It was a Nice Holiday

So, I have like four posts in the last two months and before that I was doing so good at keeping up the posts. Well, as like everyone, it has been really busy for me since Halloween. Time slows for no one, but for me it seemed to have sped up. With all the stress that was incurred with the car accident, that made Thanksgiving fly by and before I knew it, it was the day after Christmas, even now it is four days after Christmas and then it'll be the new year.

Well, let's see. I think I will spare the details of just our everyday stuff that has taken up most of my time, and recap Christmas.

Mom came down and spent Christmas with us. It was so nice to have her here. The kids were so excited that she was going to be here and they loved all the attention that Grandma showered upon them. They played games and she read to them. The day before Christmas, she walked them to the park and they played there awhile. Afterwards, the walked all the way down to the Dairy Queen were they had lunch and ice cream. Mom brought them a lot of really cool toys, clothes and some PJs. They really enjoyed getting them. Mom's visit with us was short, but I know they kids will talk about it up until Mom's next visit with us.

Christmas eve the kids each got to open one present. On Christmas morning the kids opened all their gifts. They all got some really neat things. Christmas seemed like it had been going on for a few days because the kids got to open some presents early. So, there has been new toys being played with around here for about a week.

Maria and Ris and the kids flew in from the Philippines a few days before Christmas and Mom and Dad continued with their visit there. They were all there for my aunt's 50th wedding anniversary. We didn't go because with McKenna being so young, we didn't think it would make for easy travel. So, we stayed behind.

With Mom and Dad in the Philippines this year, so they didn't host the family party which has been held at their house every year my entire life. I remember them having a party with tons of friends and relatives pre-California days, which was more than 30 years ago.

This year the party was at my cousins house. It was a nice party and we did have fun. We were missing almost an entire branch of the family tree and they were missed. It was weird not having Mom and Dad there, but they did call during the party and spoke to everyone.

Before the party, we exchanged our family gifts. The kids got a ton more stuff, then at my cousins house they got even more! Christmas gifts are for kids, but sometimes I wonder how much is too much. I say that with a bit of guilt as I know that they get so many wonderful gifts because they are loved by so many wonderful people. They are so fortunate to have so many people that care so much about them.

Well, my parents flew home yesterday and they stopped by here on their way home. It was nice to see them. It was weird not having them here. I am glad they are home. They brought back lots of yummy Philippine sweets which got divvied up amongst us all.

Kevin refused any of the sweets. He got sick the day after Christmas with some weird stomach thing. He complained about having an upset stomach right before bed the day after Christmas. Maria and I went to Target to hit the after Christmas clearance stuff and when we got home, all the kids that were asleep when we left, were all awake and Kevin was in a new pair of PJs. It turns out that shortly after we left, he threw up at least a dozen times and was on his second set of PJs. His bed sheets and blankets were a mess and they had gone through almost all the towels. Keith and Mom (mostly Keith according to Mom) cleaned it all up. I ended up staying on the couch with Kevin. The poor thing threw up all night until about 7am the next day. He stayed in bed all day Tuesday and yesterday. He was weak and dizzy. Today he is feeling great (according to Kevin), but he looks like he hasn't eaten in two days - which he hasn't.

So, it is today. I am going to work in the garage, clearing out the tons of stuff we have in there. I hope to get it done this week (what's left of it!) to start the new year off, well, new!

I plan to post on new year's eve. It'll be this blog's one year anniversary!

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas everyone!

A Quick Update

Gosh, there is so much to say since I haven't updated in forever! I will try to update you soon and even post more pictures into the kids' photo albums.

I just wanted to give a quick update on Kyle.

He has had the sniffles since Thanksgiving and last Wednesday, he had a fever. It lasted the whole day and all of Thursday. He was quite grumpy and could not sleep well - which meant neither Keith nor I slept well. He had a snotty nose and was breathing heavily. I had to check on him a few times to see if he was snoring; he wasn't asleep, just breathing heavily. He had not much of an appetite and wasn't drinking a whole bunch. So, Friday morning I called the pediatrician and they wanted to check him over to make sure he didn't have an ear infection. I didn't really want to haul all four kids to the office, so they said I could take him on Saturday (I didn't know they had Saturday appointments!) Wouldn't you know it, his fever broke not 10 minutes after I talked to the doctor.

On a side note (which is actually an important part of this update): Julie came over on Friday and hung out with us.

So, his fever breaks and I think, "Eh, he's fine. I'm not going to take him in." But, come later in the afternoon, Kyle is a HUGE grump. A bigger grump than he has ever been. I figure that he is so tired because of the lack of sleep, that he is beyond sleep and so he is grumpy. Julie suggested that we give him a decongestant so that he could sleep, but we really use meds on the kids unless it is absolutely necessary. So, we didn't have anything in the house to give him. So that night was yet another sleepless and frustrating night. Keith and I decided that we needed to have Julie advise us on which drugs to give him, and that we should have him checked by the doctor.

So, come Saturday morning, after hearing Kyle's restless night Julie says, "So, have you called the doctor?" Julie and I go to the doctor's office. Kyle gets checked out. The doctor listens to his breathing. He is having difficulty breathing. She looks at his ears. They look fine. She looks in his throat. Extremely red, pustules in the throat and very swollen tonsils. She suspects strep throat. A culture is taken. The test (which only took a minute), is negative. No strep. She then says that it's very rare for kids Kyle's age, but she'd like to test him for mono. After the doctor leaves, Julie says that she would be very surprised if it was mono.

Five minutes later, the doctor comes back. Apparently, Kyle is positive for mono. Mononucleosis. The Kissing Disease. Isn't that something high school kids get??? Who the heck has Kyle been kissing?

So, that explains it. Kyle got a steroid shot to help with the swollen tonsils. The tonsils were hindering his breathing along with the nasal congestion. The doctor says to expect lack of appetite for about two weeks and listlessness for about four to six weeks. The mono goes away on its own. We have no clue how he could have gotten it, or from where. She said that the virus can last for as much as six months in you without making you sick.

My poor baby. And just think, I thought he was just being cranky because he was tired. Duh.

The Kids - December 2005

The Kids - December 2005

Last weekend we took pictures for our Christmas card. Here are the solos of the kids. Hopefully I will be able to get the cards out soon! Kevin is looking older and older with every picture I take. He definitely isn't a little kid anymore. Look at Kaela's hair. It has gotten so long and soft. She is losing her "baby" looks too. Kyle is always the jokester. He can't stay still for a picture. I like the way this one came out though. Kenna is now 8 months old! I can't believe it. I was going to originally name this post "time flies". Well, time certainly does fly - just look at my babies!