I've been putting this off, because I've been struggling to fully grasp this myself. We have a diagnosis for Aaron.
I finally got an appointment with a Pediatric Occupational Therapist, and we took him in for an evaluation three weeks ago, and then immediately started therapy (we've been to three weeks of therapy now). Aaron has Sensory Processing Disorder (also called Sensory Integration Dysfunction). He falls into the "seeking" category.
This is how it was explained in his evaluation:
"Sensory Seeking/Craving: It is normal for all children to seek sensory information as they grow, learn, and try to master new challenges, however when it extends beyond normal motor/movement activity and the child is actively seeking/craving sensations it can be concerning. Examples of this include: being in constant movement, taking excessive risks, i.e. climbing too high or moving too fast without regard for safety, liking to crash/jump or climb on furniture, or rough housing, finding ways to make noise with objects, seeking out vibration, licking or mouthing objects, liking strong flavors and crunchy foods. These children often are labeled as "thrill seekers, risk takers, and sometimes the trouble makers" as it is difficult for them to sit still and attend in a socially appropriate manner which makes outings and school difficult."
Those who know Aaron, know that summary describes him perfectly.
His OT said this is hard-wired into Aaron. A handout she gave me, further explains:
"Dysfunction occurs within the central nervous system...Because a child's central nervous system is still flexible or "plastic", young children respond well to sensory integration therapy. Plasticity means that the brain function is not yet fixed; it can be changed. Sensory processing disorder is very common in children and is often misdiagnosed as a learning disorder, ADD or ADHD. Unfortunately, it is a misunderstood problem which affects a child's behavior, coordination and movement, attention to task and the way they learn, appropriate socialization with peers, and their self-esteem."
In the summary of his evaluation, (after listing out everything that is wrong with him), it says: "The above areas of challenge will in turn, impact his overall organization of behavior and ability to attend to tasks to complete various activities across all settings independently, especially as the demands get increasingly more challenging in higher level grades. In addition, as Aaron ages he will likely start comparing himself more to his peers, thus these areas of weakness will further impact his self-esteem. Occupational therapy is strongly recommended on an individual basis 1-2 hours per week in a clinic based setting."
"Through structured exposure, practice and repetition in these areas, prognosis for overall success will improve. Aaron has excellent potential provided he receives the appropriate therapeutic intervention he needs. Occupational therapy services focusing on the above deficits, while incorporating his areas of strength will allow Aaron to further develop the skills necessary for him to succeed to his optimal potential in all settings."
So, we are scheduled for an hour of therapy every Monday at 2 in the afternoon, and they are hoping to find a second time they can fit him in later in the week (they think he would really benefit from going twice a week). His OT said to plan on a year or two of therapy before he's "cured".
I'm so relieved to know what's wrong, and to know that there is help for him. But, this "help" comes at a pretty steep price. Insurance basically doesn't cover any of it, and his OT charges $150 an hour. Once a week will be a strain on our monthly budget, but when we start going twice a week, it's going to really be challenging. Of course we'll find the money to get him this help, but I think I may end up with an ulcer before too long (money causes me huge stress). And, his appointment time is right during Owen's naptime, and I have to bring both Owen and Nate along with me each time (there is a waiting room upstairs with toys for little kids, so they can play while we are there). It's just one more thing to add to our already busy schedule.
Aaron LOVES his therapy. It's a big gym full of "sensory" activities--ball pit, climbing wall, swing, trapeze bar, mini trampoline, etc. It's basically an hour of play time for him. I worried he would feel self conscious about having to go to "therapy", but he thinks it's only because he has a hard time holding his pencil the "kindergarten way", so he doesn't see that as too big of a deal. And the therapy is so much fun, that he thinks he's pretty special that he gets to do it and the other kids don't.
This week one of my friends watched Owen and Nate for me while I took Aaron to therapy, so I could sit down in the therapy room and observe and take notes. I was able to come up with lots of things that I can do at home, so I'm feeling good about that. I also got some recommendations on books to read to try and understand all this more. Mostly I'm just really overwhelmed by it all.
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
Tuesday, January 17, 2012
SICK
The last two weeks can be described in one word--SICK!
We arrived home on Sunday.
On Monday Nate threw up in my chair (I had to use my Bissell to thoroughly clean my chair).
On Wednesday (the day the kids started back to school) Sara threw up at school and had to come home early.
Saturday night Scott and I put the kids to bed, then put on a movie. Half an hour into the movie, Aaron appeared on the stairs covered in throw up. I cleaned up his bed (he missed the floor). It was the worst smelling throw up that I have ever cleaned up in my 10 years as a mom. We quickly realized that this bug was mutating and gaining momentum as it moved through our family. It hit Aaron hard. He threw up every half hour through the night. He slept all day Sunday, and didn't eat a thing all day. I kept him home from Kindergarten Monday. He slept in late, then got up feeling better and was ready to finally eat something.
Tuesday morning Savannah came downstairs at 5 a.m., stopped long enough at my bedside to tell me she was sick, then continued on to my bathroom to throw up in my toilet. She threw up all day long. She stayed home Wednesday morning from school, then felt well enough to go to school around lunch time.
Thursday morning we woke up to Nate in his bed covered in throw up. He was sick again (he had started it all a week and half earlier). He followed the same pattern as Aaron and Savannah, throwing up every half hour most of the day. Just before noon, Owen threw up. I put him in the tub, got out the Bissell to clean up the carpet, and tried calling Scott for help. Scott wasn't paying attention to his phone, so I tried to manage by myself. Aaron walked in the door from Kindergarten just then, so I had him watch Owen in the tub while I hurried to clean the carpet. Then I got Owen out of the tub, had him throw up on me two more times, then got him to fall asleep on my lap on the couch. I was stuck. I didn't dare put Owen in his crib (afraid he'd throw up all over it), but I couldn't help Nate at all if he got sick again. I tried Scott again and pleaded for him to come home and help me. He was pretty annoyed, because he had a TON of stuff to do at work, but he dropped it all to come home and help me. He came home and got the laundry started, and sat with Nate. I was finally able to put Owen down in his crib, and was able to go back to taking care of Nate, so Scott could go back to work.
Saturday evening I started to not feel great. Savannah had asked earlier in the day if we could go out to dinner as a family. Scott and I had bargained with her, that if she would babysit the kids while we went grocery shopping at Walmart (while Owen napped), we'd take them all to dinner that night. As evening approached and we needed to made do on our promise, we loaded up the kids to head to Red Robin. I told Scott I wasn't feeling well, but hoped it was just exhaustion and lack of real food that day. I ordered my favorite, an apple harvest salad, but could only get through a few bites. By the time we got home, I knew I was going to be sick. I was supposed to substitute in Sunday School the next day, but knew I wasn't going to make it. So Scott stayed up late and prepared the lesson to give for me. That night I was really sick. I threw up everything.
Scott took Savannah, Sara, Aaron and Nate to church with him. Josh was the only child who hadn't been sick yet, and he wasn't feeling too great, so I kept him home with me. Owen had to stay home too since Scott had to teach and wouldn't be able to take care of him. I sat on the couch and watched Josh and Owen play. As soon as Scott got home, I went back to bed. By Sunday night, I was finally able to handle some ice chips.
Sunday night/Monday morning at 3 a.m. Josh showed up at my bedside announcing that he had thrown up. I headed up the stairs to clean up his bedding, while Scott got Josh into a bath. I quickly realized that my stomach wasn't going to handle the smell, and had to return back downstairs to break the news to Scott that he would have to take care of this clean-up.
Josh was sick all day yesterday, and stayed home from school today to rest up. I'm hoping that this is finally the end. Scott is the only one who hasn't had it. Hopefully he's been away at work enough that he hasn't been so exposed to it. I am so sick of cleaning up sick kids. I really need for this to be the end of it. I came home from Disneyland so completely exhausted, and have had way too many sleepless nights since then because of sick kids. I really am nearing my breaking point, so I need for this to be the end of this sickness.
We arrived home on Sunday.
On Monday Nate threw up in my chair (I had to use my Bissell to thoroughly clean my chair).
On Wednesday (the day the kids started back to school) Sara threw up at school and had to come home early.
Saturday night Scott and I put the kids to bed, then put on a movie. Half an hour into the movie, Aaron appeared on the stairs covered in throw up. I cleaned up his bed (he missed the floor). It was the worst smelling throw up that I have ever cleaned up in my 10 years as a mom. We quickly realized that this bug was mutating and gaining momentum as it moved through our family. It hit Aaron hard. He threw up every half hour through the night. He slept all day Sunday, and didn't eat a thing all day. I kept him home from Kindergarten Monday. He slept in late, then got up feeling better and was ready to finally eat something.
Tuesday morning Savannah came downstairs at 5 a.m., stopped long enough at my bedside to tell me she was sick, then continued on to my bathroom to throw up in my toilet. She threw up all day long. She stayed home Wednesday morning from school, then felt well enough to go to school around lunch time.
Thursday morning we woke up to Nate in his bed covered in throw up. He was sick again (he had started it all a week and half earlier). He followed the same pattern as Aaron and Savannah, throwing up every half hour most of the day. Just before noon, Owen threw up. I put him in the tub, got out the Bissell to clean up the carpet, and tried calling Scott for help. Scott wasn't paying attention to his phone, so I tried to manage by myself. Aaron walked in the door from Kindergarten just then, so I had him watch Owen in the tub while I hurried to clean the carpet. Then I got Owen out of the tub, had him throw up on me two more times, then got him to fall asleep on my lap on the couch. I was stuck. I didn't dare put Owen in his crib (afraid he'd throw up all over it), but I couldn't help Nate at all if he got sick again. I tried Scott again and pleaded for him to come home and help me. He was pretty annoyed, because he had a TON of stuff to do at work, but he dropped it all to come home and help me. He came home and got the laundry started, and sat with Nate. I was finally able to put Owen down in his crib, and was able to go back to taking care of Nate, so Scott could go back to work.
Saturday evening I started to not feel great. Savannah had asked earlier in the day if we could go out to dinner as a family. Scott and I had bargained with her, that if she would babysit the kids while we went grocery shopping at Walmart (while Owen napped), we'd take them all to dinner that night. As evening approached and we needed to made do on our promise, we loaded up the kids to head to Red Robin. I told Scott I wasn't feeling well, but hoped it was just exhaustion and lack of real food that day. I ordered my favorite, an apple harvest salad, but could only get through a few bites. By the time we got home, I knew I was going to be sick. I was supposed to substitute in Sunday School the next day, but knew I wasn't going to make it. So Scott stayed up late and prepared the lesson to give for me. That night I was really sick. I threw up everything.
Scott took Savannah, Sara, Aaron and Nate to church with him. Josh was the only child who hadn't been sick yet, and he wasn't feeling too great, so I kept him home with me. Owen had to stay home too since Scott had to teach and wouldn't be able to take care of him. I sat on the couch and watched Josh and Owen play. As soon as Scott got home, I went back to bed. By Sunday night, I was finally able to handle some ice chips.
Sunday night/Monday morning at 3 a.m. Josh showed up at my bedside announcing that he had thrown up. I headed up the stairs to clean up his bedding, while Scott got Josh into a bath. I quickly realized that my stomach wasn't going to handle the smell, and had to return back downstairs to break the news to Scott that he would have to take care of this clean-up.
Josh was sick all day yesterday, and stayed home from school today to rest up. I'm hoping that this is finally the end. Scott is the only one who hasn't had it. Hopefully he's been away at work enough that he hasn't been so exposed to it. I am so sick of cleaning up sick kids. I really need for this to be the end of it. I came home from Disneyland so completely exhausted, and have had way too many sleepless nights since then because of sick kids. I really am nearing my breaking point, so I need for this to be the end of this sickness.
Back Home
After going to bed at 2:30, I got up New Year's Day at 6:30 a.m. to get everything packed, and ready for our 9:00 pickup to go back to the airport. We made it to the airport in plenty of time, and the morning was rather calm. Aaron insisted that his Buzz jammies could double as clothes, and I was too tired to fight him on it.
We made it back home just before 4 in the afternoon. I hopped out of the suburban in the driveway (even before Scott could pull into the garage), and ran over to our neighbor's to get Owen. I was so happy to see him. He wasn't so happy to see me, though. I was prepared for that. When we went to Florida for 5 days, he forgot me and wanted my mom instead. So I knew that after 8 days, he was going to be pretty attached to Anne. She handed him to me, and he cried and reached back for her. It was pretty tough on me, but I think it was tougher on Anne. I don't think she wanted to give him back. She had e-mailed me updates throughout the week, saying what a good baby he was and how much they enjoyed him. I handed him back to her and he hugged her happily while we talked. When it was time to go, I took him back, and he cried the whole way home.
Once we got home, and things started to look familiar again, Owen was just fine. He was most excited to see his crib again (he'd slept in a port-a-crib during the week). Scott put him in it, and he jumped and laughed and crawled around in it as happy as he could be. After we got things carried in from the car, and things calmed down a bit, we took our thank you souvenirs over to Anne, Dan, Brynne, and Liam. They again told us how much they had enjoyed having Owen be a part of their family that week. And I realized there was no way to thank them enough for their generosity in taking care of him for us.
And then life started again.
I once again had a baby to care for. I had a house that was left in chaos from Christmas. We had opened presents, then packed and left so quickly, so there was still wrapping paper and boxes everywhere. I had all the kids' new toys to find a place for. I had all the unpacking and laundry to do from our trip. And I was doing it all on 4 hours of sleep. The worst part of vacation is having to come home.
We made it back home just before 4 in the afternoon. I hopped out of the suburban in the driveway (even before Scott could pull into the garage), and ran over to our neighbor's to get Owen. I was so happy to see him. He wasn't so happy to see me, though. I was prepared for that. When we went to Florida for 5 days, he forgot me and wanted my mom instead. So I knew that after 8 days, he was going to be pretty attached to Anne. She handed him to me, and he cried and reached back for her. It was pretty tough on me, but I think it was tougher on Anne. I don't think she wanted to give him back. She had e-mailed me updates throughout the week, saying what a good baby he was and how much they enjoyed him. I handed him back to her and he hugged her happily while we talked. When it was time to go, I took him back, and he cried the whole way home.
Once we got home, and things started to look familiar again, Owen was just fine. He was most excited to see his crib again (he'd slept in a port-a-crib during the week). Scott put him in it, and he jumped and laughed and crawled around in it as happy as he could be. After we got things carried in from the car, and things calmed down a bit, we took our thank you souvenirs over to Anne, Dan, Brynne, and Liam. They again told us how much they had enjoyed having Owen be a part of their family that week. And I realized there was no way to thank them enough for their generosity in taking care of him for us.
And then life started again.
I once again had a baby to care for. I had a house that was left in chaos from Christmas. We had opened presents, then packed and left so quickly, so there was still wrapping paper and boxes everywhere. I had all the kids' new toys to find a place for. I had all the unpacking and laundry to do from our trip. And I was doing it all on 4 hours of sleep. The worst part of vacation is having to come home.
A Cruise or Disneyland?
The question at the back of my mind the whole week was, "I traded a cruise for Disneyland--was it worth it?". At times during the week, I really wished I'd taken the cruise instead. But when all was said and done, I was so glad I chose the vacation I did. It was magical. Despite all the crowds, and all the frustrations, this vacation was magical. It was one week where we were together as a family (minus Owen) without the distractions of our life back home. No house work to worry about, no school or homework, no gymnastics or scouts or achievement days, no little friends constantly ringing our doorbell asking if they can play. It was just us, as a family, enjoying our time together. And as much as we missed Owen, it was wonderful to not even have the distractions of diaper changes, and bottles, and naptimes. We had a whole week free of the everyday grind, and we had an amazing time. It is a vacation we will all remember forever.
New Year's Eve
We spent New Year's Eve in Disneyland. It's their busiest day of the year. Their very busiest. It was CRAZY! We had gone home for an extra long afternoon rest, so we could have enough energy to make it through all the late night celebrations at Disneyland (they stayed open till 2 am that night). As we walked back that night, and caught a glimpse of the masses of people, we immediately considered turning around and going back home (Disneyland was actually closed to new admissions because they'd hit max capacity, but we were re-entry so we were ok). We still had a few last rides we needed to check off our list, so we braved it anyway.
Soon a fog settled over Disneyland. A cold, dense fog. Around 8:30, we tried to fight the crowds to find a place to stand for fireworks (their nightly show). We hadn't seen fireworks all week. The day before Christmas, they had a firework malfunction, and had cancelled their firework show till they got everything worked out. When we went 4 years ago, we watched the fireworks every night and it was one of my most favorite things. So I was really disappointed that they didn't have fireworks the whole time we were there. But New Year's Eve they had their fireworks back up and running. We weren't sure where to go for the best view, and really didn't have a choice because moving anywhere was nearly impossible, so we ended up just behind Sleeping Beauty's castle. We soon learned that this was not a great place to be. They send off fireworks from the castle and from behind the park, so we were right in the middle of them. We kept having to turn our heads one way then the other, trying to see the fireworks. And it was incredibly loud. Nate hated it. I mean, he really hated it.
The firework show turned out to be not such a great experience. Between our placement, and the thick fog, we really didn't see anything. And it was so cold--the fog was chilling to the bone. We decided we wouldn't try and stay till the midnight festivities, that we would just finish up the last few rides we needed to still do, then go home.
But, those last few rides took us hours to do, and we ended up still being in the park at midnight. We were on the train, planning to ride it back to the beginning of Disneyland, then exit the park (walking anywhere was impossible). When the clock struck midnight, we were on the train at the back of Disneyland, right next to where they set off the fireworks. It was deafening. Nate screamed while I covered his ears as tightly as I could. And instead of being able to see any exploding fireworks, the fog made it so the whole sky just lit up in the color of the firework.
After the midnight fireworks, the train started back up, but only made it to the next stop. And then it just stayed there. They announced that the fog was so bad that they couldn't see the track in front of them, so it wasn't safe to run the train. We had to get off the train and walk out of Disneyland. We made it out of the park just before 1 a.m. (just in time to buy the Buzz jammies that I had promised Aaron at the store in Downtown Disney, that was set to close at 1). We made it back to our condo around 1:30 a.m., and the kids were instantly asleep.
I stayed up till 2:30 trying to get things packed up for the morning. To say the least, I was extremely tired. What a way to ring in the new year!
Soon a fog settled over Disneyland. A cold, dense fog. Around 8:30, we tried to fight the crowds to find a place to stand for fireworks (their nightly show). We hadn't seen fireworks all week. The day before Christmas, they had a firework malfunction, and had cancelled their firework show till they got everything worked out. When we went 4 years ago, we watched the fireworks every night and it was one of my most favorite things. So I was really disappointed that they didn't have fireworks the whole time we were there. But New Year's Eve they had their fireworks back up and running. We weren't sure where to go for the best view, and really didn't have a choice because moving anywhere was nearly impossible, so we ended up just behind Sleeping Beauty's castle. We soon learned that this was not a great place to be. They send off fireworks from the castle and from behind the park, so we were right in the middle of them. We kept having to turn our heads one way then the other, trying to see the fireworks. And it was incredibly loud. Nate hated it. I mean, he really hated it.
The firework show turned out to be not such a great experience. Between our placement, and the thick fog, we really didn't see anything. And it was so cold--the fog was chilling to the bone. We decided we wouldn't try and stay till the midnight festivities, that we would just finish up the last few rides we needed to still do, then go home.
But, those last few rides took us hours to do, and we ended up still being in the park at midnight. We were on the train, planning to ride it back to the beginning of Disneyland, then exit the park (walking anywhere was impossible). When the clock struck midnight, we were on the train at the back of Disneyland, right next to where they set off the fireworks. It was deafening. Nate screamed while I covered his ears as tightly as I could. And instead of being able to see any exploding fireworks, the fog made it so the whole sky just lit up in the color of the firework.
After the midnight fireworks, the train started back up, but only made it to the next stop. And then it just stayed there. They announced that the fog was so bad that they couldn't see the track in front of them, so it wasn't safe to run the train. We had to get off the train and walk out of Disneyland. We made it out of the park just before 1 a.m. (just in time to buy the Buzz jammies that I had promised Aaron at the store in Downtown Disney, that was set to close at 1). We made it back to our condo around 1:30 a.m., and the kids were instantly asleep.
I stayed up till 2:30 trying to get things packed up for the morning. To say the least, I was extremely tired. What a way to ring in the new year!
The Not So Great
Of course with all the great things, come the not so great things. Luckily, there were only a few on this trip.
Sara really struggled with being grouchy the whole trip. She's going through this whole "middle child" thing these days. I went through that when I was a kid, so I totally understand. She wants so desperately to feel special and important, and is struggling to find her place in this family. At Disneyland she was frustrated that she was too big to sit in the stroller, yet too little to get to push it around (because while Savannah could be trusted to push, Sara had a hard time not running into strangers' heels). She wanted to be big and brave enough to ride all the big rides, but is still young enough to be scared of that stuff still. And so this is what Sara looked like in a lot of our pictures:
The very last day, she was in an especially bad mood and was really picking on Aaron. She had already spent her souvenir money from Grandma Jo on a shirt, but had spotted a Jasmine piggy bank that she really wanted. That morning, I pulled her aside and made a deal with her. If she would try to be her very happiest and enjoy our last day there, I would buy her the piggy bank. It worked. She had a smile on her face the rest of the day, and was thrilled when she got that piggy bank later in the day. I just wish I'd thought of that on day one.
The other "hiccup" in our trip was the day after we rented the car to go to the beach. We rented the car on Thursday, went to the beach that day, then drove to Disneyland the next morning and returned the car. Much later in the day (after the rental car place had closed), Scott realized he had left the garage door opener in the car when we returned it. I immediately started stressing about how we were going to get it back.
Then we returned home that night and Savannah typed the code into the key pad on the door. The door had a locking deadbolt that unlocked with a code from the outside. After a few times of trying, she turned and said, "It's not working". Scott stepped up to give it a try, then turned to me with a serious look on his face and said, "It's locked." I wasn't sure what he meant. He explained that he had been locking the door handle from the inside at nights because it's just habit for him to lock things up as securely as possible at night. It hadn't been a problem before because we always went out the front door and had to unlock the handle to get out. That morning, though, we had gone out through the garage, so the handle hadn't gotten unlocked. And we had returned the garage door opener with the car. So we were locked out. Really locked out. Luckily, I had left the upstairs window open. So Scott climbed on the brick wall surrounding the patio, got onto the roof, pried the screen out of the window, and climbed in. We were saved.
The next morning we woke up early and called the rental car place right as it opened. They hadn't found the garage door opener when they cleaned the car, and it was already rented out again. This was Saturday. We were going home the next morning, so we had to get the garage door opener back that day. I started doing internet searches for how to program a new garage door opener and for hardware stores in the area. I figured we'd have to rent another car to drive to the hardware store, and we'd spend our entire last day trying to replace this garage door opener. Scott called the rental car place back and asked if there was any way to find out if the people who had rented the car were still in the area. The nice guy at the rental car place told Scott to hold on. When he got back on the phone, he said he'd called the people, they had found the opener, and would drop it by the rental car place that day before noon. We were saved--again.
So aside from a lockout, a lost garage door opener, and some grouchies, we had a great trip.
Sara really struggled with being grouchy the whole trip. She's going through this whole "middle child" thing these days. I went through that when I was a kid, so I totally understand. She wants so desperately to feel special and important, and is struggling to find her place in this family. At Disneyland she was frustrated that she was too big to sit in the stroller, yet too little to get to push it around (because while Savannah could be trusted to push, Sara had a hard time not running into strangers' heels). She wanted to be big and brave enough to ride all the big rides, but is still young enough to be scared of that stuff still. And so this is what Sara looked like in a lot of our pictures:
The very last day, she was in an especially bad mood and was really picking on Aaron. She had already spent her souvenir money from Grandma Jo on a shirt, but had spotted a Jasmine piggy bank that she really wanted. That morning, I pulled her aside and made a deal with her. If she would try to be her very happiest and enjoy our last day there, I would buy her the piggy bank. It worked. She had a smile on her face the rest of the day, and was thrilled when she got that piggy bank later in the day. I just wish I'd thought of that on day one.
The other "hiccup" in our trip was the day after we rented the car to go to the beach. We rented the car on Thursday, went to the beach that day, then drove to Disneyland the next morning and returned the car. Much later in the day (after the rental car place had closed), Scott realized he had left the garage door opener in the car when we returned it. I immediately started stressing about how we were going to get it back.
Then we returned home that night and Savannah typed the code into the key pad on the door. The door had a locking deadbolt that unlocked with a code from the outside. After a few times of trying, she turned and said, "It's not working". Scott stepped up to give it a try, then turned to me with a serious look on his face and said, "It's locked." I wasn't sure what he meant. He explained that he had been locking the door handle from the inside at nights because it's just habit for him to lock things up as securely as possible at night. It hadn't been a problem before because we always went out the front door and had to unlock the handle to get out. That morning, though, we had gone out through the garage, so the handle hadn't gotten unlocked. And we had returned the garage door opener with the car. So we were locked out. Really locked out. Luckily, I had left the upstairs window open. So Scott climbed on the brick wall surrounding the patio, got onto the roof, pried the screen out of the window, and climbed in. We were saved.
The next morning we woke up early and called the rental car place right as it opened. They hadn't found the garage door opener when they cleaned the car, and it was already rented out again. This was Saturday. We were going home the next morning, so we had to get the garage door opener back that day. I started doing internet searches for how to program a new garage door opener and for hardware stores in the area. I figured we'd have to rent another car to drive to the hardware store, and we'd spend our entire last day trying to replace this garage door opener. Scott called the rental car place back and asked if there was any way to find out if the people who had rented the car were still in the area. The nice guy at the rental car place told Scott to hold on. When he got back on the phone, he said he'd called the people, they had found the opener, and would drop it by the rental car place that day before noon. We were saved--again.
So aside from a lockout, a lost garage door opener, and some grouchies, we had a great trip.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Schedules
Basically our schedule during our week at Disneyland was very little sleep and a whole lot of playing. We would get up each morning (as early as we could make ourselves) and have breakfast at the condo. Then I would pack the strollers full of fruit bars, granola bars, bottles of water, and capri suns. Then we'd make the mile long walk to Disneyland.
We would ride as many rides as we could, and eat our snacks throughout the day, then go home for a late lunch/early dinner around 4. Nate and Aaron would usually sneak in a nap around this time.
We'd spend a few hours at home getting rested up and eat dinner. Then we'd bundle up to go back for the night. I didn't bring coats, thinking it would be warm. And it was warm during the days--we wore shorts and t-shirts and felt great while the sun was out. But when the sun went down each night, it got pretty chilly. So when we went back in the evenings, we wore layers of clothes. I'd make the kids put on 3 shirts, a jacket, and wrap a blanket around them (which made them complain about so many clothes, but kept them warm). Then we'd make the mile walk for a third time that day back to Disneyland and usually stay till closing time.
The final walk back home at the end of the night was always the longest and most tiring. Most of the time Savannah had to push my stroller so I could give Sara (and one time Josh) a piggy back ride home. I was so thankful we had two strollers so the little boys didn't have to walk. And I was amazed at how well our older kids did toughing out so much walking. I figure we walked at least 8 miles every day (with all the walking in the park too). Next time we go to Disneyland, we'll go when it's not busy, so we will only have to spend half as much time there. Then we can afford to spend twice as much on a hotel and stay in one of the actual Disneyland hotels right next to the park.
We would ride as many rides as we could, and eat our snacks throughout the day, then go home for a late lunch/early dinner around 4. Nate and Aaron would usually sneak in a nap around this time.
We'd spend a few hours at home getting rested up and eat dinner. Then we'd bundle up to go back for the night. I didn't bring coats, thinking it would be warm. And it was warm during the days--we wore shorts and t-shirts and felt great while the sun was out. But when the sun went down each night, it got pretty chilly. So when we went back in the evenings, we wore layers of clothes. I'd make the kids put on 3 shirts, a jacket, and wrap a blanket around them (which made them complain about so many clothes, but kept them warm). Then we'd make the mile walk for a third time that day back to Disneyland and usually stay till closing time.
The final walk back home at the end of the night was always the longest and most tiring. Most of the time Savannah had to push my stroller so I could give Sara (and one time Josh) a piggy back ride home. I was so thankful we had two strollers so the little boys didn't have to walk. And I was amazed at how well our older kids did toughing out so much walking. I figure we walked at least 8 miles every day (with all the walking in the park too). Next time we go to Disneyland, we'll go when it's not busy, so we will only have to spend half as much time there. Then we can afford to spend twice as much on a hotel and stay in one of the actual Disneyland hotels right next to the park.
Sunday, January 15, 2012
Ocean
Half way through the trip, we took a trip to the ocean. We went to Disneyland early that morning to try and get some rides in while the park was less busy (mornings were a little less occupied than afternoons and evenings). We ended up staying there longer than we planned (we had to fit in a Jedi Training), so once we rented our car and went home for swimsuits, it was later in the day than I would have liked. We had enjoyed mid 70 degree weather all week at Disneyland, so I assumed it would be like that at the coast. We pulled up to the beach just before 4 in the afternoon to 59 degrees and fog.
It was chilly. Really chilly. The kids didn't care, though. They plunged right into the water.
Aaron and Nate started out digging in the sand. They remembered their not so favorable outcome when they tried to take on the Pacific Ocean on the Oregon Coast, and didn't want the "waves to get them".
But after a while, even they couldn't resist getting a little wet. (I edited most of the pictures--played around with highlights and shadows--so you could actually see the kids in the pictures. I left this last one here unedited so you could see what all the pictures originally looked like. There was fog everywhere--cold and foggy.)
The kids had the best time playing in the waves.
Soon sweatshirts came off (too cold and heavy when wet), and all "trying to stay dry" was completely forgotten.
Josh found a sand dollar. Everyone was impressed with it.
Because we had arrived so late in the day, we were there for the sunset. It was amazingly beautiful.
As the sun went down, I gathered my purple cold little kids and we climbed into the rental car to go home. We blasted the heat as high as we could to get everyone warm.
It didn't take long before Nate was fast asleep.
As we got back into town, we stopped to get more groceries (the kids and I stayed in the car while Scott ran in to the store), then went home and collapsed in our warm beds.
It was chilly. Really chilly. The kids didn't care, though. They plunged right into the water.
Aaron and Nate started out digging in the sand. They remembered their not so favorable outcome when they tried to take on the Pacific Ocean on the Oregon Coast, and didn't want the "waves to get them".
But after a while, even they couldn't resist getting a little wet. (I edited most of the pictures--played around with highlights and shadows--so you could actually see the kids in the pictures. I left this last one here unedited so you could see what all the pictures originally looked like. There was fog everywhere--cold and foggy.)
The kids had the best time playing in the waves.
Soon sweatshirts came off (too cold and heavy when wet), and all "trying to stay dry" was completely forgotten.
Josh found a sand dollar. Everyone was impressed with it.
Because we had arrived so late in the day, we were there for the sunset. It was amazingly beautiful.
As the sun went down, I gathered my purple cold little kids and we climbed into the rental car to go home. We blasted the heat as high as we could to get everyone warm.
It didn't take long before Nate was fast asleep.
As we got back into town, we stopped to get more groceries (the kids and I stayed in the car while Scott ran in to the store), then went home and collapsed in our warm beds.
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