Joys and sorrows with little ones

This is why I love my in-laws.  When they come over and my entryway looks like this:

they walk in that door and step through the disaster without a word about it, like it's the most normal thing in the world.  

This Lego mess, besides representing the usual state of our housekeeping, also represents a momentous new era!  

Here is Caleb before.

Excluded from games.  

Barricaded from playing Legos.  

Poor little Rudolph.  

But!  Now:

He plays with them more than he eats them!   He's become trustworthy!

(He is, however, the biggest offender when it comes to scattering Legos throughout the house.  I found a few in my bed just now.)

He's growing up.  He's becoming quite the buddy of Grandpa, too.  

It's good that this lunch ended on a sweet note, since it started on a bad one.  Grandpa and all the kids and I were standing in the food line with people before and behind us, when Lizzy suddenly started throwing up.  

Lovely!

The poor thing, it just kept coming, and there I was, kneeling before her with cupped hands, trying to shield her from view of the other diners.  We gestured for the good people behind to go ahead of us in line (it's ok, just step over the puddle and get your delicious food!) but then another wave caught my arm and it splattered across the walkway...

Oh dear.  Meanwhile, Caleb was crying and trying to get to me by walking through it all and Jeddy was pale and gagging.  

For some reason, half the deacons from our church were there enjoying their lunch when this happened, and they sprang into action, taking the other kids aside, providing napkins, producing a mop and cleaning the floor.  Service really runs in their blood.  

Lizzy must have some sort of tummy bug because she's been very snuggly and out of sorts since then.  I gave her lots of extra cuddles and the next morning she said, "Mommy's the best mommy ever to feel me better."  

Aww.