Funny last day of swimming lessons

I almost forgot to blog this, with the craziness of life lately but thankfully I remembered. Saturday, June 6th was the girls last swimming lesson. It was more of a "fun" day. The pool has like four or five different pools - some connected, some not. The pool that Keira's class was held in had a huge curly slide that came down into it. She always said she wanted to go in that, but it was never turned on during lessons. There is this little stream thing that we go around and create a "current". Our class was going around it and Keira and I were the last ones back into the regular pool. We just caught the tail end of the instructor telling us that we were going to get to go down the water slide. COOL! She had apparently given some instructions...none of which we heard, but we headed on up to the top of the slide anyway.

We watched as others went down and then it was our turn. Keira sat on my lap and as we took off, I ended up being pulled on my back. We literally CATAPULTED our way around that thing. I was "wooo-hooo"ing because it was like a ride at a waterpark. We were going crazy fast. Needless to say, we both crashed into the water - going under of course. The force had pulled us back so much there was no way I could keep her head out of the water. We were in for it.

When we came up for air, I could tell Keira was beginning to panic at what had just happened. I was calming her down when I realized my vision was blurry. The force of the crash into the water had knocked my glasses off!! I immediately alterted the instructors and they put their goggles on and dove in. People kept coming down the slide, and I prepared myself for the worst - mangled, broken glasses. To my surprise, they were perfect! PTL! I put them on and we waited for Travis and Mia to come down. They came down nice and slowly and Trav lifted Mia out of the water at the end...just like all of the other kids and their parents. He was laughing at me when he got out. He said, "Didn't you hear the instructions? You are supposed to sit up and spread your feet apart to get you to go slower." Information I could have used PRIOR to shooting out like a cannonball. I would do it again, though. ;-) It was awesome.

Oh, and both girls got certificates saying they passed the class. Mia is too little to move on yet but Keira got awarded to move on from "Starfish" to "Goldfish". Yea girls!

Trav's birthday

Trav's birthday fell on a Wednesday this year, which is a day he had school. I had planned on getting him a gun he really wanted for his birthday and had done a lot of researching on it. My brother-in-law, Nate helped me SO much by finding out exactly which gun it was and where I could get it. Turns out it is a very popular model which in turn means it is hard to come by! I had put an order in for it three weeks before and they said it should only take two weeks...it still was not in though, when I called the day before his birthday. My mom was pitching in $$ so the present was going to be from both of us. I had decided to just print off a picture of the gun and give him that, since we did not have the actual gun.

I woke up extra early on that day and had to WILL myself to get out of bed. I got to Starbucks around 5am and got Trav one of his favorite drinks and an old fashioned donut. I got home and was getting ready for work when Keira woke up, all on her own. The first words out of her mouth were, "Happy birthday daddy!!" How sweet is that?? She went and hugged him since he was still in bed and scratched his back. Cute little punkin!! She wanted to make his day special, too. Both girls were able to wish him happy birthday before he went to school.

I got off work at 3pm, which is three hours early for me. I wanted to make sure I had some time to spend with Trav on his actual birthday and we could celebrate in some way or another. When I got off work, I had a message from the gun place. His gun was in!! I was SO excited. If everything worked out - we had a chance of getting back to pick it up in time before they closed.

I went home and picked Trav up. We went to get the girls and I was so excited about "something" he was worried there might be a surprise party waiting for him. LOL. When I gave him the picture of his gun, he was excited but he said he already kinda knew. I guess he was suspicious but trying to not get his hopes up - just from some of the conversation he had had with my brother in law. Then I got to tell him the gun actually was in and we could go get it! That was the best part. We were able to go out there and pick it up before going to his mom's house for dinner. Once he actually had the gun he was super excited.

We had his favorite pizza with his mom and sisters and his mom's house. His mom also made two amazing pies - banana cream and chocolate cream. He got to show off his new "piece". He seemed to enjoy our time together with his family. It was a fun evening.

Memorial Day Weekend

So this year, we were planning on going camping for the long weekend because we normally go up Labor Day Weekend with my sister and her family but with Trav starting school in August, our chances of going will be small. The month of May sort of happened upon me and became incredibly busy. All of my wishful thoughts of getting the trailer ready two to three weeks ahead vanished as birthday parties, swimming lessons, trips to the store, and Mother's Day bbq's filled in all the vacant time.



We stayed home and the result was incredible sense of relief and excitement to just be together as a family. On Friday night, our friends Josh and Meredith came over for a couple of hours. We had bought a used firestove from my co-worker Jeanine and Trav got that going. That thing was like a real campfire! We all sat around it in the backyard and chatted - we even smelled like campfire when we went inside. Funny!



On Saturday, my neighbors were having a bbq. They are moving in about a month so I thought it would be fun to hang out with their friends one last time. They also invited Josh and Meredith - but they already had plans, and Bryan and Jenny. They had a HUGE turnout. I think everyone they invited showed up. They had some really good food and we hung out for a bit and came back to our house. Mia was completely out of sorts. I was almost getting scared because she was crying so hard and not calming down, I didn't know what to do. It reminded me of the very young days, when babies are so little they cry and cry because they can't communicate to you what's wrong. I think she had a tummy ache because she kept tooting and I finally got her calmed down when she was lying on the floor of her room on her back with her bottle. I figured out she was teething so I gave her some Tylenol and Oragel and that seemed to help a bit. I put her in her bed, hoping she might fall asleep again. Trav and Bryan hung out inside and watched this nerdy sci-fi show they both like (lol) and Jenny and I took Keira and Gabe to play outside. They stayed for a couple of hours and we had fun in spite of Mia's issues.

On Sunday I had decided in advance that we were going to take a hiattus (sp) from church and have another relaxing day. I made crepes for breakfast and the kiddo's slept in pretty well. Mia still wasn't having a good day, and Travis had announced on Saturday night that his throat hurt and he didn't feel well. We stayed pretty close to home, running a couple of errands during the day and stopping to get slurpies on the way home. It was so cute to see Mia standing in line with her tiny slurpie in her hands. So cute! So, she was still not quite herself today and she had been pulling on her ears. I began to wonder if she DID have an ear infection. One of my friends had suggested puting olive oil in her ears, stating that that had helped her daughter when she had some ear infections. I wasn't sure what to think about that so I talked with Travis about it. He actually confirmed that olive oil can be good at healing a lot of different things, but the reason it is good for ear infections is that it covers the bacteria and makes it so they can't move anymore. SO, I thought - what the heck? I'll try it. I found one of those nose bulb syringe things that had never been opened and I got a little bowl of olive oil and squeezed it into both of her ears. To my surprise, she actually LIKED it. I ended up doing it twice that day, and the second time I did she giggled! She has not complained about her ears hurting since that day, so I guess it helped. Who knew?

Sunday evening Trav's mom and the neighbors came over for a bbq. We combined all of our food and had a great yummy meal!

On Monday we had another beautiful day - bbqing and roasting smores on our neighbors coal barbeque.

All in all, we had a fun, relaxing weekend - in spite of the the two of us that were still feeling under the weather. Trav managed to start several more projects in our yard and we had lots of quality time together with the girls. We couldn't have asked for a more beautiful weekend weather wise, either!

Some cute stuff

OH, I can think of so many things to write about - things that have been circling around in my mind about things that I'm learning as well as all of the things I want to say about my girls. For now, here are a couple of cute things I don't want to forget.

The last week or so Keira has been asking how to say things in Spanish - I think because Seasame Street does a lot of stuff in Spanish. She has been "trying it out", so to speak. She surprised me the other night when she wanted to have the music turned up in the car...she told me she wanted it turned up. She knows better - she needs to ASK and say please. Here's the conversation:

K: "Mom, turn up the music."

Me: "Excuse me? I'm not sure I understood you."

K: "Por favor! Turn up the music?"

LOL! Okay! It surprised me how easily she used it in the right context.

The next cute thing she did was yesterday on the way to church, she was talking. I wanted some time to think without having to answer a hundred questions so I told her to play the "quiet game". After a couple of minutes she told me she was bored. I told her she could talk in her head, and she said, "Well, I can't talk in my head. God is talking in there!" I was again, pleasantly surprised so I asked her what God was saying to her. She said, "Well, He's saying, I love you dear, Keira." CUTE!

I told her I hoped she always is able to hear God's voice that clearly.

Mia is still learning her words but that kid takes in a lot more than she communicates. Last night, the beginning os Extreme Makeover Home Edition was on and the people on it were crying. She comes over to me and leans her head to the side and says, "Mama" points to the TV "sad". "Why mama, saaad??" She was concerned for the people on TV who were crying. I tried to explain it to her the best I could that they had had hard times and they were sad. She seemed to understand a little - she nodded and stared at least. I was amazed at how she was visibly moved by the emotion she saw in front of her. She has a sensitive heart for how rough and tumble she can be.

Mia's doctor's appt

So, my poor little Mia has been struggling with a nasty stomach bug since Tuesday. The weird part is that she seemed to get better after only 24 hours, only to fall back into a way worse "version"...wretching up stomach bile because she the only thing she had had to eat in two days was Saltines and a little bit of a banana. I began to get worried and on Friday afternoon, I became more discouraged when she threw up again - after almost 24 hours of nothing. She was crying in the middle of the night, Friday night and had some major poo issues. She was listless and refused water. She took a little with some coaxing. It was at that point that I called and spoke with a pediatrics nurse at Emanuel Children's Hospital. She said this had gone on a little two long and I should take her in today. I continued to give her little bits of water throughout the night, and only a couple of times did she refuse it totally.

The doctor wasn't our regular one but I have had him a couple of times before for Keira and he is a very nice older man. He thought her symptoms were a little odd...starting and stopping but he doesn't think it is really anything more than the flu. He was concerned about something else, though. He noticed that when she had come in in February for a bad cold she weighed less than she had at her 18 month appt, just one month earlier. Now, she weighed even less - partially because she was sick, but he is mainly concerned that she keeps dropping weight instead of gaining it. He said it is normal for kids to stop gaining for a while, but it is not normal to drop weight. He said we could do a blood test to see if she has a wheat allergy. I opted not to do that right now and he said that was totally fine. He wrote in her chart that she should come back for a weight check in one month and if she is gaining, then there is no real need for concern. My gut feeling is that she is probably okay, being how she is normally such a good eater...but you never know. It would be LAME if she does have a wheat allergy, but there are so many things that could be worse, I would be thankful that it is something that can be workable - we would just have to adjust our eating habits. That probably would be for the better anyway!!

So, no barfing today...both girls are napping right now. Mia's eyes still have that sick look but she is in great spirits. I took her to Freddies on the way home from the doctors office and every time we went down a new isle she kept shouting, "OH yeah!!" People were cracking up. I am hoping and praying we are on the uphill swing of this thing and that both my girls will be back to their healthy, rambunctious selves. Keira has been her spunky self all day, which has been one relief.

The strangest feeling...

Yesterday morning I woke up and felt like I had dreamed about my dad. I couldn't remember the dream, although I wish I could have. Later in the day, I was looking at some old pictures and I saw my dad in one. Instead of feeling the usual sad, lonely feeling of knowing how long it has been since I've seen him, I had the strange feeling like I had just talked to him. It was like a content feeling like I can't explain. Content doesn't even really describe it...it's just the only word that I can think of that somewhat resembles what I'm feeling. The closest thing I can use to describe it is a fictional illistratation from The Shack. A girl had passed away and God let her play and interact with her siblings in their dreams. I know that is fictional, but who knows, maybe that is something that does happen? I don't think I can explain how I'm feeling very well. Someday, I will be able to know the truth...but probably not in this life.

March Birthdays

So I have taken a big long break from blogging because I have been frusterated and discouraged with all the time I spent trying to upload pictures only to have them not turn out the way I'd hoped. I'm going to take a "picture break" and at least start getting some posts back up here.

So, March had three family birthdays - Keira's on March 11th, my brother Patrick's on March 21st and mine on March 28th.

My big girl Keira turned 4 and I was nervous to get her excited about anything - considering the horrible birthday we had when she turned three and we were all sick. This year, however turned out MUCH better. Her and I had such a fun day. We dropped Mia off at my mom's and then I took her to Starbucks for a kids cocoa and a donut. Then we dropped off her paperwork to enroll her in the pre-school down the street from our house. We took a potty break and then headed to West Linn. There is a salon there geared especially for kids called Sit Still. I had booked a manicure there for her. She was SO excited. She loved the special treatment. Then we met my sister and her daughter at Red Robin for lunch. Then we went to their house so the kids could play for a couple of hours. They were both beyond ecstatic. Plus, I was looking forward to some time to be able to chat with my sis without having to watch out for little Mia. Afterwards, we went to my mom's to pick up Mia. When we got home, Keira took a little rest and then it was round two. Trav's mom came over and we met his sisters' at Izzy's (house) for dinner. The day turned out perfect. I thanked God repetitively for such an amazing day. Everything worked out so well...it totally made up for last year.

We had a small b-day party for Keira on Sat. March 14th at Papa's Pizza. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and the kids had a blast playing in the kids area. It was nice to just be able to get there, set up, have the party and leave. The only bummer is that we had a two hour time limit so we couldn't just hang out as long as we felt like it. There were other parties booked in our spot. Saturday is a crazy day there! Although, I would highly recommend going there at opening time - 11am. It worked great in getting our food fast and making the most of our time there.

My brother's b-day was so fun. He turned 34 and wanted to go rollar skating! We got our family together and went to Buster's Bbq in Milwaukie. It was SO good. Then we headed to Oaks Park and I whipped out those old roller blades and we all went skating...well everyone but Travis and Mia. Poor little Mia didn't understand why she couldn't go out there with us. I think Trav was a little frusterated having to watch her. I think she would have a blast doing that when she gets a little bigger. We all had so much fun we decided to make a girls skating night. It's good excercise, too!

Lastly, my 33rd birthday was SO much fun. I started celebrating the day before by going out to breakfast with my mother-in-law and sister-in-law, Kendall, Travis and the girls. We went to the Hotcake House on Powell. Sort of spendy but pretty good! We used to go there a lot with my parents. Then, later that day, we went to dinner with my mom at the Macaroni Grill. She had a gift card to there. OMGosh - it was amazing. All the food tasted so good.

Travis and my mom were in "kahoots" (sp??) together and got me a laptop for my birthday!! I am using that right now as I type. Trav had researched prices and found a really good deal with a $100 off coupon and it is SO nice. I was ecstatic. He even uploaded all of my pictures on it and put some programs I would use on it - basically he did everything he could to get it completely ready for me to use. I was VERY impressed.

On my actual birthday, I met my sister for a day of shopping. I am so NOT a shopper - she is WONDERFUL to go with. She helps me stay focused and has so many great ideas. I got so many cool things that were great deals. I am now accesorized with scarfs, dangly necklaces, and a hat and have some WAY cool additions to my wardrobe. I feel a lot more confident that I could go shopping on my own and do alright although it will still probably be overwhelming for me. We had such a fun time and she has such a great eye for picking stuff out!

Trav and I and the girls were going to go out to dinner but I was ready to rest. Plus we found out the restaurant we were going to go to didn't open until 5pm and the girls were taking late naps. We opted instead for Burgerville cheeseburgers in front of the tv. lol. Then we were off for round two of b-day fun. We dropped the girls off at Nanna's. Nate and Teresa dropped Kambrie off there, too and went out for a fun night of bowling! We had the best time - we laughed so hard. Trav's sisters showed up for a bit and Meghan bought me a very potent drink. It was very yummy, though!! After bowling, the four of us went to Buffalo Wild Wings to hang out for a bit. They had these very goofy hats that we all had to try on.

Oh, and my sister bought me flowers, too - which...I might add proudly, are still alive on my kitchen table without my cats eating them! That is an accomplishment in and of itself. :-)

March was a fun month in our family. :-)