When Benjamin goes to be, he normally will get back out of bed and say that he has "owies" that he wants kissed. Last night was no exception except for the fact that he stated that his stomach hurt. Now this was new. Never before has Benjamin said that his stomach hurt. That should have been a BIG clue that something wasn't right. However, we just told him to go to bed and he would be fine in the morning.
About 20 minutes later I heard some coughing. NOT a good sign. I went to check on him and discovered that he had thrown up in his bed and several spots on the bedroom floor. YIKES! I yelled for Jeff to come up and help. He took Benjamin and got him cleaned up while I got the privilege of cleaning up the bed and floor. Not the funnest job in the world, but it beats being thrown up on. While I was cleaning up the bedroom floor, Jeff was sitting on our bed with Benjamin in his lap. Benjamin started coughing and threw up on Jeff's foot (which was resting on the floor and thankfully not the bed).
Benjamin appears to be doing better today. He woke up this morning saying that stomach was "all better." With no fever to speak up, last night or this morning, who knows what caused him to become sick.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
Last Day of School
Today was the last day of school for Isabel and David. Isabel was so excited this morning that she woke up before her alarm went off. David was his usual self and had to be waken up this morning.
I have a tradition of taking a picture of the kids on their last day of school. Below are those pictures.
I have a tradition of taking a picture of the kids on their last day of school. Below are those pictures.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Three Day Weekend
Our three day weekend was very full. It started Friday evening when we took off from our home and headed to Jeff's home town to visit his parents. It is approximately a 3 to 3 1/2 hour car ride and we arrived about 8:30 that night. We let the kids visit with their grandparents before putting them to bed.
On Saturday, Jeff went with his dad to work on a Habitat for Humanity house. My mother-in-law and I took the kids and went into Davenport for lunch. We ate lunch at Red Robin and then went to see "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." Benjamin did not enjoy the movie very well and became restless. At one point, he started crawling down the stairs in an attempt to entertain himself. I retrieved him and between my mother-in-law and myself, we were able to keep in the same row as us. The rest of us enjoyed the movie. I really liked the actress who played Amelia Erhart (Amy Adams). In my opinion, she added a lot of "spunk" to the movie. I didn't like the movie as much as the original. I thought that the plot of the sequel was a little lame.
After the movie, we stopped off at the boyhood home of Buffalo Bill Cody. He lived in this house until he was three years old. The main reason for our stopping at his homestead was due to the fact that two baby bison were born within the past couple of weeks and we had hoped to see them. Much to our dismay, the baby bison would not come out to their little hut. We did walk through the home, which has been turned into a museum. The short tour lasted only about 5 minutes. Benjamin was very interested with the different items found in the house. So much, that he ignored the rope that roped off sections of the house and walked into the restricted sections to explore. After retrieving him, we quickly finished the rest of the tour and left.
On Sunday, Jeff and I took the kids into Chicago to go to the Shed Aquarium. Our adventure was interesting. We didn't leave the house until about 9:20. We arrived in the Chicago city limits about 12:30, but due to traffic (both the White Sox's and the Black Hawk's had games going on that day) we didn't arrive at the aquarium until almost 1:30. Once we arrived, we started looking for parking. The only parking lot we found took cash only! We didn't have enough cash on hand, so Jeff dropped me off at the front doors of the planetarium, where I went in and found an ATM machine. Once I had cash in hand, we went back to the same parking lot only to find that the lot was full. We looked for a place to turn around and upon doing so, discovered that they had re-opened the parking lot. Once we parked we headed to the aquarium. We then had to stand in line to get in. A magician happened to be entertaining the people in line and David and Isabel got to participate in his tricks. They really enjoyed this and helped pass the time. It was almost 3:00 before we got into the aquarium. It was well worth the wait. The kids had a blast. Benjmain could not get over the fact that there were so many different fish in one place. He kept racing from one tank to another calling for me to come and "check this out." The kids especially enjoyed the Beglua whales and the spider crabs.
One word of advice, if you decide to visit the Shed Aquarium, purchase tickets in advance to avoid waiting in line to purchase them.
We were able to see almost all of the aquarium and left Chicago about 6:00. We arrived back at Jeff's parents late on Sunday. After allowing the kids to share their adventures from the day with grandpa and grandma, we got them to bed as fast as possible.
Today was more laid back. We stayed at my in-law's house until after lunch and then piled into the minivan to come back home.
On Saturday, Jeff went with his dad to work on a Habitat for Humanity house. My mother-in-law and I took the kids and went into Davenport for lunch. We ate lunch at Red Robin and then went to see "Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian." Benjamin did not enjoy the movie very well and became restless. At one point, he started crawling down the stairs in an attempt to entertain himself. I retrieved him and between my mother-in-law and myself, we were able to keep in the same row as us. The rest of us enjoyed the movie. I really liked the actress who played Amelia Erhart (Amy Adams). In my opinion, she added a lot of "spunk" to the movie. I didn't like the movie as much as the original. I thought that the plot of the sequel was a little lame.
After the movie, we stopped off at the boyhood home of Buffalo Bill Cody. He lived in this house until he was three years old. The main reason for our stopping at his homestead was due to the fact that two baby bison were born within the past couple of weeks and we had hoped to see them. Much to our dismay, the baby bison would not come out to their little hut. We did walk through the home, which has been turned into a museum. The short tour lasted only about 5 minutes. Benjamin was very interested with the different items found in the house. So much, that he ignored the rope that roped off sections of the house and walked into the restricted sections to explore. After retrieving him, we quickly finished the rest of the tour and left.
On Sunday, Jeff and I took the kids into Chicago to go to the Shed Aquarium. Our adventure was interesting. We didn't leave the house until about 9:20. We arrived in the Chicago city limits about 12:30, but due to traffic (both the White Sox's and the Black Hawk's had games going on that day) we didn't arrive at the aquarium until almost 1:30. Once we arrived, we started looking for parking. The only parking lot we found took cash only! We didn't have enough cash on hand, so Jeff dropped me off at the front doors of the planetarium, where I went in and found an ATM machine. Once I had cash in hand, we went back to the same parking lot only to find that the lot was full. We looked for a place to turn around and upon doing so, discovered that they had re-opened the parking lot. Once we parked we headed to the aquarium. We then had to stand in line to get in. A magician happened to be entertaining the people in line and David and Isabel got to participate in his tricks. They really enjoyed this and helped pass the time. It was almost 3:00 before we got into the aquarium. It was well worth the wait. The kids had a blast. Benjmain could not get over the fact that there were so many different fish in one place. He kept racing from one tank to another calling for me to come and "check this out." The kids especially enjoyed the Beglua whales and the spider crabs.
One word of advice, if you decide to visit the Shed Aquarium, purchase tickets in advance to avoid waiting in line to purchase them.
We were able to see almost all of the aquarium and left Chicago about 6:00. We arrived back at Jeff's parents late on Sunday. After allowing the kids to share their adventures from the day with grandpa and grandma, we got them to bed as fast as possible.
Today was more laid back. We stayed at my in-law's house until after lunch and then piled into the minivan to come back home.
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Freedom Rock
For the past 1o years, an Iowa artist has painted a rock (called Freedom Rock) in honor of the veterans who have served our country, both in war and in peace. The artist, Ray "Bubba" Sorensen II, paints the rock differently each year, right before Memorial Day. Above is a picture of one of the paintings that he has done on the rock in past years.
Thank you to all of the men and women out there who have served this wonderful country of ours in a variety of capacities. Also, a big thank you to my dad, who is a Vietnam Veteran.
Saturday, May 16, 2009
Winter Coats in May!
The sun it out today (finally!) and from inside the house it looks really nice outside. Looks, however, can be very deceiving. The temperature is only about 48 degrees and the wind is blowing very strongly from the NW (so the wind is a cold one).
David happened to have a baseball game this morning. Now, the sports complex where the baseball fields has no protection to offer. There is no wind break to shield us from the wind. So, today, while watching David play his game I wore my spring coat under my winter coat. I had both of the hoods from my coats up and cinched tight. I had two pairs of gloves on my hands and two blankets on. I still wasn't warm enough. The sun felt good, but the wind cut through everything. Yes, you can call me a wimp if you want. I get cold really easily and it takes me forever to warm up again.
I am hoping that the next game will have warmer weather.
David happened to have a baseball game this morning. Now, the sports complex where the baseball fields has no protection to offer. There is no wind break to shield us from the wind. So, today, while watching David play his game I wore my spring coat under my winter coat. I had both of the hoods from my coats up and cinched tight. I had two pairs of gloves on my hands and two blankets on. I still wasn't warm enough. The sun felt good, but the wind cut through everything. Yes, you can call me a wimp if you want. I get cold really easily and it takes me forever to warm up again.
I am hoping that the next game will have warmer weather.
Nephews
I got to watch my two nephews overnight last night. They are ages 3 and 1. It was great having them over...I don't get to see them often enough. My nephews and my own children played well together for the most part expect when we had a slight scuffle over a toy. The scuffle ended quickly and they were back to playing again.
Both of them slept through the night and woke up at a decent time this morning. When their parents came to get them, my oldest nephew didn't want to leave and in fact told his parents "no" when they told him it was time to go. The youngest was happy to see his parents and started blowing kisses at me and saying "bye."
We need to have them over again soon.
Both of them slept through the night and woke up at a decent time this morning. When their parents came to get them, my oldest nephew didn't want to leave and in fact told his parents "no" when they told him it was time to go. The youngest was happy to see his parents and started blowing kisses at me and saying "bye."
We need to have them over again soon.
Sunday, May 10, 2009
Happy Mother's Day
I want to start out by wishing all the mothers out there a very Happy Mother's Day.
My Mother's Day has started out well. I am surrounded by my family and I couldn't ask for more. What the rest of the day holds, only God knows.
My Mother's Day has started out well. I am surrounded by my family and I couldn't ask for more. What the rest of the day holds, only God knows.
Tuesday, May 5, 2009
Physical Therapy
For the last 3-4 weeks my knees have been hurting whenever I am sitting or standing. I finally went to my doctor last week to find out what was going on. My fear was that the pain was the sign that arthritis was setting in (I have a family history of arthritis). However, X-rays showed that there was nothing wrong with my knees; no arthritis! My doctor recommended physical therapy to help with the pain.
I had my first physical therapy appointment today. The physical therapist I was assigned to seems good. She did a complete work-up and told me that my knee caps on both knees have moved slightly from where they should be. My left knee cap has moved farther off course than my right knee, which explains why my left knee hurts worse than the right. This problem has been caused by the muscles on my inner thigh being weak and the muscles on my outer thigh being too tight. The physical therapist showed me some exercises that I can do to help strengthen the muscles that hold my knee caps in place which should help get rid of the pain in time.
I am positive that this will help me. I have had physical therapy for a couple of other things in the past and have successful outcomes.
I had my first physical therapy appointment today. The physical therapist I was assigned to seems good. She did a complete work-up and told me that my knee caps on both knees have moved slightly from where they should be. My left knee cap has moved farther off course than my right knee, which explains why my left knee hurts worse than the right. This problem has been caused by the muscles on my inner thigh being weak and the muscles on my outer thigh being too tight. The physical therapist showed me some exercises that I can do to help strengthen the muscles that hold my knee caps in place which should help get rid of the pain in time.
I am positive that this will help me. I have had physical therapy for a couple of other things in the past and have successful outcomes.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)