Ethan Update

The doctor called and the x-rays showed that he did have pneumonia. He is being put on Augmentin and will continue with his inhaler and Mucinex. She is surprised that he is not feeling worse than he is. He is actually feeling way better than he was before he was put on the Z-Pack, so it must have helped some. Hopefully, the Augmentin will get the job done.

Chris vs. Nick (Part 1)

Nick was happily enjoying his enormous cupcake that Dan and Cindy brought over. Chris decided to pop it into his face.Just when Nick thought it was safe, Chris decided to pop Nick's face into the cupcake!
Good times!
Nick attempted to get Chris back, but ran out of time. I'm sure he'll find a way!

More Vacation Pictures

Here Ethan is shown doing what he did most of vacation...resting on the couch!The last night we were there, we went to eat at the Hen House somewhere in Western Maryland. We got there before they opened, so we had to sit on their front porch for a bit. It was in the low 70's and breezy, so it was an enjoyable wait.
Despite being 11, Hanzie had a fabulous time in the mountains. He ran around and chased the 4-wheeler and swam after the pedal boat. It was good to see him so active. At home, I can barely get him to walk around the block!
Sarah, Noah, and Aiden enjoying some Ben & Jerry's, a treat from Aunt Kate, at the Inner Harbor in Baltimore.
Noah doing his best to look like the penguin.
Will loves to climb stuff, so he couldn't resist jumping up on the bike.
The crew leaving the Maryland Science Center.
The kids really enjoyed the "Kids' Room" at the science center. They spent their final few minutes playing at the water table.
The audience got a good laugh at Aiden!
Will posing for me!
A shot across the Harbor to the aquarium.
Tim and Chris desperately trying to stage a shot!

Noah enjoyed the dinosaur exhibit at the science center. He could have spent all day in that room alone!
Sarah was digging for fossils.
That is a big bone!
Here are the sick children asleep on Grandma's couch!
While Yvonne was having her surgery, we took all of the kids up to a local park. Melissa was in town with the girls so she met up with us. Here is Noah, Sophia, Paige, and Emma (along with some random kid that jumped at the photo op).
Hippie Chick. A feather and tie dye!
Chris and the boys on the mall. Yes, Noah was asleep standing up at that point! We were parents of the year dragging the sick child through DC!
Ethan showing how he feels about ants. (He is highly allergic to them!)
I think they were saying something along the lines of, "Fine, we will pose next to this stupid dinosaur if you just take us home!"
Ethan and Aiden checking out the shark jaws!
Future pilot??
I'm not sure what to say about this one!

Health Update

We went to see Dr. Garcia this morning for follow-up visits. She was not happy about Ethan's cough and the sound of his chest. She thinks he probably has pneumonia and sent him to Bert Fish for chest x-rays. She said with all of the medicines he was on, that he should be all better by now. He definitely sounds better than he was, but she said it will turn right back into what it was before if he does not get it cleared out. She said she probably won't get the x-ray results until tomorrow and will call as soon as she does.

Noah's throat and ears looked better. She said his lymph nodes were still quite swollen. She has referred him to the ENT about getting his tonsils out since he has had strep so many times. They are calling with an appointment time for that as well.

The boys and I watched Confessions of a Shopaholic last night. The boys liked it and we were all able to relax! I'm sure we'll be resting quite a bit this week trying to get everyone better.

Vacation Pictures

Here are some pictures from my camera. There will be more to come.

National Air and Space Museum."Spirit of St. Louis" and "Space Ship One."
Waiting with Aunt Kate at the IMAX theater.
The crew coming up the escalator at the metro station.
The kids enjoying the metro ride. (Noah looks miserable because he had a high fever and sore throat the entire day.)
Nick, Ethan, Aiden, Noah, Will, and Sarah waiting for the metro to arrive.
Kate and Noah and Cheeseburger, Cheeseburger.
Noah putting the roof on the birdhouse that the boys made with Dad and Pop-Pop.

Abby doing her favorite thing! She swam after the pedal boat all day!
They are off!
Abby waiting for the boat to get in the water so she can chase it.
The new toy Grandma got.
Abby thoroughly enjoying herself on her 100 acres of freedom.
This spring was Abby's favorite swimming hole. Hanzie also liked to drink the spring water pouring in from the mountain. It was a stop on every hike we took.
Noah deciding if it was warm enough for him to swim in!


Chris and Noah.
Aidan celebrating his 4th birthday at the gym.
Hanzie and Abby cuddling on the way up.
South of the Border on the drive up. We went right by it! That place creeps me out.

Vacation Update!

The boys are having a fantastic time on vacation. They first spent a couple days at Aunt Lori and Uncle Dale's house. Aidan had his 4th birthday party at a gymnastics complex and all the kids had a great time. The next few days were spent in the mountains. Of course the 4-wheeler, pedal boat, hiking, campfires, and birdhouse building kept them quite entertained. We left the mountains a day early to get Ethan into Nighttime Pediatrics. He wasn't feeling well before we left and saw his own doctor. She thought it was a virus and that he would be feeling better in a couple days. Well, the days went by and he kept getting worse and worse. He had a fever, vomiting, and could barely breath. They hooked him up to a nebulizer Thursday night and then sent him home with an antibiotic, steroid, and inhaler. Those things seem to be helping, but he is still sleeping a lot and looks generally wiped out. Before he was sleeping 18 hours a day. Now he is making it to 6:00 before crashing. Unfortunately, Noah is now running a fever and has an awful sore throat. I think another trip to Nighttime Pediatrics might be in store for us.

The kids enjoyed exploring DC yesterday. They are a bit older than they were the last time they visited the museums and seemed to appreciate it more. Leigha, Aiden, Gavin, Evan, Sarah, Nick, Ethan, Will, and Noah had a fun sleep over last night. They had even more fun hanging out today. Skylar was able to join the fun today as well. She is just as cute as she can be! Tonight they have been rocking it out on Rock Band! It is quite comical.

And then there is poor Yvonne. I feel absolutely terrible for her. She looked so miserable at the hospital today, but was still only worried about everyone else. I can't say that I know another person that would actually apologize for having to have their appendix out! Thankfully, the kids are distracted by all of their cousins. Sarah has been worried about her, that is for sure. I know she will be happy when her mom is back home.

Visiting Cousins!