Our overnighter at the hospital

The night we got back from our amazing 10 year anniversary trip to Snowbird, UT we got to have our first ER trip with Ryder.  My mom said he had been wheezing a bit earlier in the day.  An hour after we got home the poor kid woke up crying and struggling to breathe.  Definitely asthma-like symptoms.  Since it was almost 10pm we had no choice but to shuttle him to the ER.

During that time, he was xrayed, received 3 albuterol treatments with oxygen in between and prednisone.  Since they weren't completely satisfied with his oxygen levels after all that, he was admitted and they moved us upstairs to spend the rest of the night.  Ryder did not care for any of it.  Poor kid practically cried every time a new face entered the room to check on him.  He was not an easy patient, but then what more could you expect from a 2 year old who was up all night in a strange room with bright lights and strange machines and masks and people he didn't know. 

 By morning he was showing signs of improvement and was so happy when both his grandmas and his grandpa came to visit him and he was feeling well enough to sit up and watch some tv.

 Once the wires came off he was out of that bed and munching on snacks.

We finally got out of there around 3pm on Friday and were so happy to crash in our own beds that night!We got through it and he was totally better just days after the whole ordeal.

Visitors!

We were so lucky to have my brother Nathan and his adorable wife Brittany come up for a visit. It was a great excuse to head to the city since neither Brittany nor Ryder had been before.  It was a quick trip since the weather decided to turn freezing on us.  We walked around Fisherman's wharf, saw the sea lions, ate some yummy donuts in a bucket, Boudin clam chowder bread bowls, Lombard Street, Ghirardelli's, and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge. That was good enough for us!

This was Ryder's favorite spot of the day.  He was fascinated by the oddities on display at Ripley's Believe It or Not.

Chocolate covered rice crispy treat...Yummm!

He was so fascinated by all the sea lions, it was hard to convince him to leave!

 Cool guys running:

Sunday we took Nathan and Brittany for a ride all around the area (knowing they'd have no choice but to fall in love with it).  We ended up at one of our favorite places: the Sacramento Temple.

Of course Ryder couldn't keep his hands out of the fountain

Why can't this kid sit still for 5 seconds so we can get a decent family shot?!

We are sure hoping and praying that my brother and SIL will end up here after dental school graduation in May!

Disneyland 3

After the Atlanta trip, my mom's friend was kind enough to get us in to Disneyland for free!  This was Ryder's third trip to the happiest place on earth and it gets better every time!

The Little Mermaid was always my favorite Disney movie growing up, so I loved going on the new ride based on the movie!

We also got to meet Woody!  Ryder was so excited when he spotted him, but by the time it was our turn to get a picture with Woody, Ryder lost it.

Mickey's Toon Town was probably Ryder's favorite place to play.  We easily spent a couple of hours playing around in all the "houses".

Autopia was another fun one.  Ryder would not let me touch the steering wheel.  He was in charge.

Atlanta

Seems like this has been the year of road trips to (Ryder's) Grandpa and Grandma Christensen's house.  Our August trip down was especially fun.  First, I got to fly to Atlanta to visit my very best friend, Ashley (thanks to mom and dad for taking care of Ryder).  I hadn't been there for years, and it had been even longer since Ashley and I got to spend some quality time together.  This was a needed break for both of us and, needless to say, we had so much fun together.

I finally arrived in Atlanta 8 hours late after missing my flight out of LAX and got to stay at Ashley's adorable little house.  We got up early the next morning and drove to Hilton Head, SC where we lounged on the beach, ate crab, lounged on the beach, got a massage, late breakfast (by my request) at Waffle house, then back to Ashley's.



By the time we arrived back in Atlanta it was time for dinner and a show.  We ate at this totally authentic Italian pizzeria.  It was amazing, and it was exactly like eating pizza in Italy. So so so SO delicious. This is a "must see" if you are ever in Atlanta.

 The flick was pretty good too...can't go wrong with Steve Carell, Ryan Gosling and Emma stone in Crazy, Stupid Love!  And of course, it wouldn't be a night out for us unless we posed for a few pics, one in front of the theatre and one on a bridge with the Atlanta skyline behind us.

Next year, 2012, will mark 20 years of {best}friendship for Ashley and I!  We will definitely be getting together to celebrate that one!

 

Independence Day

This year for the Fourth, I was determined to venture out of our comfort zone and take advantage of the beautiful area in which we live.  We decided on this hike to Codfish Creek Falls to start off the holiday. It was even more fun because Katheryn, Jessica, Caleb, and Raymie (who is carrying baby Elizabeth in her tummy) decided to join us.

Ryder did a lot of the hiking himself...

...with frequent stops to search for the best looking rocks along the trail to throw....

...and a little help from daddy.

It was a pretty hot day, so the waterfall at the end was a welcome reward.  It didn't take Ryder long to walk right into the water.

And then of course Jared had to assist him in his first experience of taking a shower under a waterfall.

He actually didn't seem to mind too much.  The only downside, the water was really rocky so it made it hard to walk around in.  But Ryder insisted and of course, got his way.

When it was time to go, the kid had to climb on just one last rock to show how big he is!

After the hike we came home to get cleaned up then headed over to Grandpa and Grandma McKeon's house for the traditional 4th BBQ, swimming and treats.  It was so fun to have Joe and Raymie in town to celebrate (Ryder had a blast with Uncle Joe in the pool), as well as Rick and Katheryn and family.

Once our tummies were good and full, we headed over to the Wellman's house to join our friends for the sweet fireworks display.  Unfortunately, by the time the show started, Ryder was so worn out that he could not tolerate the loud cracking of the fireworks so we finally went home at the early hour of 10pm. 

 We are so grateful for the opportunity to celebrate the independence of our country every year.  We know this country was established through inspiration and help from God and we are blessed to live in such a great place.  Thank you to all the men and women who defend our freedom every day!