Thanksgiving, Mumps?!, and Other Madness

We, like most everyone else, celebrated Thanksgiving a couple of weeks back.  It was a good time - albeit a little more solemn that usual. The kids played.

And this one - I swear to you that he loves me but apparently not having his picture made with me - is just always looking for trouble.  He doesn't have to look hard when all of us are around.

We adults enjoyed each others' company and were just happy to be together.  It was a year of loss and heartbreak, but we rally when we are with each other.

Some of us are just more...um, charismatic than others.

But the sweet ones were just as sweet as ever.

   Since Thanksgiving the crazy times have continued around here.  This past week we were preparing to have an open house here.  I would have liked to have one last year, but we just got busy with parties, terrible weather, and holidays.  So I was mentally making my way toward that this week.  But on Friday my Little Man got up complaining of his neck hurting. Once I got him into the light, it was obvious that the right side of his face and neck were swollen.   So instead of my day at school, we went off to the doctor where we learned that he might have Mumps.  Yes, mumps!  What the heck?!  They have to do a blood test and we won't know until mid-week whether he had them for sure or not.  He is already better - the swelling is going down.   He has never acted sick.  He has had the first MMR shot but he doesn't get the booster until he gets his school shots, so I guess he might have the mumps.  Or maybe not. Who knows?
   We did have the open house today. I have worked really hard since Friday getting the place ready for today.  We are proud of our home and feel like God has blessed us with it so that we can use it for His glory.  It was fun to have people come and see it.  This whole house building venture was a God thing and it is awesome to share that with people we love.
   Today is also my Granny's 90th birthday.  While I know in my heart that she is having the best birthday ever sitting at the feet of Jesus, I have struggled today.  Thursday was the one year anniversary of the passing of my Nanna and then Granny's birthday today (along with a child who has some mystery illness) culminates into an emotional Erin.  Granny is exactly where she wanted to be doing exactly what she wanted to be doing. But it is sad to those of us still here that we don't get to celebrate alongside her.  
   This week our calendar is a little more crowded.  There is a faculty Christmas party, small group Tuesday, and a slumber party for my almost 11-year-old on Friday. I love this season of the year. I love Christmas and all the beauty of it.  I just pray that in the midst of running around like crazy that I make the time every day to remember that this is about Jesus.  Only Jesus.