Thanksgiving Weekend in Portland

Thanksgiving had all the ear marks of a big bummer. We had been REALLY looking forward to my brother and my Aunt coming for Turkey day and they both ended up not being able to come. Lee thought we should just bag the whole thing but I insisted we go through the motions. I am really glad we did. It was kinda nice to have Thanksgiving with just the 4 of us. I have never in my life done such a small holiday. We ate when we wanted, what we wanted, and how much we wanted (knowing we had all the leftovers to ourselves :). I did the whole thing, even homemade pie crusts for my first time. I think it all turned out great (of course because I only had Lee and Keaton to make the yummy noises). I asked Keaton about halfway through the dinner what his favorite part was. He said, "my family of course". You know he was right.

My mom suggested we do something that weekend so we didn't sit around and mope. I am glad she suggested that. We hopped in the car and went to Portland for the weekend (about 3 hours away). Lee and I decided you could take a week just traveling that road. There were so many cool things to look at!

Friday night we went to "The Kennedy School". My cousin and his wife lived in Portland and gave us all kinds of cool suggestions. It is an old school they have turned into a hotel (classrooms are the rooms), indoor pool, cigar shop (in the old detention room), theatre (in the gym full of overstuffed mismatched velvet loveseats not theatre seats), and a charming restaurant. We had a great dinner then went to the tree lighting in Pioneer Square. We didn't know until we got back to the hotel that the square was almost a victim of a terror attack (although it was a pretty good idea since it was wall to wall people). I don't know why you can't see the tree in the pic above....lame.

The next morning Keaton and Lee went on the sub tour (I don't do claustrophobia things and Annah was too little). Keaton and Lee LOVED it. Keaton favorite was when the tour guide told him he could "name a missile and take it home...if you can lift it". Keaton thought that was pretty funny.....Keaton is pretty funny.

Savannah and I didn't have a camera but we went to the Saturday open air market. We wandered the booths for an hour with a smile on our faces. Annah LOVES dogs and Portland has more dogs then any place I know. I love all the little vendor booths. After an hour and a half we were about done and ready for Lee and Keaton to get us so we got some popcorn and listened to a little band playing in their food garden.

Like I said there was so much to see on the road home. This is Multnomah Falls. It is the 2nd tallest falls in the nation. I think it was breathtaking. It was especially cool with the ice on the sides. We loved how everything was covered with moss. We hiked up to that bridge and got a closer look.

On the way up Keaton found a tree to hide in :)

The first bridge....look how mossy the trees were!

There was another water fall about a 1/4 mile away. Not quite as cool but still pretty. Annah wanted to play in the water.

P.S. Don't you LOVE the kids hats? Lee's Mom made them last year. I am so thrilled they still fit this year!

Moving!

Well, we are here...move DONE. Now onto making some kind of normal here. Here is a picture with Keaton and our good neighbors and friends the Rennies. We left behind so many friends. It is hard for Keaton to get used to us knowing no one. As a matter of fact it has been really hard for ME to get used to the fact we know no one :)
On our way out here we stopped in Twin Falls for lunch (nothing better then a salad or hot dog from Costco, eh?). We were amazed by this lovely gorge. It was great for the kids to get out and stretch their legs!

Here is a better picture of the gorge. There is a golf course at the bottom. Wouldn't Lee love that?!?!

The bridge was pretty cool too. Although I am a sucker for a cool bridge (Yakima has PLENTY of those...let me tell you!). This is our mountain of moving paper. You would NOT BELIEVE what the movers wrapped. Every toy, every piece of garbage, every plastic cup was all wrapped. We made a big mountain and jumped in it. The kids LOVED it!

Seriously, no picture can represent this room FULL of paper!

We sure miss our friends but are grateful for this opportunity for our family! Please know we LOVE visitors (not that we have had any :)!

Camping take one!

We went camping back to back weekends this year. The first time was for the Hansen family reunion and the next week was the Palmer family reunion. I actually really enjoyed both weeks....especially after I gave up keeping our little Savannah clean :) Here are a few of the highlights of the Hansen camp!

Look at the look of pure joy on that face. I fought and fought and fought her to stay in her stroller or in my arms. Life was much better once I gave in.

P.S. Oxy Spray pre-treater is a laundry miracle :)
Keaton is never one to miss out on dirt himself!

Everyone needs a cousin you can just be goofy with. Milo fits the bill nicely :)

My sisters and I believe in the "Love and Logic" concept of parenting. It lets kids experience their own consequences. This shot could be on the cover of their next book. Kai forgot tennis shoes after he was reminded. He was pretty good about even hiking in his sandals :)

These are all the cousin hikers that hiked doughnut falls. On the way up to the falls my sister Amara kept asking hikers what KIND of doughnuts were up there. Everyone gave her a blank stare but I thought it was rather funny :)

Keaton at the top of the falls. I know the hat is too big but it keeps the sun off his face and shoulders!

Tia wanted me to take a picture of her (what a teenager :). I took a couple and darnit this is the one Tia is not looking in but I love Ari's smile and Kai's...well whatever Kai is doing I like it!

This picture was taken from our tent pad. A little bit close for me!

Gotta love those Hansen's. Plenty of food folks and fun! Thanks for a great weekend!

Keaton Breaks his Arm...catching up

I have been such a bad blogger as of late. We have had our share of drama though so...maybe? I use this as a journal for our family so I will need to catch up...bear with me.
If you know Keaton very well you know he is A: a great swimmer, and B: FEARLESS. The middle of April I started going to water aerobics. I loved going and I especially liked it when Keaton would come with me (the class is listed as good for ALL ages so I was testing their limits I know). We would do the class and then 10 minutes before the pool closed I would let him jump off the diving boards. The first time he went on the low dive I thought my heart would beat out of my chest. After he went off the low dive he wanted to try the high dive. I told him he needed to go off the low dive 5 more times first (I thought he would forget). He still wanted to try the high dive. I talked to the life guard and asked her if she thought I was insane for letting my 4 year old jump off the high dive. She said not too worry no 4 year old actually jumps. IF they have enough nerve to get to the top they turn around when they see how high it is. She didn't know my Keaton though. He climbed to the top, ran to the end, and JUMPED. When he surfaced from the water he said, "THAT. WAS. AWWWWESOME." We continued doing our routine for about a week.
Weds. night he was all ready to go up the ladder. About the 3rd or 4th rung he fell off the ladder and landed on his arm (I was standing right there but couldn't get to him in time). I have never seen him scream like that. They began treating him, and honestly me too for shock and called an ambulance. There was a good Samaritan there that was in med school. He held Keaton's arm in the air to relieve some of the pain until the ambulance came. When I realized that his bone had poked THROUGH his skin I knew there was real trouble.
They rushed us to the nearest hospital and within an hour he was in emergency surgery to pin his arm back together.


Keaton actually LOVED Lakeview Hospital. He was there for 24 hours for observation. They brought him movies, toys, and fixed him anything he wanted to eat. He still says he wants to go back to the hospital. I was so impressed with how kind they were to me as well. They brought me in my own bed to stay by him. They also brought in meals for me, just kind.

Keaton had a rough day or so adjusting.

We were pleased though within a week he was not going to let him hold him back. We even went to Seaworld and Disneyland!

A quick 4 weeks later (they originally though 6 or more) he got his pins pulled and his cast off. Last week went back to the pool. He is a trouper!

Vanna turn's ONE!

Our little sweetie turned one last month. Right after she finished RSV. Keaton still call's her little one and constantly say's, "she's pretty special to us". Savannah is the sweetest girl we know....with a crazy bad temper :) She is starting to like people a little more. She even has begun letting a stranger here or there look at her :) She says, "mama, dada, Keaton, hi bubby (my brothers baby the same age), bye, and lub you". She has great crawling skills and see's no need to walk (although she pulls up on everything). She love's Keaton. One day Keaton took a nap and she cried the whole hour and a half. I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. I tried everything. Keaton woke up and she laughed and laughed.

She likes to swim (good thing if she is going to make it in this family). She likes to be outside and she still loves toys. She will eat most anything (except banana's...a girl after my own heart). Last night she ate lentil soup, and the night before tilapia, broccoli, and acorn squash (where did I get these kids?). All in all I guess Keaton is right...she's pretty special to us.
(this movie was taken 2 days after she got out of the hospital, note the nasal canula from her oxygen :) I guess she was feeling better).

Our tour of Primary's

Last Thursday our little gal got real sick...real fast. In the morning she was fine. By 6 I was terrified. She had slept for 6 hours and we were having a hard time rousing her. She didn't want to eat and what she did eat she couldn't keep down. My Pediatrician said to bring her right in. They ran some tests but couldn't figure it out. They sent us home to wait for it to get worse...or better. Friday she was much worse. We were starting to worry about dehydration so we gave her 1/2 tsp (yes, tsp) of pedialyte every 5 min (yes 5 min). She continued to decline and her fever got worse (I could only get it to 100.5 with Tylenol). Kidscare had a 2 hour wait and we were so worried about how she would handle that and what she was spreading we decided with our Doc to wait and take her to Primary's if it got too bad. I had to work Monday so I went at 5am so I could relieve Lee. I called the Ped at 8 to tell her Vanna was having trouble breathing now too and her unmedicated temp was 105. They told me to bring her right in.
At the Ped's office her pulse ox was 84 so they freaked and called an ambulance (mind you our Ped office is IN a hospital). At that point I lost it and started sobbing. I asked if she was going to make it. They assured me she would be in the best hands at the Children's Hospital and would be fine. Savannah wouldn't let them put her on the gurney so I got on the gurney and held her while they strapped us both down (the things you will do as a Mom :).

At Primary's they admitted us as soon as they had a bed (after about 6 hours in a room in the ER). They did some more tests and came back with RSV the whole hospital is double and triple booked right now with this. It is an epidemic!

They hooked her up to all kinds of monitors. I didn't take any pictures of her dehydrated and at her worst. I am glad. She was so sad looking. All of these pics are about 24 hours after treatment. She turned around pretty quick with the oxygen, IV, and suctioning out the mucus. They were going to send her home the next day but right before she was going to leave her oxygen dropped so we stayed again. They were then going to send her home the next morning but right before we were going to leave she had a 1/2 hour coughing fit that that she lost oxygen on and was turning blue before the suctioned her. SO....finally the 3rd night we got to go home....on oxygen, and with going back to have her suctioned 2x a day at the hospital.
We are so happy to have our little gal back home and starting to get better. We have been so worried about her. We saw faith in action. We could FEEL the prayers of family and friends and knew she would be fine. We felt God's hand that right before she was going to go home she had her setbacks BEFORE we got home. We are thankful for kind family and friends that have helped us get through this!

Pinewood derby!

The big new of the week is Keaton won the Ward's pinewood derby for his age group! Keaton picked out the design, painted it and decorated it. Lee had his doubts because it was nowhere near the weight it should have been. Imagine our surprise when not only did the "green goblin" not fall apart on the first race but it WON! It went on to win for his age group! He was so proud!

Our Savannah continues to light up our life. She is pretty serious but a pure joy to have in our family. Keaton is such a good brother to her. They play together pretty well :) We had Savannah's one year old pics done click here for a sneak peek!