All of the worries are calmed, and whatever the fevers, sniffles, and sore throats have been over the weekend are something else. All of the COVID tests came back negative.

We had a lot more of "ugh" than "yeah, that's it" over the last few days speculating about how we could have gotten exposed, where we dropped our guard, or who we might have interacted with. A few trips to the grocery, some last minute gift grabs, deliveries and take-away, and one or two events. It's a lot more than we would have done last Christmastime, we recall. Not as much as we would have done a few Christmastimes ago.

We skipped Sunday's football game, 'though we had four tickets. Both illness and "what if," and also the weather and outlook for the game was grim. That turned out to be a minor win, because it wasn't a very good game, either.

We skipped visiting a big light display, because it involved wandering a path through a big park with other people. The lights are pretty, but fevers and coughs would have made that miserable and concerning for others. And surely the kids would have been there for take-out or snacks or to try to get something beyond the experience. Another small win, since the temperature was well below freezing, and I really am starting to hate that.

We didn't get to visit grandma's again. We all got vaccinated, and took care to avoid others, except for the kids and school.There was a little less disappointment than I expected, given the build-up, but I think the kids were aware of how sick they were, and the risk that brought to grandma, even if it isn't COVID.

School was probably the vector. Kids from other schools joined the all-day program, so our bubble got a little bigger. I think the changes the schools have made are going a long way to help reduce the risk of spreading COVID. This has clearly helped reduce other things, too. But when you combine germ pools, the little differences can still eek by. Some rhinovirus got through some shared toy or surface, as they do. It lingered enough and got lucky, and our kids, and probably some others, got hit with something that they hadn't been hit with for a while, so it hit hard.

Still, sick kids is a drag. Being a sick kid is a bigger drag. The big little is still coughing and congested, while the little little is only agitated and wants to run and play. The wife took him in, as he doesn't have any lingering symptoms.

Expecting snow to start today and last overnight. Big storm left feet of snow in places west of here, so hunkering down and maybe not going anywhere in the morning. That'll be a treat.

Everyone's healthy, again.