A Day (Or Weekend) In The Life...

This weekend was a weekend I look forward to all year long. My favorite time of year. Mardi Gras. I love it. I love everything about it. The music, the food, the parades, the king cake...the good times.

The very first year we moved to Texas, we didn't make it home for the parade at Cypremort Point on the Saturday before Mardi Gras. I was so miserable and home sick I swore that I would NEVER miss it again. And, we haven't.

So, I spent all day Thursday washing clothes and all morning Friday packing. Ray got off at 3 and I had my truck all packed and ready to go as soon as he got home. We were off by 4 and things were looking good. We hit a little bit of traffic but made the journey with little trouble.

But...and yes, there is always a but...right after we crossed the state line we got a call from my sister in law saying her husband had gotten the stomach bug she had just gotten over and he got so sick he had to call the ambulance. But, he was fine. They were giving him some much needed fluids and some pain medication for the kidney stone he was also struggling with and then sending him home. My mother in law was at the hospital with them without a car and needed a ride home so we offered to pick her up on our way into town and bring her home. We made sure NOT to go anywhere near the hospital because we didn't want any part of whatever it is they were dealing with. This family has its fair share of viruses and I didn't need another one. We picked her up, went home to where everyone else was awaiting us and settled in to a long night of laughing and catching up with the family we so dearly miss. Around 11:30 that night, my sister in law and her newly released husband came by after the hospital. I had a feeling then it was going to get us somehow. You can't come within 100 yards of my kids with a bug without them getting it. But I prayed and brushed it off, eager for the festivities of the next day.

Saturday came and while it was a bit chilly in the morning, the weather was gorgeous and we headed out to the camp at Cypremort Point for a fun filled day. And fun filled it definitely was. The food was awesome, the music was good and the kids had a freakin' blast. I could not have written the story line better. It was an amazing day. Just as I had pictured it. Memories were made. Did I mention that I LOVE Mardi Gras?

On Sunday my mother in law was kind enough to watch Chloe and Hunter so that Ray and I could make the drive down the bayou to Golden Meadow to visit my grandmother. She is in the final stages of pulmonary fibrosis and I am devastated to lose her. So, I made sure that I went to see her and visit with her and talk about all of the memories we have together. And believe me, there are plenty. She and my grandfather are one of the biggest parts of my childhood. I really don't know what life will look like without her. But, that is another post for another time. Suffice it to say, we had a great visit and I am so thankful that I got to go and spend some one on one time with her before she passes on (man, it hurts just to type that and it took me sitting here staring at the keyboard for no less than 5 mins before I could bring myself to).

We got up early Sunday, packed the car and started our journey home. We are always so sad to leave even if we are ready to get back to our own house. It would be just perfect if that house was home in Louisiana instead of Texas but such is life at the moment. We had a fairly uneventful trip back to Houston and I was ready to unpack, do the laundry and get ready to return to life. The fact that we had been exposed to, but not yet contracted that stomach bug never left the back of my mind. I really thought we had dodged a bullet. I really thought that because the whole house had a pretty nasty stomach virus right before Christmas, we would be spared another. Bahahahahahahahahaha. Yeah, bahahahahahahaha.

Right after baths and right before we laid down for the night, Hunter came to me saying "beddy huwt" (belly hurts) and I immediately knew. That started his cycle of projectile vomiting for the evening. Lovely. He stopped around 1:30am and right when I thought I could close my eyes and get some rest, my poor baby girl started stirring. And like I said before, I knew. She started around 2am and I have never seen her that sick. Not in six years worth of tummy bugs. She didn't stop vomiting until around 8 this morning...which is right about the time Ray began to hurl like no human should ever have to. Needless to say, it has been an extremely long and miserable 18 hours and counting. The kids seem to be on the tail end of it and Ray seems to finally be resting. Oh wait, did I mention that the toilet overflowed in the middle of all of it this morning? I am NOT good with stopped up toilets. Not at all. No, I am not lying. As my best friend pointed out, I couldn't make this stuff up if I wanted to.

For some reason, I still feel ok and have yet to feel the least bit queasy. I am knocking on tons of wood as I type this. But really, I am just waiting for the other show to drop because the only REAL way for this to play out is for me to get deathly ill as well. I mean that's the way it goes in this family, right?

The thing is, I am exhausted and drained and miserable and annoyed but I am so thankful for the wonderful weekend we had at home with family and friends. If we wouldn't have made it home for Mardi Gras we never would have been blessed with the stomach bug, but we also wouldn't have made another year of Mardi Gras memories we can't ever get back. So, all in all I would say it was completely worth it. However, I have not yet gotten sick. My husband and children may beg to differ.

Until next time...CNS

Where does the time go?

I can tell you where the last half hour went. It went to me writing a beautiful post about my baby girl turning five. Then, blogger crashed and deleted the whole thing and the last 5 minutes consisted of me saying some less than ladylike things to the computer monitor. Let me try to re-create if I can.

I know the statement "where does the time go?" is overused and quite cliche. However, it is the statement that I find myself either wondering aloud or to myself several times a day.

When I try to dress Hunter in an outfit that he has outgrown, even though it seems like just yesterday it was enormous on him.

When Chloe's shoe size creeps closer and closer to the size that I wear, I wonder it aloud. She CAN'T wear that size! She is my baby.

We celebrated that baby girl's FIFTH birthday last weekend. Every year, on her birthday I get hit with HUGE waves of nostalgia. It just doesn't seem like she should be growing up so fast. And while I am happy for her, and I am proud of the person she is becoming, I am just a little sad that she is less and less like a baby and more and more like her own little person.

She is a beautiful, sweet, sassy, loving, compassionate, brave and talented little girl. My heart swells with emotion every single time I look at her.

I adore her and I have since that Saturday afternoon at 2:17pm when I laid eyes on her for the first time after she was delivered my emergency c-section after 14 hours of labor and THREE hours of pushing. She was worth every single second.

I love you Chloe Laine, you inspire me.

Where does the time go?

Until next time...CNS

*PS - I know the yellow background is a little obnoxious, but I wanted Mardi Gras colors and that's the only yellow they have! I love Mardi Gras!