I just wanted to share some video of Aliza singing and counting. You can hit the pause button on the music player at the bottom of this page to turn off the music so you can hear her.
Monday, December 22, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Snow, Snow, Snow
I love snow! It's crazy to think that I'm in WA right now. This is actually my first winter here that I remember snow sticking to the ground for more than a couple of days. It's sooo beautiful! Right now, I kind of feel like I'm in MI. Of course, it's not as cold as there but I love looking out my window and seeing nothing but white. Granted, it causes life to shut down around here, it's still worth it to me especially around Christmas.
About a week after our 1st snow and it's still falling! Yay!
We enjoyed the snow for the first couple of days, then we all started getting sick. Yes again. But nothing major. Just scratchy throats, coughing, and runny noses. But enough to want to look at the snow rather than play in it.
Ryan and his nurse, Becky, walking in the snow around the 3rd day
Ryan's nurses have had some trouble getting to work so we've had a couple of days alone. It can get tough trying to keep up with his daily schedule while taking care of normal things with Aliza and still helping Patrick recover. But it's also a nice break too having the house to ourselves.
Patrick is feeling better. He now has a hard cast on for another 4 weeks. That's not fun as some of you may know. As things are healing up inside, his incisions are getting pretty itchy. I have to warn him constantly to not think about sticking a hanger down in there. (He kept doing that his first surgery)
Anyways, Aliza and I made her first snowman the very first day of this weeklong snow storm. There was hardly any snow yet so it's VERY SMALL but cute. I didn't want to take the chance of the snow disappearing without her having that experience. Little did I know that the meteorologists would have it right and that the snow would actually stay this time and keep coming. Unfortunately for the snowman, we didn't have any buttons or carrots. Patrick gave us candy to accessorize. Aliza kept eating his buttons. The snowman's nose started "bleeding" when the sun hit because it was some kind of red candy coating. It was funny! I had a picture of that but it was on my cell phone, which unfortunately died from falling in water. I did catch a couple of pictures before the nose bleed.
Aliza's 1st snowman after the first snowfall
About a week after our 1st snow and it's still falling! Yay!
We enjoyed the snow for the first couple of days, then we all started getting sick. Yes again. But nothing major. Just scratchy throats, coughing, and runny noses. But enough to want to look at the snow rather than play in it.
Ryan and his nurse, Becky, walking in the snow around the 3rd day
Ryan's nurses have had some trouble getting to work so we've had a couple of days alone. It can get tough trying to keep up with his daily schedule while taking care of normal things with Aliza and still helping Patrick recover. But it's also a nice break too having the house to ourselves.
Patrick is feeling better. He now has a hard cast on for another 4 weeks. That's not fun as some of you may know. As things are healing up inside, his incisions are getting pretty itchy. I have to warn him constantly to not think about sticking a hanger down in there. (He kept doing that his first surgery)
Anyways, Aliza and I made her first snowman the very first day of this weeklong snow storm. There was hardly any snow yet so it's VERY SMALL but cute. I didn't want to take the chance of the snow disappearing without her having that experience. Little did I know that the meteorologists would have it right and that the snow would actually stay this time and keep coming. Unfortunately for the snowman, we didn't have any buttons or carrots. Patrick gave us candy to accessorize. Aliza kept eating his buttons. The snowman's nose started "bleeding" when the sun hit because it was some kind of red candy coating. It was funny! I had a picture of that but it was on my cell phone, which unfortunately died from falling in water. I did catch a couple of pictures before the nose bleed.
Aliza's 1st snowman after the first snowfall
Saturday, December 6, 2008
Patrick's 3rd Ankle Surgery
Well surgery day finally arrived on Dec 4 after being postponed twice. Not that I was looking forward to it but I knew it was going to happen so I was glad it happened after Thanksgiving but weeks before Christmas. Patrick won't be weightbearing for a while but he'll at least be out of the initial pain by Christmas.
So far so good. He's in pain obviously but thankfully no infection or complications. We're praying for quick recovery and that it would be successful this time around so he can be active again and run, play hockey, play drums, etc.
They sent him home with an ice machine called GameReady. It's his second time using it and it is definitely a lifesaver! Unfortunately, we've had some trouble with this one getting his cast wet so they're replacing it tomorrow. Ice packs can't even compare to how this machine helps him deal with the pain. I love technology!
While we were waiting in the surgery waiting room, Aliza felt extremely hot. I walked her down to the pediatric clinic to check her temp and it was 103. When we brought Patrick home, I found out Ryan was running a 101 temp with an ear infection, my nurse was calling out sick, and Aliza's fever followed with stomach bug stuff. I almost freaked out wondering how I was going to manage 3 sick people but God gave me peace and reminded me He was there to help and strengthen me. I had to just focus on one day at a time and lean on Him. It has definitely worked. I praise him after we finish a day. So far we've made it 2 days and the 3rd day is going well. Thanks for all your prayers!!
Morning of surgery waiting to be called back
Still goofy--ready to be taken back
Saying 'see ya later, daddy'
So far so good. He's in pain obviously but thankfully no infection or complications. We're praying for quick recovery and that it would be successful this time around so he can be active again and run, play hockey, play drums, etc.
They sent him home with an ice machine called GameReady. It's his second time using it and it is definitely a lifesaver! Unfortunately, we've had some trouble with this one getting his cast wet so they're replacing it tomorrow. Ice packs can't even compare to how this machine helps him deal with the pain. I love technology!
While we were waiting in the surgery waiting room, Aliza felt extremely hot. I walked her down to the pediatric clinic to check her temp and it was 103. When we brought Patrick home, I found out Ryan was running a 101 temp with an ear infection, my nurse was calling out sick, and Aliza's fever followed with stomach bug stuff. I almost freaked out wondering how I was going to manage 3 sick people but God gave me peace and reminded me He was there to help and strengthen me. I had to just focus on one day at a time and lean on Him. It has definitely worked. I praise him after we finish a day. So far we've made it 2 days and the 3rd day is going well. Thanks for all your prayers!!
Morning of surgery waiting to be called back
Still goofy--ready to be taken back
Saying 'see ya later, daddy'
Thanksgiving Weekend
Well, we had a great Thanksgiving. We spent the evening with Uncle Paul, the Roberts family & the Kauffmans. The food was wonderful and filling. Best of all, Patrick's surgery that was scheduled the week before Thanksgiving was postponed to Dec 4. He wasn't too happy because he wanted to get it over with. But I was glad to have him painless during Thanksgiving. We also already picked out our tree so the day after Thanksgiving, we just walked straight to it and cut it down.
cutting our tree
Taking our tree home
Our tree
Black Friday was such a great day for me. I felt so productive. If only we could always go shopping and run errands before the kids woke up. Although I had a cold and was exhausted after hosting Thanksgiving dinner, I met up with Heidi at 5 am. We managed to cross things off our list from Toysrus, JcPenney, Express & Fred Meyer. I actually loved it! Unfortunately, I only had 3 hours (a positive thing for our bank account) since I had to be back by 8:30 to leave for Ryan's weekly therapy. I was so tempted to go back out and face the crowd but that would've been selfish of me. We were supposed to be spending the afternoon decorating. So I let it go and decided I have a whole year to plan my Black Friday 2009 outing.
This weekend Patrick also took me on a movie date to see Twilight. It was totally out of love for me that he went because it is not something he would ever want to see. Thanks honey! I'm not into vampires at all but I am a romantic and I really enjoyed the series. I was just told about these books the month before and read all four books in about a week. It wasn't the best quality movie since it had a low budget but I still enjoyed it.
cutting our tree
Taking our tree home
Our tree
Black Friday was such a great day for me. I felt so productive. If only we could always go shopping and run errands before the kids woke up. Although I had a cold and was exhausted after hosting Thanksgiving dinner, I met up with Heidi at 5 am. We managed to cross things off our list from Toysrus, JcPenney, Express & Fred Meyer. I actually loved it! Unfortunately, I only had 3 hours (a positive thing for our bank account) since I had to be back by 8:30 to leave for Ryan's weekly therapy. I was so tempted to go back out and face the crowd but that would've been selfish of me. We were supposed to be spending the afternoon decorating. So I let it go and decided I have a whole year to plan my Black Friday 2009 outing.
This weekend Patrick also took me on a movie date to see Twilight. It was totally out of love for me that he went because it is not something he would ever want to see. Thanks honey! I'm not into vampires at all but I am a romantic and I really enjoyed the series. I was just told about these books the month before and read all four books in about a week. It wasn't the best quality movie since it had a low budget but I still enjoyed it.
Friday, November 28, 2008
Long time no post
It's been way too long. I meant to post several times and got caught up with all kinds of things. So an update post is coming soon. Probably this weekend after we decorate.
One thing though, Patrick's surgery has been postponed for the second time to early December. He's bummed because his ankle's in pain and he wants to get it over with. But I'm somewhat glad because he got to spend thanksgiving with us without having excruciating pain. And we did have a pleasant thanksgiving evening. We had his brother, Paul, here along with the Kauffmans and the Roberts. So now I'm off to eat some yummy turkey sandwiches and then decorate our giant tree. I'm not kidding. We underestimated the size of this tree when it was still in the ground. But we'll find a place for it.
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
One thing though, Patrick's surgery has been postponed for the second time to early December. He's bummed because his ankle's in pain and he wants to get it over with. But I'm somewhat glad because he got to spend thanksgiving with us without having excruciating pain. And we did have a pleasant thanksgiving evening. We had his brother, Paul, here along with the Kauffmans and the Roberts. So now I'm off to eat some yummy turkey sandwiches and then decorate our giant tree. I'm not kidding. We underestimated the size of this tree when it was still in the ground. But we'll find a place for it.
Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Sunday, November 16, 2008
Starting Christmas early
(This post was saved 11/17 & I forgot to post it. So it's very late)
It's not even Thanksgiving yet but we got a headstart on some Christmas traditions. Part of the reason is because Patrick is having his ankle surgery this Thursday and is supposed to be off his feet for at least 2 weeks then I think no weight bearing on his left leg but may possibly use crutches. Last year, we waited til after his surgery (which was right before Thanksgiving too), and he hobbled around on one foot trying to decorate the tree.
Anyways, last Sunday, we attended a charity shopping event at a local mall called Purchase with a Purpose. You have to pay $5 to get into the mall, which goes to local charities (including my MOPS group). The mall is open for 3 hours only to paid shoppers and there are discounts, door prizes, free Santa photo, and Christmas music. The local Christian radio station was there and handled the raffles and main court music. So there was some great Christian music there including a live show from Jadon Lavik. It was nice to get an early start on Christmas shopping without the huge crowds plus at a discount. We were also thankful we got a free picture with Santa without the crazy long lines. The funny thing is, the kids don't even really know about Santa so Aliza just thought he was a grandpa and called him Santa Paws. They took a decent picture though.
The sad part was that I felt lucky that night and believed that I was going to win something. I kept telling Patrick that my name would be called. I was being hopeful during the big ticket items like a massage chair and hot tub although I never win anything. I couldn't tell if Patrick wanted to leave and the kids were getting tired so I decided we should probably go. I hesitated and kept listening as we were getting further away. The next day, a friend mentioned that just 5 or 6 names after we left, my name was called. So sad! It would've been a wonderful thing to have a giant gift basket full of chocolates, gifts, and gift cards for the stores in the mall especially during Christmas shopping. Oh well. I'm moving on.
Yesterday, we went to a tree farm in Tacoma that allows you to reserve a tree to cut down after Thanksgiving. Patrick wouldn't have had a say if we waited til after Thanksgiving like normal. It was actually lots of fun because there were a ton of trees and we got to decorate it to show that it was taken. We just used ribbon they provided but some families went as far as putting real ornaments and beads. At least now, we picked it out together and all I have to do is tell them when I'm coming and they'll help me cut it and carry it to my car.
It's not even Thanksgiving yet but we got a headstart on some Christmas traditions. Part of the reason is because Patrick is having his ankle surgery this Thursday and is supposed to be off his feet for at least 2 weeks then I think no weight bearing on his left leg but may possibly use crutches. Last year, we waited til after his surgery (which was right before Thanksgiving too), and he hobbled around on one foot trying to decorate the tree.
Anyways, last Sunday, we attended a charity shopping event at a local mall called Purchase with a Purpose. You have to pay $5 to get into the mall, which goes to local charities (including my MOPS group). The mall is open for 3 hours only to paid shoppers and there are discounts, door prizes, free Santa photo, and Christmas music. The local Christian radio station was there and handled the raffles and main court music. So there was some great Christian music there including a live show from Jadon Lavik. It was nice to get an early start on Christmas shopping without the huge crowds plus at a discount. We were also thankful we got a free picture with Santa without the crazy long lines. The funny thing is, the kids don't even really know about Santa so Aliza just thought he was a grandpa and called him Santa Paws. They took a decent picture though.
The sad part was that I felt lucky that night and believed that I was going to win something. I kept telling Patrick that my name would be called. I was being hopeful during the big ticket items like a massage chair and hot tub although I never win anything. I couldn't tell if Patrick wanted to leave and the kids were getting tired so I decided we should probably go. I hesitated and kept listening as we were getting further away. The next day, a friend mentioned that just 5 or 6 names after we left, my name was called. So sad! It would've been a wonderful thing to have a giant gift basket full of chocolates, gifts, and gift cards for the stores in the mall especially during Christmas shopping. Oh well. I'm moving on.
Yesterday, we went to a tree farm in Tacoma that allows you to reserve a tree to cut down after Thanksgiving. Patrick wouldn't have had a say if we waited til after Thanksgiving like normal. It was actually lots of fun because there were a ton of trees and we got to decorate it to show that it was taken. We just used ribbon they provided but some families went as far as putting real ornaments and beads. At least now, we picked it out together and all I have to do is tell them when I'm coming and they'll help me cut it and carry it to my car.
Wednesday, November 5, 2008
"Present Bomama"
Aliza has been watching the election with me. She is sooo cute! She knows who John McCain is...well kind of. One time she saw Bill O'Reilly and said, "Look's it's Jon-a-cain!"
She asks to see him but we told her that he didn't win and she won't be able to see him much anymore. So now she says,
"Jon-a-cain is gone. Bye Jon-a-cain!"
We told her our new president is President Obama.
Her response was, "See Bac Bomama. Present Bomama!"
It's just so adorable hearing her try to say political figures' names. It's even cuter that she recognizes them on tv and gets excited when she sees them.
She asks to see him but we told her that he didn't win and she won't be able to see him much anymore. So now she says,
"Jon-a-cain is gone. Bye Jon-a-cain!"
We told her our new president is President Obama.
Her response was, "See Bac Bomama. Present Bomama!"
It's just so adorable hearing her try to say political figures' names. It's even cuter that she recognizes them on tv and gets excited when she sees them.
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