Dinner Time

When we first moved in with my Mom and Dad, we would have dinner together occasionally, but mostly they liked to eat later and I would usually get something pretty quick for the kids so that I could get them to bed earlier. However, before Thanksgiving I began getting ill and am just now recuperating. The month of December will always hold ambivalent feelings for me. I was terribly sick with bronchitis, then other infections, overall fatigue, weakness, and nausea from the pregnancy, bruised ribs from coughing, etc. The bronchitis is pretty much gone but I have developed asthma and now have to use an inhaler every 4 hours or it flares up, even if I'm just sitting or lying down, and it is very difficult to breathe. It was a difficult month emotionally because Chancho was not with me and I missed him. I had great plans of fun things I wanted to do with the kids for Christmas, but was too sick to do any of them, so I also felt guilty and sad about not being a good mom.

But it was also a wonderful month. Spending such close time with my parents was such a huge blessing and I am going to miss them terribly when we're in Texas. There were so many great things about living with them. Besides lots of fun things, they helped me immensely and I have

no idea how I could have made it through the month with out them. Most days they drove the kids to school and picked them up, ran errands for me, watched the kids while I went to doctor appointments, fixed dinner for us, and Mom read Christmas books to the kids nearly every night. I will always remember sitting at the table together, eating off the the same red placemats that we had before I was married (and they're in great shape!). Many days I felt so crummy I just didn't think I could make it until the kids were in bed. If I was alone, they would have probably been eating ramen noodles every night. Thanks for the wonderful meals, Mom, and especially for the great memories we made around the table!