Mama and Daughter Get Away!!!!!

The beautiful Hampton Inn on the Harbor at Amelia Island!!! Beautiful!



We walked over to the marina to see the water and boats...



but we also saw this!!!!!


We named this cute little sea otter Amelia. We don't really know the gender but Micayla wanted to name it so it's a she!

We also saw this along with jumping fish! I couldn't get a pic of the fish... they were too fast, most likely running away from whatever wanted to eat them! But I was able to get a picture of this baby jelly fish.


Then we did some shopping in the historic district. It's so pretty and was just perfect for us to wander around. The hotel is right on the corner so we could walk where we went. Amelia Island hosts a shrimp festival every year and these little guys were all over. Micayla loved them so we had to take pics with them!



Then we did this...



We had a great evening... we ate at the Marina Restaurant. It was yummy.


Then we went back to our room and popped popcorn and had M&M's. We spent a couple hours having girl talk. We mainly spoke about different changes she'll experience over the next few years and how to deal with them. It's such a fun time and I just want to prepare her for the next part of growing up!!

The next morning we got ready to go SHOPPING!!


We painted our nails and headed out... gotta have pretty toes!


We saw more of these...



I told her she could choose one thing to buy. So after much shopping and deliberation... she chose this. I love it!


We saw one more of these on our way out of town after having a yummy lunch at Karibou Cafe.



I must say thank you to my Mom for making this trip possible for us. I love that she travels and accumulates lots of hotel points and doesn't mind sharing!!! Thanks MOM!!!! We love you and had a great time!!!

Aaaahhhhhh Silence....

It was a beautiful sound... the sound of silence. In my house. Can you believe it? It doesn't happen often.

We had a wonderful evening last night. John's mom and dad are in town. They took the kids, overnight, to a hotel right on the beach last night. It had a great pool with waterfall, and you could walk straight out to the beach from the pool, but yet it was private enough also. The view from the balcony of the room was beautiful. You could see the pool and the beach, including the dolphins out there in the ocean.

John and I left early evening and came home after stopping off for some ice cream! Yummy!!

I wasn't sure what to do with no kids in the house! Such a strange phenomenon.

It was nice to go to bed without having the 100 question routine, I need a glass of water, and the typical "I want a hug from Alex but he won't give me one" routine.

It was also nice to wake up and be home... alone. That never happens.

Don't get me wrong... I already miss them and am ready for them to get home, but it was so nice to have a peaceful, silent house this morning.... all to myself!!!!

Aaaaaaahhhhhhhh....... wonderful.

Thanks Henri and John for taking the kids for us. It was just what we needed, and we didn't even know it.

Not Going

Well, we are not going to Gainesville now. They called back yesterday and said they would rather us not be there. It's not safe for their transplant patients. Figured that.

I'm not sure what it is with all these appointments, but when they don't go off as scheduled, it really bums me out. It brings me down. Throws me for a loop. I never realize how much I am anticipating these appointments until they get rescheduled. I'm so glad God is not surprised. That He's not bummed out or down. Although, he probably is with me when he sees my crappy attitude with it all. I need to examine that.... later.

The funny thing here is ... I'm not a scheduled person. We tend to fly by the seat of our pants. It usually works for us. However, I don't like flying when it comes to Joshua's appointments. I want to know when, where, how, why, etc. And then I want it to stay that way.

Once again I'm reminded that it's not on my time. Darn it. Thanks God.

I've been having bouts of insomnia lately, along with having the flu. I know it's not supposed to be about me but this is my blog and I can make it about me right now. Thanks for tolerating it.

We've been rescheduled for July 2nd in Gainesville. I pray we're all well for that appointment. Please pray we are, otherwise, they may just be admitting me while we're there.

I will try to go back to bed now. Everyone is asleep. Even the dog. Maybe I should stay up and enjoy the peace and quiet. Do you know how crazy one can get when they are "quarantined" to their house for two weeks??? You don't want to. Trust me.

Tylenol PM???? Hmmm.....

And Going...

Went to the doctor this morning. He tested Brandon, Kristen (his girlfriend), and myself for the flu. All three of us came back positive. LOVELY.

He put all of us on antibiotics to ward off any secondary bacterial infections, as well as treat Brandon and Kristen for the flu. (The rest of us have already taken the meds for that.)

The kids are all feeling good, which makes it even harder to keep them in the house. I on the other hand, am tired. So we have another week of being stuck at home. Time for a good project, right?

This most likely means that we will not be able to go to Gainesville for Joshua's clinic day Thursday. They will be calling me back tomorrow to let me know for sure. Seeing how the clinic is also the transplant center, I doubt they are going to want us there.

LOVELY.

JUST WONDERFUL.

SLIGHTLY FRUSTRATED.

I know God is in control. There must be a good reason for all this, right? My plans are not his plans, right?

Please just pray for all us to feel good, and be done with it. Lord knows I'm so done with it.

It Just Keeps Going

We just didn't have enough going on. The dust was beginning to settle. And POWWW....

Alex has tested positive for Influenza A. LOVELY!!!!! Can someone just shoot me now?? (Just kidding there, please don't - my kids need me!!) This is what happens when you send your son away to camp for four nights!

Of course, this is not such a big deal unless you have an older brother with health issues, a mom with a compromised immune system and a little sister at home.

Our pediatrician has put us all on flu meds. Only Alex had symptoms yesterday: fever, congestion in face and chest, cough.

He's doing such a fine job of sharing... now Joshua is running a fever!! I was on the phone FOUR times with UF - Gainesville yesterday between making sure the meds are okay for Joshua to take and asking a hundred more questions. The meds they gave us are inhaled so it's even trickier for someone with lung problems.

I was about ready to unload on someone yesterday. Be thankful you weren't here. It took me almost three hours and three different pharmacies to get our meds. Not to mention a payment that about made me fall over. However, I shall not complain about the money. The little bit I spent yesterday doesn't compare to the price we could be having to pay for Joshua's Tracleer.

{Little side note here: I also had the joy of spending 53 minutes on the phone with the nice lady from our insurance company yesterday. They were trying to update their records with all of Joshua's health info. They also called to make us aware just how much the Tracleer costs. I thought it was $3,000.00. WRONG. She let me know it's exactly $5,120.26, per month. GEE WHIZ!}

So my little check for $135.00 seems quite small now doesn't' it?

Joshua is so congested right now. I am giving him Robitussin, but he can not have anything with phenylephrine. It is a stimulant that can make his heart race, so thank God they make one without it. Just another thing to be checking for and putting in the memory bank. Which by the way, is about maxed out with information.

So far Alex and Joshua are the only one's with symptoms. Hopefully it will stay that way!

So... if you wouldn't mind, please pray for this flu to get out of our house and for us to get back to whatever normal is around here. I'm not sure I know.