Disneyland!

I'm skipping the second week of January and the first half of week three to get right to the good stuff - Disneyland! Chris's parents very generously gave our family a trip to Southern California for Christmas, complete with a two day trip to Disneyland and California Adventure. The kids were beyond thrilled to wake up before the sun on Thursday morning and board a plane headed for the happiest place on Earth.

sunrise from the plane

mountain + low clouds

 When we left, Portland was a chilly 30-is degrees, and when we landed we walked out into the - gasp! - SUN and it was probably in the 70's by 10:00am. Sorry to gloat, but it was absolutely marvelous. After a stop at my Grandma's for lunch, we drove down to Anaheim to check out the cute rental condo where we'd all be staying. The next day we woke up early and got to Disneyland before it opened. I opted to leave my big camera behind, so no photos from day 1. But we had a blast riding the submarine, Autopia, the Matterhorn and Small World all before the place got busy. Lucy's favorite Disneyland ride was the Matterhorn - she loved all the roller coasters! Neither kiddo liked Pirates of the Caribbean (too dark!) and both had fun exploring on Tom Sawyer's island (I think they've renamed it the "Pirate Lair" but it will always be tom Sawyer's island to me!). After a quick stop at the condo for dinner and rest time, we went back for the fireworks and a few last rides. What a fun day!

Next was a trip to California Adventure. We didn't wake up quite as early, and there were already lines for many rides when we got there. Carol went right away and got fast passes for the new Cars land ride - good thing because I think they ran out soon after! Chris and I went on California Screamin' and took turns taking the kids on rides of their choice. Both liked the carousel (we did that at least 4 times) and the Ferris wheel. Lucy was a big fan of the Goofy roller coaster after she recovered from disappointment about being too small for the big one. We went on Soarin' Over California twice (Maryn's favorite), did the Ariel ride a few times as it was air conditioned with a short line, and finally used our fast pass on the Cars ride which was really fun, but I don't know if it would have been worth the 2 1/2 hr wait time without the pass.

 

  

 

  

 

  

It was really windy! Maryn is hunched down in the driver's seat, under Grandpa's arm :)

The next day Grandma and Grandpa drove home and we went to Chris's cousin Kevin and Katie's house for brunch. It was wonderful to see all of our Southern California family. The kids all played for hours while we chatted and ate delicious food, and I didn't think to take out my camera because we were just having so much fun. I really miss our dear family there, but am so grateful for every chance we have to spend together!

Photo a day, Week 1

January 1

January 2 - Original painting by Rency Punnoose

January 3

January 4 - The kid takes his trains seriously

January 5 - Introducing his daughters to the Parent Trap (original version of course). I think he has it memorized.

January 6 - natural beauty

January 6 - squirrels in a nest. A cold walk at Cooper Mountain.

summer beach weekend

the only time they're all still is when Milo and Otis is on

Lucy and her pal McKenna

Although this old blog has been quite quiet this summer, our lives have been anything but. One of our favorite summer memories so far was spending a weekend at the coast. Our adventure started at home where we got to hang out with our favorite little pal Eli on a Saturday morning.

From there we drove to Lincoln City to spend time with Chris's cousins celebrating Tracy's 30th birthday (Happy Birthday Tracy!). Unfortunately my camera was in the car during this part so you'll have to take my word for it that it was a blast. What a gift to live within a couple hours of the most generous, hospitable and most of all FUN people ever. We really need to get out there more!

Next we headed up 101 to Seaside, with a pit stop in Tillamook for some grilled cheese and ice cream. And this time we remembered the camera!

 

Maryn took this one.

Lucy gets the credit for this winning shot.

She's getting better!

We finally made it to Seaside that night where our wonderful friends invited us to stay at a charming little beach cottage with them. Early the next morning the kids were awake and ready to go, so we tried to tiptoe out of the house and down to the beach to avoid waking anyone else up.

 

super adorable house!

 

Brrr! The sand is cold at 6:30 in the morning

 

 

  

  

 This is a morning I will remember for a long time - watching my girls play with abandon, kicking up their heels in the water and sending cold spray high in the air, chasing one another through the patterns made by the rising sun on the ever changing shore. They are growing up so very fast. I try to hold these precious moments of fun and freedom as they come and enjoy them to the fullest.

Daddy found us!

Father-son bonding over more Milo and Otis

Zoe!

 

So precious

  

After lounging around the house a bit, we went out for breakfast and rode the carousel.

He looked a bit nervous at the beginning, but wanted "more" when it was over

 

We went back to the beach for a couple more hours of playing in the sand and sea. It was a perfect end to a perfect weekend!

 

two very tired kiddos on the drive home

if you're appy and you know it...

The title of this post, while cheesy, refers to a few things of late:

The song sung many times a day around these parts for the benefit of this little guy (the son of our dear friends) who can clap and stomp and hooray with the best of them:

The cockney dialect of the most recent book I read, which was just wonderful and enlightening and makes me even more excited to pursue a career in nursing and/or midwifery (thanks for the recommendation, Karen!).

The abbreviated name of the organ of which dear Lucy was dispossessed during a 30 hour hospital stay two weeks ago.

It began one afternoon after rest time when Lucy woke up with a tummy ache. She was just not quite feeling like herself. Now this girl has a penchant for saying "my stomach hurts" then going on to play like nothings wrong until she hurls all over the place. There's just no knowing with her - she could be really sick, or she could just need a little extra fiber and a trip to the bathroom. This time it was the former, and saltines and gatorade did nothing to deter the onslaught of what I thought was a stomach bug. She went to bed early and I prayed it would be a 24 hour thing that would be over by morning.

The next thing I remember was being woken at 3:00 with a little face right next to mine saying "mommy, it hurts REALLY bad." My eyes weren't even open yet, but my momma radar must have been working over time because the first thought in my mind was "appendicitis." Lucy climbed into our bed, holding her right side. She was feverish, but apart from the stomach pain was surprisingly chipper considering the hour. The advice nurse checked her symptoms, asked a few questions (Does it hurt to walk? Does her abdomen feel tender to the touch? How high is her fever?) and Lucy and I were soon in the car on the way to the pediatric ER. Lucy talked the whole way there, and there was a little part of me that assumed we'd be sent home before too long. She just seemed too OK. She was even walking with me as we wound our way through the halls until someone took pity on us and walked me to the right wing.

We were sent for an ultrasound which the ER doctor said could be anywhere from 50-98% conclusive for diagnosing appendicitis. He was also concerned the pain could be related to an ovary as it was lower than usual appendix tenderness. I asked the technician if her appendix looked alright. "No, I wouldn't say that" was the response, and I made some calls in preparation for an overnight stay. A few hours and one IV later we were settled into a room upstairs at Doernbecher Children's Hospital - the same room we were in 4 years ago as little Lucy recovered from open heart surgery. Here is a photo of her before surgery, smiley as can be:

The entire procedure was less than 45 minutes long, and it took her longer to come out of anesthesia than it did to remove the angry appendix. It had not yet burst and the whole thing from onset to surgery was perfectly textbook. Lucy was home the very next day, with a tiny baind-aid over her belly button and was running around the backyard that afternoon. Modern medicine is amazing!

playing in the backyard with Eli - less than 24 hrs after surgery

A classic case of appendicitis starts with a stomach ache and low-grade fever and can mimic a stomach flu. Gradually (usually over 12 hours), pain localizes in the lower right quadrant of the belly and becomes quite acute. Symptoms in younger children are hard to read, mainly because they cannot articulate exactly how it feels or where it hurts. It is far better to be safe than sorry, and although appendicitis in youngsters (under 11 years old) is rare, the appendix can often rupture because treatment is sought so late. I have taken Maryn to urgent care in the past with possible appendicitis and was both relieved and chagrined to realize it was only constipation. But saving ourselves a Heaven is For Real ordeal is totally worth an extra copay and mild embarrassment.

The upside to all of this was getting to see the sweet bond that has developed between my girls. Lucy's one constant concern was that Maryn would miss her and would be lonely without a playmate. Hearing them talk on the phone to each other was priceless - I am so thankful to see that their friendship is deepening with age, and Maryn's sweet care for Lucy was precious to see. It cracked me up when seconds after waking up from anesthesia Lucy asked "where's Maryn?" She arrived back to the room in a stupor but instantly sat up in bed and rummaged around until she found the stuffed frog she wanted to give her sister. She promptly fell asleep again :)

 

Our friends and family were amazing as well and I felt almost silly for receiving dinner, flowers and gifts for the kids when Lucy was running around like crazy hours after arriving home. I am so thankful for family, great medical care, and friends who never fail to come through. And a little girl with a generous spirit and silliness to spare!

Valentine dinner + chocolate shortbread recipe

Thanks for the sweet words about our valentine story! It was fun to think back about that time and the newness of it all. What a whirlwind the next two years turned out to be! I'm thankful we took a chance on that first date :)

In honor of our first Valentine, our tradition is for Chris to make dinner while I make something for dessert. We eat at home instead of braving the crowds, and it usually takes place on a day other than Valentines because I have a habit of deserting my hubby on Love day :) For the first couple of years after we had kids, we put them to bed early and ate a nice meal together - a romantic date in the comfort of home. But as the kids grew we decided to make it a family celebration and now the kids help set the table and make things fancy while Chris is cooking. And then they ask that Daddy cook all the meals from now on because it ends up being so delicious!

making chocolate shortbread hearts with the kiddos

For dessert we used one of Chris's favorite recipes for shortbread cookies. The recipe is from the Kutsch Family Cookbook, but just in case you're not a cookbook carrying member of our family, I'll share it right here, at the end of this post :) They're easy and scrumptious and I bet you can't eat just one!

A sweet friend gave us the best Christmas gift EVER when she gave us a box of things to open each month for the next year. Part of February's surprise were these place-mats which we decorated with things we love about each other. It is so much fun adding to our traditions each year! And I'll have to do a blog post all about her clever gift soon :)

hard at work on the place-mats.

Candle-lit dinner for four with homemade chicken Alfredo and bruschetta. Mmmm...

Totally out of focus photo in which I chopped off my hubby's head, but doesn't he have a sweet smile?? Someone please teach me how to take low light indoor photos in weird lighting cause I need help :)

Carol's Chocolate Shortbread Cookies

Ingredients:
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder                      2 cups flour
1 cup confectioner's (powdered) sugar                  1/4 tsp salt
1/2 lb (2 sticks) butter                                            1 tsp vanilla

Using a food processor, pulse all dry ingredients in the bowl until mixed. Cut cold butter into small slices over dry ingredients. Add the vanilla. Process until it holds together in a clump. Form the dough into a ball and flatten slightly. Roll out on a floured surface until it is 1/2 inch thick (don't go too thin!). Use a cookie cutter dipped in flour to cut out circles or shapes, and place them 1 inch apart on a cookie sheet. Bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

The dough is just as yummy as the rich, buttery cookies - just ask Chris :)