Not My Everyday Sunday

So, today I really was hoping to go to church. But, because of Kinley's eye, which was no better this morning, we were unable to go. I did talk to a friend who used to be a pediatric nurse, and she told me that Kinley needed to see a doctor. So, I called the doctor on call and left a message. He called me back and sent in the referral for Kinley to go to a med-stop today. I called a friend to come over and watch the other three kids, and off Kinley and I went. Now, if you have to go to a med-stop, Sunday afternoons really are not a busy time at all. When we got there, there was only one other person in the waiting room. But, it wouldn't be a doctor's office visit if we didn't have to wait some. It didn't take us too long to get into the exam room, but for some reason, it still took about thirty minutes to be seen once we got there. Oh well. She saw Kinley's eyes and prescribed some drops. We went to Walgreens and picked up the prescription- which by the way, are expensive!!! I am glad I just have a copay, because that teeny tiny bottle of drops was over $100- ridiculous!!! Kinley did really well letting me put the drops in the first time. The second time, not so much. But, I got them in there.

I also had praise team practice this afternoon at 4pm. I had my babysitter come up to the church and let the kids play on the playground while I practiced. The church was having a big picnic for Memorial Day, but we went home, because I wouldn't want any other kids to get pink eye.

I honestly can't think of the last time I missed church, except for being out of town. And, even then, we usually go to church wherever we are. So, it was really weird not being at church today. And, it was really nice to have friends call after church to make sure everything was OK. I have said this before, but I can't say it enough. That, without my church family, I would not have made it through the past two months. They have been such a blessing to me and my children. Words cannot express how much my church means to me.

And, thanks to Alma for watching my kids today, and folding some of my laundry. I was almost embarrassed that someone folded my laundry, but then I decided I was really just thankful. It is one of the small blessings!

Just Another Day

Yesterday and today have been very relaxed, laid back days here at the Hendricks home. Friday we again spent the day just playing and hanging out and not doing much of anything important. Today my babysitter came over for a short time so that I could go to the grocery store, you know, without four kids. But, other than that, we have just spent time at home. Brianna was supposed to have a birthday party to go to, but her tummy has been bothering her lately, so she decided to stay home. Although, she did say that she felt better this afternoon. And, Kinley may have pink eye. I am just not sure. She has had some gooey stuff coming out of her eye for the past few days, only in the afternoon, but her eye has been clear. However, just in the past 24 hours one eye has started to look a little pink. But, not as much goo. But, after some online research, I found out that pink eye can be caused by allergies as well, so maybe that is the case. Please pray that her eyes will feel better. Today is also the first day that she told me that they hurt.

What a sweet little lady!!! She definitely is the one who keeps me on my toes the most, and she always makes me smile!!! Even when she is in trouble.

Nothing to do...Finally!!!

Today was one of the first days since Nathan has been gone that I had absolutely NOTHING that I had to do. In fact, it may have been the first day. Today, we stayed home and just played, watched shows on TV and hung out together. I didn't even fold the laundry that still needs to be folded. It can wait until tomorrow. I did, however, do the dishes after putting the kids to bed. It might be nice to have clean dishes to eat off of tomorrow. It was a wonderful day, and much needed. And guess what? Tomorrow, I don't have anything that I have to do...although, I might be ambitious and actually fold the laundry!

Here is a great photo of James that Brooke took while she was here. What a handsome little man!!! Love that smile!!! (and, he has two teeth in there...you just can't see them)

Beach Pictures!

Here are some more pics from our trip to the beach this week. Thanks so much to Aunt Brookie who took these pictures and edited them.

My two little peas in a pod!

James, loving on his momma!

Nate playing in the sand!

Baby James...just learning to sit up on his own! He had a really funny face-plant in the sand after this shot!

Me and my NateJ!

Little Miss Kinley Brooke...what a sweetheart!!!

Our family, minus Daddy of course. We love and miss you Daddy!
Can't wait to see you!

Celebrating Brianna!!!

Today was my little girl's sixth birthday! I cannot believe how time has flown by. Brianna is such a wonderful young lady. She is my biggest helper. She is a wonderful big sister. She loves school and I am amazed at how well she did this past year...she can read so well!!! Here are some photos of Brianna from the past week.






What a beautiful little girl!!!







Brianna's birthday party last weekend. We had a cupcake decorating party, and I made the cupcake cake myself!!!










Brianna walking down the aisle at her kindergarten graduation.













Like I said...my biggest helper!

















She loves her little sister!











We went to Tybee Island this week, and the first thing Brianna did when we got there was write this in the sand. We love and miss Daddy!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I know...I was supposed to blog every day. But, this week has been so incredibly busy. So busy, in fact, that even though we have taken a lot of pictures, I haven't even had time to upload them to my computer. But, I promise, when I do have time, I will share them with you. But, it will be later this week.

What have we been busy with, you might be asking. Well, we have had some sort of event every day since Brooke has arrived.

Wednesday we had AWANA awards night at church.
Thursday we had Brianna's class party at school.
Friday we had Brianna's Kindergarten graduation.
Saturday we had Brianna's birthday party.
Tonight we had a kid's party at church where I was in charge of the food.
Tomorrow, we have an end of year party at Mom's Morning Out at noon.
And, after that, we are going to the beach.

And, on top of all of the parties we had earlier in the week, we were spending lots of time getting ready for the birthday party.

Whew! I'm tired just thinking about it all. I'm glad that the busiest time is over and I am looking forward to a little bit of relaxation in the next few days.

Aunt Brookie to the Rescue

Well, sorry for not posting lately. But, life has been so busy! Yesterday after school, we drove to Atlanta to pick up my sister, Brooke, from the airport. We are so thankful that she has come to visit. Although, even though I am tired, we stay up late...but, at least it is fun!

So, since it is already late, here are some bullets about the past two days:

1. Chik-fil-A is the only restaurant I will take all four children to by myself. The absolutely rule in the area of customer service.

2. Remember to take children to the bathroom after eating and before being in the car for a few hours. Otherwise, you will spend way too much money at the Gymboree outlet buying them new clothes and underwear.

3. Do not ever take four children shopping with you at the outlet mall. You will spend more time in the bathroom than actually in the stores shopping.

4. Do not give children ICEE's or slushes in the car...they might paint their bodies with it instead of drinking it.

5. Aunt Brookie is good at giving the kids baths. And, the bath count is down to 32!!!

6. Since Aunt Brookie is sleeping in the girls room (by choice...she could sleep in the guest room) I don't have to get up in the middle of the night with Kinley, because she did. Yay for 6.5 straight hours of sleep.

OK...well, that is all I can think of right now. I need to get to bed. We have a party every day that Brooke is here. Tomorrow is the K5 end of year party!!! And, we have to start the preparations for Brianna's birthday party Saturday and get ready for graduation on Friday! It is going to be one fun, busy week.

Where, Oh Where Could My Watch Be?

Where, Oh Where, Could My Watch Be?

Because its not in Nate's room. Including under his bed, in his toys, in any of the drawers, or in the closet.

Its not in the playroom. Including the toy kitchen, under the coffee table, behind the couches, under the blankets, in the entertainment center, or in the toy buckets.

Its not in the refrigerator or freezer, or under the stove.

Its not in any of the trash cans....or any of the trash that was taken out last week. (sidenote...it was disgusting!!!)

Its not in the couches, flower arrangements, shelves or anywhere in the living room.

Its not in any of the kitchen cabinets that are within Nate's reach...and I've even checked most of them that aren't in his reach.

Its not under Brianna's bed or in her toy bin. I guess I could clean out her closet as well.

Its not under the guest bed.

Its not in the kids bathroom. Or the guest bathroom.

This is driving me crazy!!!!!

The Blessings of this Week

I started blogging during this deployment so that I could keep my focus on the good in each day. Because, I knew this would be a very difficult time for us. And, this week has been difficult. My focus has been pretty negative. Basically, I have been feeling sorry for myself. But, I am going to focus myself on the good of this week.

Sunday was a great day because of Mother's Day...and I did blog about that.

Monday the kids were in Mom's Morning Out, which is always a blessing. I don't remember much else about this day because I haven't slept much this week.

Tuesday...I think I got all the laundry done on this day, which is always a good thing. Also, I had the evening out to myself to go to a class on how to coupon. And, an added bonus was that a friend of mine whom I hadn't seen in a long time was there and we stayed and talked for a long time afterward.

Wednesday was a blessing because I got to go to church. I was very tired, due to lack of sleep, but the ladies in my Bible study group and in the choir are so encouraging, and I really enjoy being at church.

Thursday was again Mom's Morning Out. On this day, I went up to Brianna's class because it was her turn to celebrate her birthday, which is May 24, after school is out. It was fun to have that special time with her. As a side note, I took my very nice watch that Nathan bought me for Christmas off to give the kids baths that night. Nate took it and was playing with it and it is now lost. I have looked everywhere. So, if you could all say a prayer that I would find it, it would mean so much to me.

Friday, I had a friend come watch the kids so I could go to the case lot sale on base. Which, is totally worth it because I won't have to buy toilet paper, paper towels, laundry detergent, fabric softener, dishwasher liquid, etc. for a very long time, and I got really good deals on it. But, an even bigger blessing was that my friend who watched the kids not only took great care of the kids, but also picked up the playroom, which was a HUGE mess.

And, today. My babysitter came over this morning, as she does every Saturday morning. I was running a few errands, and met up with my friend from Tuesday evening at Starbucks. We had a great time of fellowship and adult conversation...always good for me! And, when I got home, not only had Heather taken great care of my kids, but she had also done all the dishes. That was a HUGE blessing!!!

And, another thing to be thankful for...the bath count is down to 36 more baths to give by myself until Nathan comes home.

And, Brookie is coming to visit this week! YAY!!! She will be here on Tuesday, so pray for her safe travel.

Well, I'm Tired...

I know I haven't posted in a couple of days, but, well, I'm tired. Plain and simple. I get to the end of the day, and I haven't done a thing for myself and all I want to do is crawl into bed. So, that is what I have been doing.

Today, I feel like I am at the end of my rope. I just can't take it anymore. But, since I really have no choice but to continue on, I do. Knowing that, God will give me the strength to make it through one more day. And, for my children's sake, I pray that He gives me an extra dose of patience tomorrow.

Good Night!

The Gift

Today was Mother's Day. So, to start my story about today off right, you must know that I have never received a mother's day present. My husband just never felt the need to give me a gift because, of course, I am not HIS mother, just the mother of his children. But, last year our good friend Hardie found out about this and, well, lets just say he convinced Nathan that this needed to change. So...this year, of course Nathan is gone for Mother's Day.

But, this morning started well. Kinley slept through the night for only the third time in about six weeks. I would consider that gift #1. (Well, besides the adorable things given to me by the children that they made at mom's morning out and school.)

Then, we went to church where I was just blessed beyond words by my church family. I was actually kind of feeling a bit down about mother's day because my kids are just so young and don't really have a concept of mother's day. (Or so I thought.) The church had a special time of prayer for the moms and one lady came up to me and said some of the sweetest words of encouragement to me. And then, as I was sitting there, I thought of a young lady so dear to my heart who recently lost her first child early in her pregnancy. I thought of how blessed I am to have my four children to hold and raise and how there are so many ladies who have either lost a mother or a child. Of course, by this time I was just sitting there crying during the service. But, I pulled it together and tried to get out of the service as quickly as possible so that I didn't have to deal with people feeling sorry for me or anything like that. (Because you know, I was sitting in the choir loft when I was crying.) But, of course, I couldn't escape that quickly. My friend Cindi found me and had made me a sweet mother's day present (gift #2). And, another friend sent her son to ask me to meet them for lunch. And, yet another friend also invited us over for lunch. (Don't worry...we are invading her house tomorrow to go swim!)

So, after lunch, I get home and I had a couple of nice text messages from my mom and a friend from church. I got online to skype with Nathan, and you will not believe it. He had planned before he left a present for me for mother's day. He had hid a card and a gift (#3) in the kitchen. I went to get it and opened it. It was a beautiful ring! So, for the first mother's day present he ever gave me, it was a good one! I tried to get a picture, but couldn't get a good one...I'll have to work on that. But, trust me, it is pretty!

We took naps, and during naptime my cousin from California texted me happy mother's day. (By this time I am thinking that I have never had so many people wish me happy mothers day.) Then, this evening when we were in the kitchen getting dinner ready, I asked Nate to clear the table for me. He just said so sweetly, "Yes Mom, it would be my pleasure!" and walked to the table and cleared it off, putting the dishes in the sink. THAT just melted my heart.

And then, the best present yet. Earlier that morning, Nate had come into the room while I was feeding James and asked me what I liked. I had told him I like hugs and kisses. But he asked what else I liked, and I told him several things, including flowers and chocolate. So, they had been playing quietly in the girls' room off and on all day. They had gotten wrapping paper, child scissors, and tape. I knew something was up, but I let them do their thing. Then they came out and gave me the best mother's day present.

Nate handed it to me, and said, "But we couldn't draw hugs and kisses..."And again, my heart just melted. And then I got a ton of hugs and kisses from all of my kids. (By the way, that brown blob...its chocolate that is melted, so it is really good. At least, that is what Brianna told me.)

Today, was the perfect Mother's Day for me. I am so blessed that God chose me to be the mother to these four little blessings. I could not have asked for a better privilege in this lifetime. I am also so blessed to have a wonderful mom who taught me so much, and who I am so much like.

Good Friends

Every Saturday morning I have a babysitter come over so that I can go run errands, go to my WW meeting, and whatever else needs to be done. So, this morning I did just that, except I was running late and missed my meeting. Oh well! But, I love having some time to myself and the kids love having Miss Heather come over to play.

This afternoon, I was blessed to have some good friends come over. They brought their kids and we all sat on the back porch most of the time and just watched the kids play, ate some food, and talked. It was good for me because I get bored and lonely hanging out all the time with just the kids. I mean, I love my kids and everything, but when it is just us, all the time, it gets boring. And, I do believe that they get just as tired of me as I do of them. Just being honest here.

Of course, the men had to do a little bit of work around the house. Not because I made them or anything, but because they are just good guys. One sealed the tile job he had been working on and the other fixed the net on our trampoline (until one kid tried to climb up the net and ripped it...but, it was fixed for a little while) and he also fixed some of the siding on our back porch which was starting to fall down. And, then they measured the trampoline so I can get a new net.

And, a bonus to all of that. My kids were exhausted tonight, and went to bed early and very easily. I love it when they are completely worn out. I actually got some work done after they went to sleep as well. I cleaned the kitchen, folded some laundry, spot cleaned the carpet in the playroom and cleaned marker off of my coffee table. (Yes, I do think that some children will be disciplined tomorrow for writing on my coffee table.) I also cleaned the handrail in my staircase, which was filthy. It amazes me how dirty it gets.

Its been a good day. I did get an email from Nathan that his internet wasn't working last night and that is why he couldn't skype. Let's pray that tomorrow we will be able to skype for a little while.

Busy Days

Nathan told me that his fast forward button for this deployment was sleep. To which I promptly told him to shut up, because I get very little sleep. But, I guess that my fast forward button for this deployment is business. Because, that is what I am...all the time. I think that the only times I even sat down today were to drive the car, feed the baby, or eat. But, it is good...it really does make the time go by faster.

Yesterday was Mom's morning out, and I spent that time running a couple of errands and grocery shopping. Then, since we had such a bad night of sleep Wednesday night, we all took naps in the afternoon. That was wonderful. Then, we just had a relaxing evening hanging out upstairs together watching a movie. Oh, except for the fact that I had to bathe all four kids. And put them to bed by myself. That wasn't relaxing. Only 52 more baths to give before Nathan gets home...

On to today. Today, my friend came and cleaned my house, as she does every two weeks. It is so wonderful to have someone come and clean for me. I am so thankful for the provision to have this done. I worked on cleaning up as well, because there were several small projects that I needed to clean up. After picking Brianna up from school, the kids played outside in the little pool for most of the afternoon. The guys came to mow the yard this evening, and Brianna's little friends came with their dad to play. And then, their mom came to pick them up and stayed for a while to visit, along with another friend who came over for dinner. It was lots of fun having some friends over to visit with. And, I made another couple of recipes from the "Kitchen Boss" for Nate...which again, he did not eat. But, they were great! I'm getting better at this cooking thing.

I was supposed to skype with Nathan this evening, but it is looking like he isn't going to make it. His internet connection must be bad or something like that.

I'm not going to cry! I'm not going to cry! I'm not going to cry! OK...maybe a little...

Quick Updates

Its late, and I still have work to do before I can go to bed, so this is going to have to be quick.

Brianna lost her second tooth yesterday. I actually got to pull it, which is a first for me...but I didn't tell her that! Today, she slammed her fingers in the car door, so I had to take her to the doctor this afternoon. No broken fingers, but her middle finger is going to be very bruised and she might lose the finger nail. I also didn't tell her that.

Nate...he is handling things pretty well. He gets tired and cranky, but no real news with him these days. Watch me say that and he will be the one I am at the doctor's office with by the end of the week.

Kinley is still not sleeping well and clings to me like glue. I'm just trying to be patient with her.

James, praise God, is the best baby ever. He actually cut his first tooth this past weekend and didn't even run a fever or get too cranky or anything like that. I just felt it in his mouth one day. And, he is only four months old! Almost five...

I'm hanging in there. Thanks so much for the prayers of support. I can really feel the Lord's peace through these tough days.

A Busy Day!

Today was a busy day. And, I am tired, so I am going to try to keep this short.

Obviously, this morning I heard of the news that we killed OBL. Great news!!! It was fun telling the kids, because when we talk about Daddy being gone, we tell them that he went to fight the bad guys, because that makes sense to them. So, today I got to tell them that we killed the "baddest" guy, and they were so excited!

We are having someone tile around our shower in the master bathroom, so this morning I had to go pick out the tile and get all the supplies and let the guy in the house to work. Then, I had to run a couple of errands before picking up the kids. At one of the places, they were laying new asphalt in the parking lot, and the fumes immediately gave me a headache which just got progressively worse throughout the day.

After picking up all the kids, I had to take Kinley to the doctor, and by the time we got home, my headache was terrible and I was feeling so sick. Since my babysitter is so wonderful and a friend and her kids were all at the house, they continued to watch my kids and I went and laid down for about 45 minutes. I felt so much better after that. And, my friend cleaned my kitchen countertops, emptied the dishwasher and cleaned the kids bedrooms and bathrooms, without me even asking her to. What a blessing!!! You really have no idea how much my kitchen countertops were bothering me.

Anyway, we ordered pizza and let the kids play until their dad was done working on the tile. When they went home, I gave the girls baths, but Nate had fallen asleep on the couch, so I just put him in bed.

Hopefully, after all of that playing outside, they will sleep all night long. I can always hope and pray!