Mom of Three

Sunday, June 28, 2009

Jet Lag

Getting home was a bit of an adventure. We got up at 4:30 Eastern time (1:30 PST) and headed to the airport. Our kids were pretty good. We just kept telling them that we were going home and we'd be able to see our dog. They all missed the dog a lot! That sustained us a bit but they, understandably, were exhausted.

Our flights were on time, lay overs fairly easy and that all went well. On the first flight they couldn't get us together but they could do 4 and then a single. The single was in the middle seat and I volunteered to take it. Or rather, let Bob sit with the kids. That being said, I was squished between two HUGE people. I don't think Bob's shoulders would have fit. The woman to my left slept the whole time and the guy to my right tried to stay in his "space" but it didn't work very well. At least they weren't talkers. I tried to read my book, I slept a bit, it was fine.

Bob was back there juggling, switching out videos, feeding the kids any crap they wanted to keep them quiet, and being a good daddy. Poor daddy. We landed in Phoenix.

Our next plane was only 3 gates down from our previous one. Awesome! Aero, the god of flying, must have been on our side this time. What was the deal on the way out? I digress.... We had some snacks. This flight they put us 3 and 2. I volunteered to take the boys so Bob could sit with Sophia. She is much easier to reason with.

Once on the plane the boys started asking for a movie. I said, "No. Close your eyes." After my insistence for 10 minutes both of them were OUT. Anytime they'd wake up I'd just tell them to put their head back down and they would. I got to read my book some more. AND I had room to breath this time. That was nice.

We arrived home at 12:45 pm so we had the whole rest of the day to unwind. Rebecca came to pick us up. Thanks Rebecca! We loaded all 10 bags into the car and went home. As we were pulling into the drive way the kids were already planning, "Can we go see ________ (fill in a friend's name). Can we go swimming? Can we______, Can we _______, Can we________" Are you freaking kidding me? You have been ___________ for 3 weeks now. Mommy wants to get the dog and sit still. "We're bored." Puh Leezzzzzzzeeeeee!

I went and picked up Iva. She barked at us at first and then she wagged her tail and ran up to us. We were really happy to get our dog back. Adam did a great job with her and that makes me glad. I would have hated to put her in a kennel.

We saw our friends the Bogdanskis. They didn't know we were home and just happened to pull up in front. The kids played and then Bob and Nolee took the kids to the pool. By 7 pm the kids were fed and in bed. Nice. Quiet. No, "Can we____"

Bob and I sat up until 12:30. I was thinking....????? "Let's get back on West Coast time." That was dumb. We went upstairs and Kees was coughing really hard. He had sounded sick earlier but not like he was dying. Now he was coughing so hard he could hardly breathe. I gave him cough medicine, rubbed Vicks on him, gave him Albuterol, did anything I could think of. He was really struggling. Sophia was terrified and starting to panic. I was sorry for her but trying to keep her calm too. She wasn't helping. I had Bob put Kees' head in the freezer. Still no relief.

At 12:45 I scooped him up and took him to the emergency room at Providence. I set him in my lap and drove as quickly and carefully as I could. He was throwing up from coughing and he was really struggling to breathe. I pulled in and stopped right in front of the entrance. I ran in and they knew immediately what the problem was. To their credit they didn't ask for insurance or anything before they helped Kees. They took us straight back and started with the nebulizer. He laid on my chest and was so sweet. It took about 15 minutes but it started to work. He was a champ and did everything they told him to do. I was really proud of that. Coulter would have had to be strapped down. They took chest ex-rays. In all it took about two hours and we were home by about 3. I gave the brief to Bob and mostly to Sophia. I let Kees sleep with us so I could know he was safe.

Coulter was up at 5:45 and they were all up by 7. Including Kees! I tried to sleep but I was up by 8. So much for getting a full night's sleep. I am whacked today.

We have mostly unpacked. Bob mowed the lawn. It was 2 feet tall no joke. We're going to Costco in a bit. There's hardly a thing to eat here. We're still tired but we're home and all breathing a bit easier today. Let's keep it that way.

More Georgia Pix

Here are the family shots.

Pictures from Georgia

We spent our day doing laundry, having breakfast at Bas' house (thanks Bas!!!), then later at the pool, packing and then ended the day with BBQ with family and pictures of the whole clan.

Thursday, June 25, 2009

Still On The Run

Tuesday we went to dinner with friends and, as usual, had a blast! Our friends Dima and Shadi were back in town. They had been out of town the whole time we were in Atlantis but finally arrived in the middle of that big storm. Yikes! It was so great to see them. Our dinner was fabulous and the conversation bubbling as always. It was short and they were tired but for us it was totally great to spend even a little time together.

We went back to the hotel and walked through the casino. We were tempted to do a little gambling but I lost the taste while watching a woman loose about $5000 in 2 minutes. She looked depressed and I think it wasn't the first money she had lost. We went and had a drink and after a bit I decided it was time to dance. Problem was I was the only one in our group that had made this decision. I dragged some poor guy out onto the dance floor and I had a great time.

Up to the room and good nights.

The sitters left at 8:00 so we all said good bye. I found out later that they had a limo. I was glad since they weren't with us on the limo ride there. They were thrilled. Good for them. Honestly the best thing about having a car is that they escort you through the check in process all the way to customs. No lines! It's totally worth the big tip.

We mostly packed and picked up a few really expensive sweat shirts and such. And then we were off to the airport. We had a limo because it's the best way to get 9 people and their luggage around. We had the same service up to customs. Hooray! VIPs to the end.

Our flights were on time. The transfer in Charlotte easy and we were in a rental car in no time. This is how it's supposed to work.

We arrived at Bob's parent's place after 10 but we were glad to be at the days end in a familiar place. The kids were beat and after a bit of coaxing they went to bed.

Today started at Waffle House. Bob would pass out if we didn't to that. And the rest of the day was spent on Lake Lanier on the pontoon boat. It was great. A day of unstructured fun. Every one had fun even though there were no water slides. Actually Brian brought out his boat too and some of us did inner tube rides. Not me for sure. Then out for dinner at Cracker Barrel. Yum.

Tomorrow family pictures, a bit of swimming and a lot of packing. I'll post more pictures when I down load them. It's coming to a close but we're looking forward to being home and seeing our dog.