We got the YUCK...and then Christmas came!

Sam got the yuck (fever, snot, coughing, body aches) from school. He was pretty sick for about 4 days. 

I got the yuck from Sam. Mine turned into influenza and then bronchitis with the beginnings of pneumonia. One night I had so much trouble breathing I ended up in the ER. After some antibiotics and breathing treatments they sent me home and after 2 weeks I am feeling better.

Arlo caught it from me, though he maintained a pretty snotty cold and nothing worse.

Megan, my sister, came for the holidays and ended up with some sort of hybrid version of it all. She's back in Maine in now and seems to be on the mend enough that she's going out tonight to celebrate the new year.

Matt and my Dad escaped the yuck. 

How? We will never know. Though you could find them anywhere in the house by following a trail of Emergen-C wrappers and that may have had something to do with it!

Megan arrived on the 18th and my Dad on the 20th. On the 21st, despite the below zero temperatures, we drove to the Peacock Road Tree Farm in Laingsburg. Matt and Dad braved the cold outside and cut us a tree while Megan and the boys and I hunkered down inside with hot chocolate. I was only 3 days out from the hospital and knew I would not be able to engage in the festivities, but wanted to tag along anyway.

Megan, Dad, Matt and the boys took the train out to see Santa.

The boys each sat on Santa's lap and were given candy canes and sleigh bells. They got to tell Santa, once again what they wanted for Christmas. Sam: a Spiderman Truck.  Arlo: Candy and a truck.

The tree was expensive. In fact it was the most we've ever paid for a tree (we haven't paid for a Christmas tree since 2002, so it all worked out in the end). But, it was really pretty. Matt and dad trimmed it up and we decorated on the 22nd.
I found this really ornate and pretty cast iron tree stand in the laundry room of this house. We decided to use it being that this year's tree is so big and the stand seemed to be very sturdy. However, by the time we'd completely decorated the tree, including putting the angel on top, we realized the tree stand was leaking water all over the hard wood floors!  Dad soaked up all the water from the floor and out of the stand and the next day he and I went on a tree stand search. It was not an easy task to find a tree stand large enough to hold a trunk 8" in diameter 2 days before Christmas! But, we did....and then after un-decorating the tree...

...we decorated it again!

Here you see the tree and fire and all the gifts Santa brought early on Christmas morning. My Dad and I were up before the boys! I was so excited and SO hungry! It was fun opening ALL the presents and the boys had a blast! Santa brought the boys everything they wanted and more!

We replaced almost all of the toys that the boys lost in the fire, which why we had such a huge Christmas. I was worried that they would be so overwhelmed that they wouldn't really appreciate the gifts or the time were spending as a family. However, both boys did really well! Sam was so into all the activities; the advent calender, the tree adventure, the gift wrapping and even taking turns opening gifts and the excitement and joy of giving. I was so proud of him and of Arlo.  They really enjoyed having my Dad and Megan, or "Megit" as Arlo called her, here for the visit and I miss them so much already! Megan left on the 28th and my Dad on the 29th.

Tonight we will bring in the new year with some friends at their house. They are hosting an "Around the World" New Year's celebration with a toast at every hour for the new year in one part of the world or another! It is a family friendly event and I put the boys down for late naps to aid in a smooth, late evening!

March will be a big month for us with moving back into the house and the new baby, but beyond that, let's hope that 2009 is a lot less stressful for our family!

Happy New Year to All!!!