So. Much. Sick.

Ok. I don't want to jinx anything here, but I'm going to go ahead and declare this the end of the sick season in the Arends household. I mean, yes, both the girls still have slightly runny noses. And Mia is still coughing a little. But seriously? We. Are. Over. It.

It's been more than a month since Mia tested positive for RSV (a nasty, highly contagious respiratory virus) and it was all pretty much downhill from there. I was sick. Then Anna. Mia then had an ear infection. And even Mike and his iron-clad immune system were no match for this yuckiness. This virus was sneaky, because just when you would think you were feeling better, it would come back even worse.

I'm putting my foot down. And disinfecting the crap out of every possible surface in our house. Enough. RSV, you may have owned February (and a good chunk of March). But you're done. We're fighting back.

Plane tickets have been purchased for a vacation to Florida. New summer sandals and bathing suits have been ordered. Dreams of drinking icy cold beers on the beach are replacing feverish dreams of regaining the ability to breathe through my nose. I may even go extra crazy and bust out the self tanner this weekend, because nothing says "I'm healthy and free of germs" quite like a tropical glow. (Also, I just tried on said new bathing suit and I may have been blinded by the pastiness of my skin.) (Also, that might have been a good thing since I probably didn't want to see myself in a bathing suit anyways.) (Also, that is why I will require several alcoholic beverages when on the beach.)

In short: I have exorcised the germy demons. This house is clear! And ready for spring!

On an unrelated side note - Mia is over five months old. How is this even possible? I'm working on a post devoted entirely to this sweet girl, but here are a few pics to tide you over. I am so, so happy that she is finally feeling better, because she truly is the happiest baby - so quick with a smile or a giggle and such a pleasure to be around.

Oops, ran out of ink in our printer, so I had to get my Photoshop on!

What are your tricks for staying healthy? And what are you most looking forward to about spring?

Happy (and Healthy!) Wednesday!

Sand Beneath Our Feet, Big Blue Sky Above Our Heads

Saturday is vacation day, people. Which means we'll be packing up and heading out for two weeks of lake living on the beautiful shores of Crystal Lake. It also means that I have been in vacation mode for the last five days - grocery shopping and cooking anything that actually resembles a meal? Why would I do that when we're going out of town? Eating anything besides cereal and scrambled eggs hardly makes any sense when we're about to be gone, right? (I hope I'm not the only one who thinks this way - and if I am I totally blame the pregnancy for my laziness.) Although I should mention that I am slightly obsessed with the eggs I buy at our local farmers' market and sort of feel like even if I am serving brinner multiple nights a week, it is a totally legit, delicious meal.

Two bucks a dozen. I stalk the egg man like it's my job.

It's been a long, long time since Mike has been able to take this much time off of work, and I'm so looking forward to all the family time. Rumor has it the cottage we're renting doesn't even  have Internet access, so if you happen to see a slightly crazed pregnant lady wandering the beaches of northern Michigan holding her cell phone up trying to load Facebook, there's a pretty good chance it's me. Just kidding. Sort of. In all honesty, as much as I know I am obsessed with my iPhone and all the time-wasting activities it has to offer, I'm sort of excited to see how I function (and how much I enjoy myself) without all the distractions. Again, I blame the pregnancy, but I'm starting to feel a lot of nostalgia over the fact that this will probably be our last family trip as a trio and I want to make sure I soak it all in.

Even if I can't document it all on Instagram. (I'm @lesliearends if you ever want to follow along!)

I'll leave you with one of my favorite songs from one of my favorite bands that pretty much sums up how I'm feeling.

Happy Summer!

I know that you're smiling, baby, 
I don't even need to see your face 
Sunset at the shoreline, we are laughing, breaking up, 
Just like the waves 
Are you feeling, feeling, feeling like I'm, feeling 
Like I'm floating, floating, up above that big blue ocean 
Sand beneath our feet, big blue sky above our heads, 
No need to keep stressing from our everyday life on our minds 
We have got to leave all that behind 

Well, I have got a sister, 
And she has got a baby with brand new eyes 
And her daddy is an engineer, 
And they just took her to the sea for the first time 
Now they're under, under, underneath a big umbrella 
Summer, summer, summer time to help us forget, nine to fives 
We have got to leave all that behind 

I have worries to give to the sea 
We can walk dear the pier is farther than it seems 

Midnight at the shoreline, fireworks above us 
A screaming bloom 
They're sent by some teenager and kid whoever you are 
I am thanking you 
Now we're dancing, dancing, dancing with no music 
What is happening, happening, happening and no feelings 
Except this is right 
We just had to leave all that behind

Happy Monday!

Not a whole lot going on around here. It's the week before a vacation, and it always seems like those are the days that drag on forever. My brain is spinning with packing lists and project ideas and fun ways to keep Anna entertained on the fifteen hour car ride we're taking on Friday. Luckily, my in-laws will be en route with us, so there will be a couple extra sets of hands for playing peek-a-boo and force feeding occupying her with snacks. With any luck we'll arrive on the beaches of North Carolina with our eardrums still intact and the sun shining.

Until then, a couple of shots of our girl to get you through the week...

Happy Monday!

Back to Life, Back to Reality

It seems as though I've been neglecting this poor little blog, and for all five of you who actually read it, I apologize.  Anna and I had a busy week basking in the Florida sun, and it's taken me longer than I thought it would to get back into the swing of things at home.  Throw in a Master's project and a lost hour from Daylight Savings Time, and blog writing just went right out the window.

Here's a little bit of catch up...

Anna survived her first plane ride.  I admit that I was totally nervous, but she did much better than I expected.  My days of enjoying plane rides while scouring the pages of trashy gossip magazines and Sky Mall catalogs and chomping on airline peanuts might be over, but my child did not scream the entire flight nor did I need to brave the airplane bathroom to change a diaper.  I consider that a big, fat win.

Who, me?  Cause trouble?  Never!  Now, pass me that Sky Mall catalog...

Our week in Florida with Kristin and Drew was awesome.  We ate yummy food, road tripped it down to the Florida Keys, and took Anna to the beach for the first time.  I also managed to squeeze in an eleven mile run and a brunch with some old high school friends I hadn't seen in seven or eight years.  The only thing missing was Mike, who was stuck at home working.  We missed him like crazy, and I think I began to realize just how important to my sanity having him by my side is.  Yes, I was with my parents and sister and brother-in-law, and they were all more than willing to chase Anna around and keep her from chewing on electric cords occupied, but there's no substitute for our number one guy.

Anna and her favorite Auntie

You want me to put my feet in the water?
Oh, hell, to the no!

There were a couple of times during the week that I couldn't help but feel like I was in high school again.  My parents, sister, and I spent so much time down in Florida, being back there brought on a whole flood of memories.  With Mike at home in Michigan, and Drew busy training, we had a few afternoons with the original Schrock clan, plus one cute little addition.  We went on bike rides, and visited a few of our favorite places, we even got Slurpees one afternoon.  It was kind of neat to be a foursome again, and it got me thinking about all the memories Mike and I will be able to make with our own family.

Back home, my pathetic attempt at a tan is already fading, the coconut-y smell of sunscreen has been washed out of all our clothes, and I think I finally got the last of the sand out of the diaper bag.  Reality has been calling, and after a couple of weeks of sending him straight to voicemail, it's time to pick up the phone.  And that's ok.  Because, as it turns out, reality is actually a pretty cool dude.

Snow Day!

Snowmageddon.  Snowpocalypse.  Snowtorious B.I.G.  SnOwMG.  Call it what you want - I call it awesome.

Living in South Carolina for four years, I didn't think I missed the cold Michigan winters.  I was happy to banish my winter gloves and hats and marshmallow-man coats to the closet, dusting them off occasionally when we got the rare cold snap.  I loved calling family and friends in January and casually asking about the weather.  Oh really?  I'm actually wearing flip flops.  I think we might need to turn the air conditioning on.  I had myself convinced that I had become a true Southerner, wincing at the thought of any temperatures below fifty and wearing sweatshirts and shivering in seventy-degree weather.

That all changed when we packed up our little family and moved back home.  I can remember the day we had to make our final decision.  Anna was maybe four weeks old, and Mike and I were both still shell shocked from lack of sleep and the fact we were parents.  We were making pro and con lists, charting out reasons for staying, reasons for moving, assigning point values, all in hopes of figuring out the right thing to do.  Ultimately, I think we went with our hearts, but it was far from an easy decision.  And on that January day, it was in the sixties, with blue skies and fluffy white clouds, and we were meeting friends for a walk.  As we loaded Anna into her stroller, we looked at each other and were like, "Are we totally crazy?"

I think as soon we we crossed that Michigan state line, we got our toughness back.  We unpacked our snow boots and sleds with glee and embraced the cold, wet, nastiness that is winter.  The first time the thermometer reached seventy?  You know we were in our bathing suits, doing a happy dance.  (Well, it was probably more like sixty, but who's keeping track?)

So I love a day like today.  I know that I didn't have any where to be, no school getting canceled or missed appointments.  I probably wouldn't have left the house anyway.  But it's the perfect excuse to crank the fireplace, stay in our pajamas all day, and bake cookies while we watch the snow fall and the winds gust.  And it's the best reminder that even though we miss Greenville and the friendships we left behind and the balmy weather, our family is right where it needs to be.

A true Michigan girl

Cedella & Anna: Snow Bunnies

The snowshoeing dream has finally become a reality!

Our partners in snowshoeing crime - Michael, Alexia, and Cedella