Flu bug

January/February have been very mild months this year, and we've enjoyed going on walks to the park, getting muddy and washing up in our home "pool" (baths in swimsuits--Gryffy and Mommy just got out of the tub before nap time, in fact!), and riding bikes in the cul de sac.

 Lorelei is a very (VERY!) cautious child.  We have to work with her a lot to overcome her fears and "be brave," especially with riding a bike.  She felt so unsteady on training wheels, and it seemed like we were just getting nowhere because she'd always ditch her bike for Gryffy's to be closer to the ground (and her legs are way too long for little brother's bike). So I did some research, and found out that many bike experts recommend parting with training wheels and pedals altogether, and working on nothing but balance.  I could just see Lorelei's confidence blossoming immediately, so much so that the next day, she wanted us to replace the pedals again.
What's that I see? Could it be a smile???

We had a few spills, but always got back up.

And for a few brief seconds here and there, Lorelei would ride freely up the street, Mommy or Daddy close behind her.

And my heart went all aflutter when she actually got excited about going outdoors for "bike lessons."

Sadly, just as we began to make progress, Lorelei and Gryffy both caught a nasty flu bug. We spent a lot of time piled on the floor with pillows and blankets for movies, reading, iPad games and 60-piece puzzles (G is the puzzle master). Fortunately for Gryffy, his fever passed in a day, but Lorelei has been fighting this thing for six days now, and had to miss her annual violin concert (again)! She's doing better, but it's taken a real toll on her appetite, and meal time is a constant battle.  It hasn't been fun, and I've been on my knees more than once praying for God to give me patience and wisdom to help her readjust to food! We just had a horrible visit to her favorite restaurant, Olive Garden, today--she whined and panicked when I'd try to get her to eat more than three bites.  She's especially bothered by texture this week, and doesn't even like smoothies anymore!  Let's just say I cried on the car ride home. She, meanwhile, fell asleep.

And she's still sleeping, which is about all she's done this week.  Poor girl.
Other things we've been up to:
1. Mark and I have been having regular date nights every week and have really enjoyed the time together. Sometimes it's dinner and a movie, or tapas and a book we're working through together, or a visit to the hot tub at the gym to unwind.  It's been seriously nice.  I appreciate so much that I married such a good man who loves me and our kids so much, and that we have a fabulous babysitter living right across the street who is so gracious with her time (and who the kids adore).
2. Apples of Gold!  I can't say enough about how much I've been enjoying Apples of Gold, a once-weekly meet up of women my age and older mentors who treat us to superb, candlelit meals as we focus on Titus 2:3-5: "Train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be sensible, chaste, domestic, kind, and submissive to their husbands, that the word of God may not be discredited." Each week we study and discuss a different topic: Kindness, Loving Your Husband, Loving Your Children, Submission, Hospitality, Purity.  I've been so inspired and blessed that I have begun to plan for a similar study for young girls and their mothers.  I call it:
3. "Princess Power Training."  You'll hear more about this on the blog in the near future, but two amazing women and I are working hard on creating a curriculum to teach confidence to our "Princesses" using a biblical model--our theme is "Be Loyal to the Royal Within."  We're covering loads of stuff and have corresponding activities and projects for each enchanted evening, to tie in with the six themes that God put on my heart: Be-YOU-ty, Obedience, Kindness, Confidence, Courage, Radiance.  I know Lorelei will love this and I hope that it blesses a lot of other girls this spring!  We'll begin piloting this at the end of March through our church, probably limiting it to a group of 8-12 mother/daughter pairs, so 16-24 people (haven't decided on exact numbers yet, but it's been amazing to see the enthusiasm building already).
If you're wondering why I haven't been blogging much lately, between all of these fun things (and more that I haven't mentioned--Deep Dives class, walking), the flu, and a few articles in the pipeline, I've been spinning plates!