Tuesday, September 30, 2008

Aug 2008: Random Happenings

No major events happened this month but I'll share some things to give you a glimpse into our lives. 


Aliza's really into being Supergirl. We could at least get her a cape but for now we still just use a handtowel. She's content so we're happy.





We decided to help Patrick's friend by watching his 6 week old puppy who wasn't house-trained. It was only for 5 days so we figured we could manage. It ended up being the hardest thing because Moe hated him. He constantly had accidents in the house. He chewed everything! Worst of all was that his family was delayed and didn't come back for two weeks.





There's lots of silliness that goes on in our house as I'm sure happens wherever there is a toddler. Aliza has a way of getting her dad and uncle involved. They never mind playing along.






Some more random pictures:



The kids cooling down in their tiny pool.




Playing with her shadow again.




Lunch on the waterfront

July 2008: My Mom and Dad's Visit

Since my mom is back to work teaching, she is only able to visit during the summer. She stayed the month of July to make the most of her one trip a year. My dad joined her for the last 2 weeks. We had a great time with them and did a lot of sightseeing. We took them to Victoria BC and to Mt Rainier. During their stay, Patrick and I took Aliza to Vancouver, Friday Harbor, and Birch Bay, WA while he was still on leave from surgery. Here are some pictures:



Capilano Suspension Bridge, Vancouver, BC



Butterfly House, Vancouver Aquarium



Buschart Gardens, Victoria BC



Sunken Garden, Buschart Gardens Victoria BC



Mt Rainier

Summary of Year Part 2: Patrick's hyperparathyroidism; MI Trip

Patrick's Hyperparathyroidism
Well, after our trip to Disney, Patrick was diagnosed with hyperparathyroidism. It was a horrible couple of months for the whole family because his symptoms were so severe. He had practically every symptom listed for this disease. I hated seeing him so miserable and in pain. The only treatment is surgery to remove the tumor on the parathyroid gland. Thankfully there was only one tumor so only 1 of 4 glands would only be removed, which should've meant a simple 1 hour surgery.

When surgery day finally arrived June 23, 2008, we were looking forward to a quick, successful surgery. But the surgery ended up taking 4 hours and they had to remove Patrick's right thryoid gland rather than just the one little parathyroid. I had a difficult time signing off on that but it had to be done. Although recovery time took longer because it became a major surgery, he is much better now. Thank God that period of our lives is over!




Trip to MI June 2008

After Patrick's surgery, Aliza and I went to MI. We went home so I could have a 3 day girls getaway with some friends, to meet my newest nephew, Trent, and to take advantage of Aliza flying free. Because of Patrick's surgery, we left later than normal and ended up missing my girls' trip. Oh well. That happens in life. At least we had a couple of days to spend in Frankenmuth, MI (A Bavarian town) with my family. It was lots of fun for all of us. During our visit, we also celebrated Aliza's 2nd birthday with our extended family. My mom then flew home with us to stay for the month of July.



Brodey, Aliza, & Maddox at Frankenmuth




Happy 2nd Birthday Aliza!




An afternoon with the girls and the kids when they came home from their trip




Aliza and newborn cousin, Trent




Lolo and Lola @ Frankenmuth




At Grandma's, spending her first night away




With my cousins at Aliza's party




Kissing Lolo goodbye at the airport

1st Post--Summary of our year so far Part1: Paul; Disney

So I'm starting a blog to keep everyone updated on what's going on in my life and in our family. Be patient with me because I am not a writer and I may forget to post consistently but I will do my best.To begin I will give a summary of what has been happened this past year.


In March, Patrick's brother, Paul, who served 15 months in Iraq got stationed with us at Fort Lewis. It's nice having family nearby again. Aliza especially loves visiting with her Uncle Pau-Pau.



In May, we took a trip to Disneyworld with Patrick's family. We were so excited for this vacation with them. But as soon as we arrived at our amazing penthouse suite (my mother-in-law always finds the best deals), we realized things weren't going to happen as planned. Aliza had a fever for 3 days, which was manageable. But Patrick had to go to the ER while we were unpacking and was admitted for 3 days. He had severe stomach pain. That was the beginning of his hyperparathyroid symptoms. Despite all that, we made the best of it and squeezed in park days for our last 4 days. The kids had a lot of fun and that's what was most important.


Taking the Monorail to Magic Kingdom



The kids waiting for the lunch with Pooh Bear




Wet after riding Splash Mtn




My Snow White with her prince watching the Pirates and Princess Parade





Hollywood Studios for Playhouse breakfast and live show