Influenza

Wow...Where have the last few weeks gone? Shane and I got over our cold viruses a couple of weeks ago that was probably influenza. The kids and I got our flu shots but apparently, it was the wrong strain and we ended up getting it anyway. Fooey.

Allison has had influenza this week along with impetigo, a very contagious but small rash near her mouth. She missed school this week and I missed three and a half days of babysitting (as well as the income I would've gotten from it). Oh, well. C'est la vie! (That's life!) She's doing much better now, but earlier in the week she had some awful coughing fits that went on and on as well as a fever that went up and down. The influenza really seemed to wreak havoc with her lungs. Shane and I took turns rocking her at night. She tested negative for strep. Now she's on two inhalers for coughing, children's Motrin for fever, an antibiotic ointment for impetigo, and a children's decongestant and antihistamine. It's been a long week and I myself am ready for my afternoon nap. (I put both kids down for naps at the same time. I actually nap with Allison in my bed, while Brock naps in hers.) Taking care of a sick child for a few days has left me a little run down. I can't tell you how many times she coughed in my face when I rocked her half asleep. My throat feels a little swollen and I feel tired. Hopefully, that'll be the extent of it, because I think I already had influenza this year.

Isaac has stayed healthy this week. He's been doing well in school, although he and a few friends got in trouble for goofing off in the bathroom this week and missed a whole day's recesses. He still enjoys his schoolwork, playing games of all sorts, collecting quarters, watching the Discovery Channel, and counting the days until his birthday (nine days). He's especially excited about his birthday falling on Easter this year, March 23rd. I think he's imagining a sugar heaven of birthday cake, ice cream, jellybeans and chocolate bunnies. He'll be six years old. I'm not throwing another big party for him this year, so we'll probably go to Chuck E. Cheese's as a family.

Take care, everyone, and if it's been awhile since I heard from you, please drop me a line! I'd love to hear from you!

Isn't she lovely?

Allie posed herself for these pictures, saying, "I'm a kitty cat. My name is Serafina." She's so sweet. I just love her.

Isaac's cute writing and more snow...

Isaac brought this home from school recently. It says, "I can kook (cook). I can red (read). I can slep (sleep). It just makes me smile.

We're getting another major ice and snow storm today. Shane found 1/4 inch of ice on our driveway this morning. Now we're getting something like 5 to 14 inches on top of the ice and on top of the snow that's already on the ground from the last snowstorm just a few days ago. Oy! Driving has been a challenge for me in our sedan. I can hardly see around the snowbanks at intersections. With this additional snowfall, it's going to be even more difficult.

Church is cancelled today, so we're staying put. I made chili for lunch. It seemed like the perfect comfort food when you're snowed in. It doesn't do much for the cabin fever we're all experiencing, though. So... Shane and I are thinking of taking the kids to an indoor waterpark in the Wisconsin Dells, which is about an hour from here. Isaac is off of school on Friday and I don't have to babysit, so Lord willing, that's when we'd go.

I'll take some outside pictures when the snowstorm is over so you can see what it's like up here in Winter Wonderland.

New Design, Better Card Sample

The colors are darker in real life. I used Versamark and used chalks to color the image. The grass and trees are Certainly Celery, the sun is Apricot Appeal, the flower is Regal Rose, and the bird is Almost Amethyst. I wish it showed up in the scan!

I like this one way better than the one I posted below. I hope you like it better, too!