breathing

I'm glad not all Mondays are like this one.

Typically I use Mondays to catch up and take a breath after a busy weekend. Tackle the mountain of laundry, wash all the pots and pans that seemed to have miraculously accumulated, bathe the children (and myself, of course), address the little extra house & farm chores that didn't get taken care of over the weekend. I usually find Mondays quite therapeutic. After our usual fun but frantic weekend activities it's nice to have a quiet day at home, get things in order, and maybe indulge in a little down time during naps.

Today was not an ordinary Monday.

It started off with Amelia fighting a low fever and wanting a lot of comfort. While starting breakfast I realized that we were out of eggs in the frig so I ran out to the chicken coop for some farm fresh ones. In the rain, with M, W & A tagging along because collecting eggs is always an exciting event. Upon entering the coop I noticed an eery silence coming from the back section where I had recently just moved our adorable 12 spring chicks. Fortunately I sent M&W out before discovering the pile of remains in a corner. The sad side of farm life. Returning to the house I then discovered all of the smoke alarms going off due to the fact that I had (very absentmindedly and foolishly) left a skillet on a burner to heat up for cooking the eggs. Children are not big fans of smoky houses and loud smoke alarms, and I can't blame them.

Order restored. Relative peace attained so I could finish rushing around like a chicken with its head cut off (...oh dear) getting ready to drop W&A off at Grandma's and head into town. Amazingly, I was only a few minutes late for the midwife appointment.

Yes, it is true. We have been blessed with a wonderful fourth child, due November 22nd. We heard the beautiful, strong heartbeat and everything seems grand. Margaret and William are beside themselves with excitement, and Amelia is blissfully ignorant.

"Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward." - Psalm 127:3

But, to continue my lovely recap of our mad Monday morning....
The appointment was going along nicely, with Clay and Margaret attending, until I started having my blood drawn. Passing out is a very odd sensation. I guess there is a first time for everything.
Clay kindly took me out for tea and crab rangoons afterward and this greatly revived me.

And finally, we arrived home just barely in time to meet some prospective puppy owners who properly oohed and aahed over our cute girl puppy while William took advantage of my being distracted to stand in the bucket of dog water in his cowboy boots. (He was reenacting John Wayne diving into a river to rescue someone, naturally.)

Thank goodness for nap time and having time to breathe. Even half an hour in a quiet, resting, peaceful house can do wonders for one's soul. 

Now, typically I try not to to use my blog to unload and share all of my little woes and dramas. That's why I married such a patient and understanding husband. (I hope I do a decent job at this.) But today felt crazy enough to seem on the humorous side (looking back, of course).

And I learned to be thankful for the little things in the midst of it all. Like the fact that none of the grown chickens or guineas were harmed in the coop massacre last night. That I have a great mother-in-law who will watch the two little ones so I can have a (relatively) peaceful midwife appointment, even when the littlest one isn't her usual cheerful self. I'm especially thankful for the new life growing inside of me. For a husband who will take the time to come to the midwife appointment with me and then take me out for refreshment to help me feel better. For a nice phone chat with my own mother after the children were in bed. And for a wonderful home to come back to and relax in when the festivities were over (that I managed to not burn down during breakfast).

We will be acquiring another 12 little chicks from the hatchery tonight. So here's to new beginnings and hoping the rest of the day goes a little smoother.