Into the Wild

We're finally here...Anchorage, Alaska!! For those who may not know, Dane's dad lives in Alaska along with grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. Dane's been here a bunch of times, but this is my first time (as well as Libby and Ty).
We had a pretty good trip here. Originally we were to leave Syracuse at 10:45am, going to Cincinnati. Then, have a 4 hour layover in Cincinnati and then off to Salt Lake City at 4:50pm. Then leave Salt Lake City for Anchorage at 9pm (local time) and arrive in Anchorage at midnight (local time) which would mean about 18 hours of travel time plus a four hour time change. No fun. However, when we arrived to the Syracuse airport, our flight was already delayed and scheduled to leave around noon. Fine for us, Syracuse actually has a pretty good play area as well as some really neat stuff about airports/airplanes including the cockpit of a real airplane. So we let the kids play around a bit and then we were off to Cincinnati.
When we got to Cincinnati, we ate lunch and then went to a play area (way less cool stuff than Syracuse) but the kids still had fun and got to run around. When we finally went to our gate at about 4pm, we found out that they had overbooked our flight. We asked them what we could do to help but hesitating when they said that we leave later or the next day if we got bumped...but then they found out that there was a flight leaving directly for Anchorage at 4:40 (10 minutes earlier than our flight for Salt Lake City). We had heard that that flight was overbooked too, but I guess it didn't turn out that way, because they got us on the flight directly to Anchorage and we all sat together!! This was great news...we now would arrive 4 hours earlier!
When we got on the plane for Anchorage we were in the 43rd row of 45 rows. I must say I was a little apprehensive at boarding...we got plenty of looks from many retirees (I guess Alaska is where they all go to) looking at us and our two small children. Yeah, we're the family that you hate - or so I thought. The kids happened to be really good. Ty slept for the first 3 hours, Libby slept on and off, too. They fed Dane and me a hot meal, and we had a lot of people play with the kids. They got a little cranky at the end (I think I did too), but I'm proud to say that we arrived intact.
We spent yesterday just acclimating ourselves to the time change, cooler weather (everyone we meet reminds us that this is an unusually cool summer and that they are pro-global warming!), and seeing sights and family. Today, we're going to Portage Glacier and Aleyeska Resort, where Dane used to work when he lived up here. We're taking many pictures, but have yet to find a way to download them here...maybe I'll just end up posting all my pictures when I get back home.

Oh yeah, Dane's also feeling better. He's able to eat, but nothing too harsh on his stomach, i.e. no seeds, nuts, whole grains, fiber, etc. He's still on some pain medication and antibiotics, but doing better. He'll see the doctor again when we get back to Syracuse, but we're glad he could come to Alaska with us!!

Quickly

Okay, sometimes I look at my blog and think that there's nothing to post. Other days there's too many things to post. Today is one of the latter days. I shall use bullets to shorten my typing process:

• Dane's in the hospital right now. Went in yesterday around 3pm with abdominal pain and they don't know what's wrong with him. They've ruled out his gallbladder, pancreas, appendix - all the normal abdominal organs that like to wreak havoc. They think he just has an inflamed intenstine, but there could be tons of reasons why (virus, Crohn's, other wierd diseases) but he was in too much pain to go home and needed an IV for hydration so he got to spend the night! He's determined to leave later today so that we can still be set to leave for Alaska. Which brings me to my next bullet...
• We leave for Alaska tomorrow at about 10am. We'll be taking a leisurely 18 hours to get there, 2 layovers included!! Actually, it shouldn't be that bad (assuming Dane's okay). But we're really excited to get up there and see so many new sights.
• Dane's 25th birthday was last Saturday. We had a blast at a rainy BBQ at Karlyn's house and the rain didn't stop us from swimming and partying! Dane had the fun time as the grillmaster for his own party and he made awesome steaks, grilled pineapple, zucchini, hamburgers, and shrimp. Dane got Call of Duty 4 for his playstation from his siblings, and he also got some "cold cash" from my parents. Really, it was money that was frozen in ice! Some fun money for frozen Alaska! We also had delicious German chocolate cake that my mom made - Dane's favorite! It was a really fun time.
• Libby is now standing on her own, her present to Daddy on his birthday. Now it's all she wants to do.
• Ty can't wait to fly on a plane! It's all that he talks about.

I can't remember what else I wanted to write, and I don't have the time to post pictures, but don't fret, they will be on their way.

Happy trails!

Fick owies

Every morning when I wake up Ty asks me three questions:

1. "Mommy went to work?" Yes, mommy went to work.
2. "Mommy have fun at work?" Yes, mommy had lots of fun at work.
3. "Mommy fix owies?" Yes, mommy fixed everyone's owies.

It's so cute. He also asks me these questions everyday before I go to work. Also, his "fix owies" sounds more like "fick owies." He also thinks that he can fix owies too by kissing them better. Maybe he thinks that's what I do at work....!

Little Tidbits

Okay, so I'd like to have stupendous stories and action packed funtimes to share with you. However, my life is not that amazing. Instead, here are just a few things as of late to share:

• Libby can now say "kitty-cat" (her first word, but it sounds more like "kit-cat"), "mama," and "dada." Dada was new just yesterday! She's getting to be a little talker! Also, she likes to bite a lot. (Hopefully she's not turning into Kirsten - I heard that she was quite the biter when she was a baby!)
• An update on Ty's finger that he slammed into the door - the fingernail has now fallen off. I'm sure that you all were on pins and needles just wanting to know the result of that fateful day. Be at rest now.
• In 8 days we are going to Anchorage, Alaska to visit Dane's dad and family. We'll be there for about 2 weeks and are very excited to go. (However, not so excited about the packing, traveling for 18 hours to get there with 2 kids, etc! But it'll be worth it!)
• I will be starting a new job in a couple months. It'll still be at St. Joseph's Hospital, but I'll be working in the PACU (post-anesthesia recovery unit) which is basically the recovery room after people have surgery. It'll be more critical care nursing which I'm really excited about. I'm not sure when I start exactly, but it'll be in the next 8-12 weeks.

Hopefully I'll have more exciting posts in the near future. Until then, I'll just try to keep you up to date with our normal, everyday craziness!

Where the fun never stops!

One week ago, we went to Enchanted Forest Water Safari in Old Forge, NY. We went with my parents, sister Karlyn and her husband, Ti, and the Krantz's. 15 of us altogether. It was a lot of fun and was pretty good weather. A little on the cool side, but warmed up as the day went on. Perfect because that meant little to no wait on rides. To save you from boredom by explaining everything that we experienced, I've posted a bunch of pictures so that you can share our joy by wishing that you had been there with us. (By the way, we wish that you had been there with us...why didn't you come? Maybe next time. Call us!)

As a cute little side note: the night before we went Ty kept on asking to go to the waterpark. (Next time we'll just take him and not let him know about it ahead of time.) Anyway, he wouldn't go to sleep because he was too excited. Dane finally explained to him that it was dark out, and after he went to sleep he would wake up and it would be light out and then we would go to the waterpark. So, the next morning I went in and woke Ty up. Upon opening his eyes, he quickly looked out his window and said "Light!" Maybe he does understand some of what we're saying!

Ty's first waterslide.

Going down a kid's waterslide with a tube.

After Ty went down a couple kiddie waterslides, he saw this one and wanted to go on it next. The funny thing is, is that I'm sure he would've done it again and again!

I watched as Ty ran over to these candy canes and proceeded to lick them.

The whole group.

Mommy and Libby.

And again.

I love how Ty's taking this boating thing seriously and Soren's just there for the ride.

Always check your blind spot before changing lanes.

Libby took almost a 2 hour nap in my mom's arms. It was amazing!

While Libby was napping, I got to go on some rides with Ty. Here's the Tilt-O-Whirl.

Here's Dane with Libby on the Lazy River.

Baby girl!

The twins.

Why can't my kids both look good in the same picture?

Just the two of us.

After the day was done...I think we all look pretty rough!

Granddad and Libby.

Libby loved this swing!

Wow...you made it! To reward you, I've added this little video of Ty going down a waterslide there. He loved it. The kids would all line up and "race" down. However, Ty and Soren always wanted to wait until they were ready, and then they would go down. Ty always went down pretty much spread all out. It was quite amusing to watch him with a slight look of terror on his face right before he splashed into the water.

July 4th Weekend

We had a pretty good 4th of July weekend. On Friday, we went to a ward picnic at Shove Park. It was lots of fun (good job Robyn) with lots of tasty food, great games, and even better company. Ty loved playing on the playgrounds that they had there, too. Libby just enjoyed her day in the sun. Unfortunately, we had to leave a little early because I had to work the evening shift, but we still had lots of fun. Work wasn't that bad, though. We're on the 4th floor of St. Joseph's which is already on a hill and from an empty room we could see tons of fireworks including the ones at the Fairgrounds. Plus, it was too early for all the drunks out there getting broken bones to come into the hospital (that usually happens on the night shift!). Here's some pics of Friday's events:

Ty eating a lollipop while holding on to the bag in which he should be putting more candy. However, he was content with the lollipop. I wish I had that kind of attitude towards candy!

"Cheese!"

Ty saying "Hi" to Alex Weaver, who is saying "Hi" to Ty.

Ty telling Maria DeGaetano nonsensical ramblings, to which she is humoring him by listening.

Gavin Tolboe, Maria, and Ty.

Ty and Maria holding hands.

Then, Saturday we had a fun time at my sister Karlyn's new house. She and her husband, Ti, just bought it and moved in Monday. It's great, it has a pool, a deck, and a little playset that Ty likes to refer to as "Ty's park." I think that he thinks that since he saw it first, he gets to call it. Well, they fired up the grill and we had some great eats and some time in the pool. If only other siblings were there to enjoy with us (ahem...Joey....Kirsten...).

Mommy and Libby getting ready to go in the pool.

Ty and Granddad.

Libby and Grandpa Will sharing a moment.

Overall, it was a really fun weekend that included little meal preparation from me, but lots of food to eat!

Let's not make this a habit

While at work today, I got a frantic call from Dane: Ty had slammed his finger in a door - what should he do? He thinks that the fingernail might fall off. My response: give him some tylenol, ice it, and see if it gets better. If the fingernail falls off, put a band-aid on his finger. If it doesn't get better in about a half an hour, then call my dad and maybe take him to the emergency room. I get off the phone with Dane and laugh it off with my fellow nurses telling them that Ty'll be fine, Dane's just a little panicked. I proceed to take care of my patients when about a half an hour after I had talked with Dane, my secretary told me that they (Dane, Ty, Libby, and my dad) were all down in the emergency room. GEESH! This was overkill. When I went down and saw them, Libby and Ty were really excited to see me. However, Ty seemed fine, except for a lone bruised fingertip. Oh well, they were already getting into a room to wait and see a doctor. I only stayed for a little bit (I was still on the clock) and then got an update from Dane when they were finishing up - Finger is not broken. Keep an eye on it and call a doctor if it gets too swollen and needs to be drained. So when they were done (after only about 3 hours, not bad comparing to the lighter fluid incident - see below), they came up to my floor so that all my co-workers could see the kids, then we went to the cafeteria for some dinner. (Side note: I expected the compliments on my kids. However, I was surprised at a couple of the nurses noting how handsome my dad is - if they only knew!) I think that the next time they want to come have dinner with Mommy on her break, they should just ask instead of spending time in the emergency room first.

And now here's some pics of Ty displaying his adventurous spirit:

And this is a little video of him trying to be Indiana Jones (it's hard to hear because of the wind, but he's singing the theme song to Indiana Jones as he's swinging).