How can it be possible?

Tomorrow is December already. Yikes! That means there are just 25 more days until Christmas. Twenty-five. Holy cow! As much as I really do not want to, I'm going to have to go to Fairview tomorrow. I want to wrap up the rest of my shopping so I can relax and focus on the fun stuff. I still need to buy Kate's dress for her band concert that's in 2 weeks, and I'm hoping I can find one at the last minute. Finding holiday dresses that are cute and not babyish this time of year can be tricky.

I was looking at the calendar today and realized that one year ago tomorrow, Christopher had his wreck. He was extremely lucky to have walked away from that accident without and injuries. We never did see any insurance money from that other guy. Pretty sad. Now that it's getting cold, and winter weather is quickly approaching, I start to worry about his commute. An hour each way is a long drive in icy conditions. I was just re-reading that post and the comment about Blagojevich blowing the State's budget. Man, it's even worse this year. Let's just pray they set aside some money to treat the roads.

Swiffer anyone?

A dry Swiffer is a must for hardwood floors! We simply could not live without ours. The one thing I don't like about Swiffers, is that the cloths can be expensive, and when you use them as much as we do, you tend to go through a lot! I've tried the generic brand and they aren't good. It feels like I'm running paper across my wood floors- not good. A few weeks ago, though, I saw some cheap microfiber cloths at the Dollar Tree, 2 for $1.00. I thought I'd try them in place of the Swiffer cloths, and figured if they didn't work, I was only out a dollar. Lo and behold, they work! They work very well, in fact, and just as well as the Swiffer brand cloths! Plus, they are washable, so I just toss them into the wash and can use them again. Just think of the savings, not having to buy another $7.00 box of Swiffer cloths again!

Backing it up again

It seems like forever since I've been on here. In fact, I haven't even been online since Wednesday afternoon. Wednesday afternoon I drug out all of the Christmas decorations from the attic, all by myself. Yes, I survived, and so did all of the ornaments. I'm quite proud of that accomplishment, although I'd rather not try it again! The kids started decorating as soon as they got out of school. I figured if we at least had all of the decorations up early, then we wouldn't have to decorate 2 trees and the entire house Friday. It worked out well, and got the kids all excited!

Thursday was busy with 2 dinners. We went to Granny and Pa's for lunch and had a great time. They always invite their neighbors over since their families live in Minnesota, and they're always a riot! Larry's Momma didn't make it this year, but with as much wine as he drank, he kept the party as lively as if she were there! Ha! Then it was on to Keith and Dees for dinner. I hadn't seen my nieces in 3 weeks and they have gotten so much bigger! Issie is 9 pounds and Abbie is right behind her! They are just too sweet for words! By the end of the day, we were all stuffed!

Friday was our annual trip to the tree farm. We borrowed Keith's truck, drove to Greenville, got the tree, and set it up. The kids had a great time! Both trees look beautiful and the house is all decked out in full Christmas regalia. Of course, when it's 60 degrees outside and you're walking around in short-sleeves, it doesn't feel too much like Christmas yet! WE could get some snow flurries tonight, so maybe that will help a bit.

Saturday we went to Grandma Lou and Grandpa Ed's house for lunch. The kids LOVE going there. They ran around trying to find Missy, the cat, who had climbed up into the attic and refused to come out. They also got to play with Molly, the dog. It was nice enough that they got to go outside and walk her around the yard on a leash, which they thought was great! Christopher and I left the kids there while we made a quick trip to Effingham to look for a generator Menards had in their flyer. Unfortunately, they were out, so we didn't accomplish much, but the kids enjoyed their extra time with Grandma and Grandpa.

Today we spent the afternoon helping Granny decorate her tree and set up the village in the front window. I think they had had their fill of tree trimming because they were too preoccupied with everything else to do much with the tree. We went over to mom's after that, and they didn't even help with her tree. I guess once you've decorated 3 trees, you can't do any more. But it was a fun day, anyway. I passed up a trip to Fairview with Dee, Jess, and Grandma Lou, and I really needed to go, but we enjoyed our not-so-quiet, kids-going-crazy, Christmas-filled day!

Traditions

I'm all about traditions this time of year. I still remember everything we did each year growing up, and some of those things we still do today. My favorite of which, if putting up the Christmas trees the day after Thanksgiving. What better way to make the holidays last as long as possible, than to put the tree up as soon as we can?
Here the kids are decorating our real tree after a rather pleasant trip to the tree farm. The trip to buy our tree doesn't always go so smoothly. Christopher just doesn't seem to find the point in coughing up $70 for a gorgeous Fraser Fir that will be deader than a doornail by Christmas. This year we made sure to measure the tree first, so we had no ceiling-scratching mishaps this time! The kids were disappointed, though because they had all the Frasers cut and in the barn, so we didn't get to go on a hayride out to the trees.

This is the kids' tree downstairs, and I admit, it is fake. I digress... But it does look pretty, and it has all of their keepsake ornaments, and all that they've ever made themselves, so it truly is their tree. Nonni, the cat, has also claimed this as his tree. You can see him sitting on the fireplace, looking so innocent. Just a few hours later, though, that sweet, innocent cat had toppled the tree. And from what Christopher said when he went downstairs, he was sitting next to it looking just as innocent as if to say, "I have NO idea how this happened."

This is our upstairs tree- the real one. All of the bulbs on it are antique glass balls and nothing else. Unfortunately, the antique glass topper broke last year during a too-tall tree mishap. Another tradition of ours is stringing cranberries- and if you ask me, it's the only thing cranberries are good for! We always hang them on our real tree, and if you look closely, you can see them. By Christmas, they will resemble craisins on a string, and we always put them outside for the birds, but they never eat them.

Some of our other traditions include playing Christmas music while we decorate, advent calendars (I still have the one we used when I was young), letters to Santa, leaving Santa cookies, making Chex mix and cookies, and many more! I want to start Elf on a Shelf this year, something I've been meaning to do for a few years now. Preston is still young enough to believe it, although Kate is way past it. I hope our traditions hold strong in my children and that they want to keep some of them when they have families. It's so fun to have something familiar to look forward to each year!

One little cat in a little dollhouse

All you Sesame Street fans may remember this video. Well, we had a similar instance at our house last night, but instead of 2 little cats, it was one big cat in the dollhouse. We always decorate Kate's dollhouse for Christmas. They have a tree, candles in all the windows, wreaths, garland, the works. Well, Nonnie watched us put everything in and was a little too curious about the pipe cleaners. When I went downstairs after the kids were in bed, this is what I found...
He had gotten in the dollhouse and knocked over the tree and the entertainment center. He tore off the ornaments and garland from above the living room windows and had knocked over several candles. He did spare one wreath, although the other is still missing. We're praying he did not eat it. So this morning, the dollhouse was un-decorated and they'll spend Christmas in their regular old dollhouse. Not that they'll care too much anyway.

Speaking of the police...

Christopher calls on his way home from work to say that he'd gotten pulled over and was given a ticket... again. To say that my husband has a lead foot is a vast understatement. Saying that his is the heaviest in Southern Illinois is more accurate.

He just got a ticket in May. I thought it was last year, but I dug out the old ticket and it was only 6 months ago. Sigh. Supposedly he was going 72 in a 50, right before the I-70/I-64 interchange when he was pulled over. When he was pulled over in May, the trooper told him to keep it under 75 mph, so he kept telling me, "The officer told me to keep it under 75, and I was, and still got a ticket." Yeah... That's because you're driving in a 50 mph zone!

I gave him a little piece of driving advice that has served me well for many years- drive the speed limit! If you aren't speeding, you won't get a ticket! Now he needs to get his butt in gear and keep his foot off the pedal until May when the first ticket goes off his record. Three tickets in one year and he'll be hoofing it to St. Louis and back everyday!

The day the police came...

I've never told this story here, but I think of it every single time I pump gas and the lesson it taught us!

One night, the police came to our house.

Back a few years ago, quite a few actually because Preston hadn't been born yet, Christopher and I were having a child-free night and decided to go to Greenville. We stopped at FS, filled up, and realized we needed to go home quickly to get something we'd forgotten. Someone knocked on the door, and as I open it, I see Smiley (Emerick) on the porch. Since he's such a friendly officer, I opened the door cheerfully, but didn't recieve his usual smile in return. "Did you just get gas at FS?" I replied that we had, wondering what was going on. "Do you mind telling me why you didn't pay?" OH. BOY. By this time, Christopher had joined me at the door. We calmly explained that we had paid at the pump using our FS card, and that something must be wrong. He insisted that we did not pay, and was clearly very upset. It took quite a while with the officer on the phone with the attendant at FS before everything was straightened out. We did in fact pay for our gas. The attendant was new, there alone, and apparently, thought we had driven off without paying.

Luckily, we had went back to the house before leaving town, or else there might have been an APB out for us. We learned our lesson right then and there. ALWAYS, ALWAYS get a reciept when you pay at the pump. It will save you a lot of hassle if the cops show up at your house!

Check out this deal!

Ann Taylot Loft is by far my favorite store. I love that everything fits, which is something that's hard to find when you're small. I got an email today and check out this sweater...
This gorgeous sweater is on sale for just $20! I got one in grey and I imagine it will definitely be a favorite this winter!

They also had this top on sale for $19.50, so of course, I had to get it as well. I just love their flowery accents! I have a short-sleeved shirt almost identical to this that I really love.

Hurry! I don't think those $20 sweaters will last very long!

Christmas candy

Christmas is quickly approaching, and although I wish I had all my shopping finished, I couldn't be more excited! It is by far my favorite time of year, and I look forward to it as soon as it's over with. One of my favorite things about Christmas is the food. I could go to 50 holiday dinners and still want more. The food is just fantastic. And although I typically choose to fill up on actual food instead of sweets, I can't resist Christmas goodies. Annette always makes a huge platter of goodies- sugar cookie, no-bake cookies, pretzel melts, gooey butter cookies... you get the idea. They are absolutely AMAZING! I always have good intentions of making them, and this year, with both kids in school and full days by myself, I intend to put that notion into action! I'm starting my list, and since my new Taste of Home came today, my list has grown tremendously! I just need to find some more dairy/peanut/tree nut free recipes so that Preston can enjoy them as well!

Let's back things up a bit

I rarely ever get a chance to get online during the weekends anymore. They're just too busy.

I posted Thursday night that I was losing my voice. When I woke up Friday morning, it was pretty much completely gone. I could manage a squeak, but I really had to force words to come out, and if you were lucky, you could understand me. Luckily I had my appt. with Dr. S. for my ear, otherwise I wouldn't have sought attention for it (I still didn't, but he addressed it). Luckily, my ear looked great. He gave me several option of what could be causing the sharp stabbing pains, and it looks like teeth grinding is the cause. I don't grind during my sleep (a positive) but I grind them to the tune of songs on the radio or stuck in my head. I've made a conscious effort to stop that and have noticed a difference! But most likely, the tube was obstructed a little over a week ago because of the amount of pressure I had and when I used the drops, they just ran out. I kept using them, though, and each day a little more went through the tube, so I think that solved the initial problem. He gave me some steroids for my laryngitis and said it would help to speed up my voice returning, but as I sit here 2 days later, my voice is only minimally better. I now have a nasty, hoarse cough that isn't helping matters either.

Saturday, Christopher and I went Christmas shopping. I knew before we even left that it wasn't a good idea. I felt fine. I don't have that "hit by a bus" feeling you usually get with a cold, but I just felt a little run down despite going to be at 9:00, something I NEVER do. The day went horribly. I'll spare you the details. I would have been better off going myself, and when he said we'd have to go back another day to get the rest of the stuff (we didn't know what to get everyone), I said, "I will be going back. Not we." Shopping's not his thing, and it's best to leave him behind! By the end of the day, I just gave up and went to bed at 9:30.

Today we just kind of hung around here. I was hoping to get the Christmas decorations down and up so that Friday when we get the tree, we're not trying to do that and decorate the entire house. That didn't happen, and as crazy as it sounds, I'm almost thinking of trying to get it all down myself tomorrow. That of course, may be dangerous, so I probably should wait just so that I know I'll still be around come Christmas. Granny called this afternoon and asked if we wanted to go to the park and take the kids' bikes so they could ride on the trail, so we all headed into town and had a nice visit to the park- probably the last for a a while. It was a tad chilly, and it didn't help my cough or voice any, but we had fun anyway. Then Preston started to get a case of diarhea at Granny's, and I'm thinking, "Well, it's been a week since Kate had her bug, looks like he's next." So far, so throwing up, but when I put him to bed, he said he didn't feel well (he also has another nasty cold that showed up Friday), so I'm thinking I might save myself some time and just take the bucket up to his room so I don't have to come down to the basement when he wakes me up in the middle of the night. Maybe I should be a little bit more positive... if he wakes me up!

Laryngitis

Yep, you read that title correctly. I have laryngitis (self diagnosed, of course). No other symptoms really other than an irritated couch, but even that is minor. It came on really quickly, too. I was fine all day, but noticed I was sounding hoarse after I picked the kids up from school. It's all gone downhill from there. On the bright side, I see dr. S tomorrow for my ears, and I suppose an ENT is the perfect dr. to see when you have laryngitis.

Kate is doing much better today. What a blessing! I was really starting to worry, but since she's made a marked improvement overnight, I feel much better. Preston has a new cough, though. He's had the soupy cough from 2 weeks ago, and this morning I hear a dry, irritated cough. He too has no other symptoms, so I'm thinking that he and I both have the same thing. Isn't fall such a fun time?

Tomorrow night is the Olde Tyme Christmas downtown that we usually go to because they light up the big tree in the street, but I"m not sure if we'll make it. Last year it was freezing, and Preston had a nasty ear infection (go figure), so we watched the tree lighting from the car. We might do that again this year.

Will we ever get better?

I am SO ready for cold/flu season to be over already. Seriously. Kate is doing better. She still has the pain in her side that does concern me, but considering it now hurts on the other side, too, I'm thinking more that she pulled a muscle, possibly from the vomitting. She went back to school today, although she was none too happy about it, but she really couldn't miss any more school. That 6 days a semester rule they have isn't going too far, especially since she's already at 4 days (it was 5 1/2 but I was able to call and get some dr. notes).

I get Kate to stop throwing up, and now the cat is throwing up! Zipper has been puking everywhere the past 3 days. Not what you want to see when you wake up in the morning. We have some Reglan leftover from last November when she was a really sick kitty and the vet thought she might have kidney disease, and we gave her some tonight. Hopefully we can get this under control. We also gave her some hairball goo in hopes that it will also help.

The saga of my ear continues, and I finally got to talk to Dr. S. today. Apparently he was given the wrong number Monday because he said he called and called and no one answered. That was the day Kate was home sick and we didn't leave the house, so I know he didn't call here. He thinks that either the tube is already out or is obstructed. I had Dee bring her otoscope over tonight and she verifies that the tube is IN, which is good. Had it already fallen out (it's only been 2 months), he'd have to put a bigger one in. He switched me over to Floxin drops and asked me to call and make an appt. within the next week. By some miracle, they were able to get me in this Friday, in Effingham! I figured I'd have to drive to Mattoon, but she checked Effingham's schedule and said she could get me right in. WOW! That has never happened before! Now tonight, my throat is scratchy. Great. That's all I need is a cold.

Who says cats don't like water?

Cats typically don't like water. Zipper won't go near it. When we absolutley have to give her a bath, we do it as quickly as possible because we're afraid one day she'll have a heart attack. It's pretty bad! Nonni on the other hand, likes the water! If he hears us turn on the tub, he runs up and perches on the side, watching the water.

When he thinks no one is watching, he starts pawing at it, splashing it everywhere! After we take a shower, he hops in and licks the tub. If we don't shut the door well, he'll push it open, and stand on the side of the tub between the shower curtains. And my sweet children (OK, maybe it's just one of them) likes to "forget" to turn the bathroom tap off all the way and Nonni will have water all over the bathroom! CRAZY! Now, when it's his bath time, he doesn't particularly like it, but he tolerates it, and at least we don't have to worry about him dropping dead in the tub!

Poor Kate

It's morning and Kate is feeling better. She still has the pain in her side, and we've discussed it with her ped. and she isn't concerned at the moment. She said that if it persists, or she develops a temp, then she wants to see her, but right now just said to give her Motrin and rest.

Kate could really use some prayers right now. She's not feeling well, and we're not 100% positive what's going on. She woke up at 1:30 this morning thinking she was going to vomit. This was not what I wanted to hear at all since we've been through this 3 times now in the past 2 weeks... She did throw up around 8:00, but not since. She's pretty much over the nausea, but has a significant pain in her right side. I immediately think appendicitis because for the past year, she's been showing the same signs my brother had before his appendicitis- frequent episodes of minor stomach pain and vomitting and nothing else. Seth did this every night for years before his appendix flared up, and never once did it again afterward.

Fast forward to this evening and she's ready for bed by 6, so I run her a bath. While she's in the tub, she's just sobbing because it hurts so badly. I mention my concern to Christopher and he has me call his mom. She insisted on coming over and checking her out. Her bowel sounds are good, her abdomen isn't tight, there's no rebound pain, and she has no temp. All are good signs that at least right now, it is not appendicitis. She thinks it's viral and that she'll be better by morning. I hope so! Of course, if she gets worse overnight, we'll take her to the ER, but right now, exposing her to whatever's floating around the ER isn't worth it since this isn't an emergency. If she's still feeling bad in the morning, I'm taking her to Dr. B. to see what she says (and to get a dr. note so this doesn't count against her 6 days- she's already missed 4).

Please pray for her if you can. I feel so badly for her. She looks pitiful and it's very clear that she feels pretty yucky. I pray that this is viral and nothing more. I also pray that if it is viral, that no one else gets it. I've been spraying Lysol like crazy! And thank goodness for the sani-rinse cycle on the dishwasher! So far, this has not been a good fall for illnesses.

Where has time gone?

I swear... November and December fly by way too fast! November is already half over! Holy cow! Thankgiving is next week, and we want to have all of our Christmas shopping done by then. We better get out butts in gear! It just doesn't seem possible. Next week we'll be visiting the tree farm to find the perfect tree. We'll be toting down 10+ boxes of Christmas decorations from the attic. We'll be stringing cranberries. We'll dig out the Christmas CDs. We'll be busy wrapping gifts. We'll be writing letters to Santa. We'll just be busy.

Don't get me wrong. I LOVE Christmas, but it always just sneaks up on us so quickly! Seriously... Why does November and December fly by and then January, the coldest month of the year (and I HATE the cold), creep by so slowly that it feels like it's January for months? Ugh! I guess anticipation for spring isn't quite as glorious as Christmas and all it offers.

Speaking of the cold, I'm so glad I'm not my mom this week! She's in Denver at a conference and they're getting pounded by snow! I texted her this morning saying that I hoped she packed her boots. She replied back, "I did. It's snowing really hard. May have to stay here forever." She's a bit like me in her view of the cold, so I know she's not enjoying it! She's not due home until Wednesday night, but I bet she'll welcome 50 degree highs over snow when she returns!

I've lost an arm

Figuratively speaking, that is.

I ran into a family friend at the store today, who noticed I was shopping alone. After 6 years of having a constant shopping companion, everyone notices! She asked if I had both kids in school now, and I told her I did. We chatted a bit about how different it is and she commented, "It's like you lost an arm, isn't it?" I thought, WOW! That completely sums it up!

Almost 3 months later, I still miss my baby boy terribly. I miss the one-on-one play time. I miss playing farm and driving combines across the floor. I miss the cuddles on the couch while we watched tv. I miss having someone to talk to while I eat lunch. I know he feels the same way. On weekends, he wants to cuddle. He tells me that he wishes he was still in preschool because he misses cuddling with me.

It's hard moving on for both of us. I am so thankful that I was given those 6 years to be home with him instead of shipping him off to daycare. It means to world to me.

The must-have gift

In case you didn't already know, my children are obsessed with Playmobil. Seriously, that's just about all they play with. That's mostly all they've requested for Christmas, with the exception of a few other items. Playmobil has come out with their new Egyptians line, and the pyramid is the center of it all. We decided we'd (Santa) get it for them for Christmas. Toys R Us has it on sale for $84 right now, so we figured it was perfect timing. Apparently not- or maybe it was for the thousand other parents who decided this was the must-have gift of the season. TRU is sold out on-line and in every other TRU store in our area, including all of St. Louis. What luck. Not to be deterred, I've searched out every available place that sells Playmobil, and I have located some! No, the price isn't nearly as good as TRU's, but at this point, I'm not too concerned. I've done the unthinkable. I've turned into one of those moms that HAVE to have this one toy and will do whatever it takes to get it (within legal limits, that is).

Quiet day today

Wednesday is always Grammy day. Dee picks the kids up after she gets off work, they play, eat dinner, and come home at 7:00. Since there was no school and Dee didn't work, they had a full Grammy day. She was here at 10:00 to pick them up.
Preston actually had a Pa-pa day instead. He spent the day in the combine harvesting beans, and loving every minute of it. I swear, the child lives to farm! Last year he had several full days in the field since he wasn't in school, so this was nice to be able to go out and farm all day. They saw a red-tailed hawk, a baby bunny, and ate lunch under a tree. What else could a boy ask for?

Kate spent the day with Dee, Jess, and the twins. The first thing out of her mouth when she got home was, "I got to see the babies, and they were both awake!" She really likes the girls! I still can't believe they'll be 5 weeks old on Friday!

Christopher and I spent a quiet day at home not doing too much. I worked more on my afghan, took a nap, and perused the Wolferman's catalog drooling over their English muffins that I must buy. I eat them every morning for breakfast, so to see flavored ones, especially chocolate chip, is too good to pass up! Of course, the day threw me completely off and it feels more like a Sunday than a Wednesday. I really don't want to get up back in the routine tomorrow. Ugh. Is it Friday yet?

I just realized today

Not long ago, I found last year's calendar. Why I kept it, I don't know. Yeah, I kept the 2003 calendar because I was pregnant with Preston at that time and it's full of info, but 2008, not so special. I looked through it though, before tossing it, and realized a trend. Preston visited Dr. S. in October, November and December. Boring, huh? Then I got to thinking about how many ear infections he had since the beginning of the year, and saw that he also visited Dr. S. every month from January to July. Holy cow! Then I started seeing him in August, and had my tube done in September. So that means between the both of us, we'd been in his office each month for an entire year. Well guess what... we finally made it through an entire month without needing his expertise! Hallelujah!

Now I'm hoping that we can continue this trend until January when Preston has his next appointment. My ear is still bothering me. That makes 4 straight days, so I'm certain that I have an infection. I almost called them today because I'm concerned about the pressure. Surely there shouldn't be any with a tube in there, but hey, I'm not a dr. I talked myself out of it though, figuring I'd just be wasting their time and mine just to be told what I already know- it's infected, use the drops for a week. I'm doing that, but the drops just run right out even after lying down. Either it's plugged, or the tube's out, and it better NOT be out yet! Sheesh, we haven't even gotten the bill!

Go tell it on the mountain

"That Jesus cries alone."

I had Gracie today and she was singing while eating her snack. "Go tell it on the mountain, that Jesus cries alone!" She then promptly told me that that was what her mommy sings at church! I love the things that come out of 2 year old mouths!

Busy, busy, busy

It's been a busy weekend around here! Friday, I spent most of the day in Fairview with 2 big scores- new ottomans and a new winter coat... finally! I opted to buy new ottomans instead of reupholstering them because I found 2 with storage that matched and were not too pricey. I can't wait to wear my new coat that took weeks to find, but of course, once I find one, it's back in the 70's! When I needed it, it was in the 40's! Such is life. Preston also woke up Friday with a soupy cough. I chalked it up to allergies and sent him to school because he had to temp, no other symptoms, and was running through the house like a mad man, so I knew he didn't feel bad. He still has the cough (day 3), and no other symptoms. We got out the nebulizer last night and it did absolutely no good. I'm not worried about his cough. If he spikes a fever, I'll know then that it's probably bronchitis and will need antibiotics, but for right now, we can't do anything other than the neb. Because of his drug allergies, Dr. B. won't put him on antibiotics unless absolutely 100% necessary, and prednisone isn't even an option. Sometimes it is frustrating to have so few options.

Yesterday was Glen's birthday party, and the kids had a blast! Yes, we took Pres. I can't believe my little nephew is 2! It seems like a few months ago that Seth called to say he was here, and then racing to Belleville to meet him. Now Glen's going to be a big brother in March, and I'll have a new little Nephew to meet! After the party, the kids donned their matching Christmas shirts for an outdoor photo shoot while it was so warm. What is it with taking pictures of your own children? It didn't go as smoothly as I'd hoped, and my battery died, so I got maybe 2 decent pictures. We may need to try that one again.

Today we had lunch at Keith and Dee's and had a photo shoot with Abbie and Issie. I did get some really good shots, and I can't wait to play around with them in Photoshop! They are such little dolls! Issie was not a happy little camper, and did not like being on her belly. We eventually got out the heating pad, put it under the backdrop, and then she was fine. Abbie slept through the whole thing until right at the end when Issie lost it again, and woke her. Then there were two very unhappy little girls!

So tomorrow starts another week. Not looking forward to having to wake up early every morning. That's the one bad thing about school. I'm still not feeling the best, and feel queasy on and off each day. I feel pretty yucky right now. My ear has been bothering me a lot since Friday, and has really been hurting today- enough to need Tylenol. Last night there was so much presure that it felt as if it would burst, but that eventually went away. Not sure what it up, but I know it's not very fun.

Still here

Man, this stinks. Last night I felt pretty crummy. I was sure I'd wake up with a full-blown cold. Not exactly. In fact, the runny nose I had last night is gone. No indication of a cold at all. I don't know if I have a minor case of the kids' stomach bug or what. I've just felt mildly nauseated all day, but as long as I keep eating, I feel better. It's been a while since I've felt like this...

Please, noooooooo

I've felt "off" all day. I couldn't really put my finger exactly on how I felt- just not myself. Since 6:00, though, I've really started to feel icky, and not icky as the sicky the kiddos just got over. More like a coming-down-with-a-cold icky. I did take some Motrin and am feeling a little better, but not much. I can't get sick. I have Gracie tomorrow, I need to go to Fairview Friday, Saturday is Glen's party, Sunday Jess wants me to photograph the girls, and I definitely can't be sick around 2 4-week old little girls!

Please pray that I'm just tired, which I am even though I got a good night's sleep last night.

Another icky yicky sickie

Yes, that's right, we have another sickie in our house. It's Kate. She woke me up around 1:00 with the same symptoms that Preston had yesterday. Not a fun night, and I'm completely exhausted from no sleep. For the second day in a row, I've been up since 5:30. She did seem to get her pukies out during the night, so she's feeling better today and has held everything down. Preston, thankfully, is back to his normal self and will return to school tomorrow. So will Kate...

I've found that there's a big difference between a sick 6 year old and a sick 10 year old. A sick 6 year old doesn't care or understand why he's sick, he just knows he doesn't like it. He stays nicely on the couch all day and rests. A sick 10 year old has the pre-teen attitude, and will not stay on the couch or keep away from the remote. When told the reasons why she should do these things, she replies, "I don't care if everyone in the house gets sick." Ugh. So her 24 hours of no vomitting will be at 5:00 tomorrow morning, so she's going back to school. I've had enough!

Since both kids got sick within 24 hours of each other, it's safe to say that whatever they have, they got it at the same time, which is either from my mom stopping by Thursday, or from our shopping trip on Friday. I really hope I don't get it- I have too much to do this week. Which only means that I most likely will get it. That's the way things work, isn't it?

Icky, Yicky Sickies

That about sums up today. Preston woke me up at 5:30 this morning saying he had to go to the bathroom and wanted me to wait right by the door. I knew something was up because he *never* wakes up during the night to use the bathroom- he still wears diapers to bed because he sleeps so incredibly soundly that he can not be woken up. Sure enough, it was diarhea (sorry). I kept him home from school, and man, am I glad that I did! By noon, it was clear that this was a full-blown stomach bug- he had it all. Poor guy! It wasn't that bad, though, as he only threw up twice, but made frequent bathroom trips. He's kept down everything since around 1:30, and he hasn't run a temp., so hopefully he's on the mend. I have to keep him home from school again tomorrow since he got sick this afternoon, so he'll get another day's rest.

Now I have been praying that no one else gets it. I can't deal with puke. That's my main weakness. If it's my own, it's even worse. I tell everyone that God was on my side both times I was pregnant because I never got morning sickness, just nausea. He knew I couldn't handle being sick every day! Who knows where he got it from. Possibly school, possibly my mom who came over for a bit Thursday and woke up Friday with a stomach bug. I don't think it was our Wal-Mart trip from hades, where within 5 minutes, Preston had his hands in his eyes, nose, and mouth, in which we prompty left to avoid anymore exposure. Not enough incubation time, although who knows what he'll wind up with from that trip.

Why do kids do things like that?

Trick or Treat!

I hope everyone had a happy Halloween! Ours was pretty good. We had the big family lunch at Grandma Shirley's yesterday afternoon and the kids had a fun time dressing up and playing with Sarah and Gracie. It was really nice too, because it was the first family gathering since Abbie and Issie were born, so we had 2 new additions! They're 3 weeks old now, and doing really well!

As for the official trick or treating, we didn't have much to do. Granny and Pa were down at Seth and Diana's, and mom was sick, so that left Grampy. I did take the kids to our church's trunk or treat, and they enjoyed that, although we nearly froze. It was fairly warm that afternoon, but was 46 when we left at 6:00. Brrr!
Here's Kate, the go-go girl. I wish I'd gotten the boots in the picture because they made the outfit! White knee-high chunky patent leather go-go boots! Silly girl refused to wear hose with her dress and was quite cold walking around outside!

Ladies and gentlemen, the Beatles! Our very own George Harrison, our favorite Beatle by far! Preston wanted to be Ringo because he has food allergies like Pres, but I told him it was a little hard to trick or treat with a drum set. That, and we don't have a drum set, but we do have a guitar! And his shoes... he was so fascinated by them! They were George brand, and that was just so cool to him, that he was George, and his shoes were, too! Who knew a cheap pair of shoes from Wal-Mart would be absolutely perfect?

While I thought he looked a lot like George, everyone thought he was everything but a Beatle. We had people ask if he was a Blues Brother, Frank Sinatra, Chuck Berry, you name it! BUt once everyone knew who he was, they were quite impressed and said that they should've guessed that first!