Are You New?

Mike and I will tease each other by saying that sometimes. Like in a situation where the other person should know the right response or answer but for some reason, aren't getting it. We like to joke around, so it's a way for us to be like - did you just get here? Why do you not know that answer? Have you not been the parent with me this whole time? :) We kind of were asking each other that question this weekend. But first, I'll go back. Friday the kids didn't have school so I took them to play at a park we haven't been to before. It was so great to have a slow morning and get to play and hang out and have fun. We went to frozen yogurt for lunch and then ran to the store. The weather started to get colder then so we came home and the kids curled up and watched a movie while I did some work around the house. We had some friends over for dinner that night and it was fun to visit and let the kids all play. Saturday was one of our first weekends without soccer so it was great to sleep in and not have to get out of the house so early. We had a relaxing morning and then thought it would be fun to take a family trip to the mall. Mike had bought me a watch for our anniversary so we thought it would be a good idea to go get it sized and walk around a little and go to dinner. Really? Are you new? For crying out loud do you think we could go to a more heavily populated place than the mall on a Saturday afternoon? Mike was dying and regretting our decision-making as we watched Brooklyn touch everything in sight. We decided to leave and went across the street to an open air area where they have a fountain that has water with lights that is coreagraphed to music. It was good to be outside & the kids loved watching the water dance. Then we went to one of our favorite places for dinner, but once again - dinner at a crowded restaurant on a Saturday night? Ugh. The kids did remarkably well in the restaurant, but Brookie did get tired and cranky toward the end of dinner. We got them home and into bed before it was too late, so that was good. We decided not to go to church Sunday morning because my parents and aunt & uncle are out of town so we would've had to bring Brooklyn into church with us and we just didn't want to expose her to so many people again since we just had the night before. I ran out to do some errands but everyone else just stayed home to play & rest. Kelsey has had a cold for a week now so she hasn't been feeling great and Brooklyn woke up with a runny nose Sunday morning and was kind of wheezing too.  By that evening, it was obvious she wasn't feeling well and was starting to get a fever. She had a hard time sleeping very soundly so I ended up sleeping in bed with her most of the night and miraculously her fever actually went down. This morning we went to see her oncologist for her regular monthly appointment, and then she got her chemo in the infusion room. After picking up Braden and Kayla from school, some friends watched the kids while Mike and I went to their parent teacher conferences. They are both doing wonderfully in school & we are so proud of them. They have had a lot to deal with in the last year with moving, starting a new school, making new friends and their sister getting cancer. We are so happy that they have adjusted to everything so well and are doing such a good job with it all. Brooklyn wasn't feeling very well again tonight, but it was another busy day for her. It is hard to remember that we need to slow down for Brooklyn when everything else in life is still going so fast. It's been 9 months, but I guess sometimes I am still new to all of this.