December 2011

Something happened in December - well, a number of things happened, but something happened to me.  First couple of weeks were busy with college finals, Nathaniel's birthday, a visit from Chris' mom, and a meet for Davis.  During my last final I started to feel shaky - oh no, I thought I was coming down with the flu.  I graded the exams and submitted grades sitting in bed with my laptop.    Well, 5 1/2 weeks later, I don't know what it was, but it wasn't the flu.  The doctor rulled out mono, pneumonia, and a number of other things.  I'd call it a non-mono mono-like viral infection with a respiratory emphasis.  I'm still spending most of my time in bed, and the holiday trip was a total blow-out (the kids both took turns with a fevered stomach flu, and then a whopping head cold.)  So, the many projects that I had planned for my two months between semesters have been forsaken.  I'm starting to feel like I'm getting a little energy, but a trip to the grocery store will wipe me out for the rest of the day.
 
I don't have pictures of me laying around in bed, but I do have some from the other events in December:
Nathaniel's birthday party at the trampoline gym - bouncy fun with dodge ball and a foam pit.

Nathaniel always wants pie - so a boston cream pie was a good birthday cake compromise because pie is too hard to serve at a trampoline gym.

Davis and some of his sophomore running buddies competed in the Footlocker Western Regional Cross Country meet at Mt. SAC with athletes from all over the western states.

Compression socks are the new running fad (and it looks like Davis is wearing Uncle Mark era BYU shorts, if you know what I mean...)

Nathaniel's birthday celebration continued on Sunday with a family party and an actual pie.

Carol came down to help select plants for our front yard and was there for Nathaniel's birthday and Davis' meet too.

Chris discovered that our local spudnut shop makes giant doughnuts.

We made a trip to Utah for Christmas as planned even though I was not feelling well.  I still thought it was the flu and that I'd be getting over it in a few days.  I spent the whole time laying around or sleeping except for a few family gatherings: dinners at Chris' mom's and my parents with all the local family before Christmas, and a trip to temple square with my parents to see the lights after Christmas.  I didn't get any pictures from my parents house because I was feeling pretty bad that night.  But here are some of the others.

Nathaniel and I in the tabernacle.

Angels and shepherds re-enacting the Christmas story.

Angels

Wisemen with gifts.

Angel

Baby cousins sitting on Uncle Jeff's lap.

 Mark and Annie introduced a game where a couple has to stand on a stack of phone books and one of them need to pick up a coin placed on the floor.  I think Chris was disappointed that he didn't get to play because I didn't have the strength to stand very long on my own - let alone balance on phone books.  Every couple had their own strategy; Matt and Karen used the belt loop method.  I think they got up to 12 phone books.

Nathaniel spent most of Christmas eve night throwing up and most of Christmas day sleeping with fevered hallucinations. 

After recovering from the family dinners and Christmas we decided to try a low key trip to see the lights at temple square.

Nathaniel and the life sized nutcracker.

Davis and Nathaniel with Grandma and Grandpa Johansen on Temple Square.

We had dinner in the Joseph Smith Memorial building.  This was the first food Nathaniel had had since his the flu that wasn't plain rice or saltines.  I think he was intimidated by the height of his dinner.

 Well, after this evening Davis came down with the fevered-flu and I was in wiped out for about three days.

We cut our trip short and drove home before New Year's Eve.  So, you wondered why you didn't get a Christmas card this year, its because I had planned to send them right after I was done with finals.  Oh well...