Dance, Eat & Lots of Love

Saturday, 7/27/2011 ~ We were so pumped to get things started!  I was really excitted that my family was heading to DC to help celebrate National Dance Day.  My husband was up to the task of driving...by the time we headed out, traffic was so unbelievable!  We ended up making a detour to The Cheesecake Factory to help celebrate the national cheesecake day.  I'm glad that my husband and children were amenable to the switch...it was way too HOT to be trying those dance moves at THE MALL...maybe next year (that's what I said last year).

 

Sunday, 7/28/2011 ~ I thanked my husband for being such a good sport yesterday.  Ethan woke up and continued his play with daddy from last night.  Oh yes, my husband raced against Ethan to an arm chair in our bedroom.  Not realizing that he is soooo much bigger than Ethan,  they ran so hard that my poor baby missed the chair  (leather portion) and landed on the wooden portion.  Ethan now has a golf size bump on his forehead.  Way to go daddy!  I'm just amazed that Ethan could just pick himself up, dust himself off, gather kisses from all of us and then go on his way as if nothing could keep him down.  I am a proud mommy even though I scolded my husband for playing so hard with Ethan.  What a mother to do?  I have a husband who is still a child at heart...I have a child who loves to play rough with his daddy...I have a daughter who is able to comfort her brother...I have a heart that is unbearable to seeing my baby in pain.  Yes, boys will be boys!

Again

 A trip to DC (8/21/11)

 Today ~ Thursday, July 28, 2011

I wish that we could go for six months without Ethan getting sick!  Ethan's appointment with his ENT doctor last Thursday caused Ethan to develop an ear infection, I know that it did!  The doctor's assistant examined Ethan.  He was unable to see into Ethan's right ear so he vacuumed (suctioned) some of the wax & out came the tiniest ear tube. Ethan was not a happy camper & I was not a happy camper.  I just hate having to drive into DC to see this doctor.  I really have to find another doctor closer to home for Ethan.

On Friday, I noticed drainage from Ethan's right ear but assumed that because of the procedure from Thursday that it was okay.  By Saturday, it wasn't clear liquid but greenish/yellow pus!  On Monday, we went to his doctor's office & they took a sample...today, the nurse called to confirm that it's a staph infection.  What the heck?  

Ethan's been on Augmentin & ear drops for four days now but the infection still looks really bad.  The nurse from Ethan's pediatrics's office advised for me to get Ethan into the ENT's office to get his ear vacuumed.  Of course I dreaded having to take Ethan back to DC but I know that Ethan needs to be seen.    One, I hate having to contact folks at the Children's Hospital because it takes forever to get an appointment with them.  Two, when I finally got through to the nurse, she made it seem that the situation was not dire.  She said that it was normal for Ethan to show some blood together with the greenish pus draining from his ear.  For me,  if you see any blood draining from a child's ear, it would be considered urgent.  She advised that the ENT doctor said to bring Ethan in on Monday to have his ear suctioned in order for the medicine to penetrate into his ear canal.  Duh, but Monday?  Now, I'm not in the medical field, but a staph infection is no laughing matter.  Ethan's been in so much pain so I asked the nurse if he could be seen sooner rather than later.  She said that I could bring Ethan in on Friday & she would have to drain his ear but the wait would be long since she will not have another nurse to help her hold him down.  Yeah right, I told her that I'll hold him down.  Secondly, it won't be any trouble for me to wait since anything was better than having to put Ethan through so much pain for another day longer!

If a picture paints a thousand words

 One fine day...Tuesday, 7/26/2011

 I can watch these two play all day...such a profound feeling! 

Ethan's facial expressions and the sound of his laughter brought tears to my eyes...thank goodness that I had my camera with me!  What an amazing father my husband is  ~ I am so blessed.

Wednesday's heat

Don't know how we're going to survive Thailand if we can't take the heat in Virginia!  With only two exceptions (Dr. appointments), we would stay in and do some catching up on Disney's cartoons!  Today, we're set to watch "Finding Nemo" since yesterday, we saw "Sleeping Beauty".

Keeping it cool!

Road Trips & Stories

 

 

 

I love road trips.  I am definitely one of a few dinosaurs left who enjoys spending hours in the car with my family.  Yes, it’s never perfect as I’ve envision a long drive to be but the best part of the ride is the memories & stories that we would share with one another.  I know with a blink of an eye, time passes by so quickly.  Encouraging my family to embrace this “family tradition” is pretty tiresome…a teenager and a grumpy old man.  Thank goodness that Ethan has my adventurous spirit & is welling to try anything with a smile.  Ethan is a child after my own heart.  My husband and my daughter ~ they are one in the same…that’s why I always have to push them to the brink by giving them hugs & kisses. 

Marisa is really lucky for being born many years past.  She’s had plenty of opportunities for many road trips…with us, her cousins, her grandmothers, her uncles, her aunts and her friends.  Imagine the stories that she will be able to pass on to future generations or maybe to her baby brother!  I hate to sound like a broken record; however, I’ve told my children that having this opportunity to retell stories of our family’s past will be of great value to them.

 

Ethan is really lucky for being born later because he is so spoiled!  Ethan is spoiled in a good way because he has our attention, devotion, admiration, encouragement, love, and time.  I love watching Ethan interacts with Marisa & with daddy.  I hope that he will learn to appreciate our family’s tradition in story telling, especially when daddy reflects on his own upbringing & experiences.  My husband always figure out ways to make us laugh…his story about us missing the Grand Canyon on our drive from Provo, Utah to Las Vegas, Nevada…implication…the canyon is so big & famous so therefore we were crazy to have missed it.  To date, my husband still has not made it to see the Grand Canyon!  Another funny story about being robbed by someone who he knew from his high school when he was managing the family owned store in Alexandria, Virginia.  How about going fishing with his step dad in Thailand?  He said that his dad would toss a grenade into the water & within minutes, he would see fish floating up to the top & he would dive in to gather them.  Just like something that you would see in the movies!  Oh, he has a lifetime of stories…I need to collect them all so that my children will always have something to help bring a smile to their faces cause I know that my husband’s stories have always brought tears to mine from laughing so hard!

 As we embark on our travels this past Sunday, the 10^th of July…I was so excited to have these moments with my family.  Summer is really bad for my husband to spend quality time with us since work is seasonal…having to limit our income to only one, we’ve been living without excessive stuff.  It’s difficult but it’s a sacrifice that we all have taken to ensure that our children come first.  The benefits outweigh the struggles…especially when I get to spend my days with my children. 

 

We woke up & got ready to leave the house at around seven-thirty; however, by the time we hit the road, it was about nine.  I was a happy camper since everyone was in perfect spirit, even for the “sleepy member” in our household.  One thing to remember for the next road trip, don’t let someone drive who doesn’t like to receive directions nor allow someone to sit at the passenger sit who doesn’t like to give directions.  Hey, one more story to retell, right?  Another thing to remember is to not follow the GPS directions “literally” without looking at the whole picture first ~ this will cause your blood pressure to spike!  In all, it was memorable to watch the blind leading the blind while Ethan & I smiled our way to our destinations.  On our return, my husband said that we should take a road trip to Florida before our children starts school…I’m ready in a heartbeat!

Family time

Just wanted to upload some pictures and will follow up with my story at a later date...it's 2:11 in the morning...my husband woke me up at midnight and I can't seem to go back to sleep.  Wish that we were still at the beach right about now!  My special love...Van, Marisa and Ethan

Road Trip

Ethan was up pretty early again this morning.  Ethan was a bit saddened because he did not see his daddy before going to bed last night nor did he see his daddy when he woke up.  Ethan gave me a hug but I could see in his eyes that he was wondering where his daddy was.  Ethan stumbled to the computer room looking for daddy but of course, no such luck.  Ethan brushed his teeth & I got him dressed for school. 

Ethan’s summer school teachers are Mr. Bob, Ms. Ronnie, and Ms. Debbie.  They are really great!  I’ve been told that Ethan is such a sweet little boy & listens well.  They also said that he is really independent & is very active.  I’m glad that it did not take him very long to get acclimated with the teachers nor with the new routine.

 

Marisa and I went to get Ethan a little bit early since we were taking a little road trip to visit my mother in Maryland.  It’s been a while since we’ve seen her and also it was a great opportunity for my children to see their baby cousins.

 

The ride to Baltimore wasn’t too bad.  Marisa and I talked about so many things & Ethan was busy listening to his music.  One thing that I told Marisa was that I wish that I could live forever.  I know that it’s a silly wish but I just don’t want to miss being with my children for always.  I told Marisa that she should always remember how much she is treasured by both me and her daddy.  I know how difficult it was for me growing up without a father.  I feel so blessed to be able to watch my children grow up strong and confident.    I know that we love and adore them with every breath that we take!

When we pulled up to the house, Ethan said “Thu”, which translates to grandmother.  I’m so amazed of how Ethan recognizes this place even though we rarely come to visit (maybe twice in one year).  Thu comes to visit us in Virginia more so than us going up to Baltimore. 

It was great seeing my children with my mother and their cousins.  Ethan and Madison measured themselves up against a wall.  Marisa carried Annabella around and kept wishing that Ethan was as light as she.  My mother was thrilled that she’s going to New York this weekend and I was thrilled just treasuring these moments.

On our drive back to Virginia, thank goodness that Ethan fell asleep.  The storm was amazing and the traffic was exhausting!  It took us forever to return home but at least Ethan had a really nice nap.