Christmas...the good and the bad

We had a bit of a strange Christmas.   It went something like this:
December 23  -
8:30 pm: family movie night begins {watching 17 Miracles}
9:30 pm: Daisy is whimpering outside so we let her come in with us.  We call Chops but he won't come out of his dog house.  I mention that I think it is weird.  BS just says that he must be tired.
10:30 pm: Movie ends, we are all emotional from the movie.  I call Chops again and he won't come out of doghouse.  I send Sambo out to check on him.  He tells me that his neck is wet.  I coax him inside, he comes in and collapses on the floor.  I look under his collar at his neck and immediately call BS downstairs.  He comes down, takes off his collar, and we discover that the poor dog's skin under the collar has eroded away to nothing.  All we see is blood and grossness.   The kids are watching and freaking out.
11:00 pm: BS is taking Chops to the Emergency Vet and I am getting kids settled down and in bed.
December 24 -
2:00 am: BS comes home without Chops. Says that the Vet is going to get his wound cleaned out and that we can pick him up in the morning.   He's going to be ok.  She said she has seen this happen before and that sometimes there is a really bad reaction to the material of the collar.  His wound had been building up for weeks but didn't manifest until that night.
3:30 am: Millie comes in my room, wakes me up, and pukes right next to me.  Luckily she had the puke bucket with her.
5:00 am: Millie pukes again and I help her into the tub and take care of her.
7:00 am: I head out for a last minute Santa errand.
8:30 am: I get a text from BS telling me that BS is puking.
10:00 am: I pick up Chops.  He is in pain and loopy from drugs but ok.  I get home and Sambo pukes again.
12:00 pm: G-ma Judy and G-pa Jim visit us and bring us gifts.  The kids scored some really cozy blankies!  Sambo and Millie are really trying to feel better on Christmas Eve.

3:00 pm: We decide to stick to our plan for Christmas Eve.  Millie and Sambo are feeling well enough to go out and neither has puked for awhile.
3:30 pm: We go to the movie theatre to see The Adventures of Tin Tin.  Will is as white as a ghost.  And almost greenish.  He says he feels woozy.  I give him a Coke, tell him to take sips and suck on the crushed ice and that he will be ok.
5:30 pm: Movie ends and we all agree it is a really good show.
6:00 pm: Dinner reservations at Bucca Di Beppo.  Millie and Sam nibble on bread and noodles.  Will eats nothing, still pale, but hanging in there.  He is tough as nails.
8:30 pm: Come home and discover that our Christmas lights outside and the lights on our Christmas tree won't turn on.  What?  They had both been on all month long and now on Christmas eve they choose to have issues.  Eventually we got them to work but how frustrating!
9:00 pm: Gift exchange between the kids and presents from Mom and Dad - PJs and robes and slippers.

9:30 pm: See that Santa is getting close {Norad website}.  Set out cookies and milk for Santa and kids tucked into bed.
11:00 pm: Preparations for the next morning.  Luckily I had wrapped almost everything at G-ma Cindy's house so I was very prepared this year.  And there was hardly anything to put together.
December 25 -
1:00 am: BED!  This is a record for BS and I on Christmas eve.  We were very pleased with how early we were going to bed.
4:00 am:  BS pukes
5:00 am: BS pukes
6:00 am: BS pukes
8:00 am: Kids wake up.  BS is miserable.  But the kids and I carry-on with the excitement that Christmas morning brings.  First up is always stockings:

8:30 am: BS crawls out of the bedroom and lays on the floor, pretending to be excited about stuff.  The kids continue to open gifts and we manage to have a really nice morning.

The boys gets banana chairs {that also have bonus gaming qualities}

Lacrosse Stick

Rapunzel Dress

XBOX Kinect

All of the Barbie Princesses

Baking Supplies

Lego Robot

Money!  

There was a ribbon tied to the tree that led to a basement bedroom...

Sambo's new own bedroom

   

I got a Bosch!  And a big roaster, and a watch, and sunglasses, and cross country skies!

10:30 am: Go to church
12:00 pm: Brunch - Quiche, cinnamon bread/toast that G-pa Guffey made, fruit smoothies.  Yum.
1-5: pm: Play and lay around
5:00 pm: G-ma and G-pa Guffey come to visit, see new gifts, and have dinner.  Yum.
11:00 pm: Mom is sick.
2:00 am: Mom pukes.

I could go on but in a nutshell, another 6 hours and I feel better too.  Quincy never did get sick, lucky girl.  Although we had some sickness, an injured dog, and some dysfunctional lighting we still had a fabulous day!  We are all exhausted from the non-stop hustle and bustle, but oh so happy.