Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower. - Albert Camus

It's funny how quickly my interpretation of "cold" has changed. It's in the mid-40s right now - cool for October in Kansas - and it feels SO cold. This is not cold, I know that. But last year I carved pumpkins in 80 degree weather, so this IS cold comparatively. My friends in Minneapolis sent me pictures of their children making small snowmen on Tuesday so really, it's not all that cold here.

We are in the middle of cold season at our house. We've all got one in varying degrees. Jackson's seems to be the worst. I thought he was on the mend, but he seems under the weather today. He took a 2 1/2 hour nap (unusual) and asked to go to bed at 6:30, which he did. I hope he feels better tomorrow. And my first born is growing overnight, it seems. Yesterday I said to him, "Jackson, you'd better be careful coming around this corner. Some day soon you are going to hit your head on the corner of this table." I said this yesterday. Tonight while we were getting dinner ready I heard a whack and then sobs. He hit his head right were I said he would. I didn't think it would happen quite so soon. Poor kid was bleeding and everything. Anyway, back to the colds. Brian and I have a mild version with just an irritated throat and a little congestion. I tell you what, if this cold follows the pattern of my usual colds (which means by Sunday I should be feeling awful and coughing up a lung) and keeps me from my race on Sunday I am going to be SO MAD.
We had a bad night with Andrew on Monday. He came down with his cold on Saturday but by Monday he seemed ok. Before bed we noticed that his breathing looked a little off. Like it did the last time he was sick, about 3 weeks before. He woke up Tuesday at 2 a.m. screaming for me. He was frantic for me to pick him up and his breathing was really fast and we could see the retractions when he inhaled (what they warn you to look for when an infant gets a cold) I was up with him from 2 a.m.-6 a.m. because he couldn't sleep and I debated whether I should call a doctor or take him to the e.r. He threw up his juice because he was having such a hard time breathing. Eventually we fell asleep for about an hour, got up and called the doctor because there was no improvement in his breathing, and Brian took him in for a breathing treatment and a steroid shot. These helped tremendously and by the time I saw him at noon, he was back to himself. We've got two inhalers for him now and Kate taught me how to give him the "home version" of the breathing treatment he gets in the clinic in case it happens in the middle of the night again. Andrew, I am sorry you were handed my genes with the asthma and the allergies. It makes cold and flu season a real stinker.

We have a new toy at our house: a Wii! Brian got it for his birthday along with Wii Fit. We thought Facebook was bad? We will never get anything done ever again.

Jackson had his first school field trip. They went to the pumpkin patch. It was 40 degrees and really windy so we didn't waste much time outside.
And now Brian is out of town again until Saturday afternoon. This is the last trip until December.

I indulged by turning up our newly fixed furnace. I am going to snuggle with my comforter and my dog, and go to sleep. When I wake up, I command this cold to be GONE. As Jackson would say, "I'm gonna make it SA-PEER!"