Stretched and Blessed

This has been one of those weeks. You know the kind when every single minute has some commitment tied to it. Then, a child (Will) gets sick (croup) and cannot breathe (so you get little sleep). I felt worried for my friend, Nickie and her family. I felt like I was running on a treadmill. We are going on week three of illnesses here (strep, stomach bug, croup). I am tired. I feel stretched in many directions.

But I have felt so blessed too. I was able to accompany Harry on an awesome field trip yesterday to The George Observatory and Challenger Center. I have not been able to chaperone a field trip since Kate has been home from China (almost 3 years) because I did not have child care for her. So this was such a treat to have special time with just Harry and his friends.

I have been blessed too by the numerous prayers and e-mails for my friend who is sick. Truly, it amazes me what an encouraging community I have come to know through this blog. Nickie is making small improvements. She is still in ICU and expected to remain there for a while. Please continue to pray.

I feel guilty too. I have not been able to reciprocate blog visits and comments lately. Life has just been so hectic that I barely have time to answer e-mails. I am sorry.

I also feel blessed by an upcoming opportunity. We have been waiting for a year to see a renowned pediatric gastroenterologist for Harry. Harry has had severe stomach problems since the day he was born. His symptoms have certainly improved being on a diet that is free of gluten, dairy and soy. But he still has problems. So for a year, we have kept food diaries, had x-rays, blood draws and more tests than you can imagine. I have filled out volumes of paperwork. And finally, Monday we will travel to another city to see this doctor. I feel blessed that we have gotten in to see him. I am both excited and nervous to hear what he has to say. Please keep us in your thoughts.

Finally, I am excited for this weekend. It is the annual Valentine's dinner that my hubby organizes. He is sending me for a much needed relaxing massage during the day and I am not sure what the dinner will be. Then on Sunday, we will celebrate Chinese New Year. Harry and Kate both got new Chinese outfits. Will has his from China. Luckily, is still fits.

Dave bought our family a wok for Christmas and he has been seasoning it and practicing so it will be fun to see what we cook up.

Here are a few photos from my day with Harry...

Mission Control

My little astronaut

They did an actual simulated flight mission which is supposedly just like actual astronaut training. Harry really took on a leadership role on the Probe team. He is a natural leader and it was fun to hang back and watch him in action with his peers.

The lighting was terrible inside the space shuttle!

The mission was a success!! On a side note, I really noticed in this photo how much smaller Harry is than his peers. This is one of the issues we hope to address with the specialist on Monday.

Have a GREAT weekend everyone.

Enjoy your Valentine's Day and Chinese New Year!

I am sure I will post on both this weekend:)