It's the last day of winter break, and, wow, is it cold. I think winter has finally come to join us.

We had such a busy first part of break, filled with travel, parties, family, and celebrations. And to balance that, we've had an incredibly quiet second half, filled with illness, rest, and recovery.

So, today, it's time to get back into things. We have errands to run, and that means getting dressed and going places.

Despite all the grumbling, I know we will all be happy to head back to school/work tomorrow.

And summer finally begins ...

Bean Dip's last day of school was today. It was barely even a day -- officially a half day, but kids could be picked up at any time. I got BD at 9:30, and took him and Baby G for Chick-fil-A for breakfast as a treat.

Poor BD is having a rough day. We think he might have Fifth Disease -- he had the rash on Sunday and now he is running a low fever. What's funny (or not) about our kids as that when they don't feel good, they turn into huge jerks. They don't get all sad and cuddly, they get angry and combative. So ... with the cool, rainy weather, we are battling it out inside.

But either way, both kids are finished with school and all their various activities. I am looking forward to sleeping into tomorrow.

Being Sick Means ...

Sleeping with Mama in her bed.

Ginger ale with a silly straw and chicken noodle soup.

Morning cartoons and movies in bed.

Pajamas all day long.

Our Week

It's funny how a week can slip by almost without you knowing it, and then all of a sudden, it's Monday again. We spent last week recovering from being sick. Baby G was sick Monday and Tuesday, but not nearly as bad as Bean Dip was. Wednesday, G and I walked and then had lunch with our friends, Vivian and her two little boys. Gabe is G's age, and they just love each other.

I sent G to school on Thursday, but she had a bit of a rough day. Her teacher thought she still wasn't feeling well. She took a long nap that afternoon. Katherine showed up that evening, on her way home from North Carolina. We had a great one-night visit with her, with the kids taking all her attention. Seriously, Bean Dip got mad every time I tried to talk to her. He even slept with her, and both kids were really sad that she had to leave.

I've started Friday Night Movie Night for us. I've been getting a kids' movie, and we all watch it together. This week it was Yogi Bear. They both got a kick out of it, and were laughing quite a bit. So far, we've watched Big Miracle and Journey 2: Mysterious Island. I'm hoping to do Cinderella next. Friday Night Movie Night is something Ivy's family does, and Bean Dip really likes that we are doing it too, now.

The Perks of a Fever

So while Lem has been suffering through this and now recovering, Gwyn's been waiting (semi-)patiently for her turn. Starting Saturday morning, she's been constantly telling me, "I'm sick.

Sunday afternoon, after we'd gone to the pool, Gwyn crawled into my bed and lay down, not sleeping, but just lying there saying, "I'm sick." I took her temperature, no fever. And on our thermometer, a smiley face or sad face pops up, depending on the temp.

After dinner (she didn't eat much), she went back in my bed and said she was sick again, and said she wanted to sleep in my bed. I told her I'd take her temperature again before bedtime, and if she got a sad face she could sleep with me. Well, she wanted me to take her temperature right then, and, once again, she got a happy face. When I showed it to her, she frowned and said, "But I have a sad face!"

Later, at bedtime, I took her temperature one more time, and sure enough, she had a fever and got her coveted "sad face." I've never seen a child so happy to be sick. She got a huge smile and said, "I get to sleep in you bed!" And so she did, and even got some Tylenol, which she slurped down like it was a treat.

She's not as sick as Lem, but she was still pretty sick today. By this afternoon she was not nearly as happy to see that sad face, and was quite eager to lie down in her own bed and take a long nap.

Murphy's Law of Deployment

Ask any military spouse, and they will tell you: The minute their soldier deploys, everything goes wrong. Cars have to go to the shop, appliances break, and kids get sick.

We had our first ER visit last night. Don't worry, Lem is fine. He had a fever in the afternoon, perked up after I gave him some ibuprofen, but when I checked on him at 10 p.m., his fever was up to 103.8. Then he woke up and was coughing and throwing up, and really miserable. So I called my mother-in-law (so thankful to have a P.A. and pediatrician in the family), and she told me to take him in. I woke up Gwyn, got everyone dressed, put his car seat in the truck (more about that later), and headed to post.

There were only a few people at the ER, and we were seen quickly. The nurse gave him some more ibuprofen (he'd thrown up the Tylenol I'd given him), and then we went back to see the doctor. Lem was really miserable and decided he didn't want anyone doing anything to him. At least the doctor was nice about it. After Lem bolted for the door and then did a slow motion punch toward the doctor, all he said was, "He's an aggressive little boy, isn't he?" He quickly diagnosed him with croup, and got him started on some steroids for his throat and a saline nebulizer treatment. I had to really work with him to get him to even put the mask close to his face, but once he did, it immediately started working. I watched him get better as he lay there, and by the time we left, he was asking the nurse questions and even asked if he could keep his mask. She gave it to him, and he was so happy.

He stayed home today, and we slept in (didn't go to bed until 1:30 a.m.) so Gwyn didn't go either. They spent all day playing with the mask, and he's much better.

Oh yeah, about the car ... we had been rear-ended in July on our way to St.Louis, and I'm finally getting it fixed. It was just a fender bender, no one was hurt, but there was some damage to Beemy. So I had taken it in yesterday to drop it off, and didn't have Lem's car seat installed.

Life

Life has gotten in the way of blogging. Lots has been going on in these last few official weeks of summer.

Swim lessons were a success. Lem is now swimming with his head under the water, but he hasn't figured out how to come up for air yet. He is more confident in the water, which is great and terrible at the same time. He thinks he can swim but really can't ... which means going to the pool has a whole new level of stress for me. Gwyn puts her face in the water now, and is really good at her kicks. But she only jumped off the side by herself once. But I'm OK with it, I read somewhere that kids really aren't ready to learn how to swim until age 5, which I'm seeing just by watching Lem. But I think the experience was great for her.

Lem missed the last swim class, because he got some mysterious illness that started with eye boogers and led to two doctor visits, eye drops and oral antibiotics, and several days of fever. He is fine now, but man, he is not a happy patient. He got so crabby and would bite your head off if you asked him how he was feeling.

Oh yeah, and Gwyn has a cold as well, different than Lem. Hers is just piles of boogers/snot and some coughing. Coughing that keeps us all up at night.

And then, this week, we have been busy with school preparations. We had Open House and Kindergarten Orientation for Lem. At open house, we found his classroom, met his teacher and saw that (thank the Lord) Ivy is in his class this year. At the orientation, Ivy and her dad sat next to us, and she and Lem were so happy to see each other. We never did get together over the summer, so they had lots to chat and giggle about. Ivy even had a card to give Lem, which her dad said had been on their fridge all summer. Two other kids from their pre-k class are in this year's class, and they all were happy to see each other. So even though Lem was mad about having to go to school (and miss Curious George), I know he was glad to see everyone. He has one day of testing next week and has his first day on Friday.

And on Tuesday, we had Gwyn's preschool orientation. She is going to a Lutheran preschool, two days a week for three hours each. The same as Lem did. She has been hot and cold about the whole idea, but she was excited to go play in the classroom with one of the teachers while I filled out paperwork. There are just two classes -- the three-year-olds and four-year-olds, and all the teachers and aides were very nice. The pastor was very nice too. I'm pretty happy with my choice; I just hope Gwyn is, too. She still has a couple weeks before she starts.

Spring Sicktime

We've spent the last week dealing with illness (again). I don't know what it is about Tennessee, but it seems like we have been sick a lot this past year.

This wasn't anything major. On Friday evening, Lem came downstairs and said his stomach hurt. I told him to lie down and take a rest, because he had been upstairs spinning on the swivel chair. He lay down and ended up falling asleep. When he woke up a couple hours later, he had a fever. He was feverish until Saturday evening, so he missed his last soccer game.

On Tuesday night, G put herself to bed early and yep, when she woke up a few hours later, she was feverish as well. I put her in our bed and about 20 minutes later, she threw up all over the place. Luckily, that was the only time, but she was feverish all through until this morning. But yesterday, it was just a low-grade one. So we took it easy. Hopefully that's the end of it.

Because of her fever, G and I missed our planned movie night. Lem and Win went to see The Avengers (in 3D!). They both said it was really good, and The Hulk was the best. Lem was clearly blown away by his first 3D experience. I haven't even been to one yet! Gwyn wasn't upset about missing the movie, as she kept telling all of us, "I'm sick." And I promised her we'd go see a movie together sometime. Does anyone know if the Beauty and the Beast (in 3D!) is still showing?

It's Been Two Weeks

We've all been sick more or less the last two weeks, and still counting. But now it's just Win and I with colds. Bean Dip and G seem to be on the mend. But it's been a long two weeks. Even Beemy decided to get sick, so on Tuesday we spent the day in Nashville. The highlight of that was eating lunch at Bread Co., and enjoying the beautiful weather.

Wednesday, I took Baby G to the doctor, because she was still having a fever and a terrible cough. It is a virus, like we figured. And Thursday, she and I finally had a day at home while Bean Dip was at school. I think it was just what we needed. After we picked up Bead Dip, we played outside all afternoon. Bean Dip practiced his writing, G her dancing.

Oh yeah, we made it to BD's game on Saturday. It was kind of a bust -- he had no energy. He got hit by another kid and refused to play the second half of the game. He is looking forward to this week's game.

Still Battling

Win was the next one to come down with this stomach virus. He's on quarters. Bean Dip went to school yesterday, he was bouncing off the walls yesterday morning.

Baby G threw up last night just as I was dozing off. She was pretty upset about it, but it didn't last long. She slept through the rest of the night, in bed with me.

While hanging out with sick Baby G, I've watched Tangled and The Princess and the Frog. I love Tangled. I might watch it again today. But I didn't like The Princess and the Frog as much. The best part was the music. And the firefly. I've always thought the style of those classic Disney fairy tale movies is kind of creepy. I've never liked the psychedelic musical scenes in any of them, and I think some of the images could be really scary for little kids. The only one I really like is Aladdin.

Anyway, more laundry today.

Labor Day '11

Today, I have not kept count of how many loads of laundry I've done. However, so far I've washed two sets of sheets, two comforters, and a load of towels. I still have several loads of pillows to do, and a woobie to wash. And then on to the regular laundry.

No, I'm not fall cleaning. This is what happens results when two kids get a virus. Last night (and Friday night) were not fun, but thankfully, they are both bouncing around (mostly) like normal.

So. It's a quiet Labor Day for us.

Baby G just wandered in from taking a nap, Bunny in her mouth and dragging a light saber in each hand.