Update on Rand's Eye

As most of you know, Rand has not been well. He got the flu over 2 weeks ago. Several days later he got, what we thought was pink eye. Sadly, he was misdiagnosed. After failed treatment he was back at the doctor, and then the eye specialist who confirmed that he had viral herpes in his eye which required totally different treatment. He has followed the doctors orders but has been experiencing increased pain and not a whole lot of improvement. His follow-up appointment was today. The doctor said that the virus is gone, but there is now a secondary bacterial infection. So now he's back to the original treatment. She wants to see him before the weekend to make sure the anti-bacterial drops are working and that this thing doesn't "go bad". We don't want him to lose his eye! Rand is almost never sick so this has been really hard. Your eye is a really important part of daily life! I'll let y'all know what we find out on Friday. Thanks for keeping Rand in your prayers!
(I don't think any pictures would be very appropriate. Trust me, his eye looks really bad.)

Pitcher in Training

Unfortunately, he's still not old enough to play little league yet. I'm sure dad will have him outplaying the 3rd graders by the time he is!

PS. If you don't live here in AZ, you gotta be jealous that we just ate dinner outside and now we're playing ball in the backyard in the middle of February! Don't worry, I'll be jealous of you this summer! :)

Let Me Explain the Eye Patch

Poor sickies

We have had a horrible couple of weeks. It's probably why we feel the need to laugh so much lately. Poor Rand came down with the flu Tuesday, the 5th of Feb. He spent the whole next day in bed and then tried to get back up and running. Not so fast! Friday he came down with pink eye and went to the doc. on Saturday to get anti-biotics and eye drops. Saturday, Sunday, Monday, Tuesday.....He still wasn't getting better. Meanwhile Brendan came down with the same flu on Wednesday and Wyatt had it Thursday. They are still recovering.

Well, Rand's pink eye was getting worse and worse. He could barely open it (it wasn't goopy, just swollen and very red) and it was extremely painful. Thursday night he tried the ER and left because the wait was going to be about 8 hours. Friday he got into a family doctor who diagnosed him with viral herpes of the eye!!!! Sick. I know. Turns out he basically has a cold sore on his eye ball. OUCH! So now he has anti-viral drops and pills as well as some good ol' hydrocodone. It's slightly better today...espcecially with the pain medication, but he is still VERY sensitive to light. Hence the eye patch. It is helping but we are still keeping all our blinds drawn today. I have literally been taking care of sick people for almost 2 weeks. Luckily I haven't come down with it....I think. Sometimes I wish I was sick and somebody was taking care of me, but boy am I thankful to be healthy and able to tend to my poor sick family. I think we are coming over the other side of it. Finally!

So there! That's what the eye patch is all about. The boys think their dad is a pirate. "A pirate who doesn't do anything. He just stays at home and lies around........" :)

More Laughs

For Christmas, everyone got webcams so that we can all see eachother and chat. It has been so fun. It is like we are sitting in the same room together. Brendan and Wyatt LOVE seeing their aunties (we haven't seen any uncles online yet) and their nana and cousin. Really they love looking at themselves just as much! Here's our new family photo. I know it's scary. Actually we all had a real good laugh....again. I guess I'm in the laughing mood lately.

Warning: You Might Laugh and Spit Out Your Coffee

I'll let the pictures do the talking...but I will say, this was Papa's idea. :) Enjoy!

Papa and I laughed WAY harder than the kids. I think I pulled a muscle.

Ok, fine. Here are some more pictures.

Today's Lunch

What to eat? What to eat? The kids were having ham and cheese. I don't like sandwhiches that much but all the stuff was out so I thought I'd doctor mine up a bit and grill it. The kids finished their lunches and we were off to get ready for nap. Stripping of the clothes, finding stuffed animals, getting water, laying down, etc, etc. As I was laying by Wyatt my stomach growled and I thought, "Man, I'm hungry. What to eat? What to eat?" And then it dawned on me. I'd already had this conversation and there was a sandwhich on the stove as "we" speak.

Here's my lunch.
Let me just say that I expected to see flames when I ran into the kitchen. Luckily it was just smoking.
I'm back to "what to eat?" again.

Card Making

Well, I really don't have anything exciting to write about. We haven't been doing a whole heck of a lot except the usual routine. Breakfast, school, lunch, nap, snack, playing baseball with dad, dinner, bath and bed. And then it all starts over again. During nap and an occassional break I've been whipping out my card making stuff. Our 4th bedroom is where our computer is and where guests sleep. And right now, when we have no guests, it is where my big craft table is set up. Valentine's day is coming up...along with some birthdays and the weather has been lousy here (although getting better this weekend) so it sounded fun. I've been having trouble completing much of anything so we'll see if I get it together enough to actually send them to people, but here is some proof that I've been doing something. (You should see the laundry and cleaning that HASN'T been getting done as a result!) :)

Swimming in January

Can you believe we have been swimming all winter?? I can't! It's freezing here. I mean, I am really cold. I think it has finally happened. I'm acclimating. Summer should be a little easier this year. I'm sure many of you are mocking me right now because our temperatures here in Phoenix are so lovely in the winter (somewhere around 60 degrees during the day) I can't possibly be cold. But I am! And I am sooo glad to be cold. I'm enjoying wearing sweatshirts and layers AND sunglasses.
Well at my parents RV park they have a wonderful pool and hot tub. They keep the pool warmed up to about 85 degrees and the hot tub at about 104. It is so great. We've been swimming a lot. Brendan is a pretty good swimmer and Wyatt wears his water wings and us adults (well some of us) hop back and forth from the pool to the hot tub. It's the first winter in my life I have spent outside! It sure makes up for the hot summer we spent cooped up indoors in air conditioning that couldn't get me cold enough!

Nana and Papa Are Here

As most of you know, on December 10 (Willie's birthday) my parents signed papers and sold their business. They are officially retired. My dad continued working to help transition the "new guy" (old friend, Curt Strake) until Christmas. On Christmas Eve they left in their motor home and headed south. They spent Christmas in Kelso with Rachel and her family and then hit the road. They arrived in Phoenix on January 1. They came with no plan. By no plan I mean, no reservations. I really wondered if they would be staying in a Wal-Mart parking lot the whole time they were here because Arizona is a popular winter destination. The RV parks fill up ahead of time. At best I thought they would have to bounce around from place to place. The first place they called was Lake Pleasant RV resort. It's about 8 miles from our house and out in the desert on a lake. Like we thought, the only thing they could do was give them a spot for a bit and maybe move them to a different spot. By the time they arrived the people in the office said, "This is unheard of, but we have a spot available through the end of the month." So, of course, my parents took it and it was perfect. It was right on the end across from the pool. Yesterday was the day they had to move. For a week they will be staying kind of out in the desert in a spot that doesn't have full hookups (and you have to drive to the pool) but it is overlooking the lake and absolutely beautiful. After this week they will move back into the park to a spot that they will have for another 2 weeks or so. Then they will head to Lake Havasu and then home (I think). Praise God for His provisions and blessings! They already reserved their original spot for next year so that they are sure to be able to come back to the same spot.

It is so fun having Nana and Papa down the road. The kids are going to go through withdrawls when they leave. We're starting to get used to all the visitors (Jojee's coming in 4 weeks!). When summer hits we will be so lonely as Phoenix will probably be the last place anyone would want to be. :) We'll just come north!

Cousins

Well, I feel like I've been busier than ever. Since December 24 our lives have been filled with lots of people...and I am so glad about that. Most recently we have had Rachel and Jayden staying with us for the past 2 weeks. The trip revolved around the P.F. Chang's 1/2 marathon, which she ran with great ease and I walked with great trouble. 13.1 miles is very, very long when the most I walked before that particular race was about 5 miles! I was crippled the rest of the day and the following day. Other than losing a toenail and losing the bottom of a different toe, I am fully recovered! :) I think I'll train for the next one! Having Rachel around was, of course, fun, but I was especially glad to spend so much close time with my one and only nephew (hopefully more nephews/nieces to come....). It is true that Jayden is going through a severe seperation anxiety phase from his mother and can make her and anyone else nearby crazy. BUT, if you can get rid of the mother you can experience some real bonding time with Jayden. I had to kick her out a couple times so that he would stop whining for her to focus on him 100%. As soon as she was gone or impossible to get to (like in the shower) he calmed down and we got to play! Rand had lots of fun with Jayden too. The Saturday that we had to go register for the race, Rand took all three boys to the park to play....all by himself! Way to go super-dad! It was really hard in our car that doesn't easily fit 3 car seats. Time for a mini-van??? Never!!!!
The boys absolutely loved being together. Brendan and Wyatt still haven't stopped telling me how much they miss their Auntie and Jayden. This morning I made them waffles and Brendan asked, "Where's Jayden's waffle?" Breakfast just wasn't the same without them.
Visit Rachel's site to see all the pictures and other stories from the trip. Here's a few pics that I love.