Update

Helllooooo.....anyone out there...ere....ere......

I know I've been off the hook lately, and even now as I sit here, i don't really want to post. It has been a tough December! I am still trying to catch up on rest.

Let me just say that next year, things will be vastly different. I will be saying the word "no" more in the month of December. My last post described a frazzled mom, trying to prepare for the season. The day after that, my kids became ill with the flu. The kind of flu that has mom running from one room to another, carrying soiled sheets and clothes in one hand, and the Lysol in the other. It was bad. Steve came home and I said, "here is what I need. A badge of courage, a medal of honor, and a high five. I have just been through a war zone".

So, my dad's belated birthday celebration was canceled yet again, and we spent the weekend getting the kids back in shape. All the while, I really didn't feel right either. I wasn't eating much and just felt so tired. On Sunday morning, about 3 am, I found out why. I became very sick with the flu, and it just kept getting worse by the hour. As the day went on, I realized Steve hadn't been coming in to check on me, so I went to find him. I had the worst headache, along with the other typical flu symptoms. I found Steve, sick on the couch, and the kids were gone. He called my parents to come and get them. They stayed with my parents the next 2 days.

He recovered much faster than I did, and thinking back, I probably should have gone in to see the doc. I think I was pretty dehydrated when all was said and done. I don't think I have ever been that sick before, and boy, I don't ever want to go through that again, especially when I have a million Christmas things to do. Oh, the stress of lying in that bed, thinking of all the things I had to do.... I prayed for people going through Chemo, people with sick kids in hospitals, people in nursing homes, the list went on and on, anything to keep my mind off myself.

So, I still had to take the girls shopping for Daddy, and I had the Rogers Christmas to get things for too. There was no way I could shop in my condition, so I had to wait until Wednesday. I dragged myself out and it was a struggle, but I got the shopping done. Of course, I still wasn't eating, and I had no energy at all. It took me until Christmas night to finally eat and feel like a normal person again. This did very little for my Christmas spirit, but I tried to remember the reason for all the celebrating, and I tried to enjoy each person and each moment. I took lots of pictures, of course.

I will be posting just a few of those pictures soon. The highlights of Christmas were having it snow on Christmas Eve and seeing my great nieces playing with my girls. On Christmas Day I loved getting up with my family and making our traditional breakfast and seeing their bright faces lighting up. Most of Steve's family was up, and we all enjoyed visiting and laughing. Serena turned ten on the 27th, and we celebrated again! My brother and his boys came up on the 30th and we celebrated again! New Years Eve was quiet and uneventful this year, but we needed some quiet family time, so we played wii til the wee hours, just the four of us. It was bliss. We celebrated my dad's birthday, my sister's birthday, and Steve's dad's birthday. Lots of cake and lots of presents. Finally things have slowed down and it's time for the girls to go back to school. We didn't have nearly enough time to do all the things we planned. Gee. I wonder why.

Well, like I said, I didn't really feel like posting, and I don't know when I will post again. I hope to be my old self again soon. If not, well, then I hope you like my new self better.