PHEW!!!!

Whoa...! This has been quite the week. I'll try to keep this little update brief...which could be difficult, on account of all the events that transpired. First of all, Chad's mom, sister, and our 2 neices flew into town last Wednesday. We were all very excited to see them and have them spend Spring Break with us. The kids and I had so many fun things planned...and expectations were high. Since Chad was still in Ukraine, I hired a babysitter, and drove to Intercontinental Airport to pick them up. Now, they were coming from Des Moines, Iowa...and had one thing in mind. Sun. So, the fact that the airport trip took 5 hours due to flooding rain and hail seemed like just a minor glitch in the plan. "No problem", I told myself...and them...on the way home. Tomorrow was a new day. We were going to the boardwalk. We decided to wait until after Aiden's nap to go, because that just seemed smart. Always thinking. So, shoes were on; kid's were fed; potties had been used; sunscreen had been applied; and I went to wake Aiden. She had 102.5 fever. WOW. I was not expecting this. NO PROBLEM. I gave her some Tylenol, strapped her in the stroller, and told myself that the fresh air would do her good. Not so. She proceeded to come down with a horrible cold and ear infection that had us both up for the next 5 nights...but I digress. Chad was scheduled to get in from Ukraine in the middle of the night Friday night. An extra set of hands was on the way!! (Not that that's the only reason we wanted him home:).) Due to being up with Aiden, I was awake when he got in. We said our hello's, and he slept in Chase's bed, due to Chase and Aiden ending up in our bed. Since he was all messed up on time, we thought he would sleep better upastairs, while I handled the kids. Not a problem. The next morning, I woke from my 3 hours of what I loosely call sleep, to Chad saying, "I don't feel good." Then...BOOM. What the doctor calls "Traveler's Diarrhea" hit. Now, for those of you who are like the rest of us were, and have no idea what this actually is...it is a food or water born bacterial infection that causes nausea, fever, body aches, diarrhea, and other related problems. He had picked it up in something he ate or drank in Ukraine and was in bed or the bathroom for the next 3 1/2 days. Luckily, there was a gastoenterologist who happened to go to Ukraine as well that came over and gave Chad a shot and some different medications to help him. So, there we were...Chad's mom, sister, and me with our 5 children. The next night, I had Aiden (who was still not up to par) all ready for bed. I was getting her medicine from downstairs and she had already gone upstairs for bed. Katie was preparing the bath water for her girl's bath in the boy's bathroom. The boys were all ready for bed and Sue was at her post in the kitchen doing the dinner dishes. All's well so far. Well, the "Mommy instinct" kicked in and I got the feel that Aiden was somewhere she shouldn't be. I ran upstairs to find her in the boy's filled bathtub. The water was still running and Katie and the girls had left the bathroom for something. She had snuck in and was having a grand time in the girl's bath. She did not bother with taking her pajamas off either...nor her socks. Let's see...what's next? Well, I caught Aiden's cold, and my voice went out...making parenting a bit difficult. AND...the grand finale was waking up this morning with my left eye swollen shut. To quote Colton, "I'M AFRAID YOU'RE GETTING SICK...WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOUR EYE."

Our family went home yesterday afternoon, and I just talked to Chad's mom on the phone. Somehow we managed to have a fun visit in spite of the...well...interuptions, you might call them. We went to the boardwalk, the beach, the park, space center houston, and played outside ALOT. Katie managed to get a book read, and she and Sue successfully talked me down from several anxiety attacks during the night that Chad was so sick. Like I've said before...I don't do stomach stuff. Thankfully, HIS mommy was here and stepped up to the plate with no hesitation. I'll have to post some pictures in the next couple of days. If I have my days correct, yesterday or today was the first day of Spring. I wecome it with open arms.