I was getting ready to leave the house when a couple kids came running up to me screaming about bees and the little kids.  As I ran into the woods, there stood Hali (the Morgans 2-year-old) and Athanasius both crying with yellow jackets swarming around them.  I quickly grabbed Hali and carried her out, but when I ran back to Athanasius, I was astounded.  He had approximately 50 yellow jackets swarming and crawling all over him.

I got stung as I tried to help him out.  Once I got him out I just started to take all his clothes off.  A number of the kids were crying and still trying to figure out what had just happened (apparently, Athanasius was originally telling the other kids that the cowboys were biting him).  It seems that someone stepped on a yellow jacket nest (most likely an underground one).  Unlike bees, yellow jackets can sting repeatedly and they did this in agitation.  As we sorted everything out, here was the damage to the Brotens and Morgans:

Papa:            1 sting
Nehemiah:   2 stings
Chaya:         2 stings
Hali:             3 stings Generic Zoloft
Athanasius:  20-30 stings

Yes, Athanasius was covered from head to toe and profusely grabbing all over.  Yet, here’s the amazing thing.  After taking a Bendaryl, Ibuprofen, and applying an ice pack for 15-20 minutes, he seemed completely fine.  Nehemiah’s forehead looked like it had a golf ball under the skin.  My face still itches from just one sting.  Here’s a picture of William’s hand (another boy who received one sting):

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But it seems that people’s bodies react in different ways to these stings, as evidenced when I laid Athanasius down to bed tonight.  I asked him how he felt and he smiled and said, “God healed me!”  Thank you LORD for joyful kids and your constant protection.

Here’s a photo from a recent yellow jacket support group meeting: