School ~ day 1

1^st day of school (August 29, 2011).  It was only for a short moment that my son was away at school but oh how I miss him.   Not that I don’t enjoy having some free time to do as I please.  Yes, every now and then, I’m able to do things that helps me to relax…scrap booking, knitting, crocheting, reading books, wishful thinking, planning for school for both kids, surfing the internet, etc.

As we walked Ethan towards his new classroom, Marisa said that it's now a THAN ritual to take our boy to school on his first day.  It was music to a mother's ear to hear how my daughter was saying the same exact words that I was thinking...it would be perfect to have this collaboration, year after year.  I told my daughter that I was going to hold her to this since Ethan still have many more “first days” of school left.  As I sigh a little deeper, I still can’t fathom that Marisa is in the eleventh grade.   I’m so scared but also excited that she’s gotten her wings and she’ll be ready to fly soon.  I hope and pray that with all of the years of nurturing her and completely was devoted to her wants and needs that she’ll be prepared to go out into the world.  Whew, whew, whew…just breathe in and breathe out!

Before I was able to finish this blog, I had to rush to Ethan's bus stop.  As I walked towards the bus stop, my mind was focused on the many blessings that our family have received by having two amazing children in our lives. 

Just Exhale....

My heart is filled with joy as well as sadness.  A sign that our summer is coming to an end...today, Ethan and I walked through the front doors of his school.  I knew that this day would come especially when we've been preparing Ethan's backpacks with all of his school supplies.  As I walked along side my buddy, I wondered what was on his mind.  Was he as excited and scared as I was for another year of school?  Was he going to miss me as must as I was going to miss him?  Was he going to stay healthy enough to stay in school for more than sixty days?  Was he going to like his new teachers and new classmates?  Have I taught Ethan enough during the summer that he would be well adjusted for school?  Was I too easy on Ethan when trying to get him potty trained?  Was Ethan aware that he will spread his wings?  Have I given Ethan all of the tools to succeed?   I want Ethan to have all of the opportunities to be happy but I hate having to miss every second in his life.

I was dreading the part where my baby would get so sick that he would have to stay home for months at a time.  I was dreading that I would miss him so desperately.  With the same breath, I was full of hope that Ethan would have the chance to grow and take the world in his hands.  As I stared at Ethan waltzing through the familiar hallway, I noticed the sparkles in his eyes and his gleaming smile on his face.  I knew that he was going to be okay.  Ethan did his little twirl as he got closer to his classroom.  He stopped to give hugs to most of the teachers.  He waved good-bye to them as he walked closer to his homeroom.  He continued towards his old class but when I stopped him mid-way, he was not a happy camper.  He was determined to walk towards his old class but fortunate for me, he was familiar enough with his new teachers' helper that he allowed her to walk him into his new class.  Ethan eased into the room and made himself at home.  I was told that there are three boys in Ethan's class...Ethan plus two other boys.  I was pretty happy that he'll have girls in his class but when the teacher said that that was all the students that she had assigned to her...I didn't know if I should have been happy that this was a really small class!  Well, it was only an orientation…I hope that Ethan’s class will be small so that he will have more of a one-on-one opportunity with his teacher and her assistant.

Wordless Wednesday

 

 Muah, Muah, Muah

Van said that Ethan has brought life into our lives.  Yes, not only did BOTH of our children have brought life into our lives, they also have brought pure love & their contagious laughter.  All that I hope for is for them to know of their worth to me and my husband.

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!