Are you allergic to poison ivy?

Last Saturday Joseph and Parker had a chance to go with their cousins, aunts, and uncles on a big church trip.  They floated down the river on a canoe and had a wonderful time.  Half of the way down there was a bluff that hung over the water.  They temptation was absolutely too great to resist.  They dove, jumped, and flung themselves off that bluff into the water below numerous times.  Then they found a rope and swung out and dropped into the river.  After they exhausted themselves, they then had to swim down the river to where they had left their canoes.  All in all they had a wonderful time.  They came home pooped and sunburnt.  The next morning I kept hollering for them to get up and get ready for church.  Everybody had made their appearance except for Parker.  After a while he came stumbling down the stairs, his eyes all puffy, nose swollen and lips all red.  I figured maybe he had some massive allergies flaring up so I let him crawl back in the bed and we headed off to church.   When we got home he was not much better, so I gave him some benadryl, told him to rest up because he WAS going to the first day of school tomorrow. 

Bright and early Monday morning I woke up the boys and Parker rolled over at me and I just about died.  His face looked like this.....

And this.....

We couldn't figure out what in the world he had gotten himself into.  It took us a while but we finally realized that it had to be poison ivy.  If he walks outside and so much looks at a poison ivy plant it literally jumps on him.  There must have been some on the bluff they were climbing and I can just see him wiping the water off his face every time he dove into the water with poison ivy infested hands.  I took him into the Dr. and they gave him a good ole shot in the rear of some massive steroids.  They kind of chuckled and said that they had Never seen anyone look that miserable.  Leave it to us to get some weirdo disease or some bizzare battle wounds.  Since school started on Monday, there has been at least 1 to 2 people home sick with something.  When all 6 of them finally get in school, I won't know what to do with myself!