a forced stopping in the middle of advent

I was pretty excited about the busyness of December. The parties, the last lessons, the fun christmas playdates, etc. So when Andrew got sick last Sunday night, I figured we'd be out of commission for a day or 2. When one day turned into 2, into 3, I felt like we'd at least be fine by friday and back to normal speed, but I also realized that God might be up to more than could be initially seen. We all ended up sick, and Aimee even ended up at the ER with croup on thursday night, and now it's sunday again and we are still not back up to 100% yet. As I look back on this forced stopping though, I am reminded of the invitation of advent to stop, be still, be quiet, and wait. And now I'm thankful for the chance to be home all of this past week...baking cookies, reading books, painting pictures, and resting and resting. It's hard to be home with sick kids but at least sick kids are tired kids and everyone gets to rest :-) The fevers are gone and only the coughs remain. I think we'll be able to do some of the planned things this next week, but I no longer want to rush. I want to stay home too and talk to them about Jesus and advent. I want their excited expectation to be on His coming more than on anything else this season has to offer.

 she brings me hair clips to put in her hair and then takes them out immediately. I've never been able to keep one on her long enough to even get out the door. 

 anyone want a dog? He used to only run away during daylight, but tonight he did it in the dark

 fuzzy pictures from my phone