Weekly Rewind 2/22-2/28/09

"Children are the luxury of marital life, the treasure of the parents, the wealth of the family life. Their presence develops a great number of virtue in the parents, the father and mother--love, devotion, and self-sacrifice, the care for the future, interest in the community, the art of education. Children check selfishness in parents, reconcile the contrasts, soften the differences, bring the hearts of the parents ever closer to each other, give them a common interest that lives outside themselves, and open their eyes and hearts to their surroundings and posterity. They uphold to the parents, as if in mirrors, their own virtues and defects...Out of the family life there proceeds a reforming power toward the parents...Family life turns selfish into servants, misers into heroes, coarse men into considerate fathers, and tender mothers into courageous fighters."

~Dr. H. Bavink

We've been taking it easy this week, especially enjoying baby Claire. Here are some more pictures of her as well as highlights of our past week.

~Little Bit, as I mentioned before, has spent most of the week not feeling well. Precious Boo started having similar, yet milder, symptoms a few days ago. Praise the LORD, Little Bit is feeling better today, and we're praying that she be back to her busy self soon. Scribe has been "son-extraordinaire" through all of this. I'm still begging him to let me post a tribute to him....what would I have done without his help?

~With Mountain Man having to go back to work on Monday, and my recovery still so new, all of the children have been super-helpers. I'm so blessed to hear, "Is there anything else I can do for you, Mom?" It's been challenging to feel so helpless, so I'm especially grateful that the children have been such cheerful assistants. Even today, while some of the Poffs were at church, Boo helped Little Bit with her lunch in the cutest way, all of her own initiative.

~The dear Spencer girls came over on Friday to help with a few things. They changed bedsheets for me, cleaned out my refrigerator (yes, that was humbling!:)) but oh, it shines! , made my favorite pizza sauce to put in the freezer, made lunch for the children, held Claire, and visited with the children, listening to many jokes and movie summaries. Miss Caity even offered to make me more of my favorite scones, but, can you believe it, I didn't have any heavy cream on hand! That's ok...they've offered to come again, and I'll be sure to have plenty of scone ingredients in the pantry. :)

~The hardest part of this week, besides just recovering from everything, has been missing my Beloved Mountain Man. It was really hard to have him go back to work so soon. He really is my Rock and a wonderful husband and daddy. How blessed I am to love him more and more after over 20 years of marriage!

I'm looking forward to this next Tuesday, when I'll see the doctor and hopefully have the catheter removed. Please pray that all will go well and that my bladder will have healed.

Love from us all,

The Poff Clan