2011, So far...

So this year started with the funny story of how our 2011 started. We were heading back to my parents place from my sister and her husband's house after a really nice New Year's Eve meal, celebrating my parents anniversary (they loved the cappuccino/espresso, etc maker & cups) and opening gifts with the family.  The weather was mild but messy (kind of rainy).  Our wipers weren't cooperating and the roads were all shiny.  We were pretty sure we remembered how to make the 25 minutes drive from Anjou to Verdun.  Well, we didn't realise it till too late that we had missed an exit and headed all the way to the south side of the river...heading back to where my parents used to live when I was a teenager.  I recognized the signs and area and knew we'd taken a wrong turn somewhere but we couldn't figure out how it had happened.  We finally found an ramp for a bridge that would get us back in to Montreal.  We quickly crossed a few lanes and were glad we made it on the bridge.  Well, a police officer thought we looked like we might be coming back from a party with our 'crazy' driving.  He pulled us over just as we were getting on the bridge.  He decided that Edward's half French half English explanation sounded confused and asked to come do an alcohol levels test.  We both knew he was fine (only half glass of champagne, 2 hours earlier).  While he was with the officer I was sitting in the van with 4 sleeping boys.  Our oldest woke up and asked what was going on.  I said, " We got lost and the police man is going to give us directions!"  As this was happening the clock struck 12 and I had the perfect view of the fireworks in the Old Port.  So while my husband was 'chatting' with the police officer, I was sitting in the van with 4 children, in Longueuil watching the fireworks to ring in 2011.  I had to tell Edward why I was laughing when he came back to the van.  He then asked the officer for directions but since he was an provincial cop on the South Shore he didn't know Montreal's streets at all.  So no help there. :-)  We found our way back and made it back to my parents place with no other events.
That night Johan had a high fever and his brothers started feeling the same way the next day. The oldest two started getting red patches all over their faces and Jürgen got a bad rash on his chest and on his arms & knees. Instead of heading to church with my parents we decided to head back to Ottawa since all 4 boys weren't feeling well.  I started feeling sick the next day.  It turns out after getting to a doctor a day or so later (thankfully we found a walk-in clinic in Ottawa that took Qc health cards since we still don't have a doctor) that the oldest two had Scarlet fever and myself and the youngest two had strep throat.  I couldn't talk for 2 days without pain and cried everytime I needed to swallow.  So thankful the penicilin was effective for all 5 of us.  Once I had finished taking the meds I came down with a sinus cold.  Thankfully after a good cry from the stress, fatigue and all around crazy start to our year, the sinus cold was all gone.  I had 'drained' it right out.
We made it through Jürgen's birthday and have plans for Johan & Thomas's birthdays.  So January has been quite a month. February has lots in store too as we need to replace our van, look in to getting a computer and Edward will be taking on a new position in a new department with lots of new challenges for him.  Should be exciting!