Being Sick and celebrating Christmas

Oh matching girls! Us four girls have a lot of fun together.
Last year I was pregnant with Dakota and now it just feels like we've been together forever. I can't believe I was even nervous about being a mom to two little girls. They are great friends and Daraby is the best mother's helper ever. She really keeps Dakota in line and won't brook any nonsense. She is more strict than I am. She loves to get the bottle and treats for Dakota, pats her back, talks to her as she gets up from naps, sings to her, reads her books and calls to her like she does Abby. "Abby come! Dakota come! We play toys! Come!" says Daraby. I love having her help and I'm so proud of the little girl/mother she is becoming. All her babies are well loved and she is constantly giving them rides in the stroller, putting them in the high chair, laying them in the cradle etc... In the picture below you will see that she got a metal grocery cart for Christmas. She already loves it! She mimics me. I try to just cuddle her and play with her but I have to play and cuddle her four dolls too. Since I was a tom-boy this is all pretty new to me. Oh I had dolls-I played with them alongside GI Joes. This nurturing nature is very Daraby. What a beautiful spirit! Daraby is hating the camera but her personality is blooming and her speech is adorable.

We celebrated by opening gifts as a family tonight as Andrew and I fly out on Sunday. Tomorrow we will be packing. Saturday we'll drop the girls off in Pierre and celebrate a bit with my fam. It won't be a white Christmas for us this year unless we get stuck in the states.

This week has been more than just busy it has been overwhelming. We've been super sick. I haven't been this sick in almost 20 years or so. Sure I was in the hospital after Dakota was born but that was nothing to this bout with Strep. Incredibly sick! I started to feel bad on Monday. On Tuesday morning Andrew and I went and worked out at that gym. We walked, ran some ladders and rode the bike. Afterwards I was bent over sick. I thought, "Wow! I really need to start working out more. This is pathetic!" Well, I do need to actually work out more but this sick was over the top and I spent the morning trying to gain my bearings back. By the afternoon I realized I was really sick. The Dr confirmed it- said I have Strep Throat and perhaps Mono. I'm one of the worst cases he has seen. "No doubt about," he said. I started taking medicine Tuesday night.
By Wednesday we realized that Daraby and Andrew had it too. Back into town I drove to get more medicine. We've had high fevers and lots of chills. Chattering teeth and everything. Awfully sick! My throat felt like it was being stabbed by knives. Very painful. We are getting better. Still feel pretty weak and light headed but this feels great compared to a day ago. I'm hoping we are up to snuff by the time we fly out. I wouldn't have been able to board a plane a few days ago. Pray that we don't have any complications and that this illness will go away completely.
By the way we have lots and lots of thank yous need to go out. We opened gifts tonight from G & G Boersma, Great G & G Boersma, Great G & G Van Duinen, Shorts and Seamans. We feel incredibly blessed and loved!! Just to think that last year about this time we were living in at state of turmoil about the future. We had no permanent home, change in jobs, no company health insurance for a month, loss of our possessions, and I was pregnant and we were sleeping on an air mattress in the living room. Oh, we had puppies last year. If you remember Abby gave birth to them in the Suburban on top of many our belongings while I was driving/moving to our temporary rental place. Oh the joys and pains in life. We've grown, changed and softened in a year. We are very thankful for the Lord's hand in our life and His protection.
Thanks again for all the amazing gifts for the girls: Knitted hats, knitted sweater, matching outfits, metal grocery cart, musical glow seahorse, play food, lamb puppet, (formerly loved) American girl doll, my little pony, little apron, etc.... So Blessed! Thanks, Thanks, Thanks!
Even in the midst of all the gifts I find the most peace in realizing that "God with us" happened so many years ago. He came to earth to bring us into a relationship with Him. Today he has made a dwelling place in our hearts: from a manger, to a cross, and into our hearts. A savior who is Christ the Lord! A graceful and loving God who humbled himself to come to earth. Let us imitate Him this season by humbling ourselves, giving others grace and extending an olive branch to the unlovely. A challenge for sure but doable with the love of Christ. Go get 'em and have a Merry Christmas while you are at it!


Dadda's love!


Oh Happy Baby! Dakota loves the camera.


Daraby is imitating me. She has a carseat for her baby and she is going shopping. You don't realize until you become a mom that kids listen, follow and do all the things you do. I love it.

So amazing, we got a knock on our door right in the middle of us opening gifts as a family, there were caroling kids outside our door. Very nice to hear SBA kids singing to us!