Paces. Consider yourself gone through.

So this post is delayed due to a plague on our house. I came down with some sort of weird could-be-strep-but-the-quick-test-isn't-positive, virus, flu-like thing in the middle of the week where at one point I had a fever of 101.5--WHILE ON ADVIL. Annie had been sick since the Friday before with the cold that wouldn't die and then I'm pretty sure it morphed itself into a mix of my illness and hers for a lovely germ cocktail that Oscar seems to have just dipped his pinky toe in, because he's the healthiest out of the three of us with only a bad stuffy nose (knocking firmly on wood). The BEST part though was Jay taking his first business trip in not-so-recent memory this weekend and being gone all of Saturday and today. Still waiting on him. Murphy, I hate your laws.

But other than that and a profound lack of sleep because of that, we are working our way up to the surface of the germ pool and hope to rejoin civilization soon. Annie is starting to see the effect she has on our little Oscar. Oh, the power. But she's also torn by the fact that it's not just the Annie Show any more. Now she has an annoying co-host who can't talk and drools a lot. There have been some jealous outrages and some rough pretend play with the doll-house family where people and things are scolded and thrown. And I feel so bad for our cats. But, I try to let some of it fly because I figure it's better she vent the frustration now and enjoy Oscar rather than take it out on him. He's got a mean right hook, but he just doesn't know it's his yet. Also, if I didn't let it fly, I would constantly be correcting Annie and I just can't bare to be that person. How sad is that Mom Job? So we're all doing our best. Rest assured, there are moments like when she asks to hold Oscar, or she goes up to him to make him smile, or when she tells me not to take her upstairs to get her shoes otherwise "Oscar will be all by himself," (in his bouncy seat) that make the hard parts of my job a little easier. Exhibit A:

(I'd like to apologize to Oscar for the shirt he's wearing in this video ... Sorry, kid, this is where the lack of speech or control of your arms kind of bites you in the butt.) On a happier note, we'd like to wish Oma a happy birthday coming this Wednesday and Nana and GranBob a happy anniversary this Thursday!

What do you do when you're holed up for 3 days with a sick kid?

If you're me, you bake. But since this is our last year in Texas, I decided the Christmas cookies should have a Texas theme. So I made use of the (what I then thought to be useless) Texas cookie cutters Jay got a year ago. Shame on me. You'll notice the Lone Star State as well as a cowboy boot. Thanks to Miranda for the fabulous plate. Perfect timing and we love it! Annie spotted the rooster on it in no time (though it's not entirely visible in the photo here). There would be more cookies, but when you're home for 3 days with a sick kid you also eat a lot. Merry Christmas to all!

Singin' the Vicks VapoRub blues

Poor Annie and Papa (and I'm sure in about five minutes, poor me). They both have come down with the cold to end all colds. Frankly, I'm not surprised one bit. We've been traveling, entertaining, being entertained, all of which require contact with many people and environments. Not that it wasn't worth it. I just am not surprised. Poor Annie has a hacking cough and Papa, well, let's just put it this way: Papa doesn't get sick very often, in fact, it's rarely an annual event, so when he does, his and the worlds of all those around him come to a screeching, dramatic, overblown hault. I never knew a human could make such a pathetic face... I thought a face like that was reserved for puppies and harp seals.

Annie, on the other hand, is more of a stoic trooper. You'd barely know she was ill save for the hacking up of lungs and constant need for a tissue. She's a pretty chipper sick kid. Of course, the cough is interrupting what is already a fragile nap schedule, so right now I'm listening to her sing in her crib, when she should be asleep, singing that is often interrupted by another lung being projected out of her body. I just hope that this ill-timed illness comes to an end by Saturday when we're off to Connecticut for our annual Christmas family-a-thon. We get to see both sets of grandparents and my sister-in-law's family (an all-too rare event). So hopefully, given the new blog format, I may be able to squeeze in a post in between two of the many pounds I'll be gaining while away. In the meantime, enjoy Annie's performance in the above video (apparently Roscoe didn't) and HAPPY HOLIDAYS from our blog to yours.