Justin and I had been worried about Levi for several days before the hospital stay, but when we were told that he had already been admitted to the Children's Hospital in Temple and that we needed to head that way after stopping home to pack, it was a shock. Just like a teenager is willing to drive like a crazy person because they can't fathom anything bad happening to them, I couldn't believe that my child, MY child, was sick enough to warrant a 3-day stay in a hospital. It was like everything I had been taking for granted slapped me in the face. Throughout the whole experience, seeing Levi hooked up to machines, having to hold him down while he was poked and prodded and cried for me to pick him up, settling into the uncertainty of whether or not he actually had atypical Kawasaki Disease, I realized how precious every moment with my children truly is. I know that sounds like a cliche, but it's truly apt.
I realized that I'm not guaranteed another second with them, nor are they guaranteed any more time with me or Justin. We only have the time that we are living through at this moment, and I was reminded of the importance of taking advantage of this moment. Not only to be fully present, but to use whatever time I have, whatever opportunities I'm given, to make sure that my sons know God and know what it's like to truly love Him. What that means, what that looks like, and why it's so important. As hard as this experience has been, I'm thankful that I was reminded and awakened to what my main job as a parent really is.
Here are some pictures of Levi in the hospital receiving treatment for Kawasaki Disease and then watching the Minion movie for the first of four times during his stay...
He called his IV his mummy hand, and when I asked him about his hospital stay days after the fact, that was the first thing he mentioned.
As far as other stuff going on with the Hardegrees, I mentioned that our dishwasher has been a point of frustration. In a previous post, I included pictures of our new dishwasher in its new location in our kitchen, but when I tried to use it for the second time (!!) it wouldn't work, and then eventually wouldn't turn on at all. After a visit from an appliance guy and two visits for an electrician, we had all the wiring in the wall behind the dishwasher replaced. But it works now! YAY!
In the aforementioned post, I also talked about being motivated to get going on our cabinets again, and slowly but surely I am. Here's a sneak peek of things to come...
(The suspense is killing you I'm sure.)
The boys have also recently discovered the ultimate playing power of big cardboard boxes thanks to Justin's mad fort building skills. I don't have any pictures of the big fort he built based around the dishwasher box (aka the castle), but I do have some super cute pictures of some subsequent box interest. Levi actually invited Lincoln to join him in the box, so there was a lot of brotherly love happening here.
Um...can I just say this last picture is awesome? Look at that face!
With all of the craziness going on lately, I decided to make some comfort-food for dinner the other night...NACHOS! I actually just made up a nacho cheese recipe and it was EPIC. This is by no means a cooking blog, but this cheese sauce was too good not to share, so if you're super not interested in this, skip down the page a little bit:
Yummy Nacho Cheese Sauce
Ingredients:
1lb ground beef
1tbsp taco seasoning
2tbsp butter
2tbsp flour
2c half-and-half
1 can Rotel, drained
16oz shredded cheddar cheese
1. Cook beef in large skillet with taco seasoning until browned.
2. In a medium/large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add flour and cook, whisking continuously for 1 minute. Slowly add half-and-half, whisking continuously to maintain a smooth texture. Bring to a simmer. Add Rotel. Reduce heat to Low. Slowly add cheese, a little bit at a time, stirring until combined after each addition.
3. Drain ground beef. Add to cheese sauce. Enjoy!
Seriously...so good. Levi took one bite and said, "Mmmm! This cheese sauce is SO good!" His emphasis, not mine. Poor Lincoln had to watch on while he ate peas (whomp whomp), but I guess he didn't mind too much.
Can we all stop for a second and notice that it looks like Lincoln took this as a selfie. Ha!
Finally, as proof that Levi is feeling much much better, and as a special delight to the part of me that wants my kids to enjoy dressing up for pretend play as much as I did growing up, I have a quick story to end this post. This evening, I was cooking dinner, and I hadn't heard Levi making any noise, which typically means he's doing something he shouldn't. Here's the conversation:
Me: Levi?
Levi: Ya?
Me: Whatcha doin'?
Levi: Wearing a hat.
Me: You're wearing a hat?
Levi: Ya.
Me: Can you come show me?
In walks Levi wearing a slime cap and carrying a baseball bat.
Me: Oh! Cool!
Levi: You (referring to himself) looking for you baseball.
Me: You're looking for your baseball?
Levi: Ya.
Me: Maybe it's in the kitchen. Why don't you come look in here? (So that I can take a picture of you without you knowing what I'm doing...)
Levi: You need you baseball.
Me: Are you being a baseball player?
Levi: (smiling at me) Yep!
It was the best, and I'm sure it is a dream come true for Justin.
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