Ok - am I being punked?

HUGE build up to the Christmas show this year. I have NEVER seen Enzo so excited to play one of the three kings. We even have family coming - we know how to get a good seat - big sis, Olivia, is excited about going back to her old school to watch friends sing and to run into friends from her class last year - it is going to be a good time. And... all season we have been healthy and hearty, ready for any holiday activity. Until, that is, the first of the raging fevers hit yesterday - the second this morning.

Yesterday, I went out for the morning - I had Christmas shopping, a stop at the gym and a stop by Whole Foods for some yummy soup and crusty bread for dinner. The boys and Olivia happily went off to school - hubby to the dentist (me and Lil met him for coffee briefly) - and Lil was off to morning out. I got a call about halfway through my morning that Lil was "not herself", so I went to get her. As the day bore on, it was apparent that she had a terrible fever and was complaining of ear pain. A trip to the doctor's office - replete with odd orchestrations regarding who's driving who to gymnastics, texting about school assignments still due for the next day, and back and forth about what to feed everyone for dinner - revealed that it was just a fever - a virus of some kind. One restless night later, complete with two boys who need to pee all night then spend time giggling and loud-talking into the wee hours until hubby had to lay with them - the inflicted, Lil, who suddenly refused the Tylenol that she had lapped up earlier and had such a fit that she threw up and was burning up even more than before - plus she was covered with the sticky, sticky buckets of Tylenol she had just expertly spit out..... Anyway, I had to bathe her, and I was not happy (I was firmly telling the boys to stop talking. I was covered in sticky Tylenol and had a three year old absolutely kicking, screaming and crying, so I went into mean mommy mode - getting done what I needed to without emotion - telling both hubby and the kids to stand by, stay quiet and let me do what I needed to do - even yelling at the goof-balls - STILL awake and acting silly at 3:30 in the morning!!!!). I quickly popped her in the water - washed her gooey hair and poured water all over her to cool her even just a little bit. It worked. All dressed in new pjs, damp hair and much cooler all over, she settled into our bed.

All the kids were restless the rest of the night (not to mention, hubby's snoring and alarming sleep apnea and my back pain and perennial headaches - can anyone say stressed?), and we woke this morning to a whiny Lil who is still burning up and STILL refusing Tylenol - Enzo, still excited but a little confused about the logistics of the day - and, Milo... poor Milo, who was also sooooo looking forward to his Christmas sing-along in preschool tomorrow... he is now burning up as well - though, happily drinks his Tylenol (we can't do Motrin because of his kidney issue... even though it might work better) and, usually, is pretty animated once he starts to feel better. Poor guy. At all costs, I'm going to make sure he makes that performance tomorrow :-). Now.... about tonight (and Olivia HAS to go - the 9th graders look forward to this return to the old stomping ground).... we have no back-up, so... we'll see - don't want to subject sick kids to just anyone.... a lot to ask. Poor cupcakes - not their fault :-(.

Anyway, the photo is of last year's performance and last year's three kings. Fingers crossed that I make it this year.