Tired of being sick

The Dalbey family is so over being sick.  We have been sick off and on for about 2 weeks.  We think we have the flu and then we think we just have a cold.  Tonight, I can confirm that we have some sort of flu bug that manifests itself as a low grade temp, fatigue, sore throat, cough, etc...  I think Peyton is on the mend, but Preston is still recovering and I am coming down with something as I write.  I am thankful for Tylenol and a warm house to rest.  I am also thankful that tomorrow is my day off and I have the ability to stay home with the kids and rest.  I look forward to the entire Dalbey family feeling better.  Oh yes, some warm weather would also be nice.

Now, on to some random stuff.  Here is a cute picture of Peyton from this afternoon.  I think she looks good in Purple.  

I am also working to patch up some holes on the walls in our house.  Yes, I am taking some home projects into my own hands :) 

Oh yes, a big day in the Dalbey family.  We registered Preston for Preschool today.  This is a picture of Preston after I took him to have his blood tested.  Yes, this was part of the preschool application.  

We thought long and hard about our choice and have registered him for our local public school's Early Childhood Center.  We could not be more excited and know that Preston will thrive in this environment.  We are also excited because this school uses the same curriculum as the 'College School'.  The College School is a $$$$ private school here in St. Louis.  While we don't have $$$$ to spend on preschool, we are so thankful that we live in a wonderful school district and have this opportunity to give something very special to Preston.  We will be saving our pennies for the $ tuition and trust that the Lord will provide.  

Last Thursday

Last Thursday was beautiful here in St. Louis and, as expected, I took the kids for a walk to the park.  Here are few photos from our time at the park.  Oh yes, I saw the most beautiful flowers and some tulips ready to bloom.  Here they are: 

Here is Preston having a wonderful time at the park.  

Peyton enjoyed looking at her book - so sweet.  

Fun with a Laundry Basket

It is amazing the amount of fun you can have with 2 kids and a laundry basket.  While we were home yesterday afternoon we did some 'driving' around in the laundry basket.  Not only was this pure fun for the kids who giggled the entire time, I had to take frequent breaks because it quite a work out to push about 60+ lbs for 10 minutes straight. I felt like I was a contestant on the biggest looser...and I don't need to be a contestant on the biggest looser.  Oh yes, it was also super sweet to see the kids hold on to each other.  They love each other so much.  This makes my heart smile.  

Bathtub

I just had to post this cute picture of the kids in the bathtub tonight.  Thankfully, we are all doing much better.

Hair

 This was Peyton's hair after her nap this morning - crazy yet cute.  

We are slowly working on trying to get a clip in her hair.  It is just long enough.  

Peyton is 11 months old

Our little Peyton is 11 months old.  She seems so much like a toddler compared to a little baby.  She is walking, she is eating more finger food, and she is learning to talk each day.  We love our sweet girl!  

Oh yes, an update.  Some wierd form of the flu has been making its way around our family.  First, Preston was sick last week for a day with a fever.  After he recovered Steven came down with a horrible flu bug that included a fever, chills, sore throat, etc... He even missed a day of work.  We thought we were on the mend until Peyton came down with a fever late last night.  She still has a fever this evening but seems to be in good spirits otherwise.  Preston's fever has returned this evening which is a total bummer.  I am the only one who has escaped this flu bug....so far.  I am washing my hands constantly and praying that I do not get sick.  Needless to say, I haven't really had the energy to update the blog in a few days. As always, enjoy the photos!  

What a day

So, today is Valentines Day...it hasn't really felt like Valentines day.  Why?  Because Steven is sick with a yucky flu bug, Preston has been 'on edge' all day and Peyton has been extra needing my attention.  I think the 'highlight' of my day was when Peyton starting crying b/c she was tired, Preston was crying because he wanted more water in his bath and Steven was lying in bed feeling horrible.  Thankfully, things ended on a better note.  Peyton went to bed with almost no fuss, Preston calmed down and Steven is feeling slightly better.  To be honest, I had a moment this evening where I just went into the other room and cried.  I didn't cry b/c I wanted to be on a Valentine's date or wished that my son would be happy with the amount of water in the tub, I cried b/c I am just plain tired and worn out.  This has been a hard season for the Dalbey family.  Steven is in 'transition' with his job, my house is almost never clean, our budget is less than friendly and it doesn't feel like we have time for much of anything but surviving each day and praying for strength to make it through the next.  I am sure lessons will be learned and I will survive, but the moment is hard and I long for relief.  I long for the day when Steven's job is steady, my house is clean (at least for a day), our budget is more friendly so that we can be generous, and I can report that there were no tears around the Dalbey house that day.  Well, maybe this day will come and maybe we will just have to long for glory.  Thank goodness for Christ.  I am learning to trust God to provide.  I am learning to lean on others for support when I need help.  I am learning to appreciate every little thing I have.  I'm sure I'll have more hard days ahead but I pray that I will have the patience to endure, the courage to hope and the strength to keep going.

Snow

We finally have snow here in STL.  It has been such a mild winter that I was wondering if we would see any snow.  Since this seems to be a rare occasion in the Lou this year, I decided to take Preston outside during Peyton's nap time this afternoon.  Here are a couple pictures.  First, we have Preston trying the snow.   

Our snowman flag finally look good.  

I hope to post a few more pictures tomorrow :) 

Organization

Many of you know that I like being organized.  I think it is part of my personality, my means of stress relief and natural giftedness.  When I hear about a task, or even look around the room, I think about how to organize and make things work better.  Lately, I have been using this skill to organize some things around our house.  Since Steven's job transition and our busy schedule the past couple months, many papers and household places have become very disorganized.  This bugs, no, irritates me.  I have spent the past week cleaning our cars, our basement, my home office, our bathroom closet and most importantly: our important papers and documents.  Here is an example of my work: 

Each file is color coordinated to organize bank statements, giving, insurance, etc...  Ahh, this makes me feel good to have this organized.  Here is my next piece of work: 

I also hope to post pictures of our basement and home office.  The home office doesn't need too much work, but the basement is a huge task.  When spring arrives, I plan on selling most of the unneeded items at a garage sale.  Anyway, that is all for now :) 

STL Smoothie

Just wanted to update the blog with a few pictures from the past couple days. First, I have Peyton watching the Superbowl on Sunday.  No, she didn't really watch the Superbowl - just hung out and had some fun with toys.  Oh yes, she will be Steelers fan just like her daddy :) 

 Earlier today I took the kids to visit Steven at his part time job at St. Louis Smoothie.  We love visiting daddy and we love getting a fun snack while we are there. Preston's favorite smoothie is the Strawberry Sensation while mine is the Cosmic Cranberry.  I wonder what Peyton will like...only time will tell.  

Oh yes, I also have a great promotion going on my All Things Simple Photography website and you are welcome to check it out :) 

Preston runs

I took Preston out to Klondike Park this afternoon which is an open area just off the Katy Trail near Augusta.   We went out to check out the facility and breath some fresh air.  It was crisp, but beautiful.  Here is a sweet picture of Preston running around.

This was a nice adventure considering that Preston watched a lot of Thomas the Tank Engine during the Superbowl :)  I guess he isn't into football...yet.  

Twister

Last night I was going through some stuff and found this twister game I bought at a garage sale a few years ago. I am certain I paid no more than $1 for the game. I thought this would be a great way to teach Preston the difference between right and left.  He was super excited to play the game this morning. I need to work with him a little more as he insists that his color is blue and my color is red. I am sure more photos will come as we learn and play.