Merry Christmas to me...

Okay, so we'd been planning that we'd go visit my family after Christmas this year. My mom's side of the family was having their get together at my mom's Saturday and Natalie's birthday is today, so I thought we'd stay and do a little party for her before we came back home.

Mark starting feeling sick on Thursday, but we chalked it up too much dairy (he's a little sensitive) in the Christmas Morning brunch. Friday he felt like crap and pretty much laid around all day, but everyone else seemed to be doing okay. Ethan didn't have much of an appetite, but I chalked it up to be preoccupied with all the new goodies he was playing with. After much hassle and debate I decided, at the last minute, to take the kids by myself to my parent's in hopes of getting a little help and seeing some family I haven't seen in over a year!

Here's how the weekend turned out:

Saturday: Natalie finally goes to bed after 11.
Natalie wakes up at 1am.
Natalie wakes up Levi.
I get Levi back to sleep while my mom calm Natalie.
Natalie will only stop crying if I walk around with her...until 2:30am
Levi wakes up at 5 and it takes me a half hour to get him back to sleep.

Sunday: Natalie is up at 7.
Ethan pukes up his donut all over the bathroom floor.
I do get to take a nap (thank you mom, dad, sisters)
Levi is up several times throughout the night...the only way to keep him quiet is to put
him in bed with me, which means no sleep for me.

Monday: Natalie is up at 5:30.
My mom takes Natalie so I can go back to bed.
Levi wakes up at 6.
Ethan poops his pants.
Debate about whether to leave before anyone else gets sick or stay so no one gets sick
on the way home.
Sing "Happy Birthday" Natalie.
Pack the van.
Get on 271S express lanes.
Levi starts crying.
Ethan poops his pants.
I cry.
I can't get off the highway for 20 minutes and end up stopping in the "ghetto" at a gas station with a bunch of black guys standing outside.
Dig through the pile of stuff in the van to find a change of clothes.
Levi wants to eat so I nurse in the van in the parking lot with a bunch of black guys staring at me.
Levi still cries when I put him back in his seat.
Get on the road and hear a cough/gag from Natalie.
Turn around to see her birthday cake down her front.
I cry.
She's crying.
Levi's screaming.
I make it to Lodi and dig for another change of clothes.
I nurse Levi again in the parking lot.
Back on the road with Levi still screaming and me about to pee my pants.

We made it home. I think I'm a little mentally unstable. Mark is still sick. I think we have this intestinal virus that can last up to ten days. Sweet!! So far Karis and I are okay.

I'm praying that I'll LET God fill me up...I hope you'll pray for me, too. I know he wants to, but I'm having a hard time saying yes to him. It's been a really long month. I don't think I've slept more than three consecutive hours in the last 30 days. That said, I'm off to bed...hopefully...