Ringing in the New Year

I promised to write about our new year, although I have to be honest and say that it wasn't all that spectacular.  Unfortunately, much like last year, I was sick for New Year's.  I felt okay on New Year's Eve, but I'd had a very minor sore throat on and off for a week or two prior, and somewhere in the middle of the night, I developed a tickle in the back of my throat and a cough that just wouldn't go away.  The cough was making it difficult for me to sleep, and I NEVER have trouble sleeping!  My very worried husband made me go to Urgent Care on New Year's Day, and sure enough, I tested positive for strep throat.  Yuck.  I got a prescription for antibiotics and came home to relax...tricky to do with two little ones, but Hubby tried to help.  I took a good nap, so that's always nice.

We decided that since I wasn't feeling that bad and I was taking medication that we'd venture out for a family dinner to ring in the new year.  Very bad idea.  Poor Jack had a meltdown over a straw wrapper and had to be "escorted" from the restaurant by Daddy for a brief time.  Simultaneously, Miss Hannah woke up from a nap and wanted to eat immediately.  I barely got to finish my meal, and we jetted out of there like crazy wondering when on earth we'd be able to enjoy a nice dinner out again.  We certainly won't be visiting another restaurant with the kiddos here in the near future.  That was a decision we both agreed to on our way home from that fateful evening.

Maybe one of my resolutions will be to have date night once a month without our kids?

Anyway, I went back to work on Tuesday with everyone else because the medicine definitely took care of my cough and tried to get back into our routine, but it was painful.  I was just lagging and exhausted.

Then I went to pick Jack up Thursday after school to find out from his teacher that she thought he had hand, foot, and mouth disease.  We went straight to the doctor and while we were relieved to find out he didn't have hand, foot, and mouth, we did determine that poor Jack had strep as well.  More medicine and a stay-at-home-with-Mommy day on Friday made it even trickier to get back into our regular routine.

This week has honestly felt like the closest we've been to a normal routine in a long time, and I'm finally playing catch up in what seems like all aspects of my life.  After having Miss Hannah and adjusting to life with not one, but two babies, we jetted off to North Carolina for my sister's wedding, and upon our return were knocked sideways by returning to work, the fall birthdays (Grammy, Grampy, Aunt Ryan, and Me), and then by the Christmas holiday.  I'm looking forward to this little reprieve before Brad's birthday.

So, all in all, while our New Year's itself wasn't spectacular, I have nothing but high hopes for this year as we make more memories as a family.

**Be sure to check out my updated collages for 2011.  I learned a new trick via Photobucket.com!