In Sickness

It came without ribbons. It came without tags. It came without packages, boxes, or bags.

Indeed. Because when it comes to a virus, the humans ARE the wrapping paper. Merry, merry Christmas. Scotlen was the first to come down with the four day fever and sore throat fest last week. It was miserable and pitiful. Not to mention the fact that when Scotlen gets a fever, she is inclined to throw up. A lot. And, her fever often makes her less than compliant and less than willing to take the medication that will bring her fever down. It's not a fun combination. The only good thing I can say about this round of illness is that Scotlen reached my favorite milestone ever - the ability to make it to the bathroom before throwing up. Hip-hip-hooray!

The rest of us thought we had avoided the plague, but it was not to be. I drove to work Tuesday morning only to return home shortly thereafter. I did not leave the bed for three days. Not my shining moment, I assure you.

Kyle made some noise about not feeling too good, but he didn't seem to have the debilitating virus that Scotlen and I did, so we didn't pay it much mind. Well, he finally went to the pretend-doctor-clinic yesterday and they diagnosed him with bronchitis and a double ear infection. Double ear infection? Really? When I found out I texted him that I would get his footie pajamas ready for when he got home. We should have known - he had been very fussy lately. His treatment was a shot of steroids and a shot of antibiotics. One on the left and one on the right. The left and right of his buttocks! Oh, to have been there with a camera. Especially when it became obvious that he was wearing his fancy jack-o-lantern boxers.

We are very thankful now that we all seem to be on the mend and that Jonas has avoided these illnesses. And we have managed to sprinkle in a little fun around the sickness.

Visiting with the Carvers

Snow day fun

More snow day fun

Beautiful snowy night

The Christmas Turds have yet to make an appearance, much to our great disappointment. But Kyle did make this new concoction, a recipe that I can recall people referring to as "white trash" in my childhood. I've been trying to think of a better name for it, something a little more Christmas-y. Maybe "Camel Dandruff" or "Donkey Droppings." We will keep working on it.