Tis the Season

Not the Christmas season. I am a firm believer that Advent should begin at, well, Advent. So the halls will not be decked for a few more weeks. Although, if you have a hankering for certain Wal-Mart decorations, you better get moving soon. The good stuff is always gone by December.

Tis the Season for stomach viruses. I had a full day planned this morning when 6 came in with a deeply furrowed brow and just buried his head in my pillow. I asked if he was okay, no response. I rubbed his back and a few minutes later hey sprinted for the bathroom. Thus it begins.

All of the older kids had reported on missing classmates and where they were in the seating chart yesterday, so I had fair warning. One of the funnies about being in a large family is the way everybody's spirit droops when one person gets the tummy bug. There is a universal, "OH Great, here it comes". We have done this enough times that we don't all get every bug anymore. There is much rejoicing when you make it through unscathed.

We are hoping for good things. Last year we had planned to have Thanksgiving with UB and Rachel. We didn't make it due to illness. We actually had two in the bathrooms while the rest of us feasted. It is sad, but the show must go on. This year we have the same plan. We have a week to see how it shakes out.

Meanwhile, here is a sick boy. I caught him in the kitchen pouring himself a bowl of cereal. I told him absolutely not, he could have 7-up and soda crackers. Why do little boys want to eat when they can't keep anything down? I don't want to look at food for days, even if I think I might get sick. He went and grabbed his bucket "in case I eat too much". God has a special plan for little boys.