It's What Fun Is...

Every year our company has a Summer party that everyone can bring their whole family to. This year was extra special as it was the 10th Anniversary, so they decided to celebrate at an amusement park, Lagoon. Each employee was able to go for free and bring a guest at no additional cost, (if they had more family, they were able to come for like next to nothing).

Any who, Char & I took Rebekah & Rhett (my sister & her husband) with us. I'm still a little confused on who was who's date-but I digress. to celebrate their 5th Wedding Anniversary. It was so fun with just the 4 of us, we haven't been on a grown ups only date in a long time. It also made all those 4 person seating rides so much fun.
Besides super hot sun, long lines, 3 babies aged 2 and under would not have been to pleasant for very long.

We wandered around, went on a spinning ride, had lunch, go on the sky ride (basically it's like going on a ski lift in the middle of summer, went on some roller coasters, my glasses lost me, went on another roller coaster, looked for my glasses, and wandered around some more watching people do the really scary thrill rides or playing the carnival games. Time flies when you're having fun, after a few hours and (some sun), we were all missing our babies and headed home. All in all, It was sooo much fun!
Yes-My glasses went missing. We were on the Wicked-and they came right off my face-just gone! It was rather impressive actually-Char has the exact same glasses and they didn't get lost at all. Apparently it's a very common thing for items to get lost while on this ride from pockets, faces, ect. that there are even daily search times set aside. We never found my glasses, I used my old ones until we were able to get replacement ones yesterday.

These Small Hours, Still Remain

As you may of noticed, I have been away. Even when the hospital released me (I feel the Simpson's phrased it best with "Well, your as healthy as the insurance will pay for.") I've haven't been quite up to my normal self. But I am getting there.

The whole time I was away this song was in my mind from 6:30 am to 8:00 am then again from 6:00 pm to 8:30 pm. These Small Hours, it's sung by Rob Thomas and it's on a movie Meet the Robinson's' (one of Char & Heidi Anne's favorite movies I might add). One verse always strikes a cord with me:

Our Lives Are Made

In These Small Hours,

These Little Wonders,

These Twists and Turns of Fate,

Time Falls Away,

But These Small Hours,

These Small Hours, Still Remain....

Why during those 4 hours every day? Those are our Small Hours.

They are our family morning time and night time. I never missed going to wake up Heidi Anne in the morning and saying "Good Morning Sunshine" so much in my life (Yes, it's a race-if you could see the smile she give us-you'd race in too-we normally tie anyways). I was still up at 6:25 on the dot. I missed the getting ready, the brush your teeth songs, the picking out which outfit to wear. I missed talking with Char in the morning.

Nights I really missed, I missed the Heidi Anne updates, her telling us about her day, us playing referee between her and the puppy, Char making dinner, listening to the radio and singing along. Just everything that makes our family us. Even the little things we didn't realized we did-I missed.

Amazing how that works-I guess that's what is meant by "You don't know what you have until it's gone." It's just become so natural, how could it be any different and then suddenly one day it is.

He would bring Heidi Anne to visit in the mornings and nights-but it still wasn't our patterns. But trust me-I Loved every second of it-and I love our Small Hours Even more.

And These Hours aren't even just for the daily Small Hours as well. We went to Lagoon on Saturday with my sister and her husband and I don't think we could of had more fun!! :)

Our Lives Are Made

In These Small Hours

Thoughts on Hospital Stay

So, it finally ends. They decided that Lissa's blood did a magic trick and disappeared. No one decided where it went just that she lost a lot. so they gave her more blood and sent her on her way, gave her some nasty bruises.

Heidi has been a little trooper and has been wanting to see mama at every turn. she woke up crying wanting her mama and I had to tell her that mama is still owies in the owie place. and she nodded her head and held out her arm and went owies and decided that was a satisfactory explanation.

So we went and visited Lissa at every opportunity that we could, and the ward that she was in was full of older people that were sedentary and not having loud visitors... in comes Heidi so exited to see her mama that she is singing and dancing and laughing and giggling. She got all the nurses to give her lollies and they all loved her eyes and asked about where she got her blue eyes was cause there is no way I had a daughter that tan. I reply that we are still looking for the father.

It was so heart breaking how much my little angel Heidi missed her mama and how much she wants to be like Lissa. Heidi wanted to be like her to the point where she wanted Band-Aids and would go owie and have me kiss it better. I swear that if Heidi could talk more clearly she would have said something like just give her a magical kiss and then she could come home, cause my kisses seem to make her all better. I cannot imagine how single parents do this, I have so much respect for them, and how widowed parents are able to cope with their loss while still trying to be strong for the children. while it is true this is not a tragedy and no lasting harm came from it has made me think of how hard it would be.

more daddy thoughts

So the drama continues from yesterday. It always amazes me how much pain women in general and specifically my wife can handle and keep on going. Lissa went through 30 hours of labor with no epidural and still thought that she should have been stronger. she went through surgery on Monday with little or no pain medications, and wondered if that was okay to do. However, this is still the worst pain I have ever seen her in.

The good news is that the hospital is keeping her relatively pain free until her pancreas is back to normal. I believe that she has had this in a medium form for the past 4-6 months and it just spiked to horrible levels this week. Which means she has been in mild to severe pain for over 4 months but has not let onto it.

I have met very few people who are so stubborn and not willing to give in as Lissa, even though she woke up with stabbing pain on Tues and had a hard time breathing she still had to go into work because it was billing and there is no excuse to miss billing days. When I met her on the first floor to go home, or so she thought, all she thought she needed was some rest at home and she would be back to work the next day. I am glad I don't necessarily listen to her all the time and dragged her to the ER. Lissa had sworn off wheel chairs and vowed to never use them, she didn't when we had Heidi only after when no one would let her walk, but she asked for one. to sum it all up, Lissa is a very strong and amazing women who has a crazy strong work ethic.

Daddy Thoughts

Today was up there with some of the most scariest that I have ever had since I have been married to Lissa. It all started this morning around 4 Lissa woke up with a stabbing pain in her chest and thought that it was an asthma attack or possibly a reaction to the sugary that she had on Monday. Being the crazy stubborn women that she is, she opted to get ready for the day and go to work. on the way to dropping Heidi off at day care Lissa said, at "what point do we say uncle?" at this point it seemed like no more then a particularly hard day for her, and it was after a surgery.

She goes to work and we get about an hour into it and she chats me and says "maybe a half day" and then "I need to go home and rest." so I said well lets meet and go, and I went to where we normally meet and she was slumped on the floor and I said maybe we should go to the insta-care but she said that she was unable to walk to the car and I needed to bring it around. after I got back her pale ashen color was getting more pronounced and her trouble breathing increased. I rushed her to the ER and she was rushed back and I couldn't get a word in edgewise to keep up with what she had, her medical alert bracelet was used more then I was in the beginning.

The pain and not being able to breath was very worrisome, bit they gave her oxygen and we had all sorts of tests to find out that she has a super inflamed pancreas, to the point that the doctors were kind of shocked that it is about 23 times it should be. So Lissa can't drink or eat for a few days, just a lot of IV fluids.

So I become a single-ish dad, got Heidi from daycare and Heidi started on her usual momma back or daddy back routine that she does if there is one of us missing, I tried to explain that momma is owie and so we decided to go see her and let momma see her little girl. We visited but Heidi was getting restless and so I took her home fed her, tickled her and cuddled her and all the while she was having me do all the things that momma usually does. No I cannot sit in mommas place at the table, and I have to take her shoes off in just the same way and get her night clothes on without Lissa choosing them before hand, Heidi didn't like them as much.

I realized how much Lissa does for our little family in the love and support that she gives to us and this little scare brings to the front of my mind how important she is to me and how lucky I am to have her in my life for as long as she graces me with her presence. I got into this marriage knowing what she has and knowing the risks, but was willing to take them and have some of the happiest times of my life. Lissa is one of the bravest person I know and I Love Her.

Happy Birthday 2 You-Pool Party-Toddler Style!

We decided to celebrate Heidi Anne's Birthday down in the valley so it would be easier for everyone to come. What fun is it to have a party when your cousins aren't there? We were planning on just going to the park somewhere,Nana offered to have in her backyard. Which worked out great as we were able to also do a pool party-Toddler Style!Here is Alice enjoying the wading pool.Heidi Anne and Kayla playing by the pool togetherHeidi Anne and Alice playing togetherThe toddlers soon dried off and then proceeded to play on the slide, swings, and playhouse.

Heidi just getting down the little slide
Kayla on the swing

Even Baby Alice joined in on the funHeidi Anne on the playhouse
Once everyone was there (and we were all hungry) the barbecue began. I don't think Heidi Anne could look more excited to eat!Rykken looking all around
After we had all eaten we began to clean up, so Heidi Anne and Kayla kept themselves busy
I think they had the most fun whenever Sarah would come over and play with them. Sarah is a Childrens' Librarian-so she knows how to interact perfectly with any age (newborn to 90) and the Girls just Loved her.