Week Rundown! (02/16/14 - 02/22/14)

I drove the church van route Sunday morning, and after the morning services, we took naps during afternoon. Lydia worked on some homework. Evening services were good, and we enjoyed the Birthday and Anniversary Dinner fellowship afterwards. Once home, we got ready and went to bed.

After work on Monday, I took Mysia to piano lessons. The kids worked on homework that evening, and we watched some tv and spent some family time together before bed.

I got to have breakfast with the kids at school as part of the "All-Pro Dads" program on Tuesday. It's an encouraging way to get dads involved in their kids' lives. The weather was so nice, that after I picked up the kids, we went for a bike ride before getting Lydia from college. That evening, we kept a watch on the news after hearing about the abduction of Hailey Owens. Come to find out, the kids and I were only a few blocks away from the guy's house while bike riding.

Wednesday was sobering. We woke up and read about the news on Hailey. We found out that we know some of the family and relatives of her. That added to the sadness. Then there was the sicking feeling throughout the day with the details coming out. Services were good that evening, and it was nice to fellowship with friends for a bit. Lydia worked on homework late into the night.

Thursday was cold and windy, but I took the kids biking after work while we waited for Lydia to finish her classes. We had a blast, and the kids enjoyed being able to bike up and down the parking lot at the park. After picking up Lydia, we came home ate hamburgers and watch some TV before going to bed.

Friday was a very busy day for me. It was the Gold City Reunion concert, and I had a lot to do at work. Lydia picked up the kids after finishing her work and we met at the concert. I didn't get to spend much time with my family, since I was busy working with the artist and helping work the concert. It went very well, and I had a great time. The kids spent the night with friends from church, and Lydia and I got home after midnight.

Lydia and I got to sleep in a little bit on Saturday. The kids were away, but Lydia still had to work. After taking her to work, I did some grocery shopping, and then she went and worked and studied at college for the afternoon. We caught up with our friends, the Farnsworths, for supper. Lydia spent the entire evening working on her class projects. We watched the live streaming of Hailey's candle-light vigil over the computers. Mysia spent the evening and night with her Aunt Abigail.

~Matt

Week Rundown! (02/09/14 - 02/15/14)

Since Lydia was on "bed-rest" for two days after her heart procedure on Friday, we stayed home from church on Sunday. The kids were going to attend services, but the roads were too slick for our comfort, so they stayed home as well. The day was filled with action and activities, and we even took naps in the afternoon. Lydia was able to get rest, which was the plan of course.

Monday was no different than any other. Lydia went into work, but she can't lift anything over 10 pounds. Lydia attended a make-up test around 3pm. I took Mysia to piano lessons afterwards, and then we picked up Lydia before coming home for the evening. After supper, we watched some tv and the kids had showers before bed. Lydia worked on homework and rested.

After work on Tuesday, the kids and I came home and had supper before picking Lydia up from her classes. She was tired, so she went to bed once home. Malachi had some homework to finish before he could go to bed.

Wednesday was "fun night" for the kids at church. I enjoyed the evening services. After picking Lydia up from class, she worked on homework while the kids went to bed.

Thursday evening was a bit hectic. The kids and I ate supper and worked on homework before picking Lydia up from classes. Once home, we tackled getting Valentine cards signed and ready for Friday. I had to run to the store to grab a few things we were running low on, and construction paper. We stayed up late assisting Mysia with her box. It turned out fantastic... a girl Minion! :)

Of course, Friday was Valentines Day. Lydia and the kids got their gifts when they woke up. It's a tradition of mine that they each get a Mylar balloon. Of course, Lydia gets extra gifts. I was able to get flowers sent to her workplace as well. That evening, we watched some tv shows during supper. After the kids went to bed, Lydia and I watched a romantic comedy.

Pancakes were for breakfast on Saturday, then the kids and I dropped Lydia off at work before attending Taekwondo class. That afternoon, we ate chicken nuggets for lunch while Mysia and Malachi educated me on popular, trending songs on YouTube. We picked up Lydia from work and went to a park to let the kids ride their bikes since the weather was so nice. After packing up the bikes, it was clothes shopping! Yes, we visited many stores and got much needed clothes for everybody. We shopped the mall until it closed!!! What an exhausting evening, but something that need to be done. Now we look good!

~Matt

Week Rundown! (02/02/14 - 02/08/14)

We got up Sunday and did van routes before morning services at church. We took naps in the afternoon and also attended evening church services.

Malachi was sick on Monday, so Lydia stayed home with him so he could recover. She took advantage of the situation by working on homework the entire day. I took Mysia to piano lessons before coming home for supper.

We woke up Tuesday with notifications that Springfield Public Schools were closed due to impending weather conditions. The kids spent the day at the Boys & Girls Club while Lydia and I went to work. Lydia stayed busy with her college classes later that afternoon. We spent the evening watching the "Creation Vs. Evolution" debate streamed over the internet.

School was closed again on Wednesday, but Lydia still had college classes. Evening services at church were cancelled, so we spent the evening at home.

The kids had school on Thursday, so it was a typical schedule for the day. However, due to the fact that Lydia's surgery would be the following day, Lydia and I spent our time at our jobs making sure everything was done before we left. We spent the evening getting ready for the following day at the hospital.

We woke up early Friday morning and got ready to leave. The kids came with us as Lydia checked in at 7:30. We waited for a bit and the kids said their goodbyes before I dropped them off at the Boys & Girls Club. I returned and spent most of the morning waiting with Lydia for them to take her back for her heart procedure. Once completed, the found it was more than one problem. Besides the nerve, they took care of a flutter that was also causing it. In fact, a tachycardia was starting when they took her back. She recovered pretty well, and we were expected to go home around 6pm. However, due to nausea from the medications, Lydia was held a little longer. We were happy to make it home and she went to bed. Mysia and Malachi were picked up by Granny and got to spend the night. That evening, Malachi lost another tooth! He was thrilled.

On Saturday, we woke up late after a good night's sleep. Since the kids were with Granny & Granddad, we had a quiet evening. Lydia spent most of the time in the recliner resting, but did get to do some homework. We watched some of the Olympics. When the kids came home later that afternoon, our house was once again alive with noise and action! In fact, it was filled with laughter. Some of it had to do with the fact that we watched a few hours of America's Funniest Videos.

~Matt

Week Rundown! (01/26/14 - 02/01/14)

On Sunday, Lydia and the kids rode with me on the church van route before morning services. We were all tired during the afternoon, so after lunch we took naps! Boy, it felt great. After evening services we watched an episode of Mythbusters on Netflix before going to bed.

Monday was back to school for the kids. Malachi took snacks for his class. Mysia had piano lessons before we came home. That evening, we got chores done around the house and enjoyed meatloaf for supper.

It was Mysia's birthday on Tuesday! She took cupcakes to school in celebration of turning 9. After picking the kids up from Boy's & Girls Club, we went to school to watch Malachi and his kindergarten class put on a musical performance. Malachi did pretty well as expected... lol. He is so full of energy, and quite a ham when in front of people. Not sure where it get it though. That evening we went out for supper to HuHot, Mysia's choice!

We're still getting used to Lydia's schedule. Since she has class on Wednesday evenings, I picked her up from work and dropped her off at college before getting the kids. We ate supper and then attended evening services at church. Afterwards, we picked up Lydia and came home.

Thursday was fairly busy. I picked up the kids after work and we listened to Adventures in Odyssey on the radio while we waited for Lydia to finish class. We came home and ate supper while watching some tv. Of course, the kids finished their homework too!

Friday turned out to be quite a day... Lydia and I both were able to finish up things at our places of employment. She picked me up and then I dropped her off at the PTA officers' meeting. I then picked up the kids and took them to Granny's, they got to watch movies and spend time with their grandparents. I returned to the school and attended the general PTA meeting. I dropped Lydia off to have dinner with her friend Courtney, and came home for a bit. It was too much longer and I got a text from Lydia... her heart rate was starting to spike! I ended up taking her to the ER.  They were able treat her and get her tachycardia under control, stabilizing her heart rate. We picked up the kids and got to bed around midnight.

We slept in a bit on Saturday morning before we got up and ate breakfast. The kids and I left for taekwondo class, while Lydia stayed home to get things done and stay rested. However, while we were gone, her heard decided to speed up to around 110. By the time we got back around noon, it got down to normal and stabilized. It was a bit of a scare. After the kids took naps, we went shopping. That evening, we watched movies and the kids played.

~Matt

Week Rundown! (01/19/14 - 01/25/14)

We woke up Sunday morning tired. There was still luggage in our living room floor waiting to be unpacked. Before heading to morning services at church, we sorted through some of what we brought home from our cruise. The afternoon was a bit busy. We were tired, but still got things taken care of. There were cuddles and hugs throughout the day when chances allowed. We arrived early to church so that I could attend choir practice. Lydia studied her college homework, Mysia wrote in her notebook, and Malachi played with Legos. After evening services, we enjoyed the birthday and anniversary dinner and then headed out to visit Grandma Taylor for a bit. My parents also let me borrow their extra microwave since ours had stopped working last week! Once home, we went to bed.

Monday was almost back to schedule! The kids didn’t have school since it was Martin Luther King Jr Day. I dropped Lydia off at her office and then the kids at the Boys & Girls Club before I headed into work. There was a lot to catch up on since I was on the cruise last week. Lydia had a busy day too. Once home that evening, we worked on chores around the house and had chili for supper. The kids worked on homework and I sorted through cruise photos. Laundry was still running, and Lydia worked late through the night on catching up on her homework for her college classes.

The kids attended school and Lydia had her first college classes Tuesday afternoon. After work, I picked up the kids and we had supper and worked on homework before picking Lydia up from college. Once back home, the kids took showers and got ready for bed. Lydia had homework to finish, so she stayed up late. Yes... her schedule is hectic again!

We woke up early on Wednesday and rushed out of the house, dropping the kids off at school. Mysia attended her Pride Choir Practice. Lydia visited the “Heart and Vascular Center” to get consultation on her heart condition,”paroxysmal supraventricular tachycardia”. To correct the problem, they scheduled Lydia to have a "Catheter Ablation" on Friday, February 7th. This procedure will selectively destroy areas of the heart that are causing the heart rhythm problem. Lydia has a college class on Wednesday evenings that is required for her to take so that she can graduate this spring, so I dropped her off at college before picking up the kids and heading home. We ate supper and then made it to church. The services were our annual business meeting. Mysia kept herself occupied by writing notes, but Malachi didn't last long... he fell asleep on the pew. We picked up Lydia on the way home.

At lunch on Thursday, I took Lydia to her afternoon classes. The kids and I ate supper that evening before picking Lydia up and returning home to get things done around the house before bed. The kids had brought home their school report cards. Both are doing very well with their grades... Although, we got a good laugh from what was written on Malachi's report. He needs to give "a little bit more effort self monitoring his impulses". Ha! What a great description! ;)

The weather was cold on Friday! Lydia and I cleaned out the van so that she could take it in and get it detailed during her lunch break. After picking up the kids and coming home that evening, we had a celebrated Mysia's birthday with family. A few were able to come over and enjoy pizza and dessert. Mysia had a wonderful time! Her friend Lizzy spent the night.

Malachi and I got up Saturday morning and attended our church's Men's Prayer Breakfast at Golden Corral. Malachi's biggest excitement was the chocolate fountain. At home, Mysia and Lizzy ate breakfast and played. Lydia got the grocery list ready, and when us guys came back, the kids played outside for a bit. After noon, Lydia and the girls left, and Malachi took a nap. Mysia got to spend some of her birthday money on a journal while shopping. Her and Malachi spent the the late afternoon cleaning their bedrooms and playing. Lydia did a grocery run before supper. We enjoyed the evening at home watching "The Princess Bride" before bed.

~Matt