Peanuts?

Being in the health care profession does have it's perks. Mason's allergist faxed Rob a copy of his report that he sent to Mason's pediatrician and I have to say we were shocked. It is as follows:

"Mason has needed no EpiPen requirements. He accidentally ate almonds but had no problem. His cashew skin test today was gigantic. Small reaction to English walnut. We did an immuno CAP RAST for peanuts and refilled his EpiPen. We will see him back in 1 year.
Peanut = 1.09
Due to Cashew response, lets just maintain Nut and Peanut avoidance for home and school this year, and re-check peanut next summer. However, the peanut result was lower than expected, so hopefully, he will outgrow his peanut allergy."

At first I thought oh great he is above the scale. They won't even think about doing tolerance testing unless the number is a 1 and the scale is 0-100. I thought he was a 109 rather than 1.09. If only I wouldn't have requested to test for tree nuts, we could be doing tolerance testing, but if I have to wait a year and my child isn't allergic anymore and outgrows this peanut allergy, I will be elated! What wonderful news to share!

I Love You This Much.......

Mason thinks he is funny and I have to admit it does give me a good chuckle. If you ask him how much we love him he will stretch his arms as wide as they can go, but when you ask him how much he loves me he pinches his fingers really close. If you ask how much he loves Rob he stretches them wide every time, but today he stretched them wide for me the first time. It is great that he did decide to love me as much as daddy, but it does take the luster from the finger pinching and capturing it on video.

Showered with Love and Gifts

Papaw and Grandma Debbie have been up here for a visit and we have had a wonderful time. The boys were going to escape and go to the firring range, but didn't make it out. Surprisingly so the girls made it out to shop and go through the Omaha Street of Dreams. It is six houses recently build that are decorated to the hilt. We took away some good decorating ideas along with remodeling ideas the men would love. We saw TVs built into the mirrors in the bathroom, wine cellars, covered decks, and entertainment rooms.

The kids were well loved during the visit as well.

Papaw and Grandma Debbie have satin pillow cases on their pillows and Ellery would go into their bedroom and cry and point to them until some one got one down for her. Grandma Debbie thought Ellery needed one of her own and went and got her one. Maybe if I should try the point and cry tactic sometime when I want something?

Grandma Debbie also brought cookies and the kids ate them upon arrival and during the visit. She also made them donut and donut holes. I think I ate just as many as the kids, I have to say they were mighty tasty and easy enough that I might actually make them for them someday.

They also brought up Mason's birthday presents. They brought him a bike and a scooter. The scooter is not pictured but the correct size and bringing lots of enjoyment. You might be looking at Mason on the bike and think it looks a little big for him and you are correct. Papaw thought he bought him a 16 inch bike but actually bought him an 18 inch bike. It is like the 4T shirt Mason is wearing in the picture that Papaw got him when he was 1 year old. It will be a well loved present that we will grow into. I am not sure if you can see them in the picture but the 18 inch bike comes with pegs and all for tricks I don't even want to think of Mason attempting.

You might have been worried, what about Ellery. No worries here, she was showered with gifts as well and I don't have the birthday excuse. Ellery has been eyeing Mason's back pack he needed for school and attempts to wear it but it doesn't fit. Papaw and Grandma Debbie brought her a pink princess back pack just her size and she struts in it like she struts when she has her pig tails. They both also got some Halloween socks and other character socks that they are enjoying. Nothing like watching running toddlers as an advertisement. Mason might not have any tattoos, but I think I might be able to send him in to a marketing add for Thomas the Train on his underwear and Lighting McQueen on his feet

We might need to establish some house rules around visitors bringing gifts in the future. We are very blessed to have visitors and even more blessed by the gifts they bring to the kids. We are very thankful for all the love we encounter from everyone.

Lowe's Build and Grow Fire Truck

If you haven't discovered Lowe's or Home Depots free kid building projects, I would highly recommend it. I had signed Mason up at Lowe's for their Build and Grow workshop while Papaw was here so it was the blind leading the blind on putting together his fire truck. I decided to make Ellery one as well and if anyone knows Papaw and I very well we aren't very good direction readers. If we were being honest, we don't read directions we tend to wing things. We didn't even notice we had different size nails until Grandma Debbie pointed it out. Even with our lack of following directions we were able to successful put together our fire trucks. Papaw escaped without any injuries, I however have a tiny blood blister on my pointer finger from getting whacked with the hammer from Mason. He actually showed some skill in using his hammer and listened very well to Papaw on when to hit and where. I couldn't believe it is free. They give you the project, goggles, an apron, and a patch specific to the project to sew on the apron. I think Papaw was jealous he didn't get an apron to wear, but more importantly I think he enjoyed spending the time with Mason. I was impressed and have already signed him up for the next one.

Preschool Fall Festival

Mason's preschool had a Fall Festival and Papaw and Grandma Debbie came for a visit and they were able to experience the festives. I knew it was going to be busy, but it was crazy busy. They had the rooms open with story tellers, games, face painting, and balloon art. I was a mean mom and didn't stand in line for my children to get a balloon, but they had no idea, so I don't think you can consider it being mean. Rob however was a nice dad and stood in line with Mason so he could get his face painted. He choose to be Spiderman again and this face painter used glitter as well. Mason also liked listening to stories told by Mrs. Pumpkin and Spooky. Ellery wouldn't let me put her down and didn't even want to pet Spooky, can't say that I blame her. Everyone enjoyed seeing where Mason is going to school and getting to experience a touch of chaoes that comes with having little ones around.

Pig tails

I am not sure when I am supposed to cut a little girls hair. Little Miss Ellery all of the sudden has long hair, I think it really grew while I was in Aruba. She used to be sporting a mullet like style, but we held off in cutting it in hopes that it would fill in a bit on its own. I am happy that I have held off because I gave her pig tails for the first time today and it is just precious. She has been touching them and looking at her self in the mirror a lot and I think they have added a prance to her step.
A note to add to the story, I came in the office to get this post ready and hear a scream from Ellery as I am sitting here. I run and investigate and find Mason sitting in the chair looking guilty and Ellery holding her finger. Whatever happened blood was drawn. I then ask Mason what happened and he told me he cut his sisters finger with the scissors when I asked him why he states "It was an accident."

A Visit from the Greats

Grandma Ellen's brother and his wife had a conference in Kansas City and took a slight detour on their way home to come visit us and the kids. Great Uncle Bob and Ann were wonderful with the kids and we had a great time catching up with them. We really appreciate them adding a few hours to their trip home for a visit with us.

GO KU

I don't classify us as a football family, I consider us basketball fans. Rob enjoys watching football much more than I do, and the kids enjoy watching it with him. My little ones found the KU hats and put them on themselves and I think they could be poster children to advertise for KU. Even if I am not a hardcore football fan we can still cheer for the Jayhawks. I realize they are growing up in Nebraska, where the state comradely for the Huskers is huge, but I am going to keep the Jayhawk pride going as long as I can with them.

Aaahhhh Choooooo

I took Mason back to the allergist today for his 1 year check up and requested Ellery be seen as well. I am happy to report that Ellery is not allergic to peanuts. I am sad to report that Mason is allergic to a few tree nuts as well as peanuts. We had a small reaction to hazelnuts and had a class 4 reaction to cashews. It was such a good reaction to cashews that the medical student and resident were invited in to witness the event. Glad we could help with some teaching, but sad that we are that allergic. It was stayed welted up for over 24 hours. It didn't bother him or itch, but looked like a massive bug bite for a few days. We did also draw some blood to see where on the peanut allergy scale we fall (scale runs 1-100). I was informed by the Dr. that he wouldn't do any tolerance testing unless his number came back at a 1. Based on his reaction to cashews my Dr. told me the out look did not look good in coming back with a number less than 50. Good news he isn't allergic to almonds, so the few times people have slipped him honey nut cheerios and I watched him like a hawk for a reaction, I can stop my hawk watching because he isn't going to react. I do feel slightly sorry for Ellery, even though she isn't allergic, we won't be serving up PB&J unless Mason is out of the house, so she'll more than likely have to wait until he starts kindergarten to eat PB&J for lunch.

From This to That

I have struggled adapting back to regular time from island time. I guess I can't complain too much, I might not have the ocean in my view, but I do have a spectacular sight and witnessed a breath taking sun rise. A small reminder how blessed we truly are.

1st day Of Preschool

My little man is growing up so fast. He had his first day of pre school today. He was excited as can be to have a destination to wear his back pack. He missed last week because we thought it was more important to take our trip to Aruba, which starts with an A, and ironically the letter he missed learning last week was the letter A. He didn't bat an eye on me taking him in and leaving him. He informed in the video captured and on the way to school that he was going to play with the cars. We attended an open house at his school a few weeks ago and all he did was play with the cars during the open house. We had a feeling that he thought school was going to be all about playing and no work because when asked how his first day of school was he informed us that Mrs. Ziemba didn't let him play with the cars. His teachers name is Mrs. Ziemba and she has 25 years of teaching experience so I am sure she was seasoned on how to coax him back to learning time and away from attempted play time.

Fun in the Sun-Feeding Iguanas

After all of my iguana trivia that I learned it peeked my interest in wanting to feed and hold one. It only took us until our last morning in Aruba to learn they had daily feedings. Once I learned of the opportunity I wasn't going to miss it. We fed them lettuce although I never got to hold one I did get to pet a few. I also witnessed them climbing a tree like a cat. I did wonder where they go in the evening and up the tree they will be.

Fun in the Sun-Jeep Tour

I talked Rob into going on a jeep tour with me to see a few sights of the island that weren't accessible by car. We are talking rocks as roads with boulder after boulder. I am not sure you could call them a road, it was quite the experience. I wish I could show you how crazy the roads were and we took plenty of pictures trying to capture it, but they of course don't turn out nor show the emotions we were feeling as we traveled over them. Thank goodness our guide Marshall knew what he was doing. We were able to see the sights and had a great time spending quality time together.

Bushiribana Gold Mill Ruins, yes they found gold in Aruba years ago.

Jamanota Hill, the highest point in Aruba.

One of the highlights of the trip was seeing and swimming and snorkeling in the Natural Pool.

National Park

Fun in the Sun-Tubing

Rob and I met some fun people on the beach one evening and then ran into them the next day. We were coaxed into going tubing with them on the ocean. We all 4 sported life vests and jumped into the tube to enjoy our joy ride. We were being flung from one side of the boat to the next, bumping into each other, and actually getting air when our ride came to a stop as we were informed we had to go separate because the boat couldn't pull all the weight. We waited for our turn and waited to be flung from here to yonder. I have to say I was terrified of tubing and would much rather para sail while Rob would much rather tube than para sail. It didn't help that our driver spotted a barracuda following beside us while we tubed and even circled back around to try to show us it since we didn't get a good visual on it the first time.

Fun in the Sun-9-9-09 with 9 people

What are the odds of being on a trip with 9 people and going out to eat with those 9 on the date 9-9-09? Freaky!
It was great hanging with the group. We did a lot together and a lot separate. It was a fun group with all sorts of colorful personalities. I can say that I was eating dinner in the sand on the beach while overlooking the ocean while my kids were enjoying their first experience at Chucke Cheese with Uncle Tom, Aunt Laurie, and Grandma Ellen. It was comical that they decided to call us and we felt somewhat guilty eating fresh seafood in Aruba while others got greasy pizza, but I will now remember where and what I was doing on 9-9-09.

Fun in the Sun-Palapa

While most of our group hung by the pool, Rob and I hung by the beach in our Palapa. It provided shade when needed and nothing could out do the view. Even though we spent a lot of time floating the lazy river, we did also spend a lot of time floating in the ocean. Nothing can beat the view and atmosphere. We also had a faithful friend visit us on the beach. It was a male dog, and I nicknamed him Aruby. I was tempted to bring him back with me, but too lazy to go though all the motions. Poor thing was after water, which we gave him along with sausages and bacon I snuck out during breakfast. Aruby took the meat and then went all over the beach burying it in different palapas. The crazy thing is this dog was everywhere. We walked up the beach to shop and we saw him. We were also out to dinner different nights and spotted him miles from our hotel. I think he works the rounds and I hope someone else is kind enough to give him water on the beach this week.

Fun in the Sun-Floating the Lazy River

I am not a fan at hanging at the pool when the ocean is within reach, but the pool has "The Lazy River". When you hang on the lazy river you sit on a floatie and the current takes you around in basically a circle, but it is so relaxing. We thought we needed a tickie timer to count how many rounds we completed. We floated first thing in the morning, after lunch, mid-day, and late in the evening. We floated so much our hands would shrivel. It was a cozy spot and an added bonus you could take drinks on the river and we had our share. Not only do we find it relaxing and fun so do the iguanas. Every where you look you see a giant lizard sunning on a rock, walking in the flowers, and some are brave enough to come right by your lounge chairs. These lizards are huge and as long as my arm. Luckily they don't eat meat. I did also learn that Iguana soup used to be quite the hot item until a protection was put on iguanas putting a kabosh on tasting some. Someone explained it to me like this and I quote "If your man eats iguana soup, he'd have to sleep on his back for the whole night."

Fun in the Sun-Snorkeling

We hit the ocean today and snorkeled. Some might refer it as a booze cruise with snorkel stops, and I would have to agree. We are in a party of 9 and we all boarded the Jolly Pirate for a day of snorkeling, drinking, sailing, and a wonderful rope swing. We had three snorkel stops at the Malmok Reefs, Boca Catalina, and the shipwreck Antilla. The snorkeling here isn't as wonderful and breath taking as other areas, but still a good time. No pirate ship is complete without a plank and a rope swing. Well, the plank was just the front of the boat where we jumped off our rope swing. I attempted to do a back dive or flip off the swing and ended up doing a wonderful back buster. I had enough drinks in me to make me try but too many drinks to get rotated. I did it multiple times while Rob watched and then got silly and started posing mid air for the shot. Rob is turning into quite the photographer. We of course bought a water proof camera and took pictures of fish in the ocean and I don't know why we buy one every time because the pictures rarely turn out. We did get to see a cool sea urchin, star fish, squid, and many colorful fish. I think we all had a wonderful time, so much we got off the boat and came and took naps aka passed out.

Fun in the Sun-Parasailing

We arrived in Aruba after sunset last night and this is what we woke up to. You are looking at our view from our room, ooo la la! A great big thanks to Jason and Heather for inviting us on this trip, it is a little piece of paradise.

We went parasailing today, and I was pleasantly surprised that Rob did it with me. We attempted to parasail in Charleston, but the wind was too strong. It is hard to believe that they cancelled us in Charleston yet took us out in Aurba. The trade winds are really strong here which made the ride even more exhilierating. It was a fun adventure and we went really high and althought we didn't see any sharks, we did see a lot of sea turtles swimming around.

This is what we witnessed as our daylight disappeared. Sunsets are miraculous here. One minute you see the sun and then all of a sudden it disappears. Rob got artistic on me tonight and we were able to capture a moment. It is never as good in picture as it is in person, but still a moment I will remember forever.

Leaving my babies

I never thought I would be one of those moms that would have trouble leaving her babies to get some time to herself. I do it here in town, but I haven't ever spent a night away from Ellery and only a handful away from Mason. I am really excited to get to spend some time alone with Rob in ARUBA!! We are blessed that Aunt Laurie and Uncle Tom are taking the kids for the week with Grandma Ellen's help. Tom and Laurie are recent empty nesters, they just sent their last kid off to college and then we ship them two toddlers. I think everyone will enjoy themselves this week, but I think Rob and I will enjoy each other the most!