I adore going home and being around my family and familiar places. I love the anticipation that I see building in Kaelan’s small mind as she counts the days until we are back in Cloudcroft. And snow. How can you go wrong with Christmas snow?
This year it was nearly the death of us being there. Seriously.
The week before we left for the mountains, I developed another form of the deadly plague (possibly the flu stuff before it became a national craze) and though I did everything I could to fight it, including seeing a doctor literally on our way out of town, the nasty stuff followed me all the way to the Lincoln National Forest.
Ugh. My biggest worry prior to leaving was my ear. If you recall, I had the worst ear infection ever a few years ago. Yes, I am referring to the one that blew out my ear drum during Seth’s delivery and made me beg for an epidural needle to be stabbed into my ear. Labor pain? Bad, but tolerable. Ear drum explosion pain while in labor? They say you forget the pain later. Uh, not so much. I am still not convinced I did not actually birth Seth through my ear canal, but that is another story.
Anyhow, the doctor loaded me up on meds and told me to take it easy while making the elevation change.
He didn’t tell me I might experience the feeling of impending death a few days later. The crud hit me hard once we got to 10, 000 feet. I felt like I couldn’t breathe and the sinus pain was so intense, I thought I would pass out every time I stood up.
But that wasn’t the worst part.
While I was in the doctor’s office, I heard the faintest little cough from Seth. I immediately panicked. Please, please, please don’t let that be a cough. He seemed perfectly fine, but it comes quick with that one. The doctor laughed me off when I expressed concern and he even looked Seth over. MY doctor and MY appointment. Nice guy, but I still blame him for nearly dying four days later.
Well, it was an “oh no” kind of cough. The day we got there, the cough came more frequently, and by that evening we were doing breathing treatments and debating a trip to the ER for both Seth AND me. Ugh. Ugh. Ugh.
So, Christmas 2013 went down something like this.
Sandra sick. Seth sick. Doug (early stages) sick. Kaelan well.
Snow storm hits. Snowed in. Have to warn family to stay away (most of them could not do that, bless their hearts).
Sandra really sick. Seth really sick. Doug sick. Kaelan well and bored.
I hated missing so many of the things I loved. One morning, I could not take it and I suited up heavily and headed out to sled with my nieces, nephews and Kaelan. We had a super time, but I paid dearly later with chest pains and coughing.
Thank the Lord, by the end of the week, Seth and I started to improve! I started seeing a little less of this…
…and a little more of this.
I did a lot of pouting because when I looked out the window, this mountain kept taunting me about the skiing I was missing out on.
But on Christmas morning, the scenery was much more beautiful. I got to look at these shining little faces light up over and over and it was better than the finest fresh powder that the sweetest of slopes could ever offer.
Once again, we had just our little family of four together early in the morning and then we had the whole family gathering later in the day. The kids loved their gifts from Santa and each other. Kaelan and Seth had a special book made for daddy. Seth got Kaelan a new squinkee tower of some kind (aka stuff to get stuck in my vacuum), and Kaelan gave Seth Bulls eye and Buzz to add to his collection.
Santa was also a sucker and gave into Kaelan’s big wish for a fish.
Let’s just say “Santa” better enjoy cleaning fish poo, because mama was not 100% sold on this gift. Now I have to keep to kids, a cat, AND a fish alive. Ugh.
I got my wish, too! The sun came out, and TA-DUH!!!!
We were well enough to enjoy the mountains.
And despite getting a late start, WE DID ENJOY IT!
Except for ice skating…..I don’t think Seth enjoyed that entirely.
On a totally random note, we did some shopping while there, and during one outing my little artist stopped to admire some art in a gallery. She walked around and pointed out a few of her favorites and when I took a closer look at one she liked, I was just as shocked as she was to see my mom’s name on it. I wasn’t shocked that my mom is an artist, I knew about that, just shocked it was hanging there and I did not know about it or recognize it.
Kaelan is so inspired by her “Noni’s “ art. This really impressed her.
Minus the loads of pictures I would have liked to have taken if I could have been a little less high on medication, this pretty much sums up our Christmas vacation this year.
It may not have been my favorite, but being trapped in a snowy mountain cabin with three of your favorite people is not a bad place to be.
Besides, it gives you a good excuse to wear your Star Wars slippers all day long.
And what a gift that is!
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