Last Sunday I was excited to post pictures of us enjoying one of the nice fall days we have had here. We seem to be going back and forth between cold and rainy and beautiful 50s and 60s. Here's a few of the kids. In the first one, Sydney is pretending to be Balto bringing the medicine to the sick children of Nome, Alaska. That's why her tongue is hanging out.

So why didn't I get this posted last week? Believe it or not, illness invaded our house once again. Sydney spiked a fever right after church and started coughing. I kept her home on Monday, pushed liquids and rest, all to try to get her to school on Tuesday. That was the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. Not only that, but Sydney was scheduled to be helper in class (i.e. line leader, bring something to show the class, etc.), they were having Charlie Brown Thanksgiving for snack, and turkey dinner was on the menu for lunch. Sydney had been looking forward to this for two weeks.

Tuesday morning, she was still running a fever and coughing, but I gave her all of her medication and let her try anyway. Twenty minutes after school started, I got a call from the school nurse asking me to pick up Sydney. Her fever was still pushing through both fever reducers I had given her and she was hacking her head off. Her sweet teacher sent her Charlie Brown treats home with her and we were on our way. She slowing down at all, which helped me since I needed to pick up some things at WalMart and get Zack through physical therapy and an occupational therapy evaluation. We picked up some frozen turkey dinners at WalMart for lunch, and the day seemed to be saved.

However, Sydney started getting sicker that afternoon and was progressively worse all day Wednesday. When I put her to bed that night, she started coughing so hard and didn't stop for several minutes. She started throwing up and still couldn't stop coughing. I knew she needed to get to the ER, so I called my wonderful friend Emily across the street to come stay with the babies, and off we went.

Turns out that it was pneumonia. Poor little girl. She just can't get a break. Some breathing treatments and an antibiotic shot later (which she still talks about since it hurt so dang bad) we were back home.

Thursday morning, I had to break the news to Sydney. She was too sick to go to Thanksgiving dinner at the bishop's house. This was absolutely devastating to her. She had been counting down the days to this since the beginning of November. We drove in to town to get Sydney's prescription only to find that the Walgreen's pharmacy was not open as the ER staff believed and the nearest open pharmacy was nearly an hour away in Blue Springs. Since Zack, Tansy, and I had started feeling under the weather on Wednesday, and the ER staff assured me that the shot would hold Sydney over until Friday morning if necessary, we skipped the trip.

Instead, we briefly stopped by the bishop's house, got some delicious turkey dinner to go, as well as a priesthood blessing. Lots of disappointed people. I was one of them.

Sydney started coughing really hard again that night and we started for the ER, but she fell asleep quickly in the car so I turned around and came right back home. I had left Tansy at a friend's house, and was glad the next day that she wasn't there for long since she really got sick the next day.

Friday morning, once everyone was dressed and fed, it was time to really head back to the ER since Zack and I weren't breathing well. They diagnosed albuterol and steroids and sent us home. However, that afternoon I was informed that a much better treatment was on the way.


My super, incredible mom!

My parents decided that enough was enough and for the last week that Ben was gone, my mom would come stay with us and help us get better.

And not a moment too soon. She arrived here at our house about 3:15 yesterday afternoon. I thought I had been sick on Friday. Oh, no. I discovered sick this morning. My cough got so bad despite religiously taking everything I had been allowed. I knew I needed to go back. So we all packed up once again to the ER.

I knew I would be coughing too hard to speak by the time I got to the registration window so I simply handed them my discharge paperwork from Friday. After many tests and a few consulations with my OB/GYN, I was diagnosed with bronchitis and given even more drugs.

Now I am just sitting, resting, drinking water, and observing my children bask in the glow of a grandma visit. I have the best parents EVER! Here's hoping that at some point, our bodies will just get tired of all of this crazy illness and my kitchen counter can stop serving as an in-home pharmacy.