20 Hours in Phoenix

So we flew to Phoenix from the cruise because that is where our kids had been taken. My parents committed to watching the munchkins and then a surprise birthday party was planned for a dear family friend. It took a lot but they took Caiden, Beckett, and his friend Mr. Oxygen with them to Phoenix for a long weekend. The airlines do not make it easy to carry oxygen. You have to have prescriptions, expensive equipment, letters from doctors, forms specific to the airline, waivers, supplies, extra batteries, the list goes on and on. Anyways they made it there and had a great time. We flew in on Sunday after the cruise and flew home on Monday. Although short, it was fun to see everybody, especially the kids.

Thirty

Mike and I turned 30 a few weeks ago and to celebrate we took a much needed vacation without our kids. That was a first all in itself. Anyways, we spent a week on a cruise with Mark and Mel. It was the most relaxing vacation ever. We really didn't do all that much but that is what made it amazing. We went to Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Belize, and Isla Roatan. Roatan was definitely the most incredible beach I have ever been too. Grand Cayman was pretty and clean, which I really appreciate. Cozumel was Mexico. Lots of people trying to get you to go into their shops by being the most obnoxious and annoying person in any 3 door distance. It is serious competition there to be obnoxious and annoying. We did have a good time at Senor Frogs where my husband was groped publicly by another woman all for a shot of Sex on the Beach. Belize, Belize, Belize....I don't know what to say. The first time we tried to visit Belize we were highly disappointed we didn't get to see Belize. This time, I am torn. I saw a lot of Belize which was probably a once in a lifetime opportunity and we saw some beautiful ruins but I am not dying to go back. Maybe in time. We flew from Tampa to Phoenix for about 20 hours there before coming home. We had an amazing trip and it would not have been possible without my parents who watched our babies. Here are some pictures from our birthday trip.

This is getting better?????

The virus Beck has ends with a rash which is bright red and covers the entire body. Now as beautiful as that sounds, it is far from it. It looks awful!!!! My kiddo has been a trooper though. Beck deals with it like it is nothing except for when it comes to an oatmeal bath. He hates them but they seem to have really helped. He looks tons better today so I think we are almost done with the rash. Yay!!!

Sick Kiddo = No Fun

Well this past week has been a crazy one! Beckett had been running a fever for about 5 days and I had been able to control it with Motrin. On Thursday last week, he started breathing really hard through his mouth. I took him in and was told he had an ear infection and indeed he was breathing really hard. On Friday, I took him in to have his O2 levels checked again and they were low but not terrible. He was given 2 more shots for his ears and we were sent home to control the fever. I did okay with that until that evening. So I called and was told to alternate Tylenol and Motrin every 3 hours. That seemed to work until his fever spiked to 104.5 on Saturday. So I called the Advice Line and was told to go to the ER. We did and were told Beck needed to be admitted more for his oxygen level than anything else. So we got to ride in an ambulance to the Children's Hospital and spent the next two days trying to control the O2 levels. All tests came back normal which means it was a virus but no one knows why EVERY!TIME! he gets any sniffle, ear infection, anything, his respiratory system is compromised. We could not keep his levels up enough to go home without oxygen so we got to bring it home. Fun! Fun! We are hoping this will be a temporary visit for the oxygen and maybe get rid of it as soon as Sunday. Anyways, the virus has turned out to be Roseola. It is a simple virus with high fever and a rash at the end. The breathing troubles are totally unrelated to it and something we need to get to the bottom of before flu season. We don't want to spend all fall and winter living in a tiny hospital room tethered to the wall monitors.

I will post pictures of the icky rash tomorrow. Now there's something to look forward to!

I just have to brag

Seven years ago yesterday, my life forever changed. I married the man of my dreams. I remember everything about my wedding day. It was all I could have ever asked for, a beautiful ceremony, followed by the best reception ever (I am a little biased). I mean the reception itself was EIGHT!HOURS! long! All of that was an amazing start to an amazing marriage. I love my memories of that day!

On that day I gained so much more than the wedding and reception I hoped for. I married Michael. What an amazing husband he is to me! I am such a lucky girl! The past seven years have brought us lots of highs and just as many hardships. And I am so happy to have experience dthem all with Michael. There is no one else I would rather spend this life with.

My darling Michael, I love being your wife! My world is so good when I'm with you. I love you and I can't wait to spend many, many more anniversaries with you.

Father's Day 2009

This year was such a fun Father's Day! We have both Mike's and my Dad here in town and we have two new little ones to celebrate it, Beckett and Zachary. We started out the day going to church and then having lunch with my family and dinner with Mike's family. I am terrible about breaking out the camera with Mike's parents so I am sorry there aren't any pictures. I am usually so picture-happy.

My Mimi

Three Generations, Dec 2007
Holding Great-Grandson Caiden for 1st Time, May 2006

My Grandparents and Parents, Dec 2008

My Mimi passed away this past week. There are so many things I would love to say about her but I know I could fill pages about how special she was and yet never perfectly express how much I love and miss her. So I will give you a few amazing things about her:

* She was an amazing seamstress. No one can make embroidered anything the way she could and she saw a need for embroidery on everything.

* She would send me money when she knew I was tight, with a note stating she wanted nothing in return, not even a thank-you.

* She could down scotch and water like it was only water.

* Until the last time I saw her, she always waved to my kids with her little wave and said Hi Beck and Hi Caid even when she couldn't say anything else.

* She clung to her purse like it was her source of air. She took them to the restroom and bed with her.

* She loved the Chicago Bears.

* She collected everything.

* Mary E. Armstrong was just an absolutely amazing woman!