Circus

When I think of our new family life, one of two songs comes to mind: either the circus melody (I'd sing it for you if I could) or the lyrics "our house is a very, very, very fine house..." We've been home for 4 weeks now and things are starting to stabilize. There are still moments of great frustration, but there are many more moments of "normalcy". (Can anyone really define "normal"?)

Life with 4 kids has definitely changed the pace of our home life. Misha is in soccer and has practice twice a week with games on Saturday. Mason is also in soccer (in a different league), has practice once a week with games on Saturday. All four kids have started gymnastics once a week. We lead a small group one evening a week in our home; and I work Saturday evenings and Sunday mornings at church.

What else is keeping us busy?

• We've had a slew of doctors appointments for both the kids and adults: dentist, pediatrician, chiropractor, orthodontist, more at the dentist, a trip to the ER when Anna fell on the cement steps at church (the first week home), dermatologist, ...
• William had to go out of town twice this month. Luckily both were only 1-2 nights away.
• Both Emily and Misha have had birthday parties to attend.
• Emily turned 8.
• And Misha has his own birthday party coming up in a couple of weeks.
• To top it off, we have decided to homeschool Anna and Misha this year. We are involved in a co-op with other homeschooling parents and Misha is taking a chess class and a cooking class on top of what I'm teaching him at home.

There's also the everyday stuff like laundry, dishes, and all the other various tasks that are required. Even as I write this, it feels like a non-stop whirlwind life. We have been blessed with wonderful friends, though. My friend, Nina, has thoughtfully arranged for meals to be brought to our house a few times a week. It's something I would never have thought to ask for, but have found to be of immeasurable help. Other friends have volunteered to watch Anna and Misha during the day so I can go to my appointments.

Just as things begin to feel like there's a routine, I crunched the front end of my mini-van into another car. By the grace of God, no one was hurt. Emily and Mason were with me. Thankfully, Anna and Misha were at home. Both cars were towed away. We're still waiting to hear if ours can be repaired.

Yesterday, Mason came home from school with a low grade fever. Today, I kept him home and he seemed to be back to normal. After our family outing this evening to see Astro Boy (Anna's first movie theater experience ever), his fever is back. I really hope no one else gets sick. Needless to say soccer tomorrow for Mason is a no go.

Again, God has seen to the details: health for me, rest, friends, modified work schedule for William (suggested by his boss), safety, kids bonding with each other and moments of laughter. The other day Mason announced to me, "Mom, Anna and are friends now." How sweet is that? Another sweet bit is Anna being the first to volunteer to pray at meals and bedtime and saying her prayers in a mix of Russian and her few words of English. Emily is my expert at getting Anna up and moving in the mornings. I don't know how she does it, but am very thankful that she has that special touch. Emily loves to hang out with her new big brother and give him spontaneous hugs. He pretends to be annoyed, but smiles when she can't see.

I guess I'd have to say that "normal" for us is the circus and it is a "very, very, very fine house".