{real-life sitcom moment...}

Funny - and a little gross - story.

I was putting the kids in the "bath shower" as they call it (only meaning the shower in their bathroom which is a tub/shower combo) on Thursday when the following took place. Dean had been saying his little tummy hurt for about fifteen minutes but I thought it was just hunger pangs because he had been a skimpy eater all day. Unfortunately, I was wrong.

All of a sudden I heard that I'm-really-sick-and-I'm-going-to-throw-up moan/cry that every parent knows all too well. Before I could pull Dean out of the shower to hover over the toilet, he threw up all over the bathtub floor - which means his brother's and sister's feet. When Ava saw the stream of vomit moving toward her she started screaming (I mean, wouldn't you?). Her screaming then frightened Eli and he accidentally stepped in the slippery mess, slipped, and landed flat on his back in Dean's throw-up. Meanwhile, Dean is still crying and - sadly - still vomiting.

It was so confusing. Everyone was horrified and crying and screaming all at the same time and my brain froze for a second as I wondered who to rescue first. I also caught myself thinking this is like a plot right out of a TV show.

I eventually gathered my wits and figured out how this needed to be taken care of. Give Dean the big head-rinsing bowl from the bathtub to throw up in, rinse his feet, get him out. Hose Ava and Eli, rinse and remove all the defiled toys for further bleaching, rinse any remaining vomit out and let Ava and Eli continue their shower. Start figuring out what more to do to help Dean.

Thankfully, by the time I got to the last bit, Dean was assuring me he was all better and giggling about throwing up on his sister and brother. He spent the next little while in my non-bath shower by himself, just in case. But he really was fine and has been that way since.

Hooray for us, we survived the chaos.

And then Devin came home from work and threw up. Ugh.

I hate flu season. (Thankfully, Dev was quickly fine as well. If you're gonna get a flu virus, this is the one you want. Though, it is not cool that this is the third flu we have had in this house since Thanksgiving!)