Spring Has Sprung!

The kids used to have a crab named Geico.  Then Austin left the cage open and Geico escaped and dried up.  Since then, the kids have wanted another hermit crab.  Then Grandma Toler sent us this picture of this coconut crab and the desire for another crab has dissipated.

Ashley had a playdate with a GIRL this week!  Her good friend Maddie!  This is the first time she's ever had a girl playdate!  She loved it.  

The weather this week was gorgeous!!! We thoroughly took advantage of the days we had with the temps in the 70's.  Running outside, washing the car, playing for hours and hours outdoors, gardening, you name it.  Here's to another week of pretty weather!  I'm ready for shorts, flip flops and sun.

Happy EASTER!

Moms Lemonade cake-yummy Easter treat.

Oh no!  The Easter Bunny left pellets on our floor!

Is this the real Easter Bunny?

Eat your heart out Thumper

Mall Easter Bunnies

We saw Peter Cottontail at Fair Oaks.  Then his brother at Tyson's Corner.  Then his cousin the Velveteen Rabbit at Dulles Town Center.  Verdict: Tyson's-the best mall bunny to visit.  We did do our fair amount of shopping this spring break.  Hey-we saved money on Disney, hotel, gas, food and boarding a dog.  We treated ourselves!  

 

Luray Cavern

On Friday on our Spring Break Stay-Cation, we hit Luray Cavern.

Very cool-stalagtites play a musical organ throughout the cave.

Anyone who's been to Luray will always remember the fried eggs.

Reflection-Dream Pool.

A Stalagtite poked my head!

Smithsonian Natural History Museum

Between breathing treatments and a full dose of steroids for Austin's lungs, we made it out to DC for Spring Break.  

So nice to be with the family.  Nothing's better than when Daddy's home!

The Hope Diamond that Austin has his eyes on to get one day for his 'wife' Madeleine Delazcruz.

The GIANT SQUID was definitely a hit!  So much that that very night we went to the Cheesecake Factory to let the kids eat calamari...the verdict...they LOVED it!!

Spring Break-MISSION ABORT

Everything was set.  And this is Urgent Care clinic is where we ended up 4 hours later.  The car packed, mail/newspapers on hold, favorite snacks on board, dog at the kennel, house clean, Daddy came home.  It was SPRING BREAK 09'!  We were all packed up in the Odyssey and it was DISNEY WORLD or bust!  We left Friday afternoon.  Made it to Rocky Mt. North Carolina (4 hrs away) dvds jamming, when I heard the wheezing from deep in Austin's chest. 

 All night his asthma/breathing got worse.  104 fever developed.  Thin shallow breaths.  Urgent care bound. With a diagnoses of pneumonia, we turned right back around to Virginia.  (Although this Dr. did not know Austin's background of a narrow trachea, scar tissue damage in his throat due to past reflux, so really anyone who HEARS my kids would be frightened.)  But with a shot of penicillin in his toosh, a good dose of steroids, Z-pack, and a few breathing tx's, we were back in DC. 

 (But we did get some Bo-berry Biscuits on the way out)

Same day, upon arriving home, we had to go to the ER at the new Heathcote Health Center.  Two thumbs up.  Great care, staff, cleanliness.  Austin's x-ray was pneumonia free (I knew it...if I could have just been given some steroids and more breathing tx's we'd been flying high in Aladdin's magic carpet!)

But we felt very prompted to return home immediately.  We've all needed the comforts of home when you're sick and he's still getting large doses of steroids, antibiotics, and breathing treatments every4 hours around the clock.  That doesn't sound  like a trip for Disney to us!  So we have instead enjoyed being home together.  Dad hooked up the Wii for the first time in forever and Austin and Dad are having a great time playing each other downstairs. 

So we've decided this SPRING BREAK with Daddy being home we'd do a STAY-CATION!  We won't travel!  We'll go far enough around to have fun but nothing that would restrict Austin's need to be in quick ER care. So we'll keep you posted on what we do in the next few days of the kids and the dad's break . Jonathan leaves again Sunday the 12th.   BOOO!!!

It's been great having him home.

For our next adventures this trip I smell....Museum of Natural History!  Or....Luray Caverns...or Great Wolf Lodge or even spring time in Hershey Park.  But that's only if our little buddy gets better. We may even just climb the rock  at REI and call it an adventure day!

My witty brother Aaron told me that I should not ever let Austin live down the fact that he took the Disney trip away from us.  I love you Aaron.  

April Fools!

I took this idea from a friend of mine who did it last year to her kids.  Too good to pass up!  I was up to no good on April Fool's eve...prancing around in excitement with my marker and flashlight.  

When Austin woke up the next morning he asked me if I had done this to his face and I yelled April Fools!  He looked at me absolutely shocked . Like, moms aren't supposed to do things like this!  

But sometimes we are.