My Little Wii Fit!

In my pathetic attempt at trying to be more active, I decided to use my birthday money to purchase a Wii Fit. It is so much fun, but to be perfectly honest, Emily plays it so much more then I do. She will play it for about 2 hours before she is tired. She absolutely loves it. It is amazing to me how quickly she picked up on how to play it. Her favorite exercise is the Kung Fu. I get such a kick out of watching her. Embarrassingly enough, she is in first place for many of the exercises. Especially the balance ones. I do have to say though that I am the pro at Hula Hoop, and Brian has mastered juggling. With the way she is playing though, I wouldn't be surprised if she surpasses us soon.
Kung Fu Emily! Hilarious!

Beauty and the Beast!

I took Emily to see Beauty and the Beast on Broadway this last weekend. It is probably one of my very favorite Broadways. It is right up there with Phantom of the Opera. She didn't quite know what to expect, but once it started she was thoroughly enthralled. At one point she turned to me and said, "When is it my turn to go up there to dance and sing".
Thanks grandma for the tickets and opportunity to go. WE LOVED IT!

Dr. Dad to the Rescue!

Anyone who has even had or watched a child knows that they take a lot of falls. You just hope every time they do, that they don't get hurt. I know that my children have miraculously avoided many head and other injuries. Unfortunately, this wasn't one of those times. Emily, while throwing a temper tantrum, fell back and hit her head on the door hinge. Yep, you guessed it, stitches! The first thing I did was call Brian to see if he could look at it and tell me if she really needed stitches or if it could just be sealed shut. So, we drove down to the school on Brian's lunch break, and he took a look at it in the parking lot. Yep, definitely needs stitches. Brian got it all cleaned and then super glued it shut until he could get it stitched up later. I love having a doctor at home who knows how to do these things. He saved me hours at the Emergency Room. Emily was so brave. Of course she couldn't feel anything because he numbed her up pretty good. My kitchen table became the operating table, and I became the assistant. If you know me very well, this wasn't easy for me to assist with. I was worried that Brian was going to have another patient, but I pulled through. Emily was so brave. Dr. Dad did a fantastic job! She now has a total of 5 stitches in her head.

A Much Needed Vacation!

I was horribly disappointed this year when my Spring Break vacation plans fell through. Fortunately, I have a wonderful husband who planned a week of fun right here at home. We have lived here for three years and haven't really had the chance to see some of the things in our area. He planned it himself and it turned out to be a wonderful week. Each day had a theme.

Monday - Cleaning Day
Tuesday - Beach Day/Charleston
Wednesday - Movie/ Park Day
Thursday - Zoo Day
Friday - Fish Day

Day 1 : Cleaning Day
I know what you are thinking. I thought the same thing. CLEANING DAY! How is that a vacation? It ended up being a lot of fun. We cleaned the inside and the outside of the house! (It is always nice to have a clean house and I appreciated the motivation and help.) The yard looks great and the kids got to have fun playing in the water.
Day 2: Beach Day/ Charleston
Now that it is warmer, we decided to take advantage of it and head to the beach. Our kids have never been to the beach and we hadn't seen Charleston yet, so we decided to try out the Isle of Palms. So much fun! We spend the day at the beach and then headed into downtown Charleston for dinner and sightseeing. A perfect day trip!
Ironically, my children didn't like the water. The dirt was where it was at!
Downtown Charleston.

Day 3: Movie/Park Day
Well, this day really ended up being Doctor Day. Emily had a follow up appointment and I had to have my immunizations before my surgery. As many of you know, I am a HUGE wimp when it comes to shots. This was the only time that Brian could go with me and be there when I passed out. I can have babies, epidurals, and IV's. Shots ..... let's just say... I don't do as well. So, we didn't make it the the movies or the park, but we rented a movie and had fun at home pretending we were at the movie theater. Hehe.

Day 4: Zoo Day
The zoo here is by far the best zoo I have ever been to. The animals were out, you could pet them, and you could feed some of them. I think this was probably my favorite of all the days. Even though I am still suffering from the allergies!
A very friendly flamingo!Emily on her pony ride!
This was hilarious. Brian had just finished asking someone if the birds actually drink the nectar when a bird flew right onto his hand and started drinking.

Day 5: Fish Day!
For fish day, Brian went and picked up some feeder fish and put them in the swimming pool outback. This was a lot of fun for the kids. They thought it was really neat to have fish in their swimming pool. Gavin did have to be banned from the fish. We call him, "Wild Man", because he could actually catch them with his hands.
Thanks for a fantastic Spring Break Dad!

It's Got To Go!

Well, the time has inevitably arrived. For years now I have known about a cyst that is attached to my spleen. Seven years ago when it was discovered during an ultrasound, it was determined to be about the size of my fist and not a danger to me. Because of some discomfort around my left rib cage area, I recently had it checked again. To give you a visual, I have included this picture.
The cyst, that was once the size of my fist/spleen, is now only slightly smaller then the liver. It is attached to upper part of my spleen. My stomach is being smashed so much that it looks like a pancake pressed up against my other organs. My left kidney is being pushed down and my large intestine is almost up into my diaphragm. Everything is just a little squished in there by this thing. Which would explain the acid reflux, the tenderness on my left side, and my decreased appetite. So, as I am sure you have already concluded, it needs to be removed. It is scheduled for sometime the end of June. The procedure will be done laparoscopically (robotic removal). The surgeon hopes to be able to removed the cyst without the spleen, but most likely I will be having a partial or full splenectomy as well. (Just to be sure that the cyst doesn't grow back.) I will be in hospital for 2-3 day following the surgery. To be perfectly honest, the thought of surgery scares me to death. I am very fortunate to have, first of all, a loving husband who is familiar with the procedure and is willing to support me 100%. Second, a supportive family who will fly out here at a moments notice, if needed. Finally, friends who are willing to help out in whatever way they can. I am truly blessed, and I thank you all in advance.