Remember the year when ...

Every family has its own culture and history.  We often mark time by memorable events instead of actual dates.

• The summer of the poison ivy.
• The beach vacation year.
• The year that L was born
• The year that both C and J had burns.
• The year so-and-so got married.
• The year that J's birthday was delayed for a whole month by sickness and his cake was wasted.
• The year Mom got the full-blown knock her down dead for a week and the family had to function without her flu.
• The year of the two miscarriages.
• The year we moved here.
• The year Dad died.
• The year we had company for Easter and the kids threw up all weekend long.
• The year we put Mom in the nursing home.
• The year we bought the new van.
• The year we went to San Antonio.
• The year we went camping and a skunk went in our tent.
• The Christmas we all met at Grandma's.
• The Christmas Dad had hernia surgery.
• The Christmas all the kids had RSV.
• The Christmas C broke her collar bone.

Our 2013 has been "the year" of many things.

• The year baby #9 (B) was born.
• The year I turned 40 and ended up on blood pressure medication.
• The year my Grandma G and my Grandpa B died.
• The year A graduated.
• The year  with all the car troubles.
• The year of the government furlough.
• The year we launched our first child off to college.
• The year Cousin K was born.
• The year our family was supposed to read the Advent devotion at church, but L threw up so two of our readers had to stay home.
• The year we had a stomach virus at Thanksgiving AND at Christmas.  

I could have lived without that last one.  Okay, so it may be a bit early to declare that.  I hope it doesn't last all week and run through the whole family like it did at Thanksgiving.  But with the 3 year old having diarrhea yesterday and the 7 yo throwing up in the night ... I'm afraid we might have just earned another "the year that" memories.

If it's going to be a stomach virus (and not just too much milk shake) then I hope it's gone by Saturday when my parents arrive for a late Christmas/New Years celebration.  I don't want to add "the year Grandpa and Grandma came for Christmas and the kids threw up the whole time" to the list.

April E.