It’s been such a bizarre week.  It started out on a perfectly lovely note with my birthday on Monday.  Matt- who, honestly, could care less about birthdays- got stuck with a wife who reallyreally loves ’em.  Because, dude, it’s the one time of year in which it’s all about me.  (Yes, I am fully aware of how self-absorbed this sounds.  But don’t you lie, you know you agree a little bit.)  Anyway, Matt hit it out of the park this year with acts of service (i.e. he did everything I asked him to do.  it’s my love language.  he hates it.) and candy (love language #2) and, of course, that blessed day of solitude last weekend (the love language that trumps all love languages).  We even went out for my new obsession- Peruvian food.  Good gosh, even Carson- my pickiest eater- was moaning over the food and begged to move to Peru.  So yeah, my birthday was all sorts of wonderful.

Unfortunately, all heck broke loose promptly one day after ushering in my 32nd year.  Let’s hope it’s not a bad omen.  It started with Matt vs. the stomach bug.  Right as the stomach bug was beginning to claim victory, Mary Grace started.  Of course.  If any of my kids are going to puke, it’s gonna be Mary Grace.  I called out of work and settled in for a long day of holding back hair, refilling cups of Gatorade, and Lysoling every surface of our home.  If we’re being honest, I have historically not been- how shall we say it- the most compassionate nurse when Matt falls ill.  It’s a flaw of mine.  Because, you see, I see sick people all the live-long day at work.  So, Matt is puking?  “Grab ahold of the toilet and hang on.”  He’s miserably congested?  “Uh, you know there’s the medicine cabinet for that, right?”  Sometimes it sucks to be married to an NP.  It’s something I’m working on.  Really.  However, you’d be happy to know that Matt and Mary Grace made a rapid and full recovery.

(how is it even possible that already-adorable kids look even more adorable when they’re sick?  perhaps that’s why I went into pediatrics?)

It’s really too bad that I’m such an unsympathetic nurse to my husband because, as luck would have it, I fell ill with the same plague yesterday.  And of course Matt just had to be fabulously helpful to me the whole day while I was, quite predictably, a total drama queen.  A drama queen who languished (dramatically) in bed for a full 24 hours.  On the up-side, I had plenty of time to read Mindy Kaling’s book which was stinkin hilarious.  On the down-side, I felt like death.  I am thrilled to report that I am feeling like a new woman today and have even consumed an entire banana this afternoon.  I’ve also made a mid-January resolution to be the Best Nurse Ever to my family members, no matter how mundane the ailment might be.  (You see, Matt?  My student loans are worth it after all!!)

(there will be no photo-documentation of me languishing in bed.  because, while kid-cuteness-factor increases with sickness, the same phenomenon does not occur with adults.  trust me.)

To add to the weirdness of the week, Carson’s school was cancelled on Wednesday for an inch of snow.  There was nary a flake on the roads, and yet there we were.  Staring at each other, wondering what to do with yet another day cooped up at home.  There’s something about being cooped up at home during arctic temperatures that makes the square footage of our home disappear.  Seriously, the feet just vanish and the volume reaches dangerous decibels, and I start seriously considering making a paper chain counting down ’till spring (or making my eldest happy by relocating to Peru).  But as much disdain as I have for winter and all winter-like-precipitation (I know, I’m such a kill-joy), it is always fun to see the kids frolicking in the snow.  Just don’t ever move me up north.  Ever ever ever.

Elizabeth was cold and unenthused… atta girl.

…while Carson’s go-to response to the winter wonderland was to lick every surface in sight.  my van?  licked it.  the fencepost?  licked it.  the not-really-snowed-on-grass outside of school?  licked that too.  and he’s one of the few who didn’t puke his way through the week?  go figure.

So, here’s hoping for a snow-free, puke-free, school-every-day week.  I mean, is that too much for a girl to ask?