To California and back home again

This past weekend, we went to visit Kendra of Preschoolers and Peace, who is married to Andy at The Mango Times. They are friends with Lisa, who has no blog but ought to. We also were able to spend time with Dana from The Sunny Side of the Room.

I found Kendra's blog shortly after I began blogging (four years ago) and have been an avid reader of Preschoolers and Peace ever since. I was drawn to her blog because Kendra is a lover of God, a devoted wife, a homeschooling mother to many and an excellent manager of her home.

I admire women who have embraced their calling to be a wife, mother, and keeper of their home~ and found in Kendra someone who is doing exactly that, but a just a little further ahead of me in this journey. I have found such encouragement and practical help from Kendra's ministry, and it was wonderful to finally meet her (and her family) in person!

Then to get to meet Lisa and Dana (also women I've come to admire over the years)... I count it a privilege to have had the opportunity to meet them all.

Amy and I (plus our cute babies) arrived on Friday and met up with Kendra, Lisa and Dana that evening for a memorable (Mm!) dinner. Dana kindly chauffeured us and we were able to do a drive-by of her home and meet her cute children. Then we went to Lisa's and met her family and toured her home.

On Saturday morning we took part in a Homeschool Encouragement Day that their church puts on~ and definitely came away encouraged and refreshed. What a wonderful event this was, and it definitely sparked an idea in our minds to do something similar in our area for fellow homeschooling mamas! We spent part of the drive back to the airport brainstorming ideas and making notes.

Saturday evening was spent at the Fletcher home, where we were able to meet this guy, his parents, and the great Fletcher children. We were fed delicious Armenian food, a homemade ice cream recipe that I've been talking about ever since I tasted it (seriously. I'd like a vat of that right now) , and: I finally got to try the famous Fuzz Buzz, which- incidentally, is every bit as good as it is talked up to be.

Sunday morning before flying out we were able to join these new friends at their place of worship.

It was a wonderful weekend full of encouragement, warmth and hospitality~ and I am thankful. But would you believe that I did not take ONE picture of any of that? I had my camera with me and everything, but the few times that I remembered it I was busy with Audra or something and just did not take a picture. Grr!

I'm so thankful to have been able to spend such extended time with my dear friend Amy, too~ what a joy to have lots of time to talk (without interruption!) And wow- none of this would have been possible without Amy's husband Mike making every.single.travel.arrangement and plan and giving us the best itinerary and being the best go-to person on the other end of the cell when we were stuck wondering how we were to find the rental car place or whatever. (Thank you, Mike!)

Indulge me for a moment and picture Amy and I, our two babies, two strollers, two carseats, and two giant suitcases. The babies were either being carried by us (I love my Ergo.) while we pushed everything else, or they were in the strollers while we carried or pulled the other stuff. There were definitely a few moments of "this is crazy!"ness. But we are quite capable girls, and we made it and we're SO glad we did it.

Now. Get this: while I was doing all of that, Mark was home with our four older children who one-by-one got the stomach flu. By Saturday Mark was feeling pretty ill himself, so he spent the better part of the weekend either caring for our very-sick children, or lying on the couch feeling pretty miserable while watching our children. What a guy.

Oh, I am thankful to be home! I was up early this morning and just waiting- literally with bated breath- until the kids woke up so that I could see them and hug them.

Isaias crept up first, checking to see "if you were home from California yet". He sat on my lap and gave me the lowdown on his throwing up and how it got all over everything (poor Mark!), on daddy reading TWO chapters one night of Prince Caspian to them, and of sleeping in the tent. (Yes, they still did the backyard campout.)

Then he scurried off to play and I heard Adelia. I ran in to get her up and hug that precious girl of mine who spent the rest of the day saying "Mommy" every 2 minutes and between those 2-minute segments saying "up" while stretching her arms up to me.

Ella was awake, then, too- and smiling and hugging me, and wanting to tell me about the four books she'd read while I was gone and show me her book reports and tell me that she was tired of "being the boss of everyone" and was glad that I was home. [Sunday night she was solely in charge of dinner and all of the younger kids while Mark was laid up on the couch; she was tired of being the "adult".]

Then Isaac wandered in, asking me where something was as if I hadn't been gone for three days and I told him to get over here and give me a hug because I missed him so much. Then he remembered, and gave me proper hugs and then promptly showed me all the Lego things he and daddy had built (an excavator, a dump truck and a flat-bed truck; like the ones they've been watching work across the street this past week).

Then Audra woke up~ and I wouldn't have missed that moment for the world. All of the older kids crowded around her and kissed her and talked about how big she was and she smiled and cooed and remembered again the glow of being loved so well by them.

Mark called in sick so I did get to take care of him today, afterall~ and also washed everyone's bedding, gave everyone baths, went grocery shopping and stopped at the library with our oldest four, and fed everyone well, all day long. And I gently reminded Audra that she actually does not need to be in mama's arms all day long, today, even though she has been for the past few days.

A full day. I am tired but so happy to be right back where I belong.

~Whew~

Wow. It's late. Mark is sleeping beside me on the couch. I am off to bed. Still praying I won't get struck with the plague that has visited our home these past few days!