Pam’s Blog

So the kids all agree that there favorite thing we did in MD was go crabbing.  We did this in Ocean Pines where we stayed while visiting Ocean City. We were catching Maryland Blue Crabs.

Yeah ok so we didn’t REALLY crab.  We fished for crabs with string and ham.  Hanging ham tied to string in the water and waiting till we felt a tug then slowly pulling the string up. We were  just catching, looking, taking pictures and releasing.  But it was a ton of fun.

Mary caught the biggest.  This Crab has become bigger and bigger in the stories that are being told about it. Willoweve’s hands spread a little wider every time she shows the size and it has become our families very own fish story.  But I have proof of actual size. Here we go… the “big” one.

Coming out of the water – you can tell he’s a boy by the shape of his apron – you can make it out in this picture.

hanging on the string

Running to hide – look at his color isn’t he beautiful.

Trying to hide from us, the kids were all hovering around him yelling and jumping.

Running back towards the water Bye Bye big guy.

And the SPLASH as he returned to the water.

Tomorrow I will post some pictures of the KIDS from when we were crabbing.

No Comments »

So the kids and I are visiting MD this summer – weather or not Jason is coming  is still up in the air.

While I would like him to join us it is not an absolute necessity.

The truth is he and I have very different views on visiting MD.  I cannot wait to go back, there are so many people I want to see and so many things I want to do.  I am planing to be back for three weeks and hoping I can squeeze everything into that time.

The hardest thing is Jason has asked – and argued – and logically pointed out – that this will have to be our last trip to MD for a while.  In fact until 2012.

I have to admit it hurts me just to say that.  Two and a half years is such a long time to be away from so many people I love.

In fact trips back to MD have become one of the few things Jason and I fight about.  I wish I could go “Back East” every year, and several of my good friends out here who are from the East Coast do – it seems so unfair that I am the only one who doesn’t get to go back.

But the truth is our financial system just doesn’t allow it. So as hard as it is for me to face the truth I have to – our trip this summer will be the last until the summer of 2012.

Until then all of you – my friends and family have an open standing invitation to come and visit us in Seattle – We don’t have a ton of room but we will make it work if you come!!!

I miss you all and love you… and I cannot wait to see and hang out with you this summer – 20 full days in MD….  I am so looking forward to the sun and the warmth and all the familiar faces.

Start looking for e-mails over the next few days/weeks setting up times and dates to hang out with us.

Love you all.

1 Comment »

In honor of his birthday here is my list of ten or so of Jason and I’s favorite things about Quinn…

This is of course not an exahustive list.  There are so very many things to love about Quinn also this list is in no particular order.

1) Dimples.  OMG the dimples are too cute. especially when they come out when he is trying really hard NOT to smile and the first thing you see is the dimples.

2) His favorite color is orange.  How many people do you know who’s favorite color is orange.

3) He gives great hugs. Really, no wimpy hugs from Quinn he wraps his whole arms around your neck and squeezes tight.

4) He’s smart – I mean really really smart. He knows how to spell his name and can identify all the letters in the alphabet and has been able to for about 6 months.  Not only that but he gets stuff that I totally expect to go over his head.

5) He loves Cars.  I had no idea that you could be born with an innate love for motor vehicles but apparently it is possible.  He LOVES cars. He has a toy car collection that takes up two bins.

6) Quinn is the child that is the reason they say children need Schedule the child THRIVES on routine.

7) He loves to play – anything, anytime, just make it a game and he’s in.

He gets excited over little things.  He sees the joy in the small things of life and he wants you to see them too….of course if you don’t he’s going to scream at you…but that doesn’t go on this list.

8.5)He loves the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.  He changes weekly but either Mikey or Leo are his favorite.  Personally I think Mikey fits his personality best, besides he’s the orange one so it fits.

9) He loves girls – if you’ve met Quinn you will understand this.  He is a total flirt. In fact at this point I think girls are third on his list – behind Cars and TMNT.  Of course he is totally into older woman. – and yes – he does make me very nervous.

9.5) He is very musical.  He remembers the lyrics of songs after hearing the words just once. He can sing the theme song from TMNT – the one from the nineties and the current one.  He can sing the song from the end of Wall.e and pretty much any song Jason and I have on our laptop he can sing.

10) He is sweet and snuggly. He is full of personality. He knows what he likes and doesn’t like and he wants you to know too.  He loves to be the center of attention but is able to play by himself.

In short – Quinn is a wonderful person.

Quinn – Mommy and Daddy adore you. Happy Birthday

No Comments »

What can I say it’s Thursday.

Quinn was throwing up last night but decided that he could do it himself and never bothered to come up and get Jason or I.  I feel really terrible because he told me he didn’t come get me because he didn’t want me to yell at him.  I have NEVER yelled at him for throwing up… why would he think that?  It made me feel awful. He has already thrown up three times this morning and he has been up less then two hours.

I like my new job a lot.  Teaching online is fun and I can do it while Quinn plays on the floor right in front of me.  Yesterday he played with Lego Duplo blocks while I worked. It went really well.  He played very quietly and I was able to interact well with my student.

As far as Chocolate goes – well, one week down, 52 to go. The first week wasn’t that bad at all.  I think that my trip to MD this summer will be the hardest… they have Berger cookies in MD. 

I started WW on New Years day.  I had my first weigh in today. I lost 7 lbs my first week on WW.  I will post monthly updates and let you guys know how I am doing as far as weight loss/fitness goals go.

My ankle has been hurting quite a bit lately – I have been wearing the brace the doctor gave me – oddly though my ankle still seems to be getting worse.  Last night it was hurting while I was laying in bed.

Anyway – happy Thursday everyone.  I hope you all have a wonderful day.

No Comments »

Today the kids and I played in the snow. We build three snowmen – a daddy a mommy and a baby.

We knocked iceciklles (Sp?) off the down spouts and put them in front of the kids bedroom window so they could watch them melt.

We raked snow- Quinn’s idea and he seemed to have fun with it and Willoweve ate snow.  I gave her very careful and specific direction on what snow was safe to eat and what wasn’t.

Here are a few pictures of our snow filled afternoon.

Willoweve

Xavier

Quinn

The kids and there snow man family.

The ice.

I hope everyone has a happy Monday and a wonderful Three days before Christmas. 

No Comments »

Irony defined:

So I woke up in the middle of the night from a bad dream about my sister having to take her foster child to the ER.  I called her in the morning to make sure everything was ok.  While on the phone with her Quinn woke up and immediately came to tell me his tummy hurt.  That night we were in the ER.

BEWARE:  Below lies what many may consider TO MUCH INFORMATION. Sorry to those with weak stomachs.

In the morning Quinn was acting all out of character and lethargic.  At one point I even tucked him back into bed. Within half an hour of waking up he started throwing up.  From 9:30 in the morning until 9:10 in the evening Quinn threw up 23 times.

I barley blinked at first.  Quinn is a puker – more so then either of the other two.  If there is a stomach bug to be had he will get it.  If it makes some people vomit and others get diarrhea he’ll vomit.  That’s just Quinn.

However as the day went on some things happened that made me concerned.  First he couldn’t keep anything – at all – down.  Not even the tiniest amount of fluid.  We tried the whole 1 tsp every fifteen minutes – he would throw up by the ten minute mark every time.

He was becoming dehydrated obviously.  Beyond that though I got scared when I noticed a change in the color and texture of his vomit.  He hadn’t even tried to eat anything so why would his vomit be changing from bright yellow stomach acid to dark brown and kind of chuncky.

I turned to my trusted friend the Internet for answers.  Turns out that’s what blood looks like when you throw it up.  Yeah…. so I got a little worried.

Called the doctor.

They said it was probably a stomach flu but the vomiting got so violent something ripped in his throat or stomach or esophagus. Then it bled into his stomach and now he was throwing it up. Nothing to worry about as long as he stopped throwing up soon.

Two hours later when he was still throwing up I made the decision to take him to the ER.  I was so upset on the way to the hospital figuring they were going to put him on an IV and tell me there was nothing they could do to make him stop throwing up.

EXCEPT, that’s not what happened at all.  Quinn was really weak and out of it by the time we got the ER at about 8:45.  He couldn’t stand up without support and he wouldn’t smile, he just lay limply without moving on the bed.

Until he puked.  I was kind of glad he threw up at least once at the hospital.  The doctor got to see it and confirmed that it was in fact blood he was throwing up.

So they gave him this magic medicine – by mouth.  It is a drug they use with kids getting Chemo and it helps them not throw up from the chemo.  Recently it was proved to help kids like Quinn who just can’t stop throwing up when they get a stomach bug.  They mixed it with chocolate syrup… the whole “spoon full of sugar thing” also it helps give the blood sugar a much needed boost.

Quinn guzzled the stuff.  Within 20 minutes he was sitting up talking to me and and even smiling.  Then they let him start having fluids.  5cc’s every 5 minutes for 20 minutes, then 10cc every 5 minutes for 40 minutes, again by mouth.  And he kept it down.  He came home and slept.

No IV, and he stopped throwing up.

Quinn has improved all day and ate soup for dinner tonight without any trouble at all. I am so thankful that he is better.  Hopefully the other kids will not end up with the same bug – even if they do it is doubtful they will fall into the same unmanageable vomiting.

No Comments »

On July 18th Jason’s mom and I took the kids up to Snoqualmie where Thomas the Train was visiting the Northwest Train Museum.  When he got off work Jason came up and met us then we all went and had dinner.

It was a really fun day and Quinn got a kick out of riding on Thomas and meeting Sir Topam(Sp?) Hat.   Here are some of the pictures we took while we were visiting Thomas. 

Xavier and Quinn playing while we waited to enter the train area.

Willoweve with mommy pony- feeding her a chocolate chip cookie.

Quinn holding his ticket – he really liked his ticket.

Willoweve looking out the train window while we rode Thomas

Quinn doing the same.  Note he is still holding the ticket.

A side ways river – oh- no wait this is the view from the train window.

Meeting Sir Topam Hat – Quinn was thrilled – Willoweve less so.

It was a great day and one they will no doubt be talking about for a very long time.

No Comments »

These are from this past Saturday August 2nd.  We had a really good time.  Jason’s mom and I took the kids to Northwest Trek.  We saw lots of animals and learned about the flora and fauna of the northwest.

Xavier kept a list of all the animals we saw on the trip – it was over forty by the end of the day.

These two pictures (above and Below) are of the kids on the tram ride.

Some of the animals we saw:

A baby buffalo:

A Blue Herring:

Big horned sheep:

and many many more. 

Everyone had a great time and it is definitely something that I want to do again with Jason one day.

No Comments »

WARNING!!!

If you are afraid of snakes or just don’t don’t like them stop reading/looking now.

Ok, so for those of you that made it this far.  Bob joined our family back in February.  He is a ball Python.  I’d been wanting another python for years, Clyde our last snake died at age 21. 

Bob is comparatively just a baby at 2 years old.  He is significantly smaller then Clyde. He is just as sweet and friendly though, he seems to enjoy being handled, swimming and unlike Clyde he seems to like to climb.

Bob has made five visits to classrooms at two different schools at the end of  the last school year and he is great with kids.   They say a picture is worth a thousand words:

Bob and Xavier

Xavier holding Bob and Bob giving Quinn “kisses” – really he is smelling him – Bob seems to like Quinn a lot and tried to leave both Xavier and Willoweve to get to Quinn today.

Willoweve and Bob.

Quinn and Bob.

I am really enjoying have Bob as a part of our family.  He is a great addition and I am so glad we got him. 

Hope you liked the pictures – happy Monday.

No Comments »

So the other day my daughter had a play date with a little friend from school. They had a great time playing with ponies and dressing up.

Anyway on the way back to the school to drop Willoweve’s friend off to her mom there was a strange conversation. I am not entirely sure how it started but the part I was involved with went like this.

Willoweve: “I’m a girl and your a girl” directed to her friend “and we both have blonde hair.”

Her friend: “Yeah but my mom’s a girl too and she doesn’t have blonde hair, she has brown hair.”

Me: (thinking to chime in and be an active involved parent) “And I’m a girl and I have red hair.”

Willoweve’s Friend and Quinn at the same time: “No you don’t have read hair.”

Me: (Inwardly groaning knowing instinctively what is coming) “So what color hair do I have”

Willoweve’s friend: “Orange”

Quinn: “Black” ( I kid you not he said black)

Me: “Uhm, Quinn, why do you think mommy’s hair is black?”

Quinn: “Because it’s black.”

We spent the rest of the short ride to the school trying to determine why exactly Quinn feels my hair is black. We never really found a satisfactory answer from him. But hey he’s three.

And – he saved me from dealing with being told my hair is orange. I love that child.

It’s red – really – it’s red.

No Comments »