy went and picked up JuJu’s favorite pizza and we ate pizza and played all night. Abi had some funny faces to show off after the older 3 went to bed.

Sunday February 4

The kids all woke up around 7 excited to play with Juju another day. Mom and I sent Josh and Ruth to church and stayed home with the littles. Abi had caught the older kids cold and was starting to act a little under the weather. When they got home from church Ruth had evidence on her face to prove that she had eaten LOTS of goodies at church.

We snuggled all afternoon and I prepped dinner for the Super Bowl that night.

Micah wouldn’t take off his new gloves. He literally wore them all day.

And Lydia does in fact wear heels from the time she wakes up until she goes to bed at night.

Once dinner was ready, we ate it in the basement and watched the Super Bowl. I was tuckered out from taking care of a sick baby so she and I went to bed around 7:30.

Monday February 5

Alarms go off at 6:30. I wake kids up and immediately pour a GIANT cup of coffee. It was a fun change having Juju here still that morning. Once everyone was dressed, we ate blueberry muffins I had made the day before and Josh took the bigs to school as Juju hit the road to go home to Springfield.

It was obvious by Monday that Abi had more than a cold so I made her an appt at the Doc for 1:20. That morning Micah and I sat home and watched shows while I kept a close eye on Abi.

Josh picked up Lydia from school at 11:30 and moved a meeting with his co-leader to our house so he could watch the littles while I got Abi to the doc. Sidenote, the doctors office during cold and flu season is my worst nightmare. 

I made an effort to not touch ANYTHING while there. So I stood for 1 and a half hours while we waited to be seen. And even though the doctor thought she wasn’t too terribly symptomatic they still did an RSV test and she tested positive.

By Monday night, Abi was having chest retractions and wheezing so Josh ordered Chinese and I packed my baby girl up and drove her to Children’s Mercy to be seen. If the doctors office is my worst nightmare during flu season, then the ER waiting room was pure hell. I stood in the corner looking like a FOOL with a blanket over our heads. Not kidding. Thankfully they said that even though her wheezing was bad, that her oxygen was ok and my nose Frieda skills were top notch. So they sent us home to keep watching her and sucking the gunk out of her nose around the clock.

Josh had the older 3 asleep when I got home. I stripped naked in the laundry room and Lysol-ed the crap out of my diaper bag. Still not kidding. Josh made me dinner and brought it to me in bed at 9pm and we fell fast asleep with Abi propped up on pillows and snuggling us.

Tuesday February 6

6:30 wake up was brutal but the kids were happy to see Abi girl smiling a little bit. Josh got the bigs ready and let me stay in bed until 7. Then we all had breakfast and Josh took them to school and he went on to work from there. Lydia was celebrating 100 days of school so she brought the cape she had made with 100 noodles hot glued to it. On Tuesdays and Wednesdays Josh and our other staff are on campus at KU most of the day.

Having four kids is significantly lowering all my standards. So Tuesday morning after the bigs left for school, Micah picked a bag of Famous Amos cookies for his second breakfast and I didn’t even bat an eye. Its that cute smile of his. Gets me every time. 

Tuesday would have sucked so badly BUT NURSE JACKIE TO THE RESCUE. Our dearest Jackie dropped everything and drove to Lawrence to snuggle Abi and I for the day. She’s a Pediatric nurse and she basically kept me from losing my mind all day. Jackie is like a magical fairy who shows up with gifts and joy and somehow makes everything feel lighter. I want to be like her when I grow up. Plus we got to catch up on all God is doing in each others lives.

Once Jackie left, it was Solly life for me and Abi the rest of the day. Josh did all the picking kids up from school.

And after listing our car and getting some sketchy offers on Facebook, Josh sold our old Santa Fe to a nice old couple who swung by and picked it up around 4:30.

I had put chicken breasts in the crockpot that morning. For dinner that night we had chicken noodle soup with some egg noodles Micah and I had made and frozen the week before.

This semester, Josh goes to a Bible Study at Haskell Indian Nations University on Tuesday evenings but he stayed home to keep me sane that night. Abi was starting to feel better but I was really tired.

They sent Josh a picture since he couldn’t be there in person. We are both so grateful for a chance to get to know students there better.

I was in bed and fast asleep by 9.

Wednesday February 7

6:45 this morning was as early as we could get up because its the da** winter and its so grey and gross. And honestly, this is the only picture I took the whole day on Wednesday. I played with the little two all morning in the basement and then swung through Dunkin on my way to pick up Lydia at 11:30 and got myself and Lydia’s teacher a big coffee to get us through the afternoon. If I’m tired at home in my pjs, I don’t know how in the world teachers do it!

Lydia, Micah, Abi and I worked on making muffins while we waited for Ru to get out of school because on of my besties took her FIVE kids to the doc and they all tested positive for the Flu. So we finished muffins just in time and dropped them off on her porch then picked up Ruth from school.

Wednesday Josh was on campus at KU all morning and then headed to Washburn for the afternoon. He was home by 4:30 and we hung out, ate leftover soup for dinner and then Josh and Ruth went to Gymnastics while I put the little 3 to bed. Josh snapped a picture before he left because Lydia and Abi were looking all cute and snuggly.

Thursday February 8

Up at 6:30.  The kids usually get dressed and ready right away (after giving baby Abi all the good morning snotty kisses) and then we eat breakfast, do hair, pack lunches and snacks before jumping in the van and hitting the road.

I love Thursdays this semester because Josh is off work all morning! This Thursday we registered Micah for preschool in the fall and got to stop by for circle time when we dropped off his paperwork. Seeing our favorite preschool teachers made my heart SO happy!

After preschool, Josh took Abi, Micah and I to target to get a few things and then we headed home to let Micah nap. By this point he had caught the gross cold we all had and he was a little cranky.

And a nap helped lots. Heres our smiley boy again.

Friday was dress like a Pioneer Day in Ruth’s class so I made a bonnet out of hot glue and scrap fabric while I made eggs and hash browns for dinner. We ate together (one child gagged the whole time because he or she HATES potatoes)

Then Josh was out the door by 7:30 for Cru’s weekly meeting at KU. I got the kiddos to bed and was fast asleep by the time Josh got home. Sleep is hard to come by since Abi eats every 2 or 3 hours through the night so I am going to bed SO early lately.

Friday February 9

Up at 6:30 and Lydia rejoiced that it was the last day of school for the week. Ruth was so excited to dress like Laura Ingalls Wilder and I snapped a pic of Abi because she was finally starting to act like herself again and the snot was fleeing.

Josh took the big girls to school and went to a meeting and Micah, Abi and I waited impatiently for Beth and Lucy to come over for a playdate. We had fun catching up with dear friends and then me and the kids went to pick up Lydia at 11:30.

Friday afternoon I went to the OB for a postpartum check up and time alone was so refreshing. Its hilarious that going to the OB and reading for 30 minutes in the waiting room felt like a break! But I love this chaotic life so I’ll count my blessings.

I got groceries on the way home and brought home frozen ravioli for us to eat for dinner. AND I spotted the box of Ninja Turtle cookies on clearance that Micah has been begging for so I grabbed those too. Micah was living his best life. He made us (disgusting) green turtle cookies to eat while we watched the Olympic opening ceremony with our friend Daniel.

Saturday February 10

Well, Micah decided to pull an all nighter (I’ll blame the toxic cookies) and he didn’t go to sleep until 11 pm the night before. Josh crashed with him on the pull out couch so Abi, Lydia, Ruth and I stayed in bed and watched Little House on the Prairie and kids cooking shows from 6am-8am.

When Josh woke up, I was a cranky butt so I went back to bed from 9-11:30. Dude, the grey winter plus sleepless nights had me acting like a real joy to be around. I tried to shake my grumpiness away and offered to do the girls hair and makeup.

I was still GRUMPY so Rebecca brought me her happy lamp – the kind that makes your body make more vitamin D. And then our friend Lewen dropped by leftover bread from his bakery. Between good friends and a really loving Hubs, I started to cheer up.

Josh worked on his computer most of the afternoon because we are leading a mission trip to Greece this summer (all 6 of us!) and he needed to work out housing details. I’m grateful he works so hard and he found us a great apartment to rent!

We lounged all afternoon and I made chicken spinach Alfredo pizza for dinner. Then the kids and I made sugar cookies for their Valentine parties at school this week. Full disclosure, I got impatient and asked them to watch a show so I could finish the cookies alone.

And then as I was falling asleep, Rebecca texted me a little bit of hope for the week.

Well thats it for last week. Thanks for reading about a week in our ordinary, crazy, sometimes sick, wouldn’t-want-it-any-other-way-life!