Rose and Thorn

I keep intending to sit down and tell you all about our Christmas, but haven't managed to slow down for that yet.  So, I will go with a supper game I have always like call high/low, good thing/bad thing or most recently I heard that the Obamas call it rose and thorn.  While that's probably a little flowery for my East Texas family I like it. 

ROSE-We had a wonderful Christmas celebration on Christmas Eve.  It was SO great to have our immediate family with us to celebrate.  Avery and Hank got to celebrate with Honey and Pop, Uncle Blake and Aunt Courtney, Papa and LouLou and Aunt Linde and Uncle Jeff.  I am incredibly thankful that everyone went out of their way to be there for us and the boys, especially a day early.  Avery LOVED it and Hank gladly sat in many a lap during all the craziness.  When you ask Avery what the best part of Christmas was he says "giving presents to my family."  I kind of doubt that is true but I am glad that my brain washing paid off at least in theory.

THORN-Well, until last Thursday I would have said working Christmas day.  Which being an NICU nurse is really not the end of the world, it is part of the job.  I expect it, it's not the most fun but we make it work and that would have been a very reasonable thorn for the year.  BUT the new thorn is A KIDNEY STONE!  HOLY COW!  I have always heard women need to retell their birth story (labor and delivery) for validation.  I need to tell my kidney stone story.  It was NOT fun.  I traumatized some poor pharmacy tech at the CVS drive through and totally wasted 48 hours of our family's time together for the holiday break.  All I can say is thank goodness for Toradol and a great husband.  

We are now rocking through our New Year.  Avery is coming down off the Christmas high.  He said it best Sunday when Michael took him to get a drink of water during church Sunday morning.  They got to the lobby and he looked at Michael and said "what are you gonna do to me daddy?"  Ironically he wasn't in trouble then, but nearly lost his life on numerous occasions yesterday...