What have we been up to?

Well I noticed it has been a complete week since the last update. Sorry about that. We have been keeping pretty busy at the Johnson house. But I wanted to check in with our blogger friends. Here is an update of our last week:

Thursday May 7th:

Izabella had the stomach flu so she stayed home from mother's day out. Her daddy and I enrolled her in the pre-K/Kindergarten readiness program at our local school. I cried! It was so hard. My heart has been so torn with homeschool vs. public school. There are so many pros and cons and complicating factors. My finishing nursing school plays heavily into the process. Nothing is locked into stone at this point, but we are leaning towards public school next year. If we go this route, Shane and I will be a very active members of each child's class.

Friday May 8th:

Spent most of the day doing school work and then rented a movie. Made a quick stop at the shoe store to redeem a coupon for new shoes for Shane and I for mother's day. I was in desperate need for new tennis shoes and got a great deal!

Sat May 9th:

We went to a garage sale looking for a jumperoo for Miss Savannah-Hope. We didn't find one, but the kids got a new blow up pool. We blew it up for them and they played in it most of the day. It was a bit on the cold side for Savannah-Hope.

Sunday May 10th:

Today was Mother's Day, my first as a mother of five. Our church does baby dedications two times a year. One time in December and the other on Mother's Day. Shane and I decided to have all 5 children dedicated together. We thought that wearing our Malawian outfits would be a nice tribute to Savannah-Hope's culture. I got up early and got everybody dressed in their Malawian clothes. I saved myself for last. I put my shirt on and the zipper broke. It was wide open. I quickly ran around looking for safety pins, but couldn't locate the box. Made a quick phone call to my mom and then loaded us all in the van. My mom met me outside the church and pinned my shirt together. I wasn't going to let a little wardrobe malfunction ruin our special day. The children did great on stage. Izabella spotted herself in the monitor and was quite the little entertainer. Overall it went well.

My brother and sister-in-law dedicated my precious niece Maggie in the same service. The kids enjoyed celebrating with their cousins. My mom had nine of her 12 grandkids on stage asking for God's blessings and promising to raise the children to serve and please God. It was a special morning. After church we all went to MacDonald's. Originally we were going to the park, but it was much too cold. Savannah-Hope met her cousins Brandi, Eric, Noah and Cooper. Noah asked if he could pet Savannah. I thought that was so cute! That night we watched Dr. Doolittle 3 as a family. It was wonderful to have our family all together. I am so grateful! My heart aches for those Mommy's waiting on their children coming home and for those children who don't have anyone to call mommy. My heart especially aches daily for Tamandani and Sidala.

Monday May 11th:

We had homeschool in the morning and then Nana stopped by for a visit. ah-Hope was adorable. Later Izabella had dance class. We are getting closer to recital time. Izabella has been having a bit of a power struggle since my return from Africa. Some of it is just typical four year old behavior, but it has definitely intensified since my 40 day absence. She has decided to use dance as her power play. Its been difficult on her, me, the dance teacher and the whole class. I am hoping she is able to pull it together and finish her course on a positive note.

Tuesday May 12th:

Nana was at the doctor's this morning for a follow-up appointment on her heart. While waiting she had a seizure and then a couple more. She was taken by ambulance to the hospital where she immediately had surgery to insert a pace maker. She did great during the surgery and came out looking wonderful. Savannah-Hope needs routine blood work done. We tried to get it done at her doctor's office but because her skin is so dark and so loose (effect from severe malnutrition), she is difficult to draw blood from. Her doctor ordered that the blood work be completed at Vanderbilt Children's Hospital. It was the same hospital where Nana had her surgery. After the surgery I headed to the other side of the hospital to have Savannah-Hope's blood drawn. It was awful! It took them three sticks in three different places before they were finally able to get her vein. She doesn't have the firm fat pads under her skin like most children have. Her veins are like spaghetti floating around in sauce, its just nearly impossible to get the vein. It was very traumatic for both of us. I am praying that they got enough blood and that all of the blood work comes back healthy and normal.

UPCOMING TRIP:

My friend Michelle who I have known for 22 years is getting married in St. Augustine Florida Memorial Day weekend. Several of my friends from 5th grade were planning a couples only weekend for the wedding. That was before my trip to Africa came later in the year than I was hoping and took twice as long as I was planning. So now we have had to rethink the trip. Shane and I are still going, but it wont be "kid free" as originally planned. Amelia, Zach and Zander are going to stay home. I think that Savannah-Hope would probably do fine with the separation, but Izabella just isn't ready to be away from her mommy. So Shane and I have decided to take the two younger girls with us. I am not looking forward to the 10 hour drive in the van both directions, but am hoping that it will go okay.