Beauty...And The Return Of The Beast

Tonight, as the snow drifted lightly down, and the winds howled, we sat in our warm family room and decorated our Christmas tree. The reflections from the lights sparkled in Brian's eyes, while his big sisters hung their favorite ornaments on the tree. Each ornament holds memories for someone in the family, and we had such an enjoyable time as we created some new memories of Christmas 2008. After some delicious hot chocolate and warm baths, we tucked the girls into bed.

10 minutes later, as Dan and I collapsed in front of the tree and enjoyed the festive atmosphere in our home, we were jolted out of our chairs by bloodcurdling screams from upstairs. After taking the stairs two at a time, we discovered a sobbing Erin, sitting up in her bed.

Erin, who rarely cries. Erin, who loves her bed and loves to sleep. It was Erin, hysterically screaming and begging for one of us to "make her tummy stop hurting".

My poor baby girl. She put up a good fight, but I think the stomach bug has found her at last.