Stomach flu

Well, it never fails….Ryan went to Chicago last week and Ainsley started throwing up Sat. morning. It was the worst stomach flu we’ve had yet!!! Thankfully, this didn't happen in Disneyland (we got home on Thurs. night). At least Ainsley is a great puker…she makes it to the bathroom and doesn’t complain too much, unless she is dry heaving :o(. She couldn’t keep anything down on Sat., probably threw up 8-10 times. Sunday was better, only twice, but not interested in food at all. Monday she didn’t throw up at all and had a bit of diarrhea, but still was not able to sit up or walk without getting a stomach ache or turning ghostly white. Tues. I decided to take her in and was given some really bad advice….just feed her whatever she wants…yogurt, etc. Well, she started throwing up again that afternoon and it was a struggle to get her to drink, so I was a bit concerned about dehydration at this point. How long can a person carry on in this state??? Not having Ryan home to give a second opinion was not helping either. I called my nurse friend who recommended I take her to urgent care, so that is what I did. Thank goodness for friends….Laura came over and put the boys to bed while we went in. They immediately gave her some anti-nausea medicine, but thought she was o.k. for hydration. They were shaking their heads why this wasn’t prescribed during our doctor appt. that morning. The day would have gone so different :o(. Anyway, I was able to get some Gatorade in her that night and we drank and drank the next day and had very small bits of food. She was able to walk around and sit up on the couch, so I knew things were improving. Thank the good Lord for medicine! She was still struggling with a stomach ache every time she ate, but that got a bit better on Thursday. She literally spent 5 days lying on the couch, not eating more than a few crackers. We were very careful with what she ate and by Sat., she was about 85%. It was easy to tell when she was feeling better because she was antagonizing our foster child and being her sassy self. We were happy to have the attitude back :o). Now we just have to fatten her up….she is uncomfortably skinny :o(. Given her appetite today, I don’t think it will take long!!!

Feeling good enough on Sunday to pick lemons with dad and enjoy some lemonade:

Legoland and Disneyland

My mom flew into Oakland on a Saturday and we packed up the car and headed down to Disneyland Sunday morning. We had our foster child, Reggie, Ainsley, Peggy, Trina, and myself. We decided to take my car and in order to fit we had to borrow a luggage roof rack from our friends – Sarah and Eric. The drive was a little rough at times (6 hours) but overall the kids did great. Thank God for DVD players!! We finally arrived at the Worldmark resort condo (thank you Grandma Wade!!!). My Grandma is such a sweet lady. She let us use her time share in Anaheim and it was beautiful! After dropping the family and checking in I went to park the car in the garage. I start driving up the garage ramp and I heard something. I thought to myself hmmm, I wonder if I shut the luggage roof rack all the way after we emptied the luggage?? So I stopped and got out of the car and didn’t see anything out of the ordinary. So I got back in the car and kept driving up the ramp and wham, I heard it again! I stopped the car immediately and got out again and realized that the luggage rack wasn’t clearing the cement beams. I had to turn around and try to get back down and out of the garage and as I maneuvered around the scraping of the roof rack was nail biting and I was worried it was going to be ripped off the roof. I finally managed to get back out and parked in the lower garage that had much higher ceilings, but it had cracked in a couple places :o(. Great way to start the trip!

Next morning we woke up and traveled further south to Legoland (1 hour). We got there and the line of cars to get in was hecka long. Once in the park we had a great time looking at all of the exhibits. It’s amazing what can be done with Lego’s. The Star Wars exhibit was the best and the kids loved it. We had fun on some of the rides and enjoyed building Lego’s at many different Lego stations that we’re set up all around the park. They also had a small aquarium that we visited. It was o.k., but if you are going there, it isn’t worth the extra money. Grandma Peggy bought Mr. Reggie a Lego kit and the kid worked on it the entire way back to the condo. Within 45 minutes, he had it put together – I think he’s going to be an engineer.

It was in the high 60's, but we HAD to go to the pool. Ainsley didn't want to leave the hot tub. The pool was actually quite nice :o).

Disneyland/California Adventure – Tuesday we awoke to a lot of rain!! Trina, my mom and the kids left a little earlier than our foster child and myself-we were in no hurry! First part of the day we got soaked and then it finally cleared up. During the rain storm Trina and Ainsley waited in line to see the princesses for an hour and a half (Trina wasn’t too happy about that) but Ainsley loved it and got a hug from Minnie Mouse. Ainsley also got lucky and saw Tinkerbell and Mary Poppins. Check it out.

Because of the rain all of the cool rides we’re closed down. No Indiana Jones, Pirates of the Carribean, or tea cups. It was a total drag, but we managed. We got to go on the Buzz light year ride with the kids and the entire inside of the ride smelled like feet as everyone was wet. The second part of the day we went to California Adventure. Wow was that cool. We talked to Crush the talking turtle from Finding Nemo. And we went on the Toy Story ride where Ainsley and my mom were laughing hysterically the entire time. They had a cool display of Lightning McQueen and Mater, check it out!!

The second day was much better as the weather was great and all of the rides were open except for Indiana Jones. We went on the Pirates of the Caribbean ride several times over and the kids had a ball. One of the best parts of the day was when Trina and I took Reggie on the Matterhorn. The entire ride is in the dark and a roller coaster fashion that jerks you around. Reggie was holding on to me with a death grip and didn’t want to go on it again. Trina and Khalif did their own thing in the morning and my mom and I and the kids did our thing and it seemed to work a little better. The second half of that day we also went to California Adventure and enjoyed the rides. The best ride of the entire trip was at California Adventure. It was called Soar’n California. It was a virtual ride where you were strapped into seats that moved in front of a large screen that was filled with different sites in California. And you we’re literally flying through these sites such as Napa Valley, San Francisco, LA, and Disneyland. The kids enjoyed it so much we had to go on it again. It made Trina a little sick. It was amazing and so real!! We also drove the bumper cars and Reggie drove – check it out. A Bugs life was also fun as we flew through the air in a Chinese box, check it out.

That day we also went on the Grizzly Grrrr water rafting ride. It wasn’t that warm by that time and we knew that we were going to get wet. So we put on our ponchos and hopped on with the kids. The guy that we were on with had already been on the ride and told us that we weren’t going to get wet. After going down a couple of drops we came to one of the final drops and wham we got drenched. I think that guys was a bit surprised to be soaked. Everyone was dying laughing because of shock and comedy. It was a great day and it truly was enjoyable. The next morning we awoke, packed up and made our way back to Northern CA. All in all it was fun with a little stress, but I’m sure the kids will have some memories to share.

Foster update

We were getting about 1-2 calls per week for foster children in Feb. and March, mostly infants, but since we were all so sick, we decided it wasn’t a good idea and since our trip was coming at the beginning of April, we were not open to fostering. They called the week before we left and then it was quiet while my parents and sister were here, not a single call. About an hour after the Rinehardt’s were gone, the phone rang and it was the county. We were hoping to have a little down time, especially since Grandma Peggy was coming in a couple weeks and we are going to Disneyland. I had a bit of a knot in my stomach after our last experience, but I kept thinking about how God has protected us in the past and if it was meant to be, then we would go for it. We prayed and sat on it for several hours and then Ryan observed him for a bit and decided to bring him home. It has been night and day from our last experience. Kinda sad in a way because he hasn’t asked for mom at all :o(.

We’ve had him for 2 weeks now and he is a happy little guy (will be 2 in July) and has us laughing a lot. We had some early tantrums for attention, but after ignoring them, they are virtually gone. I’ve been trying to reward good behavior and it seems to be working; so well that I am now doing it with Reggie and Ainsley. He is a great sleeper….sleeps for almost 12 hours a night (without waking up!) and takes a two hour nap. This is key for the kids because they still have their playtime in the morning while he is sleeping and we still have some time with the kids when he is napping. Reggie is getting more interested and finding ways to interact with him and he loves Reggie and demands hugs, so it is good :o). Ainsley is very interested and we are working to learn how to play with younger children. She thinks it is fun to take toys and get a reaction and I’ve really been trying to explain how that feels. The last couple days, she has made some big improvement. She loves on him a lot and will open herself up to be pounced on. It is so fun to see them show love to him :o). Makes me love them even more! They really watch out for him and are already worried about him leaving.

The first week was a bit hard on Ryan and me, wondering what we’d gotten ourselves into….the loss of free time, extra work, juggling 3 children, etc., etc. Life seemed busy enough without this, but we have to trust God’s plan. It is good God sent him because he puts a smile on our faces and when I look at his big brown eyes, I know we are doing the right thing and that makes it worth it. Just one big challenge to conquer….biting other kids at church and the gym.

Rinehardt's visit

The Rinehardt’s came Wed. night (2 weeks ago) and unfortunately, the clan was sick with a bad cold which didn’t make sleeping that great, especially for Spencer. He was up every couple hours the first few nights and then had a couple nights that were o.k. The last night, he was up from 3:30-5:30! A strong reminder why we use birth control!!! I have to say, even though his sleep was off, he was still a happy little guy :o). We didn’t do too much while they were here, except a trip to Six Flags on Friday which is always fun. This year was the first year we didn’t have to worry about naps (Spencer was supposed to sleep in the ergo or stroller, but that didn’t quite happen), so we stayed a little longer and didn’t feel as rushed. We saw a lot of animal shows and went on a few rides.

Ainsley touching a Sting Ray (she has been very interested in touching animals and even had a pet worm when Gma and Gpa were here!):

Spencer!

Not a good ride for the stomach :o(

We had a nice Easter, waking up bright and early to do an egg hunt inside the house and open baskets. It was kinda rainy, so we decided to head to the movie theater to watch Rio. It was a good movie and the kids enjoyed their popcorn treat. We had a nice feast that night, steak and potatoes and brownies :o).

What a mess...I'd like to have a chat with the person who thought coloring eggs was a good idea:

The kids had a lot of play time and fun together time.

Maggie enjoyed getting braids which was a treat for me because I have to beg Ainsley.

Story time:

Maggie must have spent ½ her time in the bounce house!

Spencer was spoiled with good fruit eating strawberries from the patch….the oranges on our tree have been fabulous this year and he was loving it (he also enjoyed the ice cream at Sweet Tomatoes!).

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