The light at the end of the tunnel.

This week has been a test of our fortitude.  Not only did Tanner come down with a full fledged flu, he passed it Kate.  That wasn't so bad, but I had just recovered from a cold, and it hit me at the same time that Kate was puking in the toilet at 3:00am on Tuesday.  I kept thinking that I could make it just as long as no one else got sick, but then last night as Reagan nestled her cheek next to mine, I discovered another case of influenza and almost broke down crying.  I'm not sure if it is swine flu or not, but it's a little late no matter what, so we're just dealing with the situation.

The shopping lists this week have been pitiful.  We've made two trips to the store to get chicken noodle soup, 7up, tylenol and dayquil and gypsy cold care.  Then we made a third trip to resupply our house with Robitussin, cough drops and tissue.  Then Tanner headed out for saltine crackers.  I made a trip to get bannanas and applesauce.  Jonathan bought bread so that we could make toast.  Yesterday was the first day that I felt somewhat normal, so I actually foraged for some fruits and vegetables, but no one has the stomach for them, yet.

A woman from our church dropped off a huge crockpot of homemade chicken noodle soup which the kids devoured.  Kate licked her lips and said that she thought it would heal her tummy.

I did have a meltdown yesterday.  I started crying while washing dishes.  I seemed to be the only one capable of washing dishes and cleaning the house while puking my guts out and cleaning up all the kids.  Today was much better with the two guys finally chipping in, and I've only had to wash dishes once, and Tanner cleaned up when Reagan lost her lunch in the living room.  I'm not sure if that was because I was at work or if he would have done it even if I was home, but at least it wasn't waiting for me when walked in the door.  So, we're all hanging in there.  I'm thankful for the cooler weather.  It's much easier to keep a fever in check when the outdoor temperature is 70 rather than 90.  So, now we just have to make it through Reagan, and I'm sure we'll have to deal with Georgie.  Hopefully, Tanner will get enough rest so that he'll recover though it seems to have hit him the hardest and he is not bouncing back very quickly.

If you want to pray, please pray for rest for the adults and health for the kids.  I suppose health for the adults would be good, too, but right now, we need sweet, uninterrupted sleep.