Saturday, July 24, 2010
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Happy 9th Anniversary!
Dear Andrew,
I'm sure that 9 years ago today, when you vowed in front of several hundred people to love me in sickness and in health, you never expected how true those words would someday be. Can you believe it's been 6 months since we were at Scott & White in the ICU waiting to hear something about the problems with my breathing? It's been 6 months since you spent virtually every waking moment either with the kids or by my side, waiting to see if my body would ever return to breathing on its own. I want you to know that your efforts were not in vein - I may not have been aware of everything you did for me and the kids while I was sedated on the ventilator for 2 weeks, but I thank God every day for giving me a husband who was willing to stay by me and do everything possible to help me get better. I heard people say over and over again about how you stayed with me late into the night rubbing my head or my feet to help me sleep, how you played praise music all the time from the computer, how you made sure that Peter was keeping a consistent routine, how you would talk to me and tell me about things that were going on even though I was completely unresponsive, about how you dropped everything to make sure that I was getting the best possible care. You will never know how much that means to me. I may not have been the best patient once I woke up (I'm sure being sedated had something to do with my perfect compliance while I was sick :) ), and I may have fought with you and argued with you when you tried to get me to do something that you knew would help me get better. I may have been more emotional than you expected and quite hard to handle at times. However, even thought I didn't show it, I appreciate everything you did for me and all the encouragement you gave me while I was recovering. I love you more than you'll ever know, and I'm so thankful that God decided to give me a second chance to continue in life with you and love you. Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart. I look forward to many, many, more!
Love,
me
I'm sure that 9 years ago today, when you vowed in front of several hundred people to love me in sickness and in health, you never expected how true those words would someday be. Can you believe it's been 6 months since we were at Scott & White in the ICU waiting to hear something about the problems with my breathing? It's been 6 months since you spent virtually every waking moment either with the kids or by my side, waiting to see if my body would ever return to breathing on its own. I want you to know that your efforts were not in vein - I may not have been aware of everything you did for me and the kids while I was sedated on the ventilator for 2 weeks, but I thank God every day for giving me a husband who was willing to stay by me and do everything possible to help me get better. I heard people say over and over again about how you stayed with me late into the night rubbing my head or my feet to help me sleep, how you played praise music all the time from the computer, how you made sure that Peter was keeping a consistent routine, how you would talk to me and tell me about things that were going on even though I was completely unresponsive, about how you dropped everything to make sure that I was getting the best possible care. You will never know how much that means to me. I may not have been the best patient once I woke up (I'm sure being sedated had something to do with my perfect compliance while I was sick :) ), and I may have fought with you and argued with you when you tried to get me to do something that you knew would help me get better. I may have been more emotional than you expected and quite hard to handle at times. However, even thought I didn't show it, I appreciate everything you did for me and all the encouragement you gave me while I was recovering. I love you more than you'll ever know, and I'm so thankful that God decided to give me a second chance to continue in life with you and love you. Happy Anniversary, Sweetheart. I look forward to many, many, more!
Love,
me
Friday, July 9, 2010
Hot Diggity Dog!
After the children's museum, we stopped by the Hot Dog Caboose for lunch. It's a hot dog stand in an old train caboose about 30 seconds away from Grandma and Grandpa's house. The weather has cooled down considerably today, so we were able to enjoy hot dogs, fries, and drinks outside.
A Trip to the Children's Museum
Today was our last full day in New Jersey. We spent the morning at the New Jersey Children's Museum, a place that Peter really enjoyed the last time we were in NJ. Just like last time, he had a blast!! We were one of the first people there, so he had about 35 minutes to pretty much do whatever he wanted without anyone else wanting to play in the same area. A summer camp group came in around 10:40 or so, but they were really well behaved and didn't cause any problems with Peter being able to see and play in all of the exhibits.
It was interesting to see what he enjoyed this year that he didn't really play with last year. He did a few of the same things (ride the horse, play with the giant lite-brite, sit on the firetruck), but he really seemed to find new things to explore that he didn't seem as interested in last year.
He enjoyed some time in the construction area...
Like last year, he loved the firetruck!
The horse was a hit - he rode it twice. :)
I tried to get Peter to be the astronaut, but he preferred me to try it instead.
He enjoyed the giant lite-brite with all of the colorful lights.
Unlike last year, the kitchen area was empty when we got to it. He cooked some pizza and served it to us.
The grocery store was also empty this time, so Peter was able to shop and purchase a few items.
His favorite exhibit, though, was this castle with toy knights and horses. He spent over 10 minutes just moving the people around and having a great time.
Toward the end of our visit, we saw a puppet show based on "The Three Billy Goats Gruff". I had never read the story to Peter, so today was the first time he heard it. The lady did a great job telling it and got all of the kids involved in making sounds for the characters. Peter sat nicely during the show, but I wasn't really sure how much he really took in until...
He enjoyed the giant lite-brite with all of the colorful lights.
Unlike last year, the kitchen area was empty when we got to it. He cooked some pizza and served it to us.
The grocery store was also empty this time, so Peter was able to shop and purchase a few items.
His favorite exhibit, though, was this castle with toy knights and horses. He spent over 10 minutes just moving the people around and having a great time.
Toward the end of our visit, we saw a puppet show based on "The Three Billy Goats Gruff". I had never read the story to Peter, so today was the first time he heard it. The lady did a great job telling it and got all of the kids involved in making sounds for the characters. Peter sat nicely during the show, but I wasn't really sure how much he really took in until...
We were sitting at dinner tonight and Peter tried telling us that something was tasty. We listed off all of the food on this plate, but he kept saying something different. We just couldn't figure out what he was talking about. A few minutes later, he was able to get it out a little more clearly - "Billy goats are tasty!"
He was repeating part of the song that the troll sang during the puppet show he saw earlier in the day! Amy started asking him some questions about the story, and he was pretty much able to retell the entire story that he had only heard once about 6 hours prior to dinner. His retention is amazing!!
All in all, a very successful day at the New Jersey Children's Museum. :)
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
The Bronx Zoo
Grandpa took off from work today to take us to the Bronx Zoo. Although it's in NY, it's only about 17 miles away from the house. It took us about an hour to get there, though, because of traffic trying to cross the George Washington Bridge into New York. Can you believe it costs $8 to cross the bridge???
Today was donation day at the zoo, so they let you donate whatever you wish to enter. It normally costs $16 a person, so donation day saved us lots of money! They even gave us a DVD about some of the animals at the zoo.
It was REALLY hot today (hovering around 100), but the shade kept it feeling a little cooler. Most of the animals were out, so we had a good time seeing lots of animals in action. They also had a children's zoo ($3 per person) that had some animal exhibits as well as things to climb on.
Grandpa - Thanks for taking us to the zoo!!
Today was donation day at the zoo, so they let you donate whatever you wish to enter. It normally costs $16 a person, so donation day saved us lots of money! They even gave us a DVD about some of the animals at the zoo.
It was REALLY hot today (hovering around 100), but the shade kept it feeling a little cooler. Most of the animals were out, so we had a good time seeing lots of animals in action. They also had a children's zoo ($3 per person) that had some animal exhibits as well as things to climb on.
Grandpa - Thanks for taking us to the zoo!!
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
Pizza Night!
One of the things I love about visiting New Jersey is having people around to do things with Peter that he wouldn't necessarily get the chance to do at home. Danielle isn't always willing to just sit in a swing or highchair and be a spectator - she wants to be part of the action! Having a toddler and infant trying to make pizza together isn't really my idea of a fun family activity, so I am so thankful that Aunt Amy let Peter help her make pizzas last weekend. He had a blast!!!
First he helped roll out the dough. He put flour on the dough so it wouldn't stick to the rolling pin. His idea of "just a little" and Amy's idea of "just a little" was quite different, so Amy kept brushing off the extra flour as he kept adding to it!
Then it was on to the sauce! 
and a little for Peter . . .
Notice the cheese around this mouth? Here is when he decided to lick the pepperoni before putting it on the pizza. Good thing only family was eating this one!!
He made sure each spot had a piece of pepperoni.
Finally - time to eat!!!
First he helped roll out the dough. He put flour on the dough so it wouldn't stick to the rolling pin. His idea of "just a little" and Amy's idea of "just a little" was quite different, so Amy kept brushing off the extra flour as he kept adding to it!
Then it was on to the sauce!
Cheese time! A little for the pizza . . .
and a little for Peter . . .
Notice the cheese around this mouth? Here is when he decided to lick the pepperoni before putting it on the pizza. Good thing only family was eating this one!!
He made sure each spot had a piece of pepperoni.
Finally - time to eat!!!
Sunday, July 4, 2010
Technically, He Obeyed. . .
Aunt Kim has a new puppy, and Peter is completely in love with her. He absolutely loves to snuggle with her, chase her around, and carry her around. After returning home the other day, I told Peter that he was not to let Daisy out of her crate. He could look at her and pet her through the door of the crate, but he had to leave her in there. He was really quiet for a while, and then I heard a strange noise in the hallway. When I peeked down towards Kim's room, this is what I saw...
He obeyed and didn't let her out of the crate. However, because he wanted Daisy to be with him in the living room, he was just dragging her entire crate down the hallway!! Smart boy! :)
He obeyed and didn't let her out of the crate. However, because he wanted Daisy to be with him in the living room, he was just dragging her entire crate down the hallway!! Smart boy! :)
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