Happy Valentine's Day!

I awoke this morning to the luscious aroma of fresh baked cinnamon rolls. Bill and the kids ( all bathed and ready for school ) opened the door to the bedroom with a beautiful tray filled with my favorite foods, fresh coffee and a wonderful red rose. It was after 6:00 - something I have not seen in years. It was a wonderful, peaceful morning that would have played well on any romantic movie. Then I really woke up...

It was 3:40. Steve just spit up a hair ball somewhere in my bedroom. Camryn was beside me and had just coughed and sneezed, wiped her nose on her sleeve and THEN proceeded to ask for a tissue. Once she rubbed all over my face, hair, and pillow with said arm and face, she finally reached the Kleenex box to take care of her nose. I scurried to the bathroom to wash what germs ( most likely the latest flu virus strain ) that I could off of myself. And so my day began...

Immediately Camryn said that she was going to throw up. So off to the bathroom we go where she spends about 10 minutes looking pitifully at the commode and finally says "I feel better today. I want some coke." So, what the heck, it's 4:00 a.m., I'm tired and getting the flu myself, I'll give the girl some coke. Dr. Pepper to be exact. So she sits down to enjoy her coke, cuddles up with Carly's bear and blanket, and just as we settle down and get quiet, Carly rounds the corner and begins yelling "That is MY baby!". Camryn reluctantly hands the baby to Carly, then insists that I scour the entire house in search of her baby, which is found tucked neatly in one of her purses, under the spare room bed.

It is now 4:30, I have Carly and Camryn sitting down, drinking Dr. Pepper, watching Lilo and Stitch. I'm on a mission to open a new box of tissue and then I hear a very whiny "I want some coke, too" coming from a not-nearly-awake Dylan who has parked himself between the girls on the couch. Out to the cold garage I go to retrieve another Dr. Pepper from the beverage-fridge. Once back inside, I get Dylan his coke, hand the tissues to Cami and proceed to get another load of laundry going.

As I finish starting the next load of laundry, Cami comes around the corner with a mostly-eaten laffy taffy asking me to unwrap it the rest of the way. I soon find out that she and Carly were sitting on the couch "sharing" the taffy - each taking a bite and handing to the other. Which normally wouldn't bother me a bit, but as you may remember, Carly just got home from a 2 week stay at the Arkansas Children's Hospital Resort where she underwent surgery for a ruptured appendix.

Now I'm sure that she may still have some antibiotics going through her little body, but after what I have witnessed come from Camryn's nose ( and mouth, since she had the vomiting part of her illness yesterday ) the last thing I need to see is still-recovering Carly eating the same food that just touched Cami's lips. But, alas, the damage was already done, seeing as only a tiny-wrapper-covered bite remained in the package. I checked the clock, it was now 5:00 a.m. and my perfect Valentine's Day had begun.

And I wouldn't trade it for a thing.

Happy Valentine's Day to you - I hope yours will be just as enjoyable! :)