Christmas Flu

Whew! Christmas is over; all Christmas guarantee quilts were finished by December 21st, and I have stopped throwing up! Yep, the flu. It went through the family like dominoes falling. First Kai, then me, then Laura, then Joe, all down with the intestinal flu. Kai's continued on into the chicken pox - what a bummer. In spite of being vaccinated, he hadn't had the booster and somewhere was exposed to it. He had a light case; and if he hadn't had the flu first, probably wouldn't have felt so bad. Missing Christmas mass and the choir and program performances that he had worked so hard on was probably his biggest disappointment. Fortunately, Quinn got her booster early and will not be getting the chicken pox, and Kai has bounced back and is allowed to go out in public tomorrow!

In spite of our illness, Christmas was great. It was our turn to have both daughters, husbands, and family for Christmas Eve and Day! Fortunately, I cooked the easiest and best Christmas Eve dinner, Paula Deen's No Fail Rib Roast. I would put something in the oven, go lie down, turn something off, go lie down, etc. I skipped mass so I wouldn't spoil it for others and was drowsing in front of the tree when everyone came home starving for dinner.

It's become my tradition to give everyone in the family pj's on Christmas Eve as well as a game or something to keep people occupied -- we also exchanged family gifts that evening so Santa wouldn't be overshadowed on the next day. Torn paper, empty boxes, and satisfied children were the result.

Everyone enjoyed seeing Lily, the chocolate lab puppy, and spoiled her with lots of hugs. It was great to see Daisy and Lily interact - Daisy really has taken an almost maternal concern for Lily and since Daisy is the best dog ever, there's hope for Lily, who right now plays for an hour, sleeps for three, and according to Lisa and Jeremy she also eats nonstop and pees every hour. Maybe Lily's middle name is Marley. All I know is I got some great pictures of Quinn and Lily!

I hope everyone who reads this had a great holiday and is looking forward to the New Year!