Last Girl Standing

We sniffed, sneezed, fevered, coughed, ached, moaned, and worse. It took us down one by one this week.....except Sadie. I would have thought new illnesses would get to her fastest and hardest, but here she stands with maybe a slightly elevated temp after everyone else in this house has been miserable. We are learning she does everything in her own sweet time, and apparently getting sick is included. Hopefully she gets to skip this round, but in a large family it's tough to escape the latest virus. There's bound to be a remote control, a piano key, a computer mouse or a lightswitch that the clorox wipe misses.

Besides a decent immune system, we continue to learn about this new little girl in our home. She loves helping the kitchen....baking, chopping, emptying the dishwasher, hauling in the groceries. She's quick to lend a hand and would probably rather do more, if I'd just ask her to. Maybe her love for the kitchen is growing since she seems to spend the most time eating. Usually the last child sitting at the table is stirring their food around making it appear as if they've eaten more than they have. Not Sadie, she's just still eating. Meal time is never rushed for her whether it needs to be or not. The bus is coming...we are late to church...time goes at a little different pace for her. We should all probably learn a lesson from her instead of trying to get her to hurry more.

Sadie also survived her first real dental work. They deadened one side of her mouth to do some fillings in top and bottom teeth. She got a little bored by the end but didn't complain. I'm sure it was a very different experience to take in for the first time. The worst part was she didn't like the taste in her mouth after and wouldn't swallow, so she'd drool or have to spit for a while. Next month she is scheduled for the other side.

Sisters share it all....even chicken feet dad brought back from China!

Todd loved China so much the first time he headed back again this week (for work). His food consumption and souveniers weren't quite the same this trip. Thinking about the things he ate in one week almost make me remember how it felt to have the flu. He tried sushi, 100 year old egg (which he says is as bad as it sounds), snail, donkey, octopus, squid, camel, eel and tongue. Gee, they all sound so great, I wouldn't have known where to begin!

With Todd being gone, I recruited Austin to help me trim the plants for fall. He did a great job and it was a nice project to finish up. Austin is also learning the Peanuts theme song on the piano, which is so timely. I catch myself thinking about the Great Pumpkin each day while he practices. I'll be a believer for sure this year.

As Sadie and Carson continue learning their ABC's together, it's become a van staple to crank up the Little People ABC music CD. Sadie's accented "bringing home a baby bumblebee" is just as cute as Carson's three year old version of "Lollipop, lollipop, oh lolli, lollipop". As far as school work goes, she complains her flashcards are too hard, or gives the answer "table" when she doesn't know what a picture is. I continue to wonder what is sinking in but marvel at her ability to keep on going.

I thought Halloween traditions might be a little strange for Sadie, but she's loved all of it. Pumpkins, apples, costumes...she's as excited as the next kid. We talk about what everyone will be dressing as for Halloween and she's excited to be a bunny. It might be a strange tradition, but I think any kid will not complain about trick-or-treating when the candy starts filling up the bucket!