This year Thanksgiving was bittersweet. We have so much to be thankful for and are so grateful for our amazing family, friends, and many blessings. Yet it's so hard to watch a loved one be in pain and Fred has not been feeling well for several weeks. We really wish Fred and Diane could have joined us this year for Thanksgiving dinner, but Fred just wasn't feeling up to it.
This year for Thanksgiving dinner, we went to the Pine Hills Lodge in Julian. The boys used to go here every year with their parents when they were younger! It closed down for several years, and just reopened.
The drive to Julian was beautiful- rolling hills, changing leaves, and amazing mountain views. It's hard not to get in the "holiday mood" with the cool, crisp air and winding country roads. Plus, Dylan loved looking at all of the animals on the road trip- cows, horses & sheep!
The lodge was tucked into the woods, so picturesque. Inside were two huge stone fireplaces and dark wood floors and walls. It reminded me of something you would find on the east coast. We had a great meal, although I'm not sure you can say the same for the family sitting next to us. Let's just say Dylan was being "very 2"! The family sitting next to us was less than amused...
After lunch we went over to Bam-Mas and PaPas for some dessert and coffee. Yummy! Diane put out quite a spread! Dylan's favorite, and Daddy's too, was the pumpkin pie, of course. Dylan also loved spending time with Ava- the two of them were running around like crazy. Unlike the family next to us at lunch, the grandparents were very amused. So cute!
All things considered, it was a great Thanksgiving.
Thursday, November 24, 2011
Wednesday, November 23, 2011
Update on Fred
Well... the last few weeks have not been easy. Fred was admitted to the hospital last Tuesday. He's been having a very bad headache for several days. The doctors orginally thought it was a tension headache, but after a ct scan they found bleeding on his brain.
The bleeding is most likely caused from all of the blood thinners they put him on after his heart "episode". So now they put him on blood clotters to stop the bleeding. They also inserted "screens" into his arteries to prevent another heart attack or stroke.
The plan is the operate in a few weeks to relieve the pressure in his head. For now we are just hoping and praying for the best...
The bleeding is most likely caused from all of the blood thinners they put him on after his heart "episode". So now they put him on blood clotters to stop the bleeding. They also inserted "screens" into his arteries to prevent another heart attack or stroke.
The plan is the operate in a few weeks to relieve the pressure in his head. For now we are just hoping and praying for the best...
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Day Out With Thomas the Train
Today we drove up to beautiful Perris, CA (being sarcastic) to see Thomas the Train, Dylan's most favorite train! After an hour drive, we arrived... to the middle of nowhere, the Orange Empire Railway Museum.
This weekend was very special, it was the "Day Out With Thomas" event at the museum. Toddlers from all over Southern California swarmed the area to get a glimpse of their hero. It was worth the trip to see Dylan's face when he saw all of the trains and then... the one... the only... Thomas! Not only did we get to "meet" Thomas, we got to ride him! A perfect day :)
This weekend was very special, it was the "Day Out With Thomas" event at the museum. Toddlers from all over Southern California swarmed the area to get a glimpse of their hero. It was worth the trip to see Dylan's face when he saw all of the trains and then... the one... the only... Thomas! Not only did we get to "meet" Thomas, we got to ride him! A perfect day :)
Thursday, November 10, 2011
Time to reflect...
Most people know this has been a tough year for us. I had a miscarriage early in the year, which broke my heart into a million pieces. :( Plus, the economy has been less than ideal for Dustin's real estate business. And we've had several family members struggle with health issues. 2011 has been a tough year. It's been so tough I haven't really been motivated to blog much. As a result, I fell about 8 months behind on my life documenting.
About a week ago, I got motivated. I got really motivated and I'm not sure why. So I stated staying up late every night this week, digging through pictures and trying remember what happened when and who we were with. Now I am proud to say, the blog is up-to-date! I'm not sure how long it will stay that way, but that's ok. Life is busy- we do the best we can.
In my effort to "recreate" this year in blog-land, it hit me... this year hasn't been that bad at all. Actually, it's been a pretty good year! We have our health, we have each other, we have our family, we have our friends... and we have more than that. We have a lot of really great memories! Despite the challenges of this year, we got through it. Life gave us a few lemons and we made lemonade. And Dylan was just the sugar we needed to make this happen :)
About a week ago, I got motivated. I got really motivated and I'm not sure why. So I stated staying up late every night this week, digging through pictures and trying remember what happened when and who we were with. Now I am proud to say, the blog is up-to-date! I'm not sure how long it will stay that way, but that's ok. Life is busy- we do the best we can.
In my effort to "recreate" this year in blog-land, it hit me... this year hasn't been that bad at all. Actually, it's been a pretty good year! We have our health, we have each other, we have our family, we have our friends... and we have more than that. We have a lot of really great memories! Despite the challenges of this year, we got through it. Life gave us a few lemons and we made lemonade. And Dylan was just the sugar we needed to make this happen :)
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
New Pre-School
Everything happens for a reason... every once in a while I get a good reminder of that...
I'd been struggling with which preschool to put Dylan in for months. This one I'd like the facility. Another one I'd like the teachers. Another one I'd like the kids to teacher ratio. But in all my searching, nothing felt right. Nothing was "perfect". So I'm so thankful mom could come out and help us with Dylan when Amanda went out on maternity leave Oct 1. This took a lot of pressure off me.
During mom's 1st week here, she ran into our old neighbor, Shannon, and explained why she was visiting. Shannon told mom about a preschool at Cal State San Marcos. I didn't even know this existed! So off we went for a tour... and it was love at first sight! And the best news of all- they had a spot open in the 2-year program (usually there is a wait list).
Just to make sure I wasn't feeling "right" out of pure exhaustion of looking at preschools for weeks and week and weeks, I had mom go back and look at a few of the ones I had toured previously. Mom agreed- Cal State San Marcos (CCLC) was the ONE! Finally!
If mom hadn't come visit, she wouldn't have taken Dylan to the Discovery Museum, and she wouldn't have run into Shannon, and we wouldn't have known about this preschool. Everything happens for a reason!
Dylan started on Nov 2, the day after MeMe headed home to NC. So far the transition has been easy. He loves his new teacher, Miss Kayla, and loves all his new friends! The only downside is, he's having so much fun he doesn't want to nap. This is a big change for the kid that used to nap 3-4 hours a day! He will lay in his bed quietly, but just won't sleep. Luckily, he's still happy Dylan, even with no nap, so we aren't worried about it. We've just been putting him to bed a little early each night.
1st day at new school... he just sat right down and started eating breakfast :)
I'd been struggling with which preschool to put Dylan in for months. This one I'd like the facility. Another one I'd like the teachers. Another one I'd like the kids to teacher ratio. But in all my searching, nothing felt right. Nothing was "perfect". So I'm so thankful mom could come out and help us with Dylan when Amanda went out on maternity leave Oct 1. This took a lot of pressure off me.
During mom's 1st week here, she ran into our old neighbor, Shannon, and explained why she was visiting. Shannon told mom about a preschool at Cal State San Marcos. I didn't even know this existed! So off we went for a tour... and it was love at first sight! And the best news of all- they had a spot open in the 2-year program (usually there is a wait list).
Just to make sure I wasn't feeling "right" out of pure exhaustion of looking at preschools for weeks and week and weeks, I had mom go back and look at a few of the ones I had toured previously. Mom agreed- Cal State San Marcos (CCLC) was the ONE! Finally!
If mom hadn't come visit, she wouldn't have taken Dylan to the Discovery Museum, and she wouldn't have run into Shannon, and we wouldn't have known about this preschool. Everything happens for a reason!
Dylan started on Nov 2, the day after MeMe headed home to NC. So far the transition has been easy. He loves his new teacher, Miss Kayla, and loves all his new friends! The only downside is, he's having so much fun he doesn't want to nap. This is a big change for the kid that used to nap 3-4 hours a day! He will lay in his bed quietly, but just won't sleep. Luckily, he's still happy Dylan, even with no nap, so we aren't worried about it. We've just been putting him to bed a little early each night.
1st day at new school... he just sat right down and started eating breakfast :)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Trick or Treat
I knew finding a costume that Dylan would wear was going to be a challenge this year. He hates all hats, hoodies, and basically anything else you could wear on your head! So that eliminates 99.9% of all toddler costumes... at least most of the cute ones!
I asked Dylan several times what he wanted to be for Halloween and always got the same answer "train tracks". Hmm.... maybe we could do that, but sure everyone would "get it." :)
Dustin and I really wanted him to be a sailor this year. Wouldn't that be cute? But alas, we couldn't find a sailor costume in his size anywhere, and we looked everywhere! (Yeah, I know most sailor costumes have hats, but I thought he could skip the hat and you would still get the idea.)
Ok so plan B. I thought of several other costumes that might work: Luke Skywalker, a train conductor, a golfer, a football player. Mom thought of a "headless dinosaur", which seemed like a great idea! Dylan loves dinosaurs!! I had visions of Dylan loving his Halloween costume so much he would want to wear it all the time. The headless dinosaur might be my dream come true! So mom went out and got him a dinosaur costume with no hat/hood and a really nice tail (the tail was critical for "Dylan appeal"). Mom spent hours fixing it up to make it super special by adding lots of detailing (she's very crafty)! Dylan was practicing his "dinosaur roar" for weeks. We were all so excited! It wasn't until we tried the costume on, the day before Halloween, that we realized... it was too small. (Mental note: next time try on the costume first.)
So October 31, Halloween night, a Monday this year... I ran to Target to pick up whatever last-minute costumes they had left. I was in luck! They had a bunch in his size: another headless dinosaur (what are the chances of that??), an airplane, a golfer, and a train conductor. Score! I bought them all! I ran home to see which one would light up Dylan's eyes. The only problem was... none of them did!
So it's 7PM and all of the "little" trick-or-treaters are already out in full-force. Dylan is refusing to put on ANY costume! Hmmm... dilemma. Last minute we just decided to throw on his Chargers jersey. Finally, that worked and trick-or-treating could commence. It was a bit of a half-hearted costume, but hey what are you doing to do with a 2-year that knows exactly what he does and does NOT want??
Once he got into it, he loved trick-or-treating! He would go up and knock on the neighbor's front door and politely ask "trick or treat?". He was so polite he often put some of his candy back into people's bowls after they gave him a piece!
I asked Dylan several times what he wanted to be for Halloween and always got the same answer "train tracks". Hmm.... maybe we could do that, but sure everyone would "get it." :)
Dustin and I really wanted him to be a sailor this year. Wouldn't that be cute? But alas, we couldn't find a sailor costume in his size anywhere, and we looked everywhere! (Yeah, I know most sailor costumes have hats, but I thought he could skip the hat and you would still get the idea.)
Ok so plan B. I thought of several other costumes that might work: Luke Skywalker, a train conductor, a golfer, a football player. Mom thought of a "headless dinosaur", which seemed like a great idea! Dylan loves dinosaurs!! I had visions of Dylan loving his Halloween costume so much he would want to wear it all the time. The headless dinosaur might be my dream come true! So mom went out and got him a dinosaur costume with no hat/hood and a really nice tail (the tail was critical for "Dylan appeal"). Mom spent hours fixing it up to make it super special by adding lots of detailing (she's very crafty)! Dylan was practicing his "dinosaur roar" for weeks. We were all so excited! It wasn't until we tried the costume on, the day before Halloween, that we realized... it was too small. (Mental note: next time try on the costume first.)
So October 31, Halloween night, a Monday this year... I ran to Target to pick up whatever last-minute costumes they had left. I was in luck! They had a bunch in his size: another headless dinosaur (what are the chances of that??), an airplane, a golfer, and a train conductor. Score! I bought them all! I ran home to see which one would light up Dylan's eyes. The only problem was... none of them did!
So it's 7PM and all of the "little" trick-or-treaters are already out in full-force. Dylan is refusing to put on ANY costume! Hmmm... dilemma. Last minute we just decided to throw on his Chargers jersey. Finally, that worked and trick-or-treating could commence. It was a bit of a half-hearted costume, but hey what are you doing to do with a 2-year that knows exactly what he does and does NOT want??
Once he got into it, he loved trick-or-treating! He would go up and knock on the neighbor's front door and politely ask "trick or treat?". He was so polite he often put some of his candy back into people's bowls after they gave him a piece!
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