One of "Those" Days!

Today really started last night when Chad was hooking up the trailer to his truck in anticipation of making a trip to Rexburg to buy some hay. When he went out this morning, he realized he'd locked his keys in the truck. No big deal...I have a key to his truck. The problem was that he'd left the key turned in the ignition and the battery was DEAD.

I had no clue that there was a problem until Daniel mentioned something about Daddy having a hard time getting the van out with the truck in the way. I threw on some pants and went out to help. By that time, he'd unhooked the trailer, put it in the garage instead of the van and had the van up to the truck as close as possible (there is a fence in the way). We got the truck started and headed back inside to finish getting the kids ready for the day.

I changed back into my pjs and finished getting the kids out the door. Chad had already said good-bye and had been gone for at least 5 minutes when I looked out the window to check on the kids (waiting for the bus). There was Chad again, trying to tow the truck into a good spot so that he could get the van up to it. The engine hadn't run long enough and the battery was still dead. So while the bus is pulling up to get the kids, we are straining to push the truck. We were no match for it, but were able to get the van closer (barely).

Once he was on his way, Chad had no more trouble. But he was late and couldn't stop at the bank to get the money for the hay. So I took Joseph and Sarah with me and pulled out what he needed. The plan was to be waiting for the afternoon bus to immediately take the boys and the money to meet Chad at work so he could get to Rexburg on time.

WELL, the school called just as the final bell was ringing to say that Leah didn't feel well and thought she might throw up. Did I want to come and get her or just have her come home on the bus? I couldn't load up the kids that fast, and how many times have we heard a child say they thought they were going to throw up and never do it? Besides, Sarah was constipated and I had just given her a suppository that I was waiting on.

When the bus was late (and Sarah still had not pooped), I wondered if Leah had thrown up. It finally arrived and Leah got off with a red and tear-stained face. Yes...she had thrown up...twice. The bus was late getting to the middle school because of it. I'm very sorry for her having to get sick publicly and to have the bus driver get that nice present, but I'm grateful it happened on the bus and not in my van! They can just hose down the inside of the bus!

So she and Rebekah stayed home while I drove the boys to meet Chad. Joseph and Sarah came along for the ride. :) Everything was nice and calm and Leah only threw up once. It took Chad a while to get home because he was over-loaded with over a ton of hay and was sticking to back roads. (He fell off the half-loaded truck once while he was loading it and is still finding places that are sore.)

When he got home, I went out to help him unload. We got the trailer backed up and unloaded and Chad pulled out to park the trailer so we could unload the truck bed. Remember that we recently got a new drain field? That left us with loose dirt. Normally, this time of January would give us frozen ground. But because of the warmer weather, we have MUD. And the truck found a really soft spot, burying the rear driver tire up past the bumper. It was still loaded.

That began the job of unloading the truck on the other side of the pasture from where we wanted it. Meanwhile, we were fighting off two very hungry calves. Once the truck was unloaded and a bit of digging was accomplished, Chad was able to free the truck. That began the job of REloading the truck to drive around the soft mud to get the hay bales where we needed them. It took 3 trips.

At one point, Chad was chasing after the troublesome cows and stepped (fell) right into the hole the tire had been in. He was in mud up to his knee. Maybe it sounds mean, but I laughed so hard I almost fell out of the back of the truck! When a cow fell in the same hole and also struggled to get out, I thought the show was well worth my money. :)

We finally got the hay moved and were driving the truck out of the pasture, so I walked ahead to open the gate. I stepped right into a different mud hole up to the top of my chore boot! I had to pull my foot out and have Chad pull out my boot. Ah...more laughing. And now my foot was cold and muddy. We had to move the trailer by hand and get it out of the pasture.

The best part? That isn't even half of the hay that Chad paid for. He has to go back! It will take two more trips. We are sad farmers, but we laughed a lot. Our coats went right into the washer, including Leah's coat with throw-up on it. The pants and socks still need to be laundered. Chad's shoe came in filled with water because he's sprayed them off. His sock was dripping mud. We both have sore muscles and new bruises.

BUT, I was able to accomplish something during a quiet moment this afternoon. I made this menu chart for our dinners. We chose some of our favorite meals then I divided them into categories and color coded them. We'll pick from our tried and true favorites and add a new recipe every once in a while. Knowing what I'm going to make for dinner has really helped this week!

We expect tomorrow to be boring after the day we had! How was your day?

Back among the living

The kids have had some kind of stomach bug for the last month and half or so. Out of 8 people in the family, it seems 3 have escaped some how. I was not one of them.

I came down with a fever on Thursday. Friday I was in a fog and Saturday through Monday I just felt yucky. I alternated between a pain in my stomach to feeling nauseous. Additionally, I spent more time in the bathroom than was fair.

But I am happy to report that today seems to be a good day. I even went ahead and had milk for breakfast (after avoiding it for several days). I even swept and mopped the floor. I even found the desire to blog! ;P

Sarah had some antibiotics (and cream for her diaper rash) and had a better looking diaper than I've seen in two weeks. Yippee! She has started eating again and is even in a good mood.

I doubt we've seen the last of this misery and woe, but things do seem to be turning around. Now I need to find a different reason to avoid folding the laundry.

Coughing

I am tired of all the coughing! What is going on with this cough that it can't get the job done? What is taking so long? The more I cough, the more I have to blow my nose. I'm on my second ROLL of toilet paper.

I've spent the last hour coughing. I've tried sitting up in bed, but it doesn't make much difference. I've probably started a dream 20 times now, only to be stopped by another coughing attack. (At this point, I don't even know what is a dream and what is a memory...they are all running together!)

Then my gag reflex gets stimulated and I hang out in the bathroom telling myself I do NOT have to throw up.

I'm going to finally fall asleep about 5:30 and have to get up by 7. Killer. I didn't get a nap yesterday and today isn't looking good, either.

grumble, grumble, grumble

Eighteen-dollar Miracle

Joseph can hear again!

While talking with a friend yesterday, I was reminded about a chiropractor I'd taken Daniel to last year mentioning how he could treat ear infections. I didn't pay too much attention to that then because I knew Daniel didn't have an ear infection.

But Joseph did. And I wasn't thrilled with the idea that the antibiotics were killing germs now but fluid would still be in his ears. I could only imagine that fluid getting infected again, requiring more antibiotics. Besides, it really bothered me that he couldn't hear very well!

I called the chiropractor's office after lunch and they gave us an appointment for the afternoon. We were there about 20 minutes. Joseph was so well-behaved, the guy couldn't stop mentioning it. He looked in his ears, mentioned they were still a little red, had Joseph open his mouth and gave each ear a few hard tugs (not at the same time). Then he had us do some sort of "laser" treatment. (That seemed a little strange to me, and I hope we didn't actually give him brain damage.) Joseph didn't cry or shy away at all. And on the way home, he could actually hear me!

Thanks for reminding me of the chiropractor, Rachel!

I just wish there was some sort of miracle healing for me. My cough is taking its toll on me. I don't sound very authoritative when I'm getting after my kids but get suddenly cut off by a coughing attack! And talking on the phone is fun.

Sarah's nose is still yucky, though it's slowing down and coming out a little thicker, so I imagine she's on the mend. Joseph noticed a gooey glob sitting in the end of her nose and said, "Sarah booger in and out." Yes it was...with every breath she took! :)

Senseless

I've lost my sense of smell with this cold.

How bad is the chicks' box stinking? How nasty do the used dishcloths in the kitchen seem? Does Sarah need a diaper change? Did I work up an unpleasant odor while cleaning up this morning? Does the garbage need to be taken out?

All these questions have the same answer: I don't know!

If you stop by sometime within the next 3 or 4 days (how long is this darn cold really going to last?), please don't judge. I wouldn't mind a polite "heads up" though.

Better yet, a miracle cure would be appreciated.

Blog ReDo

I finally got rid of that awful yellow blog background. I apologize for that...I was not willing to sit through the process again, but I have also been looking forward to November just to get rid of it!

I hope this one is more pleasant to look at. I struggled with the text color and font. I hope it's readable. I increased the font size for you, in hopes that the white on orange will be easier to read.

I have been suffering through the germs my littlest ones shared with me. I finally got some Sudafed today and have been blowing my nose less, but walking around in a drug-induced buzz.

The weather has been beautiful lately. It makes me wonder what Mother Nature has up her sleeves for winter. She's probably lulling us into a sense of comfort before she buries us in a blizzard of snow and sleet!

I have been trying to find my sewing table yesterday and today. I finished up the matching pj's I made for the girls (Christmas presents) and cut out & sewed a dress for Rebekah from some corduroy I picked up almost a year ago. I bought some fabric at the store this morning to make some festive placemats (reversible for Nov and Dec). I have 5 yards of denim to use to make the girls some school pants and 10? yards of Christmas fabric that I bought after the new year, last year, to make this year's Christmas pj's for the kids.

Joseph is doing better, but I'm not completely sure he can hear me 100%. If he doesn't respond better after the antibiotics are done, I'll take him back to have his ears checked. Can you have permanent hearing loss from an ear infection?

Chad has been working on the house, under and in, trying to get things in good condition. He discovered a long-term leak at the water spigot that has blacked the wood in the crawl space and soaked the insulation along the walls. Plus, our bathroom has seen little improvement in the past weeks and the project need a jump start. Not to mention a little funding.

The general condition of the housekeeping has suffered since I've been sick. My sinuses are so affected, that it gives me a tooth ache to lean down and pick something up! That's crazy, but true. Who knew I was so fragile?

Our stake has declared this week temple week and we are supposed to do something temple related each day. I haven't been very good at even remembering to keep up. But last night we had FHE on the temple. It was Nathan's turn to do the lesson, so he pulled out a few pictures of temples/tabernacles to quiz us on. Is there anyone in the church that doesn't recognize the Salt Lake Temple? Nathan apparently thought that one was going to stump us. Our treat was a pan of brownies. We kept it in the oven twice as long as intended because Chad turned the oven off near the beginning of the bake. We like to do things the hard way around here.

Today was Election Day. Did you remember to vote? I was voter #33 this morning. I now look forward to seeing all those campaign signs taken down. Isn't there a way to make those things a little prettier? Maybe more informative in the very least?

Now that I've rambled on and on...I have to go take care of some R.S. stuff. I've put it off long enough. I wonder if I can find a channel that isn't covering the election while I work?

Not dead yet

Maybe some of you have wondered if (or hoped) I'd died. No such luck. I know my blogging has been MIA. As it turns out, it's kind of busy when you have 6 kids and demanding church callings! But we are still kickin'. (And some of us get in trouble for that...usually right after the bus drops kids off at home.)

We survived Halloween 3 times. There was the school parade, then the school carnival, then the trunk-or-treat. I have been extremely good and didn't eat ANY candy. But I would be a huge fake if I said it wasn't hard. It was REALLY hard last night! Anyway, the costumes all got a good workout. I'll post some pictures later.

It's been a nice, germ-filled week. Sarah started two Sundays ago and is still running her nose and coughing. Joseph joined her shortly after. By now, I'm sipping at the cough medicine. The rest of the kids have some version of the germ. Chad had better watch out; he can't escape this one!

Earlier in the week, I was certain that something was really wrong with Joseph's ears. He was obviously having a hard time hearing me. And by now, you'd think I was used to that happening, but this time was different and I was getting concerned. I called the doctor's office and they said they didn't do hearing tests, but referred me to a hearing center. I made an appointment with them, but later that day I decided to take Joseph in to have them take a look in his ears. As it turned out, he had a nasty double ear infection. Both ears were bright red. NO WONDER! I knew I wasn't imagining a problem. He's been on antibiotics since Wednesday. Now he's back to the regular hearing problems all my kids seem to have.

We gave away our older chickens earlier this week. We collected several of their eggs back in September and got 7 surviving chicks (2 died and 4 didn't hatch). There are some young hens out there now that should start laying in the next few weeks (the chicks we hatched in June).

We lost one of our dogs two weeks ago. I really mean 'lost.' The two of them kept getting out and we couldn't find the spot (of several possibilities) that they were using. During a two-hour span, while I was getting new collars to tie them up until we could plug more holes, they got out again. One reappeared in the pasture...the other never did. So Chocolate may be adopting a new family, or he may be dead...or who knows. We'd had him since before Leah was born. He was finally a good, mellow dog. Now we're stuck with the hyper one that STILL gets out! Where have all her manners gone?

We've been trying to find a new home for our horse. She is too much horse for us. It is unbelievable how many people call and say they want to come see her and then never show or call. It must be around 80%. Some of them want her for cheaper and won't come look unless I agree to drop the price. We're only asking $300 as it is. It's not as if she's 19 years old and only good as a brood mare! Too many people these days have forgotten how to extend some courtesy and want things free or cheaper.

I recently went to the kids' parent/teacher conferences. They are all doing so well. The only thing Rebekah hasn't mastered is cutting on the lines. Leah's percentages were 98, 99 and 100. Nathan was very similar. Daniel's grades got trickier this year, but he's doing well. Mostly A's, a couple of B's and a B- (those science questions in his homework are harder work than he's used to). Everyone is well-behaved and pleasant in class. Now why won't they send those kids home at the end of the day?

We haven't had any more snow than a bit of flurries one night last week. Now that we've had Halloween, tilled the garden and blown out the sprinklers, let it snow! But don't play games with us. I hate the stuff that snows and melts repeatedly until the new year. I don't like mud.

I'll have to get some pictures posted of this and that sometime soon. But I think I'll try for an early bedtime tonight!

Tradition!

Sarah turns ONE on Friday! Yipee!

In keeping with family tradition, she's starting a cold. Lovely. Why do these kids think that their birthdays are good times to get sick? Rebekah's b-day is Monday...she's sniffling, too.

Long Night

The kids slept out in the tent with Chad last night. Sarah and I enjoyed the warmth and comfort of a warm house. Because I am the classic "night owl" and I didn't have to feel guilty about keeping anyone else up, I was still awake at midnight when Chad stumbled into the house with Leah.

My first assumption was that she'd thrown up...again. She'd been running around earlier and did in her sleeping bag. The real problem was that she was suffering from an ear ache and was restless - wiggling and crying and keeping Chad awake.

I gave her some cough medicine (because that was an issue, too) and she said her ear didn't hurt, so I thought she'd be going back outside. Chad didn't think that was a good idea. So I let (talked her into) sleep in the bed with me on "Daddy's side." Ugh. Now I know what Chad meant!

We were up at 1:30 putting warm water in her ear and giving her Motrin. (It's been recalled, but we like to live on the edge. Not to mention they didn't offer any compensation for the $40 of medication in my cupboard. We can't serve the stuff for breakfast or pay any bills with it!) Anyway, I hoped that would end the constant crying and whimpering, tossing and turning that I was having to lie next to. She eventually fell asleep and SNORED! I blame that on the plugged nose.

Then at 2:30, Sarah started crying. When Sarah cries in the middle of the night, Chad gets her. I was cursed - no Chad. I changed her diaper and tried to rock her, but she only tried to nurse. So I put her back into bed and let her scream herself to sleep. Eventually she did.

So I got a little more sleep, wracked with strange dreams, until about 5 or so when Leah started up the tortured sleep again. At 6:30 I sent her downstairs to watch TV and then Sarah woke for the 2nd time.

I just fed her and am headed back to bed. It's 7 AM. I guess Leah will be going to the doctor later this morning. And I hope I get a nap today!

Sick

How long do I have to be on the job before I accrue some sick days? I kind of feel like I should have gotten some by now.

Oh yeah...each and every day last week was a sick day. So was Sunday and yesterday. Today is looking to be counted.

I'd really like to be well again. And I'd like to sleep before the sun starts to top the mountain.

Coloring Contest

Rebekah was in charge of the FHE activity tonight. She decided to do a coloring contest (which we've never done, so it was an interesting choice). We asked her what the rules for the contest were. She said we had to draw a princess AND a prince.

You should have seen Chad's face. It was a special expression. He suggested maybe we could draw a fish. But Rebekah was already set on royalty. I asked him what did he expect from a 4-year-old girl?

Nathan did not participate. He's on his 6th day of a fever. He started on antibiotics today; it appears he has Strep. That's really just an assumption, since the PA didn't do a test. But his throat was flaming red and swollen. Lucky for Nathan, he didn't have any pain.

Daniel didn't participate either. He'd been looking for his crayons in his room and couldn't find them so he was mad.

It's too bad, really. I would have liked to see their drawings.

Anyway, I was really impressed with Rebekah's drawing. And then I started comparing it to Leah's. (I know, I know. Don't compare your children. I can't help it this time...it's the teacher in me.) Rebekah's and Leah's pictures are almost identical in developmental stages. Leah's picture has more fingers and there seem to be teeny, tiny shoes on the girl.

But there is a two-year age gap between these sisters. And that's why I'm surprised at the similarities. And another reason why I'm really glad Rebekah made the deadline for kindergarten (by one day). I don't think she'd be happy at home one more year.

The purple smiley faces are from the judging. All entries received a smiley face. That is mostly because it became quickly apparent that Leah needed such recognition for her effort.

Poisoned

We went out to an early dinner on Saturday night, after running some errands. I ordered fish and chips, while everyone else around me ordered a breakfast dish or hot dogs. I don't like fish, but this stuff isn't really fish...at least, it doesn't taste like it. So when my fat and calorie-laden breaded fish fillets were gone, I dipped my fat and calorie-laden fries in the left-over tarter sauce.

About an hour after falling asleep that night I awoke to feel pretty yucky. A person should only feel this yucky on a storm-tossed ship or with the promise of a baby at the end of the ordeal. Neither one of those situations pertained to me. All night long I woke up, wishing to be freed from my turmoil. (And cursing that tartar sauce!) Around 3 AM, Rebekah summoned me to her room. She complained to me that she wanted to sleep in a higher bed. !! I can't help her with that right now! I rested my head on her short, little toddler bed until she got tired enough to fall over and go back to sleep.

Around 5 AM I prayed for relief. About 6 AM I had a quick coughing attack, brought on by a 2-day old tickle in my throat. Miracle! That got the stomach churning and up came the offensive matter. And up, and up and up. It was gross, bitter and didn't only come out of my mouth. (Aren't you glad you've read this far?) Unfortunately for me, it was my turn to teach the Primary lesson at church and then we had Tithing Settlement and the First Presidency Christmas Devotional in the evening. So I sucked it up and met the day with half-open eyes.

I felt much better Monday, just tired. Yesterday I was completely recovered, except for that little tickle I talked about...it has gone a little deeper. And so I am thinking bad things about that tartar sauce when Chad admits that he isn't feeling well. (The fact that he was bent over the couch to talk to me was a little incriminating.) He spent the day feeling like he would throw up...but never did. He's feeling a little better today. Which is lucky, because it seems like it's Daniel's turn.

Daniel threw up all night (and I don't get any points for anything because Chad helped him every time). He's home from school today. He seems much better, but the poor kid didn't get much rest! So I guess I didn't have food poisoning as I suspected, but we've definitely been poisoned by something! Nasty, nasty germs!

And I really should apologize to everyone with whom I came into contact on Sunday. I really did think I was only poisoned...not deadly!

Mary Poppins, where are you?

I am sick but have 5 children to care for. I need an awesome nanny like Mary Poppins to come care for the darlings while I sleep the day away. And if you have to give them a teaspoon of sugar to get them to clean up around here, I won't bat an eye.

Please come soon. I am not being a very good mother. I hadn't even seen my boys until I called them for lunch at a quarter to noon! Now that they've gone downstairs to the great square babysitter, I'll probably not see them again before 3.

Don't bother ringing the doorbell. I'm still in my pajamas and don't want to be answering the door. (The mail lady will already need therapy today.)

I only need you until a little after 5 when my very capable, over-worked and under-thanked husband comes home.

The infestation is complete

Daniel and Leah are now coughing.

On a brighter side: no one else has fevers. Nathan just likes to be special.

Three down, two to go

We have had some sick kids. Nathan slept for two whole days (Thurs. and Fri.) and still has sick eyes today...but he still went to school. He has been coughing and running a fever. I got a glimpse up his nose while we were at church yesterday. It looked like honeycomb. YUCK! So then Joseph started coughing on Saturday. *sigh* That was the one I was hoping would be spared. Today is Rebekah's turn to start coughing. It's the wet, raspy coughing. It caused Joseph to fill my lap and the recliner in a nice mucus/milk mixture. We both have new clothes on and it's not even 10 AM. Now we wait and see if Daniel and Leah join in the fun. Let's hope that Mommy and Daddy can skip this one.

Ho Ho Ho - Grocery Store Santa

We were having a hard time finding Santa this year. We learned that he would be at a local grocery store and planned to visit with him on our way to the TaVaci Christmas concert. They fixed up really nice place for Santa to sit and visit with the kids. Unfortunately, people kept shopping from his perch! At least they tried to decorate it with flowers and stuffed animals. Too bad you can still see the Pepsi cases.

So here are the pictures of the kids. They didn't care that Santa was sitting on 3 oddly spaced boxes of soda pop!

Joseph

Daniel

Rebekah

Leah

Nathan

This is a picture of Daniel and Leah after their big TaVaci concert last Saturday. I have some video of them singing on stage, but it's not uploaded yet.

I have been feeling pretty funky lately. Yesterday I started with a low-grade fever during a nap. It went away. It came back today and has lingered more. I've been REALLY tired, too. I was waiting in line at Wal-Mart today and just wanted to put my head down on the foot of Joseph's car seat in front of me. Since I'm so tired, my reflexes are slowed. Maybe I'm anemic. That's been the case before. I'll try some iron pills (which means stool softeners, too) for a bit and see if things improve.

Daniel is still having trouble with wetting his pants. I took him to the dr today to see if he had a bladder infection. Nope. But she did prescribe a nasal spray that is supposed to strengthen the bladder muscle. I hope it helps, but I won't be too disappointed if it doesn't, since it was $46.75 for tiny bottle! I feel stuck with this problem. If he does have a muscular problem, how long will it last? Do we keep medicating him? Can't we just get him to go to the bathroom more? Is it really such a big deal after all? It does stink and make me roll down windows.

The kids are all very excited for Christmas in 2 days. We are pretty much ready for the big day. We're visiting my family for a few days afterward. I hope I don't end up sick for the trip. We're still working on getting someone to feed the animals. It's a little harder when you don't live in a neighborhood and you still don't really know the people at church.

The house is getting closer and closer to "moved in" status. The library made great strides today. Our room, the laundry room and my sewing room are still pretty bad. The garage, too, but that doesn't bother me as much since it's not really my responsibility.

And now I go to rescue Chad from Joseph.

School Days!

Guess what today is?


THE FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL!!!


I'll bet you can't tell I was looking forward to this. Daniel has been excited, too, but not as much as me!

Here are the kids in our traditional first day of school picture. They look like a cell phone service commercial. We just need one more kid.

The boys got haircuts last night and everyone got a bath. The boys had fun picking out their clothes this morning. We watched them walk to the bus stop and climb on the bus. I couldn't help but wonder how Nathan was feeling about everything.

In our small town, all the kids ride the bus together to the high school and then the younger kids change buses and are driven to their own schools. We don't have neighborhood schools. Instead, we are divided by grades. For us, this meant that Daniel and Nathan got on different buses. I hope Nathan didn't have any trouble finding the right place to go. I assume there were people to help out.? Yesterday, Daniel said to Chad, "There's only one thing troubling me." He was worried about Nathan getting the right bus, too. Isn't that sweet?

The bus comes to our stop at 7:33 AM. An hour later, I had the floors mopped now I'm pooped. I've got to use my time more effectively! Leah's already complaining that I won't let her watch TV. I'm so mean.

The other night we were grocery shopping and Nathan thought it would be funny to eat something he found as we went down the baking aisle. It looked like it had been some kind of flour. He and Daniel thought it was hilarious. Being the perfect mother, I told him not to do that because he had no idea if what he eats is going to make him sick or not. So what do I wake up to that night? Nathan is standing in his room, crying, with a pile of vomit in front of him. And the smell was horrible. He was sick for about an hour and then fine. Is it coincidence or did he really get sick from the mystery flour? I'm not sure, but I let him believe it all his fault (because I am the perfect mother). I don't think he'll be doing that again!

Speaking of perfect. I just want the world to know that I am married to the perfect husband. Thanks for everything, Chad!

Time to sterilize

Do the people who put your house in a tent for termites have a similar process for germs? We need to sterilize this house! Daniel came home from school early yesterday and ended up with a fever (and the tears that come with it) over 102. The doctor (yes, I visited two days in a row, with two different kids) was SURE it was strep until the culture came back negative. So we're treating a fever, with a prescription for antibiotics hanging on the messages board in case we don't get rid of the fever.

When I pay a $30 copay, I like to have something a little more certain than this. I don't fault the doctor, just my situation.

Nathan slept the whole day yesterday - his fever reached over 103. By the time Chad and I went to bed, Nathan was feeling a little better and staring-wide awake-into the dark. At 1 AM, when I got up with Daniel who was throwing up spit (didn't really eat dinner), Nathan had finally fallen asleep. But Leah was awake, standing in the middle of her floor. I helped her go to the bathroom, got Daniel finished up in the other bathroom and eventually got to go back to bed.

So, I ask; "When will it end?" Fifth Disease, pink eye, a NASTY cold, sinus infection, possible ear infections, mystery fevers...it doesn't seem to stop.

On the positive side, the scale has started to slide in my favor again. I think it was broken for a while.

The Nasties

That's us. We have so many germs around here, I have dubbed us The Nasties. Mostly, we are mucous-filled and coughing our insides out. Leah threw up this morning because of snot and coughing. Yesterday, I found dried vomit in Rebekah's crib at naptime. Apparently, she'd thrown up during the night. Gross! And how horrible to throw up and not have anyone rescue you! And the night before that, Daniel threw up (after calling me from sleep several times and threatening to do it). So for the past three nights, we've been getting some really good sleep.

Nathan's bout with pink eye lasted less than two days. His eyes never got goopy and I finally stopped thinking my eyes were infected. (I had irritated eyes the moment I heard we'd been exposed.) Now he's coughing his guts out with the rest of the family.

I haven't been able to avoid this one. I fear I'm headed for a sinus infection. The base of my skull is aching from all the coughing and when I blow my nose, it feels like my forehead is going to blow right open. My ear is starting to hurt, too. While I'm falling apart, I might as well mention that I think I need to seek out a dentist...may have a cavity or two.

And speaking of not feeling well, our van is looking for a new transmission. I guess its coughing it's guts out, too!