Life...

Layne had the opportunity to go to Switzerland on business in Jan. This mama was not thrilled about being a single mommy for 10 days--I would have loved to go to Switzerland too, but just not doable at this time. So, Layne took off, and the kids and I enjoyed some quality time and fun activities, and mom and dad each took a kiddo for a day or two, which was a big help! Then on day 7, 8, and 9--Brynn was up 2-3 hours for 3 nights in a row--very congested and coughing and could not sleep--which led to a very tired momma. I finally took Wed. afternoon off and came home and crashed. Layne came home that night and it was awesome to have him back home and of course Brynn slept great that night, but Layne took her to the doctor the next day and she had a double ear infection! The kids (and I) were very excited to see Layne on his homecoming--here are the kids greeting him! Layne has a few neat Switzerland pictures of a castle he saw, plus he also went skiing one day that he was there and loved it--so I will try to download those soon so you can see some of Switzerland!

Hooray--Daddy is home!

Then on Feb. 3rd, Layne celebrated his 30th b-day--and got influenza flu--yuck! He came home Thursday night very achy and had a fever and did not get much better--he broke down and went to the doctor on his birthday and got tested and sure enough--he had the flu! So lots of rest and Tylenol for this old man! To add to all the fun--it was my girlfriend shopping weekend--I had missed last year because I was sick, and I was determined not to miss 2 years in a row--so I loaded the fridge up with food and drinks, got medicine for my hubby, and he and kids survived 24 hours of movies and resting while I had some girl time--probably not the best timing, but we made it work! Good thing I am taking him to Colorado over spring break for his birthday--without kids! We still managed to pull off a fun balloon, cake, and ice cream!

Great Grandma also celebrated her 85th birthday in January and Aunt Clarice had a small celebration at her house. So we all headed to Palmer to celebrate and play with the cousins. Grandma's daughter Carol shares the same birthday, so we enjoyed spoiling both of them with songs and cake!

The birthday ladies!

Singing time!

Grandma had to get down and personal with the candles to blow them all out!
We had a wonderful time seeing Aunts and Uncles and eating great food--plus Caden and Brynn got to have lots of play time with Conner and Greyson--which they love!

On a side note to life, our church is going through a sad tragedy. Our pastor and his family were in a car accident at the end of January near Topeka that killed his wife and 2 of their 3 children. I attended the funeral in Topeka for his family, and am just overcome with sadness for his family. Although many of us are full of shock, sadness, and grief, our church family has really come together to support Pastor and Jacob and each other, which has been amazing! Prayers are going out to his family every day and everyone is leaning on their faith in God throughout this difficult time. As pastor said--you can be doing everything right and in a blink of an eye, your whole life changes--so cherish your loved ones! I am trying hard to do that at this time!