Trusty companion...

Can anyone think of a time in your life where a trusty mixing bowl has been your constant companion? Maybe during those fun puking months of pregnancy (of if you lucky like some, the WHOLE pregnancy)? Or maybe after eating at a shady restaurant, even after your conscience loudly warned you that food poising is a very good possibility? Or if you're like me for the past 12 hours, after staying up for 2 nights with puking children, who so lovingly repaid your selfless service with giving you the same 12 hour stomach bug!! All I can say though is THANK GOODNESS I got it on a Saturday, when Steven was home. I think this is one of the first times since we've had kids that I got sick while Steven was home (and able to stay home all day to help out). The sad part is that we were supposed to leave for a week long vacation to Nauvoo yesterday. Grant was throwing up all Wednesday night, and a good part of Thursday (his lasted longer than 12 hours). So we called our friends who we stay with there and told them that we wouldn't be leaving until Saturday morning (to give Grant a good 24 hours of no puking before we left). Well, I got the house clean (mostly) and the kids packed and things ready for us to leave early today. As I was laying the kids down and we were saying our family prayers, Landon asked me if it was okay for him to pray to stop burping (he kept doing these little burps, that I kept telling him to stop doing because I thought he was making himself burp). I told him he could pray for that, but after his prayer, he was still burping and complaining of a stomach ache.
We brushed teeth and I laid the kids down and Landon was saying his stomach was still hurting. I asked him if he would like me to say a prayer to ask Heavenly Father to help his stomach quit hurting. He looked at me and said 'Mom, do prayers really work when we pray to God, because I prayed my burps would stop, and they didn't. So, does He catch ALL of our prayers, or does he miss some?' (I had to chuckle a little to myself imagining all these prayers floating up to heaven and God being overwhelmed trying to catch them all and some slipping through his fingers). I assured him that God heard ALL of our prayers, and even though they're not answered right away, they will be answered, if we have faith. I said the prayer, and went to get him a little white mixing bowl, (just in case) and as soon as I handed it to him (literally, AS SOON as I handed it to him) he started throwing up. We went into the bathroom to clean up and as we were rinsing out his mouth and brushing his teeth, I asked him if his belly hurts anymore. He told me it didn't, and I reminded him about our prayer, 3 minutes before. I explained to him that even though he didn't want to throw up, God answered his prayer and made his belly feel better by his throwing up. He smiled at me, and even though I wasn't excited about another kid being up all night sick, I was SO thankful for that little chance to teach him a lesson about prayer. He only threw up a few more times last night (and made it into that little bowl every time!)
A couple hours later Addie joined in. I heard her throwing up and found her sound asleep covered in it (isn't my life so glamorous? Anyone who knows what a weak stomach I have can imagine the scene of me trying to get her cleaned up and not lose it myself). She got in bed with us and threw up a few more times too (also making it in the bowl every time. SO NICE!) And wouldn't you know it? I started feeling sick and throwing up this morning. As of right now, we're all feeling better, and hoping to go to Nauvoo tomorrow (if Steven doesn't get it!). I guess we should be thankful it isn't H1N1 (and thankful we got it BEFORE we left for Nauvoo, not after we got there!). Here's to hoping for a nice, relaxing, HEALTHY week!