Born on October 30, 2007, this blog documents our lives from the VERY beginning. Everyday -- typically multiple times a day -- we collectively or individually do something worthy of remembrance. So here begins our candid documentation (or mainly mine since I am older than Lily by 1 minute) rendering people to be simultaneously smitten, entertained, challenged and ultimately -- twice blessed. Welcome to our world!
Gyotaku (pronounced GHEE-OH-TAH-KOO) is an art form beginning in Japan to record the size and species of fish caught by Japanese anglers. It prevents the fish stories from getting bigger with each telling! There is no great story behind how we acquired our fish, Mrs. Otero simply picked them up at a local Sendiks, but our shirts are a story in themselves. We had so much fun painting the fish and making the prints here in our world!
Seven, not so long years ago, our family said goodbye to an amazing husband, father, grandfather, and friend. He touched countless peoples' lives, and left such an impression, that we are proud to call him our Grandpa. We have a quote that hangs on our fridge along with his picture, and after hearing all sorts of stories about him, we think it sums him up well.
"To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; to earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; to appreciate beauty; to find the best in others; to leave the world a bit better whether by a healthy child, a garden patch, or a redeemed social condition; to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded." - Ralph Waldo Emerson
You did succeed Grandpa in so many ways, and there is not a day that goes by that we do not miss you. Although you are gone, we see you everywhere - on a long walk, using a new gadget, eating ice cream, fishing at the lake, fixing up our house. We are excited to continue on our journey called life, and we know that you'll be there right along with us. We love you Grandpa Wayne!
Nine years ago today Grandpa Wayne walked Mommy down the aisle to her wedding. What happened after that we aren't quite sure, but we do know that Daddy danced a lot from the pictures that we've seen. Lily has been wanting to wear Mommy's dress for almost her entire life, and four years is a long time to wait, so today Mommy made Lily's dream come true. I figured I'd get in on the action so I threw on one of Daddy's black coats. I may not have been as beautiful as Lily, but she had the tiara and veil (as well as that tattoo) on her side. Mom did say that I looked pretty handsome though, and I'm sure it helped that I actually wanted my picture taken. Mom said the pictures we took today were made possible by all that dancing that Daddy did nine years ago as well as a few other important moments that occurred on that special day. Whatever those things were, we're glad they happened, and we just want to say we love you and happy anniversary Mom and Dad!
With unseasonably warm temperatures in the middle of March, Mom decided to surprise us with a trip to the zoo after school today. We've been pretty caged up due to Lily being sick so the zoo seemed like an appropriate place for us to take a break. We only stayed a few hours, but we cruised along seeing most of the animals and squeezing in a ride on the carousel. It is funny to think that the first time I rode on a carousel I screamed the whole ride while sitting on a bench. Today I picked the scariest animal available, while Lily picked the most beautiful horse. We were exhausted by the end of the ride and had no objections when Mom said it was time to head home. What a wonderful day it was here in our world!
After two days of a fever that just wouldn't go away, Mom and Dad had enough. At 4:00AM Friday morning I hit 105.6 degrees. Mom and Dad are usually experts at getting my "hot body" cooled down, but this time there was no budging for almost an hour. This along with the fact that I couldn't stop throwing up led to the executive decision being made to take me to the emergency room. I tried to convince them otherwise, but they won. Upon arrival the nurses immediately gave me a suppository to get my fever down. Not that I'm rushing to have this done again anytime soon, but it did make me feel much better. Then it was onto the testing...strep and urinalysis. Outside of my gagging, the strep test wasn't all that bad, but the urinalysis took forever mostly because I didn't have to pee. I'd let them do this again any day though because they let me drink all of the apple juice I wanted until I could go potty. They even offered me popsicles and who doesn't love a popsicle!?!?! They were holding out on catheterization so I could go on my own, and a little celebration occurred once I actually went because it took me almost three hours. What can I say...you gotta go when you gotta go. When all was said and done they determined that I had a urinary tract infection and/or a kidney infection. I was sent home with some super duper strength antibiotics and ordered to see my doctor the next day. At least now we are one step closer to understanding what is going on and hopefully I'm up and running again soon here in our world!
Not all was so happy while at Disney on Ice. After intermission I managed to pull a rhinoceros and ended up with a gash above my eye. Upon review it was determined that I needed more than just a paper towel and some ice. These things did manage to get me through the remainder of the show, but as soon as the show ended we headed home so Dad could work some magic. It is unfortunate that chairs and I just do not get along (recall last March). Actually, the month of March and I do not get along. For three years in a row now I have injured myself in the month of March to the point that I have needed stitches or Dad has had to Steri-Strip me. I will now have five scars to prove just how unlucky the month of March has been here in my world. At least I convinced Dad that a Lightning McQueen band-aid would cover up the whole mess nicely!
Tonight we got a little dose of what the so called happiest place on earth is like, by heading to Disney on Ice. There was a bit of everything there to please both Lily and me. My favorites were Mickey, Peter Pan, the Incredibles, and the Lion King. One guess what Lily's favorite act was...Tiana, with Ariel, Rapunzel, Jasmine, and Snow White coming in a close second, third, fourth, and fifth. Every single princess in the world made an appearance which was Lily's dream come true. I was hoping for some Lightning McQueen, but I don't think he would have done so well on the ice. I did manage to score a snow cone though which is best described as YUMMY! After tonight, we decided that we are definitely ready for Disney World, although another trip back to Disney on Ice wouldn't be so bad either!
