We Made It !

This December seemed much more busy than usual this year. On top of the normal Christmas preparations we had an array of concerts, school projects, and the parties...oh the parties! Between the church, school, and work parties to attend, they tend to feel more like a chore than fun. Of course once we are there, we enjoy ourselves, but it is hard to fit it all in, and the more kids we have in our little family, it seems to get just more difficult to squeeze it all in. I don't know how the Duggars do it?
The week before Christmas Layla got sick with the stomache flu. Poor baby was so sick and was up all night throwing up. It was a mess! Then whenever I would try to hold the "puke bowl" in front of her she would automatically push it away everytime. Why is that!?
That night began a full week of sick children and mommy with the stomache flu. Yup! We were dropping like flies, and everone got their 24 hours to rest and had mommy tend to their every need as their bodies fought off this yucky feeling. But what might you ask happened when I came down with the sickness? As most mommies know, nothing happened. No help. No rest. Nobody seemed to remember that I might need my 24 hours of recovery time. Nope.
Needless to say, the children, the housework, the laundry, billing week, the wrapping of presents, the entertaining of children out of the house so Rob could finish the barbie house for the girl's Christmas present, it all could not wait. So after being up all night being sick, aside from the 2 hours of sleep on the bathroom floor rug, I got up and took a long hot shower and put myself together as much as possible. I then did what my grandpa Peterson taught me to do and I "went to work!"
By Christmas Eve at 3:30am I was finally done working and I crawled into bed next to my 18 month toddler who had finally fell asleep in our bed because she was fighting another round of sickness. Yup! Fun huh?
Next thing I know it is 6:45am Christmas morning and Alyssa and Bella are talking and trying to get us all up to open presents. Also an added Christmas present, Alyssa was throwing up now!
We didn't have our traditional Christmas breakfast, or get to go to Christmas Sunday sacrament meeting. Instead I was cleaning up and tending to yet another sick child, all might I add, on about 2.5 hours of sleep. It was one of those mommy days when it was all about survival and getting through it. That is what we did Christmas day- we survived it! For the past few days I have been walking around with a holiday hangover. Feeling exhausted, overwhelmed with the things on my to do list, and felling a little bit ripped off this year of normal holiday fun and traditions.
There were a few sweet memories and fun moments in all the sickness and madness. Although we felt terrible all week, we know that we have so much to be thankful for. We have been blessed in so many ways in 2011 and we look forward to new and exciting things for our family in 2012! Happy New Year! We made it another year!

Here are some pictures to capture our not so traditional Christmas.