Update

Thanks for all the phone calls & e-mails to check in on the sick kiddos! Basically, we still need your prayers! Owen has improved from the flu diagnosis rather quickly, but Pate's fever is still hanging on, and she has complained today of a sore throat (and it IS red & swollen). So I had the doctor call in an antibiotic to cover that base as well! Hopefully she will perk up quickly now that she has that, too. I also have a sore throat and have lost my voice tonight. Others have the sniffles, but nothing worse than that, thankfully.
We're leaving in 12 hrs., and we're pretty well prepared, so I guess now we just need a good night's rest and a healthy family in the morning! We'll try to send greetings from sunny California in a few days!

Flu Meds = $$$!

Brian picked up the 4 Tamiflu meds on the way home from teaching at ASU tonight. Set us back a whopping $200! It was only slightly comforting to see "Your insurance saved you $89.99" on each label. And, what's even better, (note sarcasm), we have 2 bottles of meds per kid, and they're supposed to be kept refrigerated! Fun, fun, when you leave Jonesboro at 10:00 a.m. Friday and don't get to your destination for 14 more hours! Sheesh! I hope this isn't an indication of how this trip is going to go!

Ugh....the flu!

I am so sorry to report that Peyton and Owen have the flu! (The real flu, not the stomach flu!) As the doctor put it, at least it's influenza B, which is treatable, but still! Ugh! So, they're on Tamiflu, and Kellen & Dawson are on preventative doses of Tamiflu. Their doc said Brian and I need to call our doctors for that preventative Tramiflu, too. In my 7+ years of parenting, not one child has ever had the flu! Some years we've gotten the flu shot, and some years we haven't. I've never been too concerned about it. We didn't get the shot this year, but it wouldn't have done any good anyway. They said the shot's only good for 3-4 months, so it would've worn off for a March flu, anyway.
And the kicker is, we fly out to California on Friday! Please pray we get well quickly!

What I found during naptime today....

Isn't he adorable???

Our VIP

Kellen came home from school today with a surprise---she has been awarded Student of the Month for the second time this year! She received this award at the beginning of the school year, but I never imagined they would award the same child again. There are 24 children in her class and only 1 award is given out per month! Brian and I know she's pretty incredible, but it's fun when others acknowledge it, too! We are so proud of who you are, Kellen!

March: In Like a Lion

After 70 degree "short-sleeve weather" just days ago, we got 3 inches of snow last night! But by the time we went to church and ate lunch, I could tell it was fading fast! I threw everyone in their snow clothes (Brian has been officiating at the Track & Field Conference Championships for two days), and we ventured out!

Our cat, Skykomish, wandered up to greet us. Not quite sure what he thinks of the snow!

Dawson insisted on mowing the snow.

Owen and his "popsicle".

The girls made multiple sets of snow angels all over the yard!

It finally was naptime (past naptime, actually), but Dawson did not want to come inside! While I was stripping everyone of their outerwear, Dawson frantically pulled on Peyton's hat and was desperately trying to figure out how to put on her boots. He really went into rare form when he saw me grab the camera--he wasn't too thrilled at my amusement! After snapping the pic, de-hatting and de-booting him, I laid him in bed and I swear he was asleep in 60 seconds. He was worn out!!!