sLOVEnka: March 2015

When your two-year-old is quiet for more than about ten seconds, she's probably trying to eat a whole box of cocoa powder and pouring the rest in the soup she's supposed to be eating. (At least she had a bib).

And when you try to capture the cuteness of a morning spent outside, you will likely get a majority of pictures like these.

And maybe one like this.

Sisters

Rosy at 9 days old

My, how that sheet has faded!, I-I-I mean My, how they've grown!

Love watching her draw

Love watching her read

Ready for pre-school

Learning to draw hearts from an M and a V

Me: Who is it?
Lily: That's you, and that's Dada, and that's me...I have a peanut head...and that's Rosy. And we're jumping on the trampolines that were a svadobný dar (wedding present) from Verka.

Lashes.

Going to open house at the pre-school

All dressed up in her best smile.

Already acting like she owns the place.

I hate to even say it but if I'm really honest with you, February was a really dark month for me. Our whole family was sick. Join the club, you tell me. And I know that there has been a LOT of sickness this winter, at least in Bánovce and Missoula. From what everyone tells me, and from anecdotal evidence it just seems like the weird weather patterns have lent themselves beautifully (horribly) to hosting a whole lot of unwanted and especially perseverent bacteria in a whole lot of people. I caught a cold in late January that turned into a sinus infection. My second in my whole life. I had been so lackadaisical about treating my cold (a mistake that I will NOT repeat) that it decided to set up camp and stay a while. And when I say a while I mean like a month. Like more than a month. Like I still have the remains of it. And you can bet I fought that thing with a fury. Ever eaten a whole bulb of garlic in one day? (Not clove, bulb)...neti pots, steam baths, essential oils, horseradish, tea tea tea (tea tea tea tea), apple cider vinegar, ginger, no coffee, no dairy, no grains, no white foods. You name it I did it (or didn't). But my point is not to whine, although...ouch!!! My point is this; with that sickness, as well as the long-lastingness of the girls' and Tomáš' came a good deal of fear. I had never had a sickness that extreme for that long. I even ended up needing to go to an ENT, who...ok, I'll spare you the disturbing details. It just seemed like there was not a good option any which way I turned. Antibiotics reported some success but an all-but guaranteed return and endless cycle, not to mention almost certain nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, resistant bacteria and so forth. No antibiotics carried with it the possibility of worse infection and further complications. You all probably know the drill. And after my ENT prescribed the Augmentin, nasal spray, antihistamine and nose antibiotics, I went and spent a bunch of money on them, but was still more torn than ever. I realized later that I would be forced to stop breastfeeding Rosy and I just did not feel good about taking any of these things. All of them carried a hefty list of side-effects. On my way to my second appointment I prayed something like this, "God, if there is any way I can (safely) get out of using the antibiotics, please give me a window.'' And as I sat with the sweet nurse, waiting for the doctor I asked her if people report trouble with Augmentin. ''Yes,'' she said. ''So what do they do?'' ''Stop taking them.'' So I turned to her, ''do you think I can not take them?'' ''Yes,'' she whispered, clearly not wanting to go against doctor's orders, yet wanting to help me. ''I just give my daughter nasal spray and hers get better.'' There was my window. And through an article Tomáš had printed out to read later (a common practice of his), God sent me a reminder, fear has no place in our lives as Christians. This is an almost unfathomable fact, but it is true. And although nothing (much) had changed with my sinus infection, everything changed. I had a greater boldness and more of a peace. I'm not saying I instantly lost all fear, but it came as one more nail in my toolbelt. (haha, is that even a phrase?) A reminder I can go back to and think on. Our God is bigger than any illness (and any drug-resistant bacteria). Put that down to a phrase that's never been said about Him.

Now moving on from green snot and on to the warm fuzzies (haha ewwwwww!)