Handy Hints and Happy Birthday

The kids and I have been sick this weekend. Which is always fun. There has been a lot of DVD watching and sniffling and medicine taking and orange juice drinking. Grace has her first cold, bless her. Her little nose is blocked up, which she relieves by rubbing her face on my shoulder. So for the past couple days, I've had dried globules of snot on everything I've worn. I don't mind so much--I wear mucus well. It's the ultimate accessory.

There are a few handy hints to make parenting sick kids easier. I'm happy to pass them on:
--Kids love having their noses wiped. Even more than that, they LOVE blowing their noses. If I had a dollar for every time they begged me to wipe their noses! Well. I'd have some dollars.

--After you've done the nose wiping, follow it up with a dropper full to the brim of cough medicine. This is always a winner. They'll signify their enthusiasm by gagging, running away, or crying tears of joy.

--To make your sick child feel extra nurtured and cared for, forget to turn the baby monitor on at night. So then, when she wakes at midnight, feverish and needing you, she'll call and call and call and you won't hear. Then, she'll finally end up at your bedside in hysterics. And you? You'll feel like a perfect, attentive parent. Because you are.

Just a few tips from my vast parental repertoire. I got lots more.


Saturday was Jason's 35th birthday. But because we were all feeling pretty yuck, we didn't get to do too much. I staggered into the kitchen that morning, mumbling something about making him a birthday breakfast, which he quickly vetoed. He said I wasn't looking up to it, which was true. But I also think he didn't want his omelet sprinkled with contagion, either.

Happy Birthday, babe. I look at this picture and think, "Wow. How did we get here?" When we sat next to each other on the van ride back from that fall retreat in college, who knew that we'd end up on the other side of the world together with three children? (Our three children, I mean. We didn't steal them or anything. Just to make that clear.)It amazes me to think of where life has taken us, and you know I wouldn't want to do it with anyone else.

And while I'm being all sweet--sorry about that time I yelled at you in 1997. (Which you always bring up.) And sorry about when I left that stuff on the stairs at our house in Dallas and you slipped on the stairs and did that spectacular, flying, spread-eagled fall. (Which you also bring up from time to time.) The slapstick humor of it was mitigated by the fact that you were holding newborn Ava. Thanks for not dropping her, by the way. One of the many reasons I love you so.

I should go now. I am all hopped up on some serious cold medication, as you can probably tell. I won't even tell you about how I embarrassed myself at church tonight. Do not give me a microphone when I've had codeine, okay? I need to stop blogging before I hurt myself or someone else. Hope everyone has had a great weekend. Keep it real, y'all.