38/52: Chugging along

In the ridiculously busy days we've been having, it's hard to find a reason to pick up the camera and document anything... My mind is on other things - the leaky roof that needs to be repaired ASAP, the mold in the girls' closet that will probably mean attic insulation needs to be replaced (also ASAP, because this baby will likely be prone to respiratory infections and I'd rather keep chances of that fairly low), the laundry situation that I just can't manage to get on top of, the heartburn & reflux & third trimester nausea & lack of appetite that make eating less-than-enjoyable, the produce that needs to be picked and preserved before the frost comes, and OH! That crazy-important appointment at the hospital that I've been losing sleep over.

Well, let's just say I've probably been a less-than-pleasant person to be around lately. Hence this abundantly joyful post! Sorry about that - you know I'm usually not a whiner, but oof. The hits just keep coming. And there's been more screaming than usual coming from the 5-and-under crowd (ohhhh the cat fights...), which just makes me snap more. This is one of those survival mode times when frozen pizza is on the menu at least once a week (allowing this blog post to get written, because hopefully getting all this out will at least ease the constant stream of thoughts in my mind little?), things never return all the way to a "clean" state by the end of the day, and the battle of the hairbrush is just not getting waged on a daily basis.

Luckily Elizabeth is up for having her hair french braided every couple of days, which keeps it from getting *too* matted. Cecilia and Mary Claire are fine without frequent brushing, but Elizabeth's hair is sooooo thin and fine that it gets BAD without constant intervention!

I set up a "tea party" on the porch for the girls in an attempt to keep them outside for a while during Peter's nap. 

They were pretty pleased with their mini bagels and tin cups. It lasted about as long as I expected before they were clamoring to come in - maybe 5 minutes?

They just want to be around me all day long, except if my mom can think of a clever diversion to get them outdoors (which works 100% of the time with Peter, and pretty rarely with the others, although she staged the "Twin Olympics" in a moment of brilliance today and they LOVED it).

Peter is enjoying his last moments of semi-feral living before it gets too cold to show off his farmer's tan. Remind me to hide the water table and wading pool SOON so that once it's cold he stops soaking himself and needing to have his clothes taken off...

I almost caught them in an adorable moment in which John Paul was helping Peter put on Elizabeth's old rain boots. Barely missed it! But it was amazing. 

Hoping for good news tomorrow, or at least some definitive answers so the "what-ifs" stop plaguing me quite so much! Thanks so much for your prayers :)