our NOT-SO-FUN week (in review)

some weeks are good, and some weeks are bad. this one was Bad (with a capital B!).

on monday, hudson and i went to my friend's house (hey kim!)...and hudson got stung by a bee. he thought it was a splinter...and so i took my time...brought him into the house....sat him on the counter...and then yanked it out. he was crying pretty hard, the whole time. we showed it to kim's hubby and he said it was definitely a bee stinger. we got him bandaged up and played a while longer...and he was fine. in the middle of the night, on monday night...he woke up...crying...with a fever. his hand (where the bee stung him) was red and very swollen. we gave him some benadryl...and on tuesday, i took him to the doctor.

tuesday's appointment went well. she gave him an antibiotic and said it was cellulitis...which meant it was a local skin reaction to the sting (bad mommy feels like it's her fault...since you're supposed to scrape them out- not pull them). we got home and gave him the meds, and he wasn't totally himself that day. hudson had to miss school, too...which was a bummer. on tuesday night, one of our dogs (lily) started showing some symptoms that she was in some sort of pain. she couldn't seem to get up, and when i fed the dogs...she crawled to her food- with lots of effort. josh felt all around on her, and she's so sweet that she didn't whine or anything. he called the vet, and after talking with them, decided to wait until wednesday to take her in. she was able to get up a few times that night, and she seemed to be favoring one hind leg. we thought maybe it was something with her hips or a leg.

wednesday morning came around and josh took her into the vet. they needed to do some x-rays and told him to leave her there. hudson's hand was still puffy that day, but the redness was changing to purple. :( josh asked me if i'd be able to get lily, when she was ready to be picked up. she weighs 103 pounds, and i had two boys that would be with me. and she couldn't walk...sure....NO problem....NO problem at all. i got to the vet that afternoon, and the boys made friends with everyone and their pets. they gave me meds for lily (anti-inflammatory and pain reliever) and then asked if i could wait for the doctor, to go over the x-rays. we were there for about an hour and a half, and i spoke with the doctor. she told me that lily's hips looked great....showed me a few areas of possible concern- along her vertebrae, and sent us home with the meds. she told me, "nothing really popped out at her." i had to have help getting lily into my car, and when i got home....lily wouldn't budge. i was trying to be patient and the boys wanted to help. i lifted her out of my car, but then she laid down on my driveway and wouldn't move. i struggled with her...trying to lift her...and call her....entice her....for about ten minutes, when some nice neighbors came over and asked if i needed help. two of them wound up carrying her to my back yard. thank God for "good samaritans!!" we went to church that night, and she still wasn't right when we came home. we gave her some meds that night....

on thursday, hudson went to school and i went to visit my friend, rebekah. it was a nice morning...just hanging out with her and her cutie pie, emelyn. i picked up hudson, took my friend's daughter home...and then came home. i went to check on lily, and found her...dead. i pet her for a minute...in total shock. i called josh, who immediately came home. i didn't want the boys to be at the house, when josh got home to get lily into his truck...and take her into the vet. hudson and i went to pick up bryson, and then we went to get my car washed. i didn't want to tell the boys alone...so while my car was getting washed....the boys and i walked to a burger place on the corner. josh had finished up at the vet, so he drove over to us...so that we could tell the boys together. hudson never shed a tear, but kept asking..."is lily in heaven?" bryson, our tender-hearted one, took it very hard. he cried and cried...and was so sad. josh and i cried, watching him cry...and hudson just watched all of us, in silence. needless to say...it was a sad time for our family, and we won't be returning to the burger place. (we have many questions for the vet...and she is currently sending the x-rays over to the radiologist. she told us she'd look inside of her, too...to see if there was something she missed. the whole thing was sooo fast and just weird.) josh had to go back to work, so the boys and i ran some errands. it was an emotionally draining day.

friday started out really well! bryson had the honor of being a participant in the ACSI speech meet! we dropped hudson to joanna, so that she could get him to school for us (thank you, friend!). then, we picked up my mom...and headed down to temecula. bryson was very sad in the car, and he drew the sweetest picture of lily (i'll share soon). he cheered up by the time we got down there, and we even had a few minutes to stop at mickey d's for breakfast. the whole experience was really neat, and bryson did really well! we were very proud of our boy! he got a ribbon...and he was so excited (i'll share pics soon!)! i kept getting weird stomach cramps...and wasn't feeling well at all. so...we headed home, stopped to get lunch and drop my mom off...then went to pick h up. when we got to joanna's, i had to use her restroom. i was starting to feel worse. when we all got home, i went straight to bed. i kept having to make trips to the bathroom (good times). bryson had basketball practice, and a pizza party...which i had to miss. thankfully, josh took both kids and i was left in a quiet house. i got in the tub for a long time, and then took a shower. while in the shower....i felt as if i needed to throw up. i could barely stand up...and started puking my guts out. pretty. real pretty. i'll spare you the rest of the nasty details....but it was NOT a fun night for me. josh came home, got me a 7 up...a wet washcloth...and we watched a movie in bed. five hours went by, and i thought that was the end of the upchucking. but, alas...it was not. after the second and third bouts, i got some good sleep. the upside? i lost three pounds yesterday!!! woo hoo!

anyway....today, i woke up feeling better, but not great...and i had to miss b's ball game. my mom went with josh, so that was good! they won their game...and i am feeling much better now. i am feeling a bit weak, and my back is sore...but i'll take this any day- over what i experienced last night. oh...i don't think it's a stomach bug. i think it was food poisoning. the only thing i can think of...that i ate (and no one else here did) was a fish taco (from the burger place on thurs.). we already NEVER wanted to return there, because that was where we broke the horrible news to the boys...but now? you couldn't pay me enough to return! guess i should've known better than to order a fish taco from a burger place in norco?!

okay...if you're still with me....you might be wondering the point of this post. to be honest, i'm not sure there is one. i wanted to explain why i've been MIA all week...and maybe i want some pity, too. i know that our problems and issues pale in comparison to so many. i also know that....my God never changes. His mercies are new every morning...and we can always look to Him. there is a purpose for everything. He has a plan. i am sooo thankful for my friends...who call to check in on me...who text and offer to bring me whatever i need....who pray for me. through the hard times this week, i have felt very blessed by them (you know who you are!).

so...in a little bit, i get to go to a makeup class/workshop with my friend, amber. i am excited to learn some new tricks and techniques! i am hoping to feel 100% soon. josh and i get a date night tonight, and i am hoping and praying that things start "looking up" 'round here!

i apologize for any errors in this novella. thank you to those of you who could actually read this whole thing! and...i pray your week was better than ours!!!!