Laryngitis, et al...

lar·yn·gi·tis /ˌlærənˈdʒaɪtɪs/ Pronunciation Key - Show Spelled Pronunciation[lar-uhn-jahy-tis] -noun: inflammation of the larynx, often with accompanying sore throat, hoarseness or loss of voice, and dry cough. Alternatively, the reason why your ward thinks you're inactive, your spouse thinks something is wrong, and your friends & sister think you hate them because you don't call...

Need I say more? The two youngest had croup last week, thus forcing us to cancel our most looked forward to Easter plans. Maybe it's all for the best, though, since I, an adult in my 30's, got croup a couple days later. Who gets croup as an adult? Foolishly, I tried to run it off, but the short-term payoff of cold air reducing the swelling had long-term consequences when it set off my exercise-induced asthma and generally dried out the ol' breathin' hose. 5 days later, I'm still fighting the cough (thanks, Pookie, for telling me about Delsym 2 years ago--it is SAVING ME at night), still don't have a voice, and still can't go running. The last one is the worst bummer. I NEED my morning run like some people need their coffee. Do I want some cheese with my whine, you ask? Yes, but only if tastes better than my main source of calories right now: Riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii-cola....

We had a lovely St. Paddy's day on Monday when my mother- and sister-in-law (Jan & Lyn) stopped by for a visit. They brought fun goodies for the girls and treated us to a nice dinner at IHOP (mmm, Swedish crepes w/lingonberry butter and lingonberry jelly...). After some thoroughly satisfying food and company, I exited stage right to take Domba & Shrimp to the potty. That's always exciting, and Shrimp didn't disappoint this time either. After forcing Domba and I to look at the contents of her potty (before she would flush, and yes, you would've too if it would avoid one of her melt-downs), she promptly ran out and exclaimed to everyone on the south side of IHOP that she had St. Patrick's poo. I guess I can't blame her too much--it was a virulent shade of green. I just ask myself now whether it came from ingesting play-do or worse, my cooking...

As part of our compromise for not going to NC over Easter weekend, we had a "campout" in the sunroom Thurs night. I'm sure you can guess how well that ended up: by 6am, Shrimp was the only one left in the tent, having screamed out Domba 10 minutes after laying down, bugged Bub out at 4am, and finally kicked Daddy out around 6am. Fortunately, our other "vacation" activities went a little better, including having a picnic by the horse stables at a park in Chevy Chase (Mini-Me is SO into neigh-neighs as she calls them. I think she thinks they're big doggies.) We played at the playground next-door until Mommy & Daddy were darn sick of pushing swings... Then, of course, there was the leavings, I mean, the gifts from the Easter Bunny--hard to go wrong with refined sugar products. I think Mini-Me may well have eaten an entire bag of jellybeans that morning.... Fortunately for the increasingly sick Mommy, the Easter bunny brought the girls some fun movies for our collection: The Incredibles, Cars, Stuart Little 3, and Return to Neverland. Our final bit of vacation fun was a trip to the local indoor pool. And let me tell you, it was WONDERFUL! They aren't heat-misers like they were in Ann Arbor--they have the temperature almost to hottub levels. It was great to step in the water, even the first time, and no one ever got so cold that we had to leave early (as happened time and again at the Ann Arbor city pools!). Miss Domba showed us her swim-moves--she's a real fish, and Mini-Me delighted in jumping into Mommy's arms. Bub was a good example with her perfected swim technique, and Shrimp kept Mini-Me entertained as she is wont to do lately.

Ah, spring is truly here, and I know it because the daffodils are blooming everywhere, the periwinkles are unfurling, and I'm being bombarded with advertisements for this year's swimsuit fashions... Putting that last one aside (as I do every year), I am enormously excited by all the beautiful blossoms that are everywhere I look! I know the pollen is the source of Dh's nasty allergies, but there is something about seeing those flashes of color as I run or drive past other people's yards. Last week, Derek and I spent several hours transplanting bulbs that popped up under the swing-set we put in last fall to the front yard. We're also resetting some paving stones we dug up last fall. And of course, we're getting a couple spots ready for our first garden. I'm really excited to grow our own produce--I've already put together some starts that are happily germinating in the sunroom. Now I just have to cross my fingers and hope that I remember a little bit of what my dad taught us as kids. If I can grow a pumpkin the size of Bub, I'll know I've learned something from him. Of course, if I can grow a pumpkin at all, I will have succeeded way beyond my wildest dreams... :)

I got to go on a field trip with Bub last week to Clara Barton's home (of her adulthood, not the one she was raised in) just west of us at a place called Glen Echo Park. As the founder of the American Red Cross, she certainly let an adventurous life. We got to a see a short play that gave an overview of her life, and then eat lunch at their playground, and finally, go see her house which was also the headquarters of the Red Cross for many years. Bub & I were both really impressed with her courage and strength of will. It's that same willpower that I see in Bub (and all of my girls)--I just hope they will put it to positive use in their lives instead of "kicking against the pricks" as I found myself doing at times. Next week, I get to go on a field trip to a museum with Domba's kindergarten class--hip, hip, hooray for field trips!!

Despite my manly voice and hacking cough, I took the girls to Butler's Orchard's Bunnyland Eggstravaganza yesterday morning. It was well worth the pain and effort if only to see the girl's goofy smiles as they hunted for tons and tons of eggs, petted and rode on ponies, jumped in the moon-bounce, petted baby bunnies & chicks, rode the haywagon, and posed for picture after picture... They had a hefty entrance fee (especially for 4 kids), but I think it was really worth it. Too bad Daddy had to teach that day--he really wanted to come. We even saw our Bishop there, ditching his work to come to Bunnyland!