SheneLyocasters

We had to celebrate Christmas with our NEW family, the Lyons! God brought our families together through a kidney transplant, and now it's a done deal. We will be family through eternity. It's always loud and fun when we all get together!

 We did a fun white elephant gift exchange and there were a ton of laughs as we each opened our present.

 I think the best was Scott's present. He autographed a picture of himself and my dad was the one that ended up with it.

 Dani is planning her wedding for this upcoming summer. I think she and my mom were discussing wedding stuff in this picture!

We LOVE the Lyons family and we are SO thankful that God joined our families together as ONE.

Flu Rounds 2 and 3

So, not only did Addie Grey fight the flu, but only 4 days later, she came down with a bacterial infection that knocked her flat out. She ran a fever of 103 for only 24 hours, but the poor baby was in pretty rough shape. I couldn't even get her to wake up while we were at the Dr's office. Luckily, just a few doses of antibiotic and she was back to her playful self.

And then I got a phone call from the school on Thursday from my oldest. He was complaining of a stomach ache and his teachers said he had not been himself all morning. Although his temp was only 99, something told me to give him a dose of Tamiflu and take him to the Dr. Sure enough. He tested positive for the flu too. He was SO sad to miss his Christmas party at school on Friday, but after just a few doses, he was up and running again too. He didn't get his as hard as the girls and his temp never got above 99.

Then, on Friday night, Makinley decided it was a good time to throw up a few times for good measure. I mean, we haven't dealt with enough sickness around here the last two weeks, right? Here's to hoping that 2 weeks out from school can kill all the germs and we can start out 2015 with our immune systems strong. I didn't have to go to the DR at all in 2014 with the big kids for a sick visit (well, except once with Tripp for a sinus infection), and then I had 4 copays in the month of December alone. Not to mention what our pharmacy bill is going to be. Tamiflu is NOT cheap!!

Santa

Honestly, when it comes to Santa this year, the pictures speak for themselves......

Needless to say, our littlest still wasn't feeling the man in the red suit. We'll see what next Christmas holds!

Bear's 4th Birthday

It is so hard to believe that Bear is four!! What is harder to believe is how far he has come in just the last year! He has made leaps and bounds in his learning and in his speech. It has been so much fun to watch.

Since Trey and Jenn are living in an apartment right now, they opted to have his party at a bounce house place, and I don't think the kids could have been more thrilled.

Addie Grey still wasn't feeling 100%, but towards the end of the party, I could tell that she was really starting to turn the corner.

Bear and all the big kids ran right up to Woody when he came walking in. Addie Grey?? Not so much. She had a death grip on me the whole time.

Addie Grey loves baby Sawcie. Sawyer is Carrie Anne's granddaughter. She is so sweet!

Happy Birthday to our favorite nephew in all the world!

Makinley's 1st Grade Performance

The first graders at Makinley's school have been practicing for months for their Christmas performance. It was called a "Beary Merry Holiday" and Mak was a black bear. Despite the fact that she had had the flu the weekend before, I was diagnosed with bronchitis and a sinus infection the day of the performance, AND Addie Grey started running a fever of 102 just hours before the show, we went and watched.

We tried to keep Addie Grey away from everyone, but it was a little difficult because it was standing room only.

The show was precious and all the kids did a great job! Of course, I was most proud of our black bear.

This show helped to really kick off the holiday even if half of us weren't feeling our best.

Flu

I knew Friday night that Makinley's eyes looked weak. I was hoping and praying she was tired. But, she was also complaining of her tummy and her head hurting. I had a feeling we were in trouble. Sure enough, she woke up Saturday morning with a fever of 102.7 and a trip to Urgent Care confirmed what I already knew. My girl had the flu. Saturday was definitely her worst day and she slept most of it. That night her fever spiked to 103.1, and Joey and I were both worried. Luckily, I was able to get it to come down some before she fell asleep and she woke up in the middle of the night sweating, so I knew it broke. How in the world Addie Grey and I didn't get it, I don't know. I couldn't keep AG away from her, and of course, mommy was all in her personal space.

 Look at her eyes. Awful.

 On Sunday, she was starting to perk up, but then her fever spiked again that night, so we had to keep her home from school yesterday. Luckily, she seemed back to normal by Monday night.

Call me crazy, but I do think I know of a few things that helped protect us. I can tell that my body is fighting it. But instead of getting the full blown flu, I've just gotten a bad cold. I've started using Young Living Essential Oils, and I love them. I've also started researching all natural ways to boost my immune system, and Apple Cider Vinegar is a huge way to do that. It tastes AWFUL! But I'll take it over getting super sick any day.

Joey thinks I'm crazy. Oh well. He has to just go with the crazy!

Advent Season

I'm trying really hard this Advent season to shut out the business of the world around me and focus on what Christmas really means. I've done it through simple things like deleting Facebook off my phone so that it doesn't constantly draw my attention. And I'm doing it through my own advent devotions along with the one I'm doing with the kids.

This is the one I'm doing myself and I love it.

 I'm doing a Jesse Tree with the kids using our Jesus Storybook Bible, and they love coloring the ornaments each night. I try not to beat myself up if we get a day or two behind and have to play catch up. When things like the flu hit your house, it happens.

The tree is already starting to fill and I'll be sure to update with a picture at the end of advent of our fully completed tree.