James says breakbest, not breakfast like we're all used to hearing. It's cute, and I love it, so I don't correct him. Soon though, it'll have to happen.
This morning for breakfast, we were in a bit of a hurry. Nathan wanted to get he and James out the door since he had decided he would try something for the first time today: he would take James golfing with him. Harrison goes with Chris all of the time, and apparently is VERY well behaved while there. At first I scoffed at the idea, but then as Nathan tried to talk me into it I thought, "Well, it's your grave you're digging, not mine" so "Okay!" I said.
James was pouting about having to eat breakfast, especially since Daddy had already poured the Honey Nut Cheerios into his green bowl. "I don't want honey Cheerios, I want yogurt Cheerios Dad!" He was saying/whining. Nathan responded with the usual, "Well sorry bud, we don't have any yogurt Cheerios." {LIAR}
James says, "Yes we do! I'll show you!" So he went and got his chair and dragged it into the pantry to climb up to get the yogurt Cheerios. I'm not sure if he found them or not, but I remember Nathan saying, "I've already poured your honey Cheerios in your bowl so you need to eat those."
"NOOOOOOOOO!" squealed James. "I don't like honey Cheerios! Honey is for bears like on Super Sleuths!" (meaning Winnie the Pooh's Super Sleuth's on Disney).
Nathan threatened James not being able to go golfing at all... a few minutes passed, and then James ate his honey Cheerios.
Too bad for the boys though, they ended up at the park instead. Golf courses are apparently very busy on the 30th of December.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Sunday, December 28, 2008
Medicine and Gatorade
This week we have been incredibly sick, hence the lack of blogs. James started coughing as soon as we hit the ground in Orlando from our trip to Iowa, then Nathan got a cold, and now I have it, and so does Kaitlyn. I've been down in the dumps for the last few days, but thankfully it didn't really start for me until after Christmas Day. The kids seem to think that when we're sick, we get medicine and Gatorade to make us feel better. The kids LOVE Gatorade and medicine. The flavors are so good, right?!?
Today, I was giving Nathan a short back rub since he's been slaving over the house and kids since I've been sleeping for two days. His back started hurting this morning, and since I was starting to feel sorta better, I thought it would be nice to help him with his back.
Nathan took off his shirt to lay down on the couch, and James asked why he had taken off his shirt. "Well, Mommy is going to rub my back because it hurts, so I took off my shirt." he said. James said, "You need some medicine!"
Then I said, "Well rubbing his back is really the only medicine that I can give him"
James replied, "You need Gatorade! Daddy, can I get you some Gatorade?"
"Sure!" said Nathan.
I piped up, "What flavor do you want Daddy, green or orange?" reminding Daddy inadvertently that we were out of fruit punch.
"I'll leave it up to you." said Daddy to James.
"OK!" and James tore off to go to the garage. Nathan politely reminded him to grab one that was in the refrigerator.
He came back with a green Gatorade, which is no surprise since green is his favorite color and he tells us that daily. If there is a choice that's green, he takes it.
"Here you go Daddy! Here is your Gatorade!" James said running as quickly as possible to Daddy lying on the couch.
"Thank you James, that really helps buddy!" Daddy said.
Pause... about two seconds...
James said, "Want to share?" We just laughed. Typical. James proceeded to tell Nathan that it is a lot more fun to share than to drink it all by himself. :)
Today, I was giving Nathan a short back rub since he's been slaving over the house and kids since I've been sleeping for two days. His back started hurting this morning, and since I was starting to feel sorta better, I thought it would be nice to help him with his back.
Nathan took off his shirt to lay down on the couch, and James asked why he had taken off his shirt. "Well, Mommy is going to rub my back because it hurts, so I took off my shirt." he said. James said, "You need some medicine!"
Then I said, "Well rubbing his back is really the only medicine that I can give him"
James replied, "You need Gatorade! Daddy, can I get you some Gatorade?"
"Sure!" said Nathan.
I piped up, "What flavor do you want Daddy, green or orange?" reminding Daddy inadvertently that we were out of fruit punch.
"I'll leave it up to you." said Daddy to James.
"OK!" and James tore off to go to the garage. Nathan politely reminded him to grab one that was in the refrigerator.
He came back with a green Gatorade, which is no surprise since green is his favorite color and he tells us that daily. If there is a choice that's green, he takes it.
"Here you go Daddy! Here is your Gatorade!" James said running as quickly as possible to Daddy lying on the couch.
"Thank you James, that really helps buddy!" Daddy said.
Pause... about two seconds...
James said, "Want to share?" We just laughed. Typical. James proceeded to tell Nathan that it is a lot more fun to share than to drink it all by himself. :)
Thursday, December 25, 2008
Christmas Day 2008
Since we've all been sick-o's this month, Kaitlyn slept in until 9 AM on Christmas morning. James made it to about 8:30 AM. I absolutely RELISH this because I know in a year or two, they'll be getting up at 6 AM on Christmas morning.
So... when James woke up, Nathan went upstairs to get him and bring him down to see if Santa had come. Since I didn't get a warning that they were on there way, I didn't have time to get the video camera rolling, so my story will have to do. James came downstairs and walked over to the tree. He saw that the plate of cookies and mug of milk that he and Daddy had put out on the ottoman the night before were GONE! James said, "OH MY GOODNESS! Santa WAS here!" He had the biggest smile on his face. We also explained to him that Santa had brought him the green plasma car that sat under the tree next to the yellow plasma car that he had brought for Kaitlyn. He rode his plasma car around the downstairs, enjoying every minute of it.
James didn't really ask Santa for a plasma car though, he asked for a toy doggie. Every time we asked James what he wanted Santa to bring for him, it was "a toy doggie!" We're still not sure where this idea came from, and to be honest, I think James was slightly disappointed that Santa didn't deliver.
Kaitlyn finally woke up and made it downstairs for Christmas. She, of course, didn't really know what to make of everything, but she loved riding on her yellow plasma car too.
After breakfast, we went back into the living room to open presents. See, our kids are so young still, they don't really get what the excitement is all about. They would've just rather watched a show on TV than do this present business. Next year will be a bit more hyper, I predict. :)
We showed James that, in fact, Santa had brought TWO presents each for him and Kaitlyn, and that he should open the one from Santa first. He ripped open the paper, looked at it and said, "I DID get a toy doggie!" And giggled, and giggled and giggled. That Santa. SO SNEAKY!
Santa also gave Kaitlyn a clip-o table to play with and some extra clip-o's to build fun things. They are sort of like legos, but are for younger kids (non-chocking hazards). Santa was very great to the kids this year!
After finishing the pile of presents, we relaxed and had lunch and naps. It was a slow day since we all were pretty tired and not feeling up to par. Later in the day we headed over to my parent's house for dinner and gifts there. Dad made an awesome pork roast on the spit and we had baked sweet potatoes, scalloped corn, etc. It was a great dinner. James watched a movie in the playroom since he wasn't feeling well, but by the end of dinner had made his way out to munch on a few things.
After dinner we opened presents. Cameron, Ben and Jack were about to bust they were so excited for our kids to open their gifts. They were home made gifts... the best of the best. Those three made two beautiful HUGE blankets for our kids, out of the cutest fleece. They are so cute and cuddly and WARM! They had to tie about a gazillion knots together, and they did it with love! Thanks kids! Such sweet gifts.
We had a lovely Christmas, and we hope everyone else did too. Merry Christmas everyone. Here is a picture of all 5 of my parent's grandchildren!
So... when James woke up, Nathan went upstairs to get him and bring him down to see if Santa had come. Since I didn't get a warning that they were on there way, I didn't have time to get the video camera rolling, so my story will have to do. James came downstairs and walked over to the tree. He saw that the plate of cookies and mug of milk that he and Daddy had put out on the ottoman the night before were GONE! James said, "OH MY GOODNESS! Santa WAS here!" He had the biggest smile on his face. We also explained to him that Santa had brought him the green plasma car that sat under the tree next to the yellow plasma car that he had brought for Kaitlyn. He rode his plasma car around the downstairs, enjoying every minute of it.
James didn't really ask Santa for a plasma car though, he asked for a toy doggie. Every time we asked James what he wanted Santa to bring for him, it was "a toy doggie!" We're still not sure where this idea came from, and to be honest, I think James was slightly disappointed that Santa didn't deliver.
Kaitlyn finally woke up and made it downstairs for Christmas. She, of course, didn't really know what to make of everything, but she loved riding on her yellow plasma car too.
After breakfast, we went back into the living room to open presents. See, our kids are so young still, they don't really get what the excitement is all about. They would've just rather watched a show on TV than do this present business. Next year will be a bit more hyper, I predict. :)
We showed James that, in fact, Santa had brought TWO presents each for him and Kaitlyn, and that he should open the one from Santa first. He ripped open the paper, looked at it and said, "I DID get a toy doggie!" And giggled, and giggled and giggled. That Santa. SO SNEAKY!
Santa also gave Kaitlyn a clip-o table to play with and some extra clip-o's to build fun things. They are sort of like legos, but are for younger kids (non-chocking hazards). Santa was very great to the kids this year!
After finishing the pile of presents, we relaxed and had lunch and naps. It was a slow day since we all were pretty tired and not feeling up to par. Later in the day we headed over to my parent's house for dinner and gifts there. Dad made an awesome pork roast on the spit and we had baked sweet potatoes, scalloped corn, etc. It was a great dinner. James watched a movie in the playroom since he wasn't feeling well, but by the end of dinner had made his way out to munch on a few things.
After dinner we opened presents. Cameron, Ben and Jack were about to bust they were so excited for our kids to open their gifts. They were home made gifts... the best of the best. Those three made two beautiful HUGE blankets for our kids, out of the cutest fleece. They are so cute and cuddly and WARM! They had to tie about a gazillion knots together, and they did it with love! Thanks kids! Such sweet gifts.
We had a lovely Christmas, and we hope everyone else did too. Merry Christmas everyone. Here is a picture of all 5 of my parent's grandchildren!
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Sandra, Tod and Dylan visit the Wilckes
My friend Sandra, who I have known since ballet class at 3 years old, came by for a visit on Christmas Eve. We lost touch after high school since she went to UF and I to ISU, but have now reconnected via Facebook. It is so wonderful to see how she's doing now and to catch up on her life. We were such good friends growing up, that when she wasn't in my life I felt an absence. I have been blessed this year to reconnect with two of my friends that I had lost contact with over the years, one being Sandra.
It was a very nice Christmas present to me to be able to see her and meet her wonderful husband Tod and their beautiful daughter Dylan.
It was a very nice Christmas present to me to be able to see her and meet her wonderful husband Tod and their beautiful daughter Dylan.
Tuesday, December 23, 2008
Monday, December 22, 2008
Iowa Trip Photos
Here is a link to the photo gallery of our trip to Iowa from the 18th until the 21st.
Click Here!
Click Here!
Trip Highlights
We had a quick, yet eventful trip to Iowa just before Christmas. I found out, however, that my in-laws are excellent at keeping winter storms a secret from me, as they thought I would cancel our trip. You guys are sick, really, SICK I tell ya!
Kaitlyn started a new thing while we were gone. She'd ask to be held by saying, "Hold me?" and then when I'd pick her up, she'd say, "Thank you!" Such a cutie. She also ate about a box of Cheerios all by herself. She was a hungry girl! At one point, she squeaked out "bye bye Bennett" perfectly. :)
We got to spend some time with Grandpa Wilcke after he came home from the hospital on Saturday. We took the kids over to see him on Sunday and took some pictures of our families with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. Lee is very thin, very fragile, but still seemed to enjoy having family around, as long as it wasn't too loud.
On Sunday, we woke up to a balmy -10 degrees. By 9:00 AM it had warmed up significantly to a -8 degrees. The weather was soooo deceiving. It was gorgeous and sunny outside, but every so often you could see blowing snow across the farmland. At around 2 PM it was time for us to leave, so we said goodbye to everyone and all piled in the van. This time we had Chris with us too, so we were literally packed into the van. 7 seats, 7 people. :) It was a fun trip, a cold, bit scary, couldn't see out the backseat window from the ice on it, getting kinda carsick, trip. But finally we arrived at the Cedar Rapids airport and all went well. I almost forgot my phone in the van which would have been detrimental, but at least I figured out that I had left it right away. Thanks guardian angel! While eating dinner, I quickly checked to see what the weather was like in Orlando. AHHHHHHHH, 74 degrees. NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!
Neither kid slept on the plane, which was absolutely amazing to me. They both crashed in the car though, and were very easily transported to their beds.
Thank goodness we're home for a while now!
Before our trip even started, Kaitlyn went to the after hours pediatrics care center in Altamonte and was diagnosed with double ear infections. I honestly thought that she and I would stay home, and let James and Nathan go by themselves, but Kaitlyn made such a turnaround between that visit to the pediatric center and the next morning that I decided to proceed with the trip. Now in our midst was only a *small* winter ice storm looming over Cedar Rapids (our flight's destination). This storm was so *small* that I got 4 or 5 warnings from friends on Facebook about it (after posting that we were supposed to be flying to Iowa that day), AND a warning from my dear mother, telling me not to go. Meanwhile, the in-laws' mouths are zippered shut. See? SICK!
We got to the airport without a hitch and got on the flight and left on time. We had a very nice plane ride to Cedar Rapids, nothing sticking out in my head about problems... I even have a post-flight picture to prove it!
Gary and Marilyn were there to greet us and pick us up. The original plan was to load in their van and drive onward to Clinton County. God gave us a break, he pushed the storm back far enough for our flight to get in, but not enough for us to drive the extra hour and a half to get to Clinton County. Gary had made reservations at the local AmericInn for us, so we decided to stay in Cedar Rapids for the night. My stress level plummeted... I literally was THANKING MY CRAZY IN-LAWS for not making us drive on ice. We got checked into the hotel just in time to see the ice start accumulating on the cars in the parking lot. Well, it wasn't enough ice to keep us from going out for Chinese food. Ha.
We got to the restaurant and ordered dinner. James really really wanted a grilled cheese, but alas, normal Chinese restaurants don't have grilled cheese sandwiches. He was very disappointed until Mommy's soup showed up (Wanton soup, no less.. with vegetables in it!), and I sent some broccoli across the table for James. He welcomed it by saying, "Broccoli! My favorite!" So funny!
We all devoured our dinners and headed back to the hotel for the night.
The kids literally didn't get to sleep until about 11 PM, which is midnight by my watch. Nathan and I hung out in Gary and Marilyn's room next door to try to get the kids to sleep, but they were just so wound up, that by the time I went in the room to go to bed, they were both still awake. Thankfully though, as soon as I fell asleep, I think they did. Daddy must have come to bed soon after that.
Daddy woke up to James talking. He was saying something like, "DADDY! Go tell Kaitlyn to be quiet!" She was snoring so loudly from her super stuffed up nose. James was up at the crack of 6:30! Wow! And with that, Kaitlyn woke up and so did I.
We headed to breakfast, and to James' delight, they had doughnuts. I asked him if I could try a bite, he said yes, but to be careful because it was really slimy! :)
We got our stuff packed up, checked out and headed to Clinton County. We left a little earlier than planned, which made Marilyn and I a little weary about traveling on the roads. Everything went perfect until the last 1/8 mile to Grandma and Grandpa Wilcke's house. We almost got stuck in the snow on the top of a hill. Gary had to back up the van and gun it around a corner to get us up and over. It worked, and on we went to see Dorothy.
We stayed at Dorothy's house most of the afternoon, kids had naps, all that good stuff. Then later we headed over to Randy and Marcy's house for the rest of the night.
Beth and Chris arrived late on Friday night, so on Saturday morning, Nathan and Chris took James and Harrison sledding. James had gotten to go sledding with Luke's boys Tommy and Gage the day before, so he was primed (aka not scared) for this time around. They were so cute in their layers, all cozy! At one point, Chris told James to pull the sled back up the hill. James ignored him, so Chris had to tell him again. James' reply? "No! I have to be 24 or 25!" ??? LOL.We got to the airport without a hitch and got on the flight and left on time. We had a very nice plane ride to Cedar Rapids, nothing sticking out in my head about problems... I even have a post-flight picture to prove it!
Gary and Marilyn were there to greet us and pick us up. The original plan was to load in their van and drive onward to Clinton County. God gave us a break, he pushed the storm back far enough for our flight to get in, but not enough for us to drive the extra hour and a half to get to Clinton County. Gary had made reservations at the local AmericInn for us, so we decided to stay in Cedar Rapids for the night. My stress level plummeted... I literally was THANKING MY CRAZY IN-LAWS for not making us drive on ice. We got checked into the hotel just in time to see the ice start accumulating on the cars in the parking lot. Well, it wasn't enough ice to keep us from going out for Chinese food. Ha.
We got to the restaurant and ordered dinner. James really really wanted a grilled cheese, but alas, normal Chinese restaurants don't have grilled cheese sandwiches. He was very disappointed until Mommy's soup showed up (Wanton soup, no less.. with vegetables in it!), and I sent some broccoli across the table for James. He welcomed it by saying, "Broccoli! My favorite!" So funny!
We all devoured our dinners and headed back to the hotel for the night.
The kids literally didn't get to sleep until about 11 PM, which is midnight by my watch. Nathan and I hung out in Gary and Marilyn's room next door to try to get the kids to sleep, but they were just so wound up, that by the time I went in the room to go to bed, they were both still awake. Thankfully though, as soon as I fell asleep, I think they did. Daddy must have come to bed soon after that.
Daddy woke up to James talking. He was saying something like, "DADDY! Go tell Kaitlyn to be quiet!" She was snoring so loudly from her super stuffed up nose. James was up at the crack of 6:30! Wow! And with that, Kaitlyn woke up and so did I.
We headed to breakfast, and to James' delight, they had doughnuts. I asked him if I could try a bite, he said yes, but to be careful because it was really slimy! :)
We got our stuff packed up, checked out and headed to Clinton County. We left a little earlier than planned, which made Marilyn and I a little weary about traveling on the roads. Everything went perfect until the last 1/8 mile to Grandma and Grandpa Wilcke's house. We almost got stuck in the snow on the top of a hill. Gary had to back up the van and gun it around a corner to get us up and over. It worked, and on we went to see Dorothy.
We stayed at Dorothy's house most of the afternoon, kids had naps, all that good stuff. Then later we headed over to Randy and Marcy's house for the rest of the night.
Kaitlyn started a new thing while we were gone. She'd ask to be held by saying, "Hold me?" and then when I'd pick her up, she'd say, "Thank you!" Such a cutie. She also ate about a box of Cheerios all by herself. She was a hungry girl! At one point, she squeaked out "bye bye Bennett" perfectly. :)
We got to spend some time with Grandpa Wilcke after he came home from the hospital on Saturday. We took the kids over to see him on Sunday and took some pictures of our families with Great Grandma and Great Grandpa. Lee is very thin, very fragile, but still seemed to enjoy having family around, as long as it wasn't too loud.
On Sunday, we woke up to a balmy -10 degrees. By 9:00 AM it had warmed up significantly to a -8 degrees. The weather was soooo deceiving. It was gorgeous and sunny outside, but every so often you could see blowing snow across the farmland. At around 2 PM it was time for us to leave, so we said goodbye to everyone and all piled in the van. This time we had Chris with us too, so we were literally packed into the van. 7 seats, 7 people. :) It was a fun trip, a cold, bit scary, couldn't see out the backseat window from the ice on it, getting kinda carsick, trip. But finally we arrived at the Cedar Rapids airport and all went well. I almost forgot my phone in the van which would have been detrimental, but at least I figured out that I had left it right away. Thanks guardian angel! While eating dinner, I quickly checked to see what the weather was like in Orlando. AHHHHHHHH, 74 degrees. NOW THAT'S WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!
Neither kid slept on the plane, which was absolutely amazing to me. They both crashed in the car though, and were very easily transported to their beds.
Thank goodness we're home for a while now!
Monday, December 15, 2008
Photos from the last few weeks
The kids like to play under our new settee.
Kaitlyn graduates to a booster seat and now sits with us at the table... she's munching on "nem-nems".
Nathan prompted me to get the camera "QUICK!" since the kids were sharing the chair, by their own choice.
Is it too early to put them to work? Just kidding... they actually pulled the chairs up to the counter and got up there themselves. :)
Merry Christmas, our tree is up... now it's time to decorate!
Sunday, December 14, 2008
Holidays make for busy weeks... quiet blog.
Sorry for lack of blogs... I will get back to it when I can. Things have been great around here, we finally got our tree up and got it decorated, and Nathan has been working very hard at getting things hung on our walls. We finally look like we live here rather than just moved in... TWO years ago. Ha ha.
Monday, December 8, 2008
Sentimental Monday... long blog.
Today was an interesting day for me. I'm not sure why, but it was very sentimental.
This morning Kaitlyn and I had some quality time while we were waiting for James to wake up (at 9:30!). I got to sit alone with her while she ate breakfast, which doesn't happen much.
We had a pretty slow morning since James still wasn't feeling up to par. I knew we would be staying home, but when he told me that his ears still hurt, well, I called the pediatrician's office to schedule a re-check. It's been 5 days on Z-pack for him and no such luck with the ears healing. His cough is gone, however. Turns out that when he was re-examined (not by the same doctor, but by the nurse practitioner), she told me that he must have prescribed the Z-pack to get rid of the cough/chest congestion because it was worse than the ears. She said that when a doctor is faced with two choices for an antibiotic, they usually go for the one that will treat the worse symptom with more effectiveness. Whatever, I don't care, just make my child happy again. So she prescribed him Amoxicillin (however it's spelled), and we were on our way. That's the same drug they gave Kaitlyn last week, and it has worked wonders on her... so we should be good. I'm just so glad he told me that his ears hurt and we went back to the doctor!
Before all of this doctor stuff, however, Kaitlyn must have had a bad dream that startled her awake from her nap. I hopped in the shower quick to see if she'd calm back down and fall asleep, but no, she was awake. So I went upstairs after my shower and walked into her room. It was so nice and dark in there. I picked her up, brought her over to her chest of drawers to pick out an outfit, went to lay her down on her changing table and then paused. I put the shirt down, took my baby over to her rocking chair and just sat and cuddled her for 15 minutes. When we sat down, I told her, "Lie your head down on Mommy and let's have a cuddle..." she did, and we just rocked. It was bliss. I never ever want to forget how it feels to rock my baby, she's growing so fast. Like I said... sentimental.
After James woke up from his nap it was time to head out to the doctor's office. I got a snack ready for the kids consisting of yogurt-covered raisins and a few "nem-nems" as Kaitlyn calls them (my kids literally get up on a chair to try to get to the M&M jar on a daily basis), but we were late as usual. Sigh.
We had the appointment, as mentioned above, and then headed back to the van. James absolutely had a fit that I didn't let him get into the van on "his side" where his seat is. ABSOLUTE FIT. I mean screaming, kicking, sinking in his car seat, taking shoes off, throwing them on the floor kind of fit. I ignored him. It was the best thing to do. He kept it up, but I was watching closely to see if he unbuckled himself... he didn't, so we kept driving. We were about 2/3 of the way to Walgreens when he finally calmed down. I sidetracked him by talking about Christmas decorations and baby Jesus, and why we celebrate Christmas, and decorate, and I just kept rambling until his mind got on to something else. By the time we were at Walgreens, he was fine... weird, just weird. James doesn't do that often.
We drove around the parking lot at Walgreens and there were literally no parking spots. That is a very rare occasion... when they don't have parking at Walgreens! So I had an idea, and it proved to go over extremely well with the kids... ice cream! I dropped off the scrip and we headed across the street to Carvel (hindsight- never going there again). When we parked the car and I turned off the engine, James looks at me and says, "I need to put my shoes on again."
I asked him why his shoes were off and he said, "Well I took them off because I was crying." He had the cutest most embarrassed but bashful look on his face. It was so cute. We had a talk about how not to throw our shoes if we're mad, and all was good. On to Carvel.
After finally deciding on vanilla ice cream with mini-"nem-nem's", we finally to got eat our ice cream. I wolfed mine down in about a minute flat and the kids enjoyed theirs thoroughly. James couldn't quite lick the right way to get a lot of ice cream on his tongue so it took a WHILE for him to eat his. At one point he saw more mini-M&Ms and said something hilarious like, "Come here my sweeties!" Awesome, hilarious. Of course neither child nearly finished their ice cream and I should have gotten one for them to share, but whatever, it was fun. :)
We finally got home and had dinner as usual. The kids are so much fun to watch at the dinner table together. Parroting each other is a nightly routine, usually consisting of Kaitlyn copying James. Tonight though, James was asking for more to "wink". That's Kaitlyn's word for drink.
Nathan took the kids up for baths tonight while I finished up the dishes. For about 15 minutes I heard the best sounds ever... the funny laughs and giggles of my kids playing and wrestling with their Daddy. It a very, very sentimental day.
This morning Kaitlyn and I had some quality time while we were waiting for James to wake up (at 9:30!). I got to sit alone with her while she ate breakfast, which doesn't happen much.
We had a pretty slow morning since James still wasn't feeling up to par. I knew we would be staying home, but when he told me that his ears still hurt, well, I called the pediatrician's office to schedule a re-check. It's been 5 days on Z-pack for him and no such luck with the ears healing. His cough is gone, however. Turns out that when he was re-examined (not by the same doctor, but by the nurse practitioner), she told me that he must have prescribed the Z-pack to get rid of the cough/chest congestion because it was worse than the ears. She said that when a doctor is faced with two choices for an antibiotic, they usually go for the one that will treat the worse symptom with more effectiveness. Whatever, I don't care, just make my child happy again. So she prescribed him Amoxicillin (however it's spelled), and we were on our way. That's the same drug they gave Kaitlyn last week, and it has worked wonders on her... so we should be good. I'm just so glad he told me that his ears hurt and we went back to the doctor!
Before all of this doctor stuff, however, Kaitlyn must have had a bad dream that startled her awake from her nap. I hopped in the shower quick to see if she'd calm back down and fall asleep, but no, she was awake. So I went upstairs after my shower and walked into her room. It was so nice and dark in there. I picked her up, brought her over to her chest of drawers to pick out an outfit, went to lay her down on her changing table and then paused. I put the shirt down, took my baby over to her rocking chair and just sat and cuddled her for 15 minutes. When we sat down, I told her, "Lie your head down on Mommy and let's have a cuddle..." she did, and we just rocked. It was bliss. I never ever want to forget how it feels to rock my baby, she's growing so fast. Like I said... sentimental.
After James woke up from his nap it was time to head out to the doctor's office. I got a snack ready for the kids consisting of yogurt-covered raisins and a few "nem-nems" as Kaitlyn calls them (my kids literally get up on a chair to try to get to the M&M jar on a daily basis), but we were late as usual. Sigh.
We had the appointment, as mentioned above, and then headed back to the van. James absolutely had a fit that I didn't let him get into the van on "his side" where his seat is. ABSOLUTE FIT. I mean screaming, kicking, sinking in his car seat, taking shoes off, throwing them on the floor kind of fit. I ignored him. It was the best thing to do. He kept it up, but I was watching closely to see if he unbuckled himself... he didn't, so we kept driving. We were about 2/3 of the way to Walgreens when he finally calmed down. I sidetracked him by talking about Christmas decorations and baby Jesus, and why we celebrate Christmas, and decorate, and I just kept rambling until his mind got on to something else. By the time we were at Walgreens, he was fine... weird, just weird. James doesn't do that often.
We drove around the parking lot at Walgreens and there were literally no parking spots. That is a very rare occasion... when they don't have parking at Walgreens! So I had an idea, and it proved to go over extremely well with the kids... ice cream! I dropped off the scrip and we headed across the street to Carvel (hindsight- never going there again). When we parked the car and I turned off the engine, James looks at me and says, "I need to put my shoes on again."
I asked him why his shoes were off and he said, "Well I took them off because I was crying." He had the cutest most embarrassed but bashful look on his face. It was so cute. We had a talk about how not to throw our shoes if we're mad, and all was good. On to Carvel.
After finally deciding on vanilla ice cream with mini-"nem-nem's", we finally to got eat our ice cream. I wolfed mine down in about a minute flat and the kids enjoyed theirs thoroughly. James couldn't quite lick the right way to get a lot of ice cream on his tongue so it took a WHILE for him to eat his. At one point he saw more mini-M&Ms and said something hilarious like, "Come here my sweeties!" Awesome, hilarious. Of course neither child nearly finished their ice cream and I should have gotten one for them to share, but whatever, it was fun. :)
We finally got home and had dinner as usual. The kids are so much fun to watch at the dinner table together. Parroting each other is a nightly routine, usually consisting of Kaitlyn copying James. Tonight though, James was asking for more to "wink". That's Kaitlyn's word for drink.
Nathan took the kids up for baths tonight while I finished up the dishes. For about 15 minutes I heard the best sounds ever... the funny laughs and giggles of my kids playing and wrestling with their Daddy. It a very, very sentimental day.
Be cautious of open drawers.
A few nights ago I was sleeping upstairs in the guest room since James was still sick. I heard Nathan call out to me, "Mommy! Help?" So I sprang out of bed and went in James room to see a pile right by his face. He must have done it in his sleep. Poor kid. He didn't even have time to react to the fact that he threw up before Nathan was in there helping him out of bed.
I took the sheets downstairs and did my cleaning... it's amazing how rock hard a stomach becomes after being a Mom dealing with throw up. I remember when James constantly spit up and threw up several times as an infant thinking, "It's really no big deal... it's just milk." It's a little more difficult now with the chunks in it, but some how I manage to think the same thing... "It's really no big deal... it's just pizza a ranch dressing, with grapes." SICK.
I was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt to bed and the sleeves got wet, so I went into my bedroom to change my shirt. I noticed that my top drawer was slightly ajar, so I closed it, opened my bottom drawer, got out a new shirt and proceeded to go back upstairs to bed. We got James all tucked back into bed with clean sheets and Mickey since Monkey was now having a "bath" in the clothes washer.
I woke up about 30 minutes later (?) with Nathan at my bedside trying to tell me something. He says, "Did you close a drawer in your dresser?"
"HUH?" I asked.
"Saki was in your drawer in your dresser stuck inside. Now THAT is funny." He says.
Oops. I guess I should watch out for cats nestled in my underwear before I close my drawer in my dresser. LOL. Silly cat.
I took the sheets downstairs and did my cleaning... it's amazing how rock hard a stomach becomes after being a Mom dealing with throw up. I remember when James constantly spit up and threw up several times as an infant thinking, "It's really no big deal... it's just milk." It's a little more difficult now with the chunks in it, but some how I manage to think the same thing... "It's really no big deal... it's just pizza a ranch dressing, with grapes." SICK.
I was wearing a long sleeved t-shirt to bed and the sleeves got wet, so I went into my bedroom to change my shirt. I noticed that my top drawer was slightly ajar, so I closed it, opened my bottom drawer, got out a new shirt and proceeded to go back upstairs to bed. We got James all tucked back into bed with clean sheets and Mickey since Monkey was now having a "bath" in the clothes washer.
I woke up about 30 minutes later (?) with Nathan at my bedside trying to tell me something. He says, "Did you close a drawer in your dresser?"
"HUH?" I asked.
"Saki was in your drawer in your dresser stuck inside. Now THAT is funny." He says.
Oops. I guess I should watch out for cats nestled in my underwear before I close my drawer in my dresser. LOL. Silly cat.
Settle down!
Last night we went over to my parents for home-made pizza and salad. Mmmm. The kids are still recovering from ear infections and other issues, so they weren't looking like their normal happy selves (little dark around the eyes).
James and Kaitlyn were playing in the kids' room while Grandma and I were talking. Mom asked me how old Harrison was now, and I said 4, and we talked about how time just seems to fly by. When James heard that I said Harrison was 4, he piped up... "He's 3!" I had to tell him that Harrison had just had a birthday last week, and now he is 4. Mom and I started talking again about how "Harrison is only 7 months older than James and soon James will be three and a half! ... and then pretty soon he'd be 4! My baby is going to be FOUR!" I got so excited. Mom was laughing and chiming in with me and all of a sudden James says while smiling and laughing, "Settle down! Settle down Mom and Grandma!" We just laughed, and laughed and laughed.
James and Kaitlyn were playing in the kids' room while Grandma and I were talking. Mom asked me how old Harrison was now, and I said 4, and we talked about how time just seems to fly by. When James heard that I said Harrison was 4, he piped up... "He's 3!" I had to tell him that Harrison had just had a birthday last week, and now he is 4. Mom and I started talking again about how "Harrison is only 7 months older than James and soon James will be three and a half! ... and then pretty soon he'd be 4! My baby is going to be FOUR!" I got so excited. Mom was laughing and chiming in with me and all of a sudden James says while smiling and laughing, "Settle down! Settle down Mom and Grandma!" We just laughed, and laughed and laughed.
I can do it by myself!
James has definitely turned the corner these last few weeks (although being sick) into a boy who wants to do things by himself. For about a month now, he's been getting up in the morning, undressing enough to get his nighttime diaper off, then putting his jammy pants back on. One morning he even got his own slippers on before coming to wake me up (in the guest room since our room is downstairs).
He seems to think that it's all fine and good if he goes to the potty, poops, and wipes himself. Not all fine and good. Yesterday I had to have a little bit of a talk with him about how he can do it himself, but he needs Mommy or Daddy to check to make sure everything is "spotless".... if you know what I mean. :) The other day he helped himself to the bathroom after his nap, took his diaper off and went poop in the potty all by himself. He was so proud! We are so proud of him too... especially after months of telling him that he should only poop in the potty now since he's 3.
One more "milestone" for James was a few nights ago. I put him to bed as usual, tucked him in and came downstairs. When I went to check on him about an hour later, he mysteriously had socks on that he didn't have on when I left the room! Ok... so James is 3. He's tall enough to reach to the TOP drawer of his chest (5 feet high?), pull the drawer open, reach over the top of the drawer and get a pair of socks. He's not even 3 and a half!!!!
When I saw those socks, I grinned and chuckled pretty hard under my breath. I got a bit closer to inspect... one was inside out, and the other had the heel of the sock on the top of his foot. But, he did it himself. I love him so much.
We call Kaitlyn "Miss Independent" and she's really sticking to that lately. She has graduated to sitting at the table with us on a booster seat. Goodbye highchair! She's really enjoying it too, I can see the little glimmer in her eye when we're all sitting around the table. Maybe it's the reflection of me beaming that I see in her eye, but it's there. :) She also is getting VERY good at using her spoon, and gently tipping her bowl to get the remains of whatever is in there... usually yogurt or cereal. Thinking that I need to bite the bullet eventually and risk her spilling, I gave her a cup of water the other night to see how she did with it. She did wonderfully! I just had to remind her that she couldn't shake the cup like she does with sippy cups.
This morning (oh by the way, I'm still waiting for James to wake up, and it's 9:07) when we were having breakfast, she ate all of her cereal and milk with bananas all by herself. She wanted more, so I shared my Cheerios with her. She polished those off and I smiled and clapped for her and said, "Kaitlyn! Good girl!" and she says, "Thank you!" My little drama queen.
After breakfast was over, we headed to the family room. I asked Kaitlyn if she wanted to watch a show, and she said, "BARNEY!" clear as a bell. She doesn't ever really get to pick what they watch, since James is usually around and it's whatever is on Disney or Noggin that plays. But this morning, Kaitlyn is watching Barney!
He seems to think that it's all fine and good if he goes to the potty, poops, and wipes himself. Not all fine and good. Yesterday I had to have a little bit of a talk with him about how he can do it himself, but he needs Mommy or Daddy to check to make sure everything is "spotless".... if you know what I mean. :) The other day he helped himself to the bathroom after his nap, took his diaper off and went poop in the potty all by himself. He was so proud! We are so proud of him too... especially after months of telling him that he should only poop in the potty now since he's 3.
One more "milestone" for James was a few nights ago. I put him to bed as usual, tucked him in and came downstairs. When I went to check on him about an hour later, he mysteriously had socks on that he didn't have on when I left the room! Ok... so James is 3. He's tall enough to reach to the TOP drawer of his chest (5 feet high?), pull the drawer open, reach over the top of the drawer and get a pair of socks. He's not even 3 and a half!!!!
When I saw those socks, I grinned and chuckled pretty hard under my breath. I got a bit closer to inspect... one was inside out, and the other had the heel of the sock on the top of his foot. But, he did it himself. I love him so much.
We call Kaitlyn "Miss Independent" and she's really sticking to that lately. She has graduated to sitting at the table with us on a booster seat. Goodbye highchair! She's really enjoying it too, I can see the little glimmer in her eye when we're all sitting around the table. Maybe it's the reflection of me beaming that I see in her eye, but it's there. :) She also is getting VERY good at using her spoon, and gently tipping her bowl to get the remains of whatever is in there... usually yogurt or cereal. Thinking that I need to bite the bullet eventually and risk her spilling, I gave her a cup of water the other night to see how she did with it. She did wonderfully! I just had to remind her that she couldn't shake the cup like she does with sippy cups.
This morning (oh by the way, I'm still waiting for James to wake up, and it's 9:07) when we were having breakfast, she ate all of her cereal and milk with bananas all by herself. She wanted more, so I shared my Cheerios with her. She polished those off and I smiled and clapped for her and said, "Kaitlyn! Good girl!" and she says, "Thank you!" My little drama queen.
After breakfast was over, we headed to the family room. I asked Kaitlyn if she wanted to watch a show, and she said, "BARNEY!" clear as a bell. She doesn't ever really get to pick what they watch, since James is usually around and it's whatever is on Disney or Noggin that plays. But this morning, Kaitlyn is watching Barney!
Thursday, December 4, 2008
Drum roll... and the verdict is... ear infections!
James has ear infections. I asked him yesterday if his throat hurt, knowing that strep is going around, and he said yes. Ok, awesome, I thought, we'll go and get him swabbed and find out. I also asked him if his ears hurt and he said simply, "No!".
Today when we were in the doctor's office seeing Dr. Middleton, and he clearly has ear infections. I asked him, "James, do your ears hurt honey?" and again he replied, "No."
Now how weird is that? Dr. Middleton told us that he's probably throwing up because of the drippage going down to his tummy. Ick.
My mom told me that my brother used to do that when he was little too. He'd have ear infections, never complain, just throw up. So... keep that in your notes. Man oh man... I wish my ear infections never hurt!
James has picked Chick-fil-A for dinner. YUM. Good choice, James.
Kaitlyn was diagnosed with an ear infection on Friday, and I have a sinus infection! Sheesh! Antibiotics all around!
Today when we were in the doctor's office seeing Dr. Middleton, and he clearly has ear infections. I asked him, "James, do your ears hurt honey?" and again he replied, "No."
Now how weird is that? Dr. Middleton told us that he's probably throwing up because of the drippage going down to his tummy. Ick.
My mom told me that my brother used to do that when he was little too. He'd have ear infections, never complain, just throw up. So... keep that in your notes. Man oh man... I wish my ear infections never hurt!
James has picked Chick-fil-A for dinner. YUM. Good choice, James.
Kaitlyn was diagnosed with an ear infection on Friday, and I have a sinus infection! Sheesh! Antibiotics all around!
Photos from Thanksgiving
For all of the photos, click here otherwise, here are some highlights. I didn't take many photos this trip! Sigh.
Wednesday, December 3, 2008
Clenliness is amazing.
James threw up last night at about 9 PM, so naturally, he though he should throw up tonight at approximately the same time. As Nathan and I were about to sit down to watch House, we heard a whisper coming from the top of the stairs... "I have to throw up!"
So Nathan ran upstairs to help James, a little curious to see if he was really serious or just playing. Nathan got the potty seat off of the toilet and put the seat up and said, "You know, I really don't think you have to throw up."
James put his hands on the potty, looked down and said, "Wow, this is a really clean potty!"
Back to bed he went.
James did end up throwing up at around 1 AM and may have earned a trip to the doctor's office today. We will see....
So Nathan ran upstairs to help James, a little curious to see if he was really serious or just playing. Nathan got the potty seat off of the toilet and put the seat up and said, "You know, I really don't think you have to throw up."
James put his hands on the potty, looked down and said, "Wow, this is a really clean potty!"
Back to bed he went.
James did end up throwing up at around 1 AM and may have earned a trip to the doctor's office today. We will see....
Eh-heh I got the flu.
Kaitlyn has digressed in her "yes" into a less formal "eh-heh" for yes. This all started in Iowa, and from out of no where. It is funny, although I much prefer the "yes".
So I got the flu. Tuesday morning at 5:55 I woke up and started the worst 16 hours of my life (for this year anyway). I thought I was going to avoid getting it, but alas, I wasn't so lucky.
Thankfully, Ashley was here to watch the kids all day, and I'm praying to God that she doesn't get sick. Nathan came home at 5 to a crying wife that wanted to go to the hospital. I've never been so uncomfortable, not being able to be still, head pounding, legs aching, puking, and not being able to drink water. I literally was close to calling an ambulance, that's how horrible I felt. I finally was able to nap for an hour or so, only the Lord knows how I ended up falling asleep. After that nap I decided to try some ice chips and water, then a few swigs of soup broth and felt much better. After a bath I felt even more normal, and today I feel good, but not awesome.
One thing I always think is so funny about little ones: they get garlic breath too. Nathan fed the kids pasta and red sauce last night for dinner, and apparently had a bunch of garlic in it because I smell it on Kaitlyn's breath this morning. Not so much on James' breath since he puked it all up last night all over the bathroom. Poor Nathan, bet that was a fun mess to clean up!
I promise more upbeat and fun blogs from the rest of this week! :)
So I got the flu. Tuesday morning at 5:55 I woke up and started the worst 16 hours of my life (for this year anyway). I thought I was going to avoid getting it, but alas, I wasn't so lucky.
Thankfully, Ashley was here to watch the kids all day, and I'm praying to God that she doesn't get sick. Nathan came home at 5 to a crying wife that wanted to go to the hospital. I've never been so uncomfortable, not being able to be still, head pounding, legs aching, puking, and not being able to drink water. I literally was close to calling an ambulance, that's how horrible I felt. I finally was able to nap for an hour or so, only the Lord knows how I ended up falling asleep. After that nap I decided to try some ice chips and water, then a few swigs of soup broth and felt much better. After a bath I felt even more normal, and today I feel good, but not awesome.
One thing I always think is so funny about little ones: they get garlic breath too. Nathan fed the kids pasta and red sauce last night for dinner, and apparently had a bunch of garlic in it because I smell it on Kaitlyn's breath this morning. Not so much on James' breath since he puked it all up last night all over the bathroom. Poor Nathan, bet that was a fun mess to clean up!
I promise more upbeat and fun blogs from the rest of this week! :)
Monday, December 1, 2008
Declared: Jammie and movie day
Since Nathan was still not 100% healthy last night, I slept in the guest room upstairs. Good thing too, since I woke up at 8 a.m. to James saying "I'm going to frow up!" and running to the bathroom. Yep, he threw up. Luckily he didn't have much in his stomach so it was fine. He stood up, flushed the potty and said, "Bye bye frow up!" with a wave and a cheery voice. He says that when he says bye bye to pee pee and poop too. :)
He threw up one more time and had some bad pooping episodes, but it could have been a lot worse. He's still sick though, running a temp., coughing, etc. No school for James tomorrow.
Kaitlyn and I are still sidestepping the flu, but she has slept a ton today. She slept until I woke her up at 11! Then, she had some banana, goldfish and Gatorade and went back to bed at noon. Both kids and MOMMY had wonderful naps. It was definitely a jammies and movie day.
We set a record today too... both kids bathed, in bed and asleep by 7! I hope they don't wake up at 5 a.m.!
I'm still waiting for my bout with the flu... I've had a few nauseous moments today, but luckily, I think I'm in the clear... so far.
He threw up one more time and had some bad pooping episodes, but it could have been a lot worse. He's still sick though, running a temp., coughing, etc. No school for James tomorrow.
Kaitlyn and I are still sidestepping the flu, but she has slept a ton today. She slept until I woke her up at 11! Then, she had some banana, goldfish and Gatorade and went back to bed at noon. Both kids and MOMMY had wonderful naps. It was definitely a jammies and movie day.
We set a record today too... both kids bathed, in bed and asleep by 7! I hope they don't wake up at 5 a.m.!
I'm still waiting for my bout with the flu... I've had a few nauseous moments today, but luckily, I think I'm in the clear... so far.
What a long strange trip it was....
Wow did we have a trip to Iowa.
We arrived in Iowa, as noted in the last blog, with ease and excitement, which continued throughout the first few days. Kaitlyn already had a cold when we left Florida, and then gave it to me and James.
On Thursday, we headed up to Charles City for Thanksgiving with the DeBolt family and we were welcomed into Grandma and Grandpa DeBolt's condo. We had to take two vans since our family has multiplied to 10. The guys (Gary, Nathan, Chris) took the older boys (James and Harrison) in one van and the women (me, Marilyn and Beth) took the babies (Kaitlyn and Bennett) in the other van. James and Harrison got to watch Madagascar on the way up, what lucky kids. :)
We had a nice drive up, and it actually went pretty quickly. Beth and I had a nice, yes nice, conversation about politics, Obama, McCain, Rush Limbaugh, etc. which made the trip go a bit faster. There is nothing like good conversation to get the time going.
It was great to see all of the family: Grandma and Grandpa, Karen and Andy, Pat and Rich and Ben. At the start of dinner we remembered Bobby with nice words and stories. Grandma and Karen worked very hard for us to have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we did. Stuffed... totally overstuffed. :)
Friday was a nice relaxing day for Marilyn, me and the kids. Nathan and Gary drove down to Des Moines to help Chris and Beth rip up their kitchen floor and put down new plywood. The finished project will be wonderful. They had carpet in their kitchen, which is really weird, and Beth is super excited that it's gone.
Friday night, Nathan and I and Beth and Chris left our kids with Grandma and Grandpa for the night so we could go out to eat and have a little fun. We had a very nice dinner accompanied by Ted and Heidi at Star Bar. Very very good. I was sick by this point of our trip with a cold, so being the natural party pooper that I am, insisted we go home by 11. We still didn't get to bed until 1 or so, as we indulged ourselves in Friend's trivia questions and Totinos pizza.
This was the night that we also found out that Emily Wilcke had gone to the hospital for intense stomach pains. It was found that she had a gall stone that was passing, which causes incredible pain. She was in the hospital for three days, and still, I'm not sure if she's home or not. This woman has gone through so much in her life!
On Saturday, Beth and Chris had us and the rest of the family (Randy, Marcy, Marc, Fuzzy and Jean) over for chili and appetizers. We had such a great time in their cozy home, and loved every minute of playing Trivial Pursuit twice. As we were ready to head back to Ames for the night, Nathan came down with the stomach flu. Rockin' times. He thought he was done with it, so he attempted to drive back to Ames, but around 25 minutes into the drive, he finally listened to reason (aka Meredith) and let me finish the drive. The sickness continued through the night so James had Mommy as a sleep mate. Poor Nathan, he really had the brunt of it.
On Sunday, Marilyn and Gary put on a wonderful lunch for us with ham, salads, potatoes, etc. all of the good things we like. Beth and Chris and boys came up too, but Nathan spent much of the day in bed. Mind you... our flight was scheduled to leave at 8 p.m. on Sunday and my husband is lying in bed sick as a dog.
By 4 p.m., which was time to pack up and start the moving out process, Marilyn got sick. Now I was convinced that the kids or I would start puking momentarily. I told Nathan, "If the kids or I start puking before the flight, we are NOT going." Against my desire, we headed for Des Moines. Weather: cold. Roads: slippery. Highway 30 onramp: closed. Since we couldn't enter the onramp due to cars in the ditch or an accident blocking Eastbound traffic, we turned around and headed south on Highway 69... slowly. It's a good thing that we left early, as we needed all of that extra time to go 40 mph all the way to Ankeny when we finally got back to I-35. From then on out we were fine, I relaxed a bit, and no one else was throwing up. Good.
We got our three bags, two car seats, two kids and one stroller out of the rental car and Nathan took the car to be returned. The kids and I patiently waited for him by the check in counter and when he arrived, we moved all of our stuff to check in. As things were being finalized and our boarding passes printed, James tells Nathan that he's going to throw up. RUN!!!!!!!!!!! Nathan took James to the bathroom walking quickly and trying not to run, but came back pretty soon after and said that nothing had happened, that James was fine. Whew.
We got through security without a hitch (which to me was a surprise because the rest of the trip had been hellish), ate dinner at the restaurant, and boarded our flight without problems. Nathan and Kaitlyn slept in the row behind James and me, eventually. James and I watched Barney, and then I tried to get him comfortable to fall asleep on my lap, but he twitched and stirred until he couldn't handle it anymore. He finally passed out, and we immediately started our decent into Sanford. Perfect timing James! ;)
I could barely wake him up enough for him to walk out of the plane after we pulled up to the gate. He had to walk, we had so much stuff to carry, but he refused. Nathan carried him and Kaitlyn's car seat and I rolled Kaitlyn in the stroller to the baggage claim. We eventually made it home at 1 a.m. and headed to bed at 2 a.m.
It was very nice to see everyone, and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving, but I'm very thankful to be HOME.
We arrived in Iowa, as noted in the last blog, with ease and excitement, which continued throughout the first few days. Kaitlyn already had a cold when we left Florida, and then gave it to me and James.
On Thursday, we headed up to Charles City for Thanksgiving with the DeBolt family and we were welcomed into Grandma and Grandpa DeBolt's condo. We had to take two vans since our family has multiplied to 10. The guys (Gary, Nathan, Chris) took the older boys (James and Harrison) in one van and the women (me, Marilyn and Beth) took the babies (Kaitlyn and Bennett) in the other van. James and Harrison got to watch Madagascar on the way up, what lucky kids. :)
We had a nice drive up, and it actually went pretty quickly. Beth and I had a nice, yes nice, conversation about politics, Obama, McCain, Rush Limbaugh, etc. which made the trip go a bit faster. There is nothing like good conversation to get the time going.
It was great to see all of the family: Grandma and Grandpa, Karen and Andy, Pat and Rich and Ben. At the start of dinner we remembered Bobby with nice words and stories. Grandma and Karen worked very hard for us to have a wonderful Thanksgiving, and we did. Stuffed... totally overstuffed. :)
Friday was a nice relaxing day for Marilyn, me and the kids. Nathan and Gary drove down to Des Moines to help Chris and Beth rip up their kitchen floor and put down new plywood. The finished project will be wonderful. They had carpet in their kitchen, which is really weird, and Beth is super excited that it's gone.
Friday night, Nathan and I and Beth and Chris left our kids with Grandma and Grandpa for the night so we could go out to eat and have a little fun. We had a very nice dinner accompanied by Ted and Heidi at Star Bar. Very very good. I was sick by this point of our trip with a cold, so being the natural party pooper that I am, insisted we go home by 11. We still didn't get to bed until 1 or so, as we indulged ourselves in Friend's trivia questions and Totinos pizza.
This was the night that we also found out that Emily Wilcke had gone to the hospital for intense stomach pains. It was found that she had a gall stone that was passing, which causes incredible pain. She was in the hospital for three days, and still, I'm not sure if she's home or not. This woman has gone through so much in her life!
On Saturday, Beth and Chris had us and the rest of the family (Randy, Marcy, Marc, Fuzzy and Jean) over for chili and appetizers. We had such a great time in their cozy home, and loved every minute of playing Trivial Pursuit twice. As we were ready to head back to Ames for the night, Nathan came down with the stomach flu. Rockin' times. He thought he was done with it, so he attempted to drive back to Ames, but around 25 minutes into the drive, he finally listened to reason (aka Meredith) and let me finish the drive. The sickness continued through the night so James had Mommy as a sleep mate. Poor Nathan, he really had the brunt of it.
On Sunday, Marilyn and Gary put on a wonderful lunch for us with ham, salads, potatoes, etc. all of the good things we like. Beth and Chris and boys came up too, but Nathan spent much of the day in bed. Mind you... our flight was scheduled to leave at 8 p.m. on Sunday and my husband is lying in bed sick as a dog.
By 4 p.m., which was time to pack up and start the moving out process, Marilyn got sick. Now I was convinced that the kids or I would start puking momentarily. I told Nathan, "If the kids or I start puking before the flight, we are NOT going." Against my desire, we headed for Des Moines. Weather: cold. Roads: slippery. Highway 30 onramp: closed. Since we couldn't enter the onramp due to cars in the ditch or an accident blocking Eastbound traffic, we turned around and headed south on Highway 69... slowly. It's a good thing that we left early, as we needed all of that extra time to go 40 mph all the way to Ankeny when we finally got back to I-35. From then on out we were fine, I relaxed a bit, and no one else was throwing up. Good.
We got our three bags, two car seats, two kids and one stroller out of the rental car and Nathan took the car to be returned. The kids and I patiently waited for him by the check in counter and when he arrived, we moved all of our stuff to check in. As things were being finalized and our boarding passes printed, James tells Nathan that he's going to throw up. RUN!!!!!!!!!!! Nathan took James to the bathroom walking quickly and trying not to run, but came back pretty soon after and said that nothing had happened, that James was fine. Whew.
We got through security without a hitch (which to me was a surprise because the rest of the trip had been hellish), ate dinner at the restaurant, and boarded our flight without problems. Nathan and Kaitlyn slept in the row behind James and me, eventually. James and I watched Barney, and then I tried to get him comfortable to fall asleep on my lap, but he twitched and stirred until he couldn't handle it anymore. He finally passed out, and we immediately started our decent into Sanford. Perfect timing James! ;)
I could barely wake him up enough for him to walk out of the plane after we pulled up to the gate. He had to walk, we had so much stuff to carry, but he refused. Nathan carried him and Kaitlyn's car seat and I rolled Kaitlyn in the stroller to the baggage claim. We eventually made it home at 1 a.m. and headed to bed at 2 a.m.
It was very nice to see everyone, and we had a wonderful Thanksgiving, but I'm very thankful to be HOME.
Grandma Lois Casey
I got this email from my mom today, on the anniversary of my Grandmother's death. I think it is important to include in the blog, especially to keep the memory of this wonderful woman alive in our hearts.
Hi dears,
Today is the anniversary of my mom's death. Can you believe it's been a whole year? I keep thinking of this day last year, how my brothers, my sisters-in-law and I were all around her bed, talking to her, even tho we were not sure she could hear us, and how good the nurses were about coming in and turning her, changing her sheets, treating her with such care and dignity. It was during one of these times that we all stepped out of the room,the guys went to check a football score in the lunch room and Sharon and I were visiting right outside Mom's door. The nurse from hospice was standing in the doorway, and gently told us that mom had not taken another breath for about 30 seconds. So we all came back to her bedside and she never did take another breath. And so her life ended here on earth, but the love she left behind still is with us and within us. She was a dear.
And you all are dear to me. Love, MOM
Grandma, Kathy and Kaitlyn
Four generations.
Hi dears,
Today is the anniversary of my mom's death. Can you believe it's been a whole year? I keep thinking of this day last year, how my brothers, my sisters-in-law and I were all around her bed, talking to her, even tho we were not sure she could hear us, and how good the nurses were about coming in and turning her, changing her sheets, treating her with such care and dignity. It was during one of these times that we all stepped out of the room,the guys went to check a football score in the lunch room and Sharon and I were visiting right outside Mom's door. The nurse from hospice was standing in the doorway, and gently told us that mom had not taken another breath for about 30 seconds. So we all came back to her bedside and she never did take another breath. And so her life ended here on earth, but the love she left behind still is with us and within us. She was a dear.
And you all are dear to me. Love, MOM
Grandma Lois Casey, Kathy and James
Grandma, Kathy and Kaitlyn
Four generations.
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