Back to reality

Life has been crazy since we re-entered reality. Our vacation was REALLY nice! Mom was especially happy to see us as were the kids :o). We got right back into the swing of things, but had a nice treat on Friday night. We got a babysitter and went to the Children’s Museum donor dinner for Ryan’s work. It was a nice presentation and Kristi Yamaguchi was there accepting her award for her work with children. Steve Wozniak made a surprise visit and they did a little Q&A which was entertaining. The food and wine were fabulous and mom and dad were happy to go home with a signed book and wine openers that they “stole”. Gotta watch those two……

They had just told me about their loot:

Sat. we checked out green almonds at our neighbors prompting. We weren’t quite sure how to eat them, so we googled it and found out you are supposed to eat the whole thing. It was interesting, but I’m not sure you’ll find us on Almond Ave. anytime soon. Reggie had a baseball game that afternoon and we almost fell asleep. The kids pitch, so things don’t move all that quick. Thankfully, Reggie hasn’t gotten beaned yet.

Gma and Gpa left early Sunday morning and we had 3 days to get organized and back into our routine before the Rinehardt’s came! We miss Grandma and Grandpa….for us it seemed like a quick trip….for them, probably not! Way too much excitement.

Reggie eating with chopsticks at Uncle U's and finally feeling better:
Grandpa taking it easy after working so hard on our yard. It is a bit overwhelming for us and we are very glad to have some help!

The kids having a snack at the Bass Pro Shop in a tent....pretty sure that is against the rules:

Hanging out at the hotel in Monterey-thank goodness grandma brought a bunch of Scooby Doo DVD's because there was a lot of t.v. watched:

Aquarium visit-Reggie in his wheelchair:

Ainsley and grandma having a little fun in the hot tub...trying to stay sane:

Rome

Well, after wandering around a bit, we finally found our hotel. In the process, we learned quickly that Rome is very different than the other European countries we have visited. It is very busy and overcrowded and not so clean (very hard to find a garbage can). However, it was sunny and 75 degrees and is very rich in history which we really enjoyed. We took an open tour yesterday and visited the 10 most popular places to see in Rome. We saw lots of really old buildings with amazing detail and sculptures, Trevi Fountain, the Vatican, Spanish steps, the Capital and Roman Forum, but our favorite, far and away, was the Coliseum and ancient Roman ruins. We must have walked for 6-7 hours today and Ryan is snoring as I type. He doesn’t hold up so well with a lot of walking. We probably spent 4 hours at the Roman ruins and Coliseum. It was amazing to see such a huge structure that was built 2000 years ago, around 72AD! It was used until 570 AD and then it wasn’t as cool to watch Gladiators killing each other or animals killing each other or people! 50,000 people would attend these events. An earthquake destroyed the top layer on the one side and all the marble and travertine were taken off and used in other building projects in Rome, so it isn’t as preserved as it could be. It would have been neat to see what it was like back then. The ruins were also very interesting…much of it was covered by dirt and they have been excavating for many years and will continue for many more. We were very impressed by the size and detail of many of these structures and wonder how they got to the top without cranes! Here’s just a few pics….there are too many to post: Looking down into the Coliseum. The bottom is a series of rooms and tunnels that were originally under a wood floor. They had trap doors where exotic animals popped up out of during events. The bottom of the picture is a floor they added later to show what it looked like. Romans ruins

Listening to our audo tour on the second floor of the bus:Saint Peter Basilica:

View looking down from the Spanish steps-not too many people out and about on a Sat.:

Trevi Fountain Longest building I've ever seen. Not sure what it is, but it was several blocks long:

Dirty feet:

Yum, Yum

We’ve had some pizza, which is different (very thin crust), but really good and absolutely huge, which made us both happy :o). We also had their famous gilatto and that is some good stuff too, kinda like sorbet. We are very happy to have made it through our tourist day….we were lucky not to get run over, pick pocketed or taken. They have street vendors selling all kinds of things. While I was getting some gilatto, a local struck up a conversation with Ryan and when I turned around, he was putting a bracelet on him and wanted over $8 for a piece of string. I told him no way, we would give him 1 euro (about $1.50) which it wasn’t even worth. He said no and I told him to cut it off, which he did, but he told Ryan to get a new one and pointed to me! We both had a good laugh. Our hotels have been very nice, but none have had screens on the windows. We had a huge bug issue in Germany, but not since. The fresh air is a must, but it is kinda noisy-lots of sirens that remind us of the movies. Our hotel here in Rome has a Bidet and curiosity got the best of me and I had to try. Was interesting, but not sure I’d go out and get one! TV has been lacking. Only Norway had English speaking channels. Ryan was just flipping through the channels here in Rome and came across Scooby Doo….Reggie would be happy here, but not able to understand anything! We are having a bit of a lazy day today, heading to Milan later. We found a local market which was interesting to see the lack of choices, but we were happy to get some fruit and veggies :o). On the home front, Reggie is still improving, but will probably be awhile until he has fully recovered. Mom had a little more excitement with dad as they went to the ER last night because dad couldn’t pee. Turns out his prostate is so enlarged that he can’t go to the bathroom, so now he has a catheter for who knows how long. Good thing we’ll be home in a few days…..not sure how much more grandma can take!

From Rome, we flew to Milan. Milan is a very big city and we were on the edge and since Ryan had to work, we didn't explore at all. We stayed at Hotel For You and it was very modern, so much so that we couldn't figure out how to get the lights on and off. I had a very nice, relaxing day, exercising, reading my bible and finding a local grocery store while Ryan worked. That night we went to a real Italian restaurant. It didn't even open until 7:30! There was much more of a language barrier there, but we managed with the help of some nice locals. That was a treat to see. The funny thing was that no one ordered pizza! They were all eating piles of meat, bread and cooked mozzarella. Our pizza's were delicious :o).

Norway

Reggie is finally fever free….after 7 long days! Thank you for your prayers….God is faithful :o). I can tell mom is feeling much better. She had her hands full with my hypochondriac father who had to go to the dr. for a sore throat (which is a big deal when you are out of state and on medicare) and Reggie who was actually very sick. They went to Monterey for a couple days and Reggie was too sick to do much, but they ventured to the Aquarium where he got pushed around in a wheelchair! Ainsley has been great and keeping grandma entertained and somewhat sane. The morning they were heading home, Reggie woke up with another fever over 103 and grandma had had it. They called the dr. and made an appt., but surprise, surprise, they got lost on the way back. Dad isn’t very calming in these situations (to say the least) and then the gas light came on in the car. They were going to be late for Reggie’s appt., so Dad was speeding (he used to drive soooo fast, but when he retired, he slowed down and mom was making him speed on the way to California). Anyway, long story short, he got pulled over and the cop was very nice, but still gave them a ticket! I’m not sure Grandma and Grandpa will ever want to come and babysit again!!!!

We arrived in Norway in the late evening on Tuesday and were very happy to finally find our hotel and even happier to find a McDonald’s. It is surprising how expensive it is over here…$30 later we were out of McDonad’s. That meal would have cost about $10 in the US! The next day Ryan wanted a Blizzard, so we went back and I spotted the carrots from the kids meal and that was my dessert. When he got the receipt, I took a look and the carrots were 25 Krones which is about $5 and I only got 4 baby carrots!!!!

The next day Ryan had his meetings, so I went to the gym. I took a lifting class the Tuesday before we left and my body wasn’t happy about that and I knew I needed to loosen things up. It worked like a charm and my pains are much better. Then I walked around the city for a couple hours and met Ryan and his work friends for dinner. They were a very nice group and we learned a lot about Norway and their way of life :o). We asked them how they managed with everything being so expensive and it sounds like they just don’t eat out, except maybe once a month. Even so, we still don’t know how they afford clothes/housing/taxes and all the things we are used to buying. It gave me a bit of appreciation for how little things cost in the states. They also do dinner a bit different. We go out to eat for the FOOD and they go for the experience and company. 3 hours later, I was ready to head back, but we went for a short walk and then had a nightcap! Thank goodness they were fun to talk to!!! Ryan was almost head bobbing by the end of it (we weren’t sleeping all that well because our room was very warm, so we opened the windows and heard all the commotion outside…loud people, trains, etc. They don’t have top sheets either, so it was sleep with nothing or have a heavy comforter). I had taken a nap that day, so was feeling pretty good :o).

We slept very well that night and went sight-seeing the next day. We stopped at Viggeland Park which is a park full of fun naked statues. It was very impressive. From there, we went to the ski jump and that was amazing. It was windy, which added to the experience and made me a little nervous. I’m not sure you can really get a feel from the pictures, but it was so high. From there, we took the train, got on a public ferry and went to the Kon-Tiki Museum and learned about Thor Heyerdahl who built a raft out of wood and reeds to show how early migrants settled islands in the middle of the Ocean. We also visited the Viking Ship Museum and saw some amazing boats that were excavated out of farmland. Apparently the ships became coffins for important people and they were buried in the hull with all kinds of supplies and gold. I’m not sure how they made it so far on the open ocean, but they ruled the seas in the late 1800’s. The last place we visited right before closing, so we motored through Polar Ship Fram. It was a cruise ship from the early 1900’s and was pretty awesome in size. We probably know more about Norweigan history than the US! I have to say that Norway was a great place to visit, neat things to see, nice people and an awesome train system! Viggeland Park Ski Jump

View from the top of the ski jump!

Viking Ship

Kon-Tiki raft

Hei from Norway

The last couple days haven't been so good, worrying and thinking about Reggie. He went to the doctor on Tues. and has Pneumonia. We were all hoping he'd wake up ready to go on Wed., but no luck. The doctor wanted to give the antibiotics a couple days to work, but they aren't working, so he will go back today. He is doing okay, but very quiet and slow moving and even in his voice I can hear he isn't feeling well. I just wish I could give him a big hug :o(. Please pray that he will get better quickly, so we can all enjoy ourselves (poor grandma is stressed out)!!! Even more to brighten your day.....Dachau was disturbing to say the least. It makes me wonder what goes on in people's minds to think that treating people like that is o.k. Many were skin and bones and tried to kill themselves to end their misery. I won't go on too much because there isn't anything good to say., except the US and another country saved the day and shut this place down. Here's just one of the several graphic pictures:

Hallo from Germany

Well, our trip was a bit touch and go because of our sick children. Thursday morning Reggie woke up with a stomach ache and wasn’t his usual self. I kept him home, but thought I might be able to take him late. No such luck…he then got a fever and cough. Mom and dad made good time driving from Washington and were at our house by 5:30. The kids were super excited!!! Reggie was doing pretty good at that point, but Friday afternoon, he really took a dive and had a fever over 103. Sat. morning was even worse. He couldn’t even walk to the bathroom and had no energy to even move and his temp. was closer to 104. That was the night we were supposed to leave. We made all kinds of calls to see if we could change our flight around or we considered having me stay back for a couple days, but Ainsley woke up with a fever that morning and if I stayed until she was better, there was no point in going. We decided to take Reggie to the doctor, just to rule out an ear infection, strep or pneumonia and found out that there was a 5 day fever virus going around that seemed to peak on the 3^rd day, so Reggie should have been through the worst. This made us feel a little better and we just decided to trust that it would all work out. And thankfully, we did because when we called to check on them, both were doing much better…..God is good!!!

Dad got right to work mowing the lawn, cleaning driveway cracks, etc. The yard should be looking great when we get back in 9 days. Mom got right to playing with the kids and they have been having fun since. I wonder when they’ll notice we’re gone????

Everything has gone pretty smooth for us so far. Our flight was long and super hot. At one point I thought I might throw up because it was so warm, but I walked to the back of the plane and enjoyed the cool air. They also had a standing area/bathroom downstairs, but it was packed. We watched a couple movies and enjoyed some teriyaki chicken and rice :o). We slept a good amount and when we arrived in Munich, it was 5 ish, so we walked around the Am Tucherpark and went to a beer garden. It was about 75 degrees and one of the first nice days, so EVERYONE was out and about, like 500 people! They had live music and it was a very nice atmosphere, but we didn’t have EUROS, so we went back to the hotel for dinner. It was late by then and time for bed. We slept pretty well considering the time change and were up bright and early to head toward the 2 castles. Our GPS was trying to take us on a bike trail, so we decided change the address to the 2^nd castle and see where it took us. I’m glad we did because we were not going in the right direction. We finally arrived to a very rainy and cold (41 degrees) Linderhof Castle. This was King Ludwig’s castle and it was quite decorative (unfortunately, they don’t let you take pictures), massive wall paintings on silk, real gold accents and a table that went from the bottom floor up to his eating area (apparently, when he got older, he got a little fat and only had 4 teeth, so he didn’t want anyone watching him eat and didn’t really even want anyone seeing him. He slept during the day and was awake at night to avoid contact with people). He sounded a bit crazy and was taken out of office for mental reasons and was found dead the next day. He even made a manmade cave with a lake and boat in the cave. It was pretty amazing to see the structures they build in the 1870’s! From there we headed to the Neuschwanstein Caslte that the Disneyland castle was molded after. These castles are out in the mountains and the roads were windy with no sign of anything….not the best feeling, but we finally made it. Neuschwanstein was huge in comparison, but not nearly as detailed. The view was amazing, along with its location on a steep hillside! Not sure how it was constructed, but it was impressive.

The drive back to Munich was about 2 hours and we were sooo tired and a little goofy. We’ve been laughing a lot and it feels good :o). I had forgotten how funny we are! One of the funnier things is the word “exit”. It is all over the freeways, Ausfarht! Maybe this is where the American term “fart” comes from :o). We also were a bit surprised by the stick shift in the rental car. That has given us a few laughs when Ryan has forgotten to put the clutch in!

This is not our rental car :o(. Ryan is trying to figure out a way to work in Europe so he can drive a BMW, Mercedes or Audi....he is drooling:

We are going to the concentration camp, Dachau, today and then heading to Norway this afternoon.

Cub Scouts Pinewood Derby

The Car:

Ryan and Reggie started with a block of wood and some wheels and had to turn it into something fast. The boy scouts have clinics with tools to help make these beauties perfect, so Ryan took Reggie, but the line was so long, they left. So, they came home and got to work. Looked at some pictures on-line and then Ryan used his small collection of tools and viola!

The competition:

Each scout event we go to is new for us and always a surprise. It is amazing how much time and energy the leaders put into making things work and how many kids participate. There must have been 40 cars there. The track is metal and the cars line up at the top and race down to the bottom. It is all electronic and the times are posted on a computer screen. They raced several times to make sure the cars raced in each lane and then did some crazy calculation to come up with the 6 finalists. Reggie ended up being one! The six finalist raced 6 times (they had to race in each lane) and Reggie got 2nd 4 times and 4th 2 times, so we were pretty sure he was going to get a trophy. We thought he would get 3rd, but they didn't call his name, so we were worried he wasn't going to get one. We didn't realize there were 3 kids from each group that were racing in the finals and he was the top in his age. Then they called his name for 1st place!!!

The trophy:

Let's just say, Reggie was a little excited and has slept with it at the head of the bed every night!

We're back.....

Reggie

Lots has happened with Reggie over the last month. Most important, he is finally healthy! He lost 2 more teeth, so 5 total now. One fell out during a game of take-out. Ryan saw Reggie fall and thought it bounced out of his mouth. Reggie swears that dad’s hand brushed his mouth and it fell out. Whatever happened, it was good it was out. No one likes pulling teeth. The second one came out last night while eating ice cream. He was reading a book to me and stopped and was fiddling in his mouth and out came his tooth. I think he almost ate it!

On Thursday night, Reggie was in his first play. The play was about a spider named Anansi. When he first started talking about the play, I thought he said ,”A Nazi”. Glad that wasn’t the case! He was a Zebra and sang a couple songs. He was excited about it, so I think he enjoyed it on some level, although you can see from the pics it doesn’t appear he is having much fun.

Last weekend was opening day for baseball and Reggie has already had 2 games since. He is not too confident, but getting better. He got a hit in the second game and everyone was soooo excited for him. He got the game star :o). I’m still not thinking sports are his thing, but time will tell. After school, he asks to practice and is really enjoying catching and throwing and I’m glad he is having fun.

We had his teacher conference last week and he is right on track. A little slow in reading, but at his grade level, so we are just continuing to practice, so he can get faster. I have noticed a huge improvement in his reading over the last month and many of the words I think he won’t get, he is able to figure them out. He is still having friend issues….they fight over who sits next to him and apparently in the lunch room, his friend Colin has one spot everyday and the other is up for grabs. The lunch monitors have told me that they usually have to step in to sort out the order and make sure everyone gets a turn. Funny thing is that Reggie could care less! I’m glad he is such a good boy and well liked by his friends :o).

We visited the orthodontist at Reggie’s request last week. His loose tooth was hitting the top tooth and he would cry out in pain. All of his x-rays and molds are done and we go back in a week to see how they are going to fix his cross-bite. It was not a fun process, but he did AWESOME! Nothing like bribing him with a meal at Sweet Tomatoes.

Ainsley

Two days after finishing her antibiotics, Ainsley got another fever and sore throat and ended up having strep again. This created quite a predicament for the Dr. and we all got tested recently to make sure we weren’t carriers and giving it to her. Because of her ear infection and then strep, we had to try yet another antibiotic. I think the meds just didn’t work the first time because she has been fine since the second round.

We missed quite a bit of school, dance and gymnastics and are happy to get back into the swing of things. She is in a recital at the end of the year and has the most beautiful outfit, which she shows to everyone and is quick to tell them no one can wear it or touch it until her performance.

We also had Ainsley’s conference a couple weeks ago and I was a bit surprised that they wanted her to have one more year of preschool. She is fine academically, but they are worried because she is so shy. I have been encouraging her to talk to her teachers and ask questions and let them know that she can be herself at school. She raises her hand in circle time and gives comments to her classmates during this time, which is more than Reggie ever did in preschool, so I think it will be fine. She’ll also have a few friends in her class, which I think will help with her comfort level. Amazing that they both are so different in public settings. I have had a couple very surprised parents when the real Ainsley comes out to play at their houses…turns out she isn’t quite as docile as they thought :o).

Sunday we headed to Cal Berkeley for some college gymnastics. Stanford, Cal, Oregon and Denver were there, so it was plenty busy and the girls were in awe of all the flipping going on. Ainsley choked on a pretzel and threw up all over herself, which wasn’t so much fun, but other than that, I think the girls had a good time. Laura brought a portable DVD for the ride, so Ainsley was in heaven!

Oh, I almost forgot, when Ainsley was sick, she crawled in our bed a couple nights and we were so tired we didn't take her back. Then she got better and was still coming in. We had to firmly tell her no more, so she decided to crawl into Reggie's bed. He decided he liked it, so now they both sleep together in a twin bed. It seems to be working, except the morning...when one wakes up, the other does too. And it isn't so convenient when Reggie pees the bed, not once, but twice in one night and the first was so bad that they both had to have new pj's! Ryan took a firm stand that they weren't sleeping together anymore and they cried and cried and after about 8 minutes, he couldn't take it and caved. I think we are stuck with this for awhile.

Trina

Well, I am finally getting back to myself, slowly but surely! The last couple weeks have been great (minus a couple days) and my energy is returning. I’m down to dropping my eye 4 times a day. It has decided to stay dilated for some reason and the doctor isn’t really sure why, but is hoping it will return to normal at some point. My blood pressure is at a much more comfortable level and is continuing to go down, so it will just take some more time. Still a mystery why my body responds this way, but they have ruled out some things, like lupus and RA, so that is good. Even better is that my back has continued to be amazing. When I think back to this time last year, the picture was very different, so praise God for that!!!!

Ryan

Work is still crazy busy for him, although the travel has slowed down a bit which has been nice since we’ve all been sick and I’ve not been myself. We’ve been praying that something changes, so we’ll just be patient and make the best of the situation we are in. I finally had enough of being left home with sick kids, so I will be going with him on his next trip and I’m starting to get a little more excited about it (was initially concerned about traveling with all that is going on)! We leave in 3 weeks and are going to Germany, Norway and Italy. Grandma and grandpa can deal with the sickies….no, hopefully, everyone stays nice and healthy!!!

We’ve also had the babysitter come a few times this last month and have enjoyed going out to dinner, the movies and a basketball crab feed fundraiser. That was sure an interesting event…lots of drinking and dancing. We had a great time people watching and I think we left before it got really interesting.

Multi-tasking

Video of Reggie's play:

Well, I wish I could write about all the fun adventures we've had the past couple weeks, but our outings have consisted of trips to the doctor.

I am battling a bout of high blood pressure, most likely due to the arthritis flare in my body. Seems that when my body is under stress, that is the first thing affected. On Thursday, I went to the doctor and found a fabulous one that knows about my disease, so something good came out of it :o). Sat. I woke up with a sore throat and didn't feel all that great, but powered through.

We did have about a week where the kids were healthy and managed to squeeze a sleepover in with Kayla and Daniella and the kids had a blast! I was wondering how Reggie would do with all girls, but Kayla had him entertained and she is just as imaginitive, so they were doing puppet shows and building balloon light sabers and fighting Ainsley and Daniella in the bounce house.

Monday afternoon Reggie started getting a fever and Ainsley was complaining of a sore throat. It was a ROUGH night...Reggie slept with me and Ainsley with Ryan. In the morning they both were burning up and Reggie's eye was bloodshot and gooey, so I made an appt. for him. By the time his appt. rolled around, it was clear that Ainsley was in much worse shape, so I had them both seen and she had strep. My throat was still hurting, so it made sense that I was the source. I made a quick appt. and my test was very positive. the nurse was wondering how I was in such good shape and I told her how much Ibuprofin I'm taking for my eye and then it all made sense...kinda scary! So, I had been walking around with strep for 4 days, with no fever, not much pain and my throat didn't even look suspicious and God only knows how many people I gave it to. Unfortunately, Kayla and Dani got it too :o(. They tested Reggie and he was fine.
So, forward to Thursday and Reggie is still sick as can be and I was thinking he had to have a sinus infection or something because he was wiped out and not getting better at all. Then he tells me about a pain on his butt. He had a couple red-like pimples that looked suspicious. So, off to the doctor today. We divided and conquered, I had an eye appt. and Reggie went with Ryan. My eye is getting better, but not gone, so I'm still dropping every hour for another week, but at least I get to stop dilating it. The doctor cleared Reggie's cold, but didn't like the red spots (thinking it could be strep or staff), so he joined the antibiotic club and already seems to be improving.
Some fun during our sick time:
So, this last month, I have been to the doctor 6 times and Reggie and Ainsley have been 4 times and that doesn't include the pharmacy....let's just say I know the pharmacist by name and am greeted nicely. I think we must have spent $350 on copays alone :o(. I thought I was ready for spring a couple weeks ago, but I'm really ready now!!!
Here's a picture of the antibiotic club:

Is this what insanity feels like? Maybe it is the new normal……

Life has been a whirlwind since we got back (actually since summer!). Reggie had a very difficult adjustment back to reality as did we all. School, homework and schedules just aren’t as fun as grandma and grandpa’s.

Early last week, Ainsley had a terrible cough that was non-stop, which turned into a fever for several days and finally an ear infection on Friday. At the same time, my eye was flaring up a couple and I finally went in on Monday. Sure enough, I was having an Iritis (linked to my arthritis) flare and started steroid drops right away. My doctor tapered me too quickly and I went back on Friday of last week because it felt funny and it was much worse. Ryan left that day for China and it has been a rough go since. Not too much sleep, cranky Ainsley who wants a nap everyday at 4, dropping my eye every hour (and having it dilated) and then Reggie tells me on Tuesday that he was getting a cold, which has ended up being the flu. He threw up last night and has had a fever since. We went to baseball try-outs at the wrong time and when we came back the garage door wouldn’t open. At that point I just had to laugh. God is funny sometimes and humor has helped me get through the week. I took a bath the other night, which I never do, but was feeling like relaxing after a really rough day and when I got out a toy in the guest room said, “Peek a boo I see you.” Totally freaked me out…I was hoping there wasn’t an intruder. I went and checked and shook the toy and then was getting my pj’s on when it said, “I love you.” I felt like God was talking to me, saying I’m watching over you and I love you and I got your back. He knows how much we can handle…we got a call from Children and Family Services the Sunday before Ryan left because a 1 ½ year old boy needed a home. We were just about to head out the door when she called and said he was going back with his mother. Can you imagine if God hadn’t sent that child home. I’d really be in the loony bin!

Ainsley had her first good day today and was entertaining us with dancing/gymnastics and just chit chatting about her crazy stuff. I think it made Reggie feel better…it made us laugh anyway! We will be very happy to have Ryan come home tomorrow!

And to all you moms who go at it alone all the time or did in the past, my hat is off to you :o).

Someday I'll post some pics of our vacation at home, but computer work is really hard on my eye, so it might be awhile.....Here's a video of Ainsley doing a "flip":

Crazy busy!

It has been a few weeks and life has been crazy!

Reggie’s costume birthday party was a lot of fun for the kids. Ryan and I got into the spirit…he was Darth Vader and I was a witch. The kids weren’t quite sure what to think. Not quite sure what we were thinking have 7 little boys (and 1 girl) running around! Thankfully, the weather was decent and they wanted to play outside, so that worked out quite well :o). They played some basketball, then Frisbee. Ryan went out to referee a bit and make sure they weren’t sending things over the fence. Reggie was so happy to have all of his friends surrounding him in costume. He changed his outfit 3 times and finally decided on Obi Wan Kenobi (we quickly put all the light sabers away!).

Ainsley had Naomi to play with and they were hiding from the noise in her room and were watching with big eyes at cake time. Boys are so much different and so much louder. Here’s a few pics of the fun day:

Excited about his cake:

Posing:

Goofing around this week....Ainsley was pulling santa:

The following weekend, Reggie had 3 birthday parties, one Friday night and 2 on Sat. (he was invited to another one, but the times overlapped-crazy!). JD’s was on Friday at a place called Boomer’s. They played laser tag, mini golf and then Reggie had to leave to get to bed for his big day on Sat. He missed out on the go carts, so we’ll have to go back and use his punch card. He’s decided that is where he wants his party next year! Ryan was happy to hear that because he is not wanting to have it at our house anymore. He had Michael’s soccer party the next morning, which he also enjoyed and then he headed to San Francisco with Caleb. They took the ferry, ate at the Rainforest Café and window shopped. He isn’t usually very descriptive, but I was able to get a lot of info. about his adventure. He thought the painted people statues were really cool :o).

While Reggie was off doing his thing, we got to have Ainsley for the afternoon! It was a nice treat for her to have all the attention. We decided to take her to the movies because we can’t go as a family with Reggie as he gets too scared and we end up in the lobby. We decided to see Tangled and it was very good Reggie wasn’t there because we would have been out of there in 5 minutes. I have to say it was pretty scary and Ainsley completely lost it at the end when the evil mother stabbed the boyfriend. We’ve had many conversations since then about the blood in his stomach and the evil mother :o(. I had heard from so many people that it was a great movie and it is if you are an older child or adult, but I should have read reviews. Not recommended for younger children!

Sunday, we packed our clothes for our trip and relaxed a bit.

This week has been nuts. Ryan has had work activities 2 nights and Wed. night both kids had their Christmas performances. When I was working out at home, I saw her sitting on the couch, looking out the window, practicing her songs and had movements. It was pretty cute and I asked her if she was going to sing this time. “No, mom, my teachers don’t make me and my friends don’t sing either.” I tried to talk her into it, but as you can see, she wasn’t having any of it. I couldn’t get Reggie to crack a smile either…at least he sang. Here’s some pics-I’m not expecting any broadway stars from this household!:

Today has been a busy day, wrapping up loose ends, before we get on the plane first thing Sat. morning! Everyone is very excited to go to Washington!!! We’ll be seeing some of you very soon :o).

Our little troll (she had this expression at least half the time!). Has Agnes returned?:

7

Happy Birthday big guy! Reggie had a very special birthday today, starting with 3 phone calls from the grandma’s and Aunt Liha/Maggie. Ryan was home this morning and made chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast, along with strawberries from the patch! The kids probably weren’t even hungry at lunch time. No, this is Reggie we’re talking about….he ate all his teriyaki chicken! We played a bit after school and then headed home to do homework. The deal was he couldn’t open his presents until his homework was done, nothing like a little motivation :o). He was very excited to open his presents which made it a little difficult to get out the door for dinner. Red Robin was the restaurant of choice and we all enjoyed a nice meal. Reggie hid under the table when the group came around to sing to him….I’m not sure they even knew who they were singing to!

We love Reggie for lots of reasons…here’s just a few:

He loves being a kid and playing

His ability to make something out of nothing (these creations are NEVER thrown away)

His wonderful imagination

His love for his sister

His quiet leadership

He is so nice…every kid wants to be his friend

His toothless smile (he lost 3 teeth this year)

His mindfulness of others

His love for paper airplanes

He knows right from wrong and usually chooses right :o)

His funny questions like, “Why is it called a sandwich. There’s no sand in it?”

His love for Jesus and songs about God (that he sings with his own rocker spin)

His thinking before doing attitude

His gentle soul

His love for his bagels, ice cream and spinach

His dislike of “bubbles” from soda – the kid hates soda!

His love for his Grandparents