Rebel

I guess I should blog about Patrick. :)

The first few years of our marriage Patrick didn't do to well in the driving department.  He got in lots of accidents and got a ticket.  Long story short we both agreed that maybe a scooter was the better vehicle for him.

Since he's had the scooter...a few years...he's become a MUCH better driver.  He is more aware of everything around him.  I even feel a little bit better letting him drive the car.  

Although the scooter has treated him very well, it is a bit slow.  He holds up traffic a lot and it takes him longer to get to work.  For his birthday he got lots of $$$ and decided he wanted to take the motorcycle course.  I told him ok as long as it meant he was just getting a bigger scooter.  As you can see that was not the case!!  He passed and of course loved the motorcycle feel.  He finally convinced me to let him get a bike.  The first few days I was very worried, but the couple weeks he's had it he's showed me that he is very careful.  He loves keeping up with traffic now too. :)

~Enjoy~

First ride on the bike

I have to park the car weird now so he has a place to put it...we so need to get out of apartments!!

Bodies

Our bodies are wonderful things.  But when things happen and you don't have any control over what your body is doing it is a VERY scary thing.  

For about 7 months now I have had panic disorder.  It's something I've never had before and it just came on one day.  I was at the store by myself and all of a sudden I felt like I was going to pass out.  My heart was racing, I was sweating like crazy, I was shaky and everything was blurry. I honestly thought I was having a heart attack.  I dropped everything and went to the car.  I called Patrick and he had to talk me all the way home.  When I got home I was bawling and went right to my bed.  I felt dizzy and I didn't know what was going on.  Finally, I fell asleep.  The next morning I was still feeling weird so I went to Urgent Care.  They also thought it was a heart thing and did tons of blood work and an EKG.  Of course everything was normal. (that made me feel even worse!)  So for the next 2 weeks I still felt very funny and went to an ENT doc thinking it was vertigo...it wasn't.  I finally went to my regular doc and told him everything that was going on. He immediately said it was panic disorder.  Ok, what does that mean?  He said it is something that comes on for now reason, has no logic to it and can go away just as fast as it came.  He put me on a medication that I was to take only when I felt the panic coming or if I knew I was going to be somewhere that triggered it.  I mostly found it to happen when I was around large groups of people...store, church, park.  Up until 2 weeks ago it has been working pretty well.  

I started getting very tired.  I couldn't hardly go anywhere without feeling like I was just going to pass out.  At church I had to sit in the foyer because my heart was beating so bad I could hardly move.  The only place I felt ok was at home laying down.  Samantha got strep and so I took her to Urgent Care and had them check me too.  They did more blood work and said they would call me in 2-3 days.  Well, the next morning they called and said my thyroid level was elevated and to make an appointment with my regular doc.  This morning was the appointment and this is what I found out.  My panic has gotten so bad that it is now anxiety.  I have been feeling so tired because I've been anxious every day!  After hearing all of this it totally makes sense!  Having the attacks are so hard on my body.  I now have to take meds every day.  I'll try it for 2 weeks and report back to my doc.  He is very confident that everything I am experiencing is related to the anxiety.  At this point he isn't that worried about my thyroid but says he'll check it again in 3 months.  I am just so greatfull that we have docs to figure things out.  I have been so worried that something more serious was wrong.  Yes, anxiety is serious but is very treatable.  

I'm happy to know that I will be back to normal soon and be able to do more things.  This has really halted all my fun plans and activities with my kids.  I feel like I can't go anywhere without feeling like I'm going to die.  As my doc said, if you've never had it, you'll never get/understand it.  This isn't something people normally talk about.  I want to get it out there so everyone can know what is going on.  I don't expect anyone to fully understand what it's like to have it.  I just needed to vent.  I'm glad we figured it out now so hopefully we can have a great summer with friends and family!!  

Samantha's 6!!

 I really can't believe it's been 6 years!  

Samantha is:

creative

patient

loving

kind to everyone

always willing to try something new

good with babies

an animal lover

and an overall great kid!

She wanted to have her party at Grandma and Papa's house, again, so we did.  She had a great time! Thanks for all of you that came, froze, brought gifts, and played.

She got lots of new clothes.  She has been literally growing like a weed.  She puts on a pair of pants in the morning and I have to have her change 2-3 times because they don't fit!  Her and Nellie are wearing the same size now.  Her are some fun pix of her party :)

I love this girls so much!  I can't imagine our family without her.  I love watching her grow and learn everyday.  

Owen

Tue morning, just a few spots

I should have known that something else was going to happen.  We were all almost better and then it hit!  6 days into the amoxicillin for his ear infection the rash came.  He was fine Monday all day and then Tuesday he woke up with small spots that looked like he had been bitten in a few places.  I called the doc and they said he might have chicken pox.  We had to go in through a back door and get special treatment.  They decided that it was an allergic reaction to the amoxicillin.  By lunch time he was covered, head to toe, with the small spots.  The doc said it would get worse before it got better.  Little did we know how much worse!  Tuesday night was not fun :(  He was up most of the night fussing and very uncomfortable.  So that meant I was up with him.  It was dark all night so I really couldn't see how bad he was getting.  Wed morning I saw him and just about lost it.  His whole face was covered and the spots had gotten bigger and redder.  I called the doc again and they said that this should be the worst of it but to watch for breathing issues or if he starts acting funny.  He's been pretty miserable all day and hasn't wanted to be in clothes...understandable.  He cries when I change him and freaks out in the bath.  Samantha and I are both allergic to amoxicillin but never got the rash this bad.  We'll see how he does tonight and hopefully he won't get worse.  Here are the pictures so far.  

Tue evening

Wed morning

Wed evening

Wed night.  It's been a very long 2 days.  Hope we get some sleep tonight.

Our life...

I don't really know what our problem is this year, but we can't seem to stay well.  Between the kids and I we have been sick almost this whole year!!  At this point I'm starting to go a little stir crazy because we haven't gotten out much.  I can't wait for the sun to come out and everyone to get better so we can get out of here!  In the mean time we try to keep busy in our little apartment.  Some days are easier than others but we make it.  Here are some pictures to show you what we do ;)
By the way, I've started watching a friends' 14 month old daughter.  Her and Owen play all day while the girls are at school.  She's such an easy going girl.  There are some pictures of her too.  Enjoy! You'll have to turn the volume way up for the movies.

Go to the end and you'll see a video of this.  Patrick was DEAD by the end but the kids loved it!  So funny :)

He's getting so big!

Owen doesn't like it when dad sleeps on the couch, so he tries to wake him up.

My "other" daughter

The other video at the end is of this.  I was dying laughing!!  Nellie was so tired but Owen kept saying "GO! GO!" (He weighs only a little less than her)

When everyone is sick...this is what we do :(

Cousins on Easter

St. Patrick's Day Party :)

Part of my "lovely" decorations

The other part of the "lovely" decorations...and Patrick :)

Had to make everything high enough so Owen wouldn't take it all down

I think they made this one just for him!!

Sporting his new, green, glasses

We have some very talented, awesome friends!! This cake was made by one of them! Thanks so much!

The inside

One of the 3 breakfast club guys

Casey and the balloons

FRIENDS!

So here is the story:
Patrick works 10-12 hour day 5-6 days a week.  Planning something for his 30th was VERY difficult!  I convinced him to get his actually birthday off so that he and I could do something.  We did get to go out to lunch and spend some time together.  He thought that we were just doing that and then having a couple over for games later.  We had dinner at my parents' house when I "forgot" my wallet.  So around 7:15 my mom calls and said that I left my wallet and that dad needed help moving something.  Patrick said sure he would go.  Right when he left I/we got to work!  I had told everyone ahead of time what the plan was and to be there at a specific time.  They were all GREAT at getting the timing right too!  15 min later he came in like this.  Totally surprised and mad that he was carrying all this stuff...lol.  Thanks to all our friend who made this possible!  It was a blast!

The Breakfast Club

Evil Patrick

Beautiful green cake with lots of green food coloring!!

MORE FRIENDS!

EVEN MORE FRIENDS!

Patrick said to me later that night after everyone left that he didn't know how he was going to top that next year for my 30th. He says he's not that creative and can't keep secrets.  So now you all know and maybe someone can help him next year...not that I really want anything anyway ;)