weekend away

Bright and early Saturday morning we loaded the kids in the car and drove 4 hours to Brenham, Texas to attend the annual Baranowski Halloween Party/Reunion. The family gathering has been a long-standing tradition in the Baranowski family. I have been going to Brenham (or to "The Country" as we like to call it) with Jeff ever since we started dating. We look forward to it every year.

This year we were blessed with beautiful weather and the good health of everyone. We spent a beautiful day eating, talking, playing in the dirt, riding 4 wheelers, carving pumpkins and even going for a hayride. It really could not have been a more perfect day...

















On our way back home on Sunday, we stopped in Waco to take the kids for a walk around Baylor's campus. Jeff and I wanted to show the kids around and see for ourselves how much had changed. I have always loved how pretty the campus is and how much the architecture makes it feel like a traditional college campus. Although there were several new buildings, the campus still felt very familiar. Jeff and enjoyed our walk down "memory lane" and it was a nice break for the kids on the long drive home.

the light at the end of the tunnel

We have been sick. We have been sick for weeks. First Hannah and Jeff got sick and were both sicker than I've ever seen them for a week. Then, two days later, Avery got sick and was down for 5 days. A day later I got sick and was pretty much miserable for a solid week.

After spending $200 on multiple doctor's office visits and antibiotic prescriptions for Hannah, plus whatever Jeff had to spend on his multiple doctor's office visits and prescriptions, we found out that the culprit was a virus. A nasty, nasty virus that causes pink eye, fever, sore throat, body aches and a cough. The virus lasts a full 5-7 days and there is nothing to do but wait it out.

Now that we are almost 4 weeks out from where we started and now that the nasty virus has made its way through 4 out of our 5 family members, I think I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. Fingers crossed that Ethan doesn't succomb to the wrath of the adenovirus...

5 lessons from a 4 year old

1. Don't be afraid to smile at strangers. I cannot tell you how many times I have been in the grocery store (or some other such place), completely absorbed in what I was doing and looked up to find some stranger smiling and carrying on a conversation with Hannah. She doesn't care if she knows them or not, she just smiles...and they smile back. I need to break out of the habit of self-absorbtion and remember to flash an occasional smile at those around me.

2. Speak up for what you want. Hannah has only recently started standing up for herself and I have loved watching her learn. Avery no longer bullies her and I can no longer tell her what to wear or how to fix her hair without hearing her input. The truth is, I think the world might be a little better place if more people stood up for what they want and didn't let themselves be bullied by others.

3. There is no shame in the afternoon nap. Hannah loves to sleep. I'm pretty sure she gets that from me. I will often find her asleep on the couch in the afternoons. Taking a nap is so often considered a luxury or for lazy people but shouldn't be so. In fact, it is a great way to refresh your body and your mind and to turn a bad day around.

4. A little hug goes a long way. There is nothing like someone coming to you with a hug to make you stop whatever it was you were doing and remember what is really important.

5. Be confident in your choices. Just the other day, Hannah came downstairs wearing a long sleeved silver sweater and a pair of blue jean shorts. She chose the sweater because she liked the way it was sparkly and the shorts because it was warm. She didn't care that I was telling her they didn't match. To her, her choices made sense and she wasn't about to change just because someone else didn't agree. How wonderful would it be to have that much confidence?