We went camping to Guadalupe River State Park last weekend. We weren't sure if the trip was going to happen, after Charlie got sick. However, he has made an incredible recovery since coming out of the hospital the second time. He insisted that he was well enough for the trip, and would take it easy.


I just couldn't help taking this one, with the dirt on Jon's nose.
Here's Charlie, keeping his word.
We went for an evening walk to go see a story under the stars. Before hand, we walked to the river. This was my first time seeing an armadillo up close.
Jon was infatuated with throwing rocks in the water.
I took this picture Saturday morning. It was such a sweet sight, I couldn't resist.This was just part of the view at the river. It was incredible.
The water was so low where we were, you could lay down in the middle, which is exactly what we did!
We got to the river at about 9:30 in the morning, and there were about 4 other families there. When we left, the river was packed with people. That was around 2pm!

Jon was excited the find that I had brought the water guns!
At one point, I had a dragonfly decide I was it's friend. It kept landing on my finger every time I held my hand out. It was really cool!

Jon needed a break from the water. After some Mommy cuddles, and a snack, he was rarin' to go! This time out, Jon wore his hat out there. The sun was much higher by this time.

When we got back, we had lunch. Then Jon fell asleep in the hammock. During his nap, Jon had a dragonfly land on the hat covering his head.

That night, we took a walk around the camp site. Jon had a new camp light that looks like Daddy's.
Sunday morning, I managed to get Jon to take a shower. This is not something he usually likes. However, he loved this new way of getting clean, as I showed him a few tricks to not get as much water in his face.

As soon as we got back to camp, he was in the dirt playing!
Jon had to fetch his ball after it landed in the "wilderness".

Last time we went camping, we decided to make treasure hunts a new camping tradition. This trip was no exception. I hid the Get Well Bear for Jon to find.
Jon has gotten really good at these treasure hunts!
Jon found the bear in Daddy's pocket!
Time for a swing in the hammock before it gets packed away!

We were all extremely happy to have been able to make this trip. Camping has become an important part of our lives. The fact that Charlie was able to go camping without getting out of breath is amazing. (Although his pleurisy did bug him a bit.)

Charlie wants to thank everyone for thinking of him while he was sick. He felt the love of the entire family. He continues to get stronger every day, and will soon be able to return to work.

Jon & I had a very pleasant 4th weekend. We spent most of our 4th of July in the hospital, keeping Daddy company. We left early enough to avoid post fireworks traffic. Jon got to see some small fireworks displays in the distance, and on the streets going home. This was enough for him. I offered to walk the neighborhood to check some out, but he's too smart for that. He said "no, I just want to go inside."
For those that didn't get the news, Charlie ended up spending another week in the hospital. The pneumonia started coming back, and he also had a VERY bad case of pleurisy. Neither of us had ever heard of it, so we didn't realize that Charlie was at risk of developing the most painful secondary infection anyone could imagine. He's feeling much better now, and the pleurisy is slowing fading. Anyway, back to Jon's weekend...

On Saturday, I took Jon rollerskating. He had gone once with the day care, and loved it.
Pardon the low quality of the photos. My camera has it's limits, and this pretty much went past them!Jon very quickly got to the point where he didn't need to hold my hand. He did fall a few times! He thought the falls were so funny that he would periodically do it on purpose. This time, he caught himself before falling.
He's getting the hang of it.
He loved the disco ball!
This picture is super dark, but so cute! Jon decided to "shake his booty" while on the skates!
With me taking so many pictures, Jon figured it was his turn. I let him have the camera for a few minutes. This is what he got!
After skating, I took Jon to see Speed Racer at the discount theatre. This is only about the 5th time seeing it! Our entire family has Speed Racer fever! Charlie & I grew up with it, so to us it's wicked cool! Jon thinks it's the greatest movie ever, even topping Cars & Curious George.
On Sunday, Jon & I went to Costco to stock up. I got a beautiful bouquet of flowers, hoping that Charlie would be home Monday. The moment I got the flowers arranged, and on the table, the phone rang. It was Charlie calling to say that they were sending him home that afternoon! Yeah!!! We quickly got out the door to get him. The flowers have continued to brighten the room and remind us of how great it was to bring him home.

Daddy's Home!!!

That's what Jon said on Tuesday, June 24, when Charlie walked in the door. Dianne & I didn't tell Jon that I was on my way to pick him up.
But then, I wasn't sure that it would happen when I went off to work that morning. At about 9:30 that morning, Charlie called to tell me he got the go-ahead to go home.
Since coming home, Charlie has been on a steady improvement. He gets stronger everyday. With the increased strength comes the inevitable frustration at not being able to do more.

On Saturday, I watched a co-worker's foster son while she & her husband went to a foster seminar. Jonathan and Jon get along quite well. It was nice to see Jon play with a friend at the house. It was kind of funny too, when Jon would suddenly get possessive of his favorite toys. For him to verbalize to a friend that he wants a toy back is something new. While satisfying to watch, the behavior was kept firmly in check.

Having just gotten home, Charlie was eager to explore the world when Jon wanted to go to a play area. We were worried about him over doing it, but he was glad he came to watch Jon play. When Charlie got tired, he layed down on the cushioned bench. Jon LOVES to read! His favorite book is Go Dog Go.

I could not have gotten through the week without Dianne's help. She helped get the house clean for Charlie's return, and watched Jon who was missing Daddy greatly. As always, Dianne was also a valued friend when I needed one the most.

Thank you, Dianne. For everything.

I just wanted to post an update on what's going on around here.

Last weekend, Charlie started feeling very sick. He had all the symptoms of the flu. We treated the symptoms, and I had him drinking tons of fluids. Monday morning, I made an appointment with a doctor. Shortly after the appointment was made, Charlie called me to tell me that he was coughing up blood. I quickly got out of work, and headed home to take him to the hospital.

As I was getting into the car, he called back to say that he was about to pass out, and to call 911. I called while driving home. When I got home, he was in fact passed out. Luckily, he landed on one of Jon's inflated toys, which kept him from hitting his head on a wooden toy.

The ambulance showed up right after I did. They took him to the nearest er. When they checked his vitals, his blood pressure was low. Static was at 70. It took 5 hours, and 6 IV bags to get it above 100. He also had 75% of his left lung infected with pneumonia. Charlie was immediately given 3 different antibiotics in a row.

We had a very long day in the emergency room Monday. He was in a tremendous amount of pain, and he could barely breath. While we waited for an ICU room to be prepped for him, I went to pick up Jon from day care, and brought him to see Daddy. We knew that Jon would not be able to see him once he gets to ICU. I explained to situation to Jon on the way, and told him about the tubes. When we got there, Jon read Daddy a book, which made both of them feel better. Jon could tell that Daddy was really sick, and it made him nervous. But then, all of us were worried. Charlie was afraid of not making it through the night.

The next morning, I dropped Jon off at the day care, and went to see Charlie. He had to be on a ventilator with a mask. Luckily, he didn't need the tube. Back on the cannula, he was breathing a tiny bit better. His spirits were improved. Plus, his blood pressure was normal. That afternoon was better. Plus, he had a friend come by to visit as I was leaving to pick up Jon.

Today has seen some huge improvements. He is able to move around, and is breathing MUCH better. He is now on full size meals, and eating well. His nurse informed me that they might be able to remove most or all of the IVs tonight. Hopefully, he will be moved to a regular room tomorrow. After that, he should be home in a few days.

This has been an extremely trying week for all of us. The rest of the week will be much better. Charlie is improving by the hour, and Dianne is coming Thursday afternoon to help for a week.

A couple of weekends ago, Jon decided to pull out the garden cart. He got it all the way into the street, and hooked it onto his car. In the process, he did get a small scratch on his bare little chest! Jon seemed to think it was worth it! This was taken just this morning. He had come to me earlier to ask how to spell Thursday. Little did I know what I would find later! (I know it's not actually the 11th, or Thursday, but that's okay!) I still haven't figured out which tire is flat, but I think it's one of his cars.

Jon's kindergarten class had an awards ceremony. Each child got 2 awards from the teachers. Jon's first award was "Most Popular" for being a kid that everyone wanted to be friends with!
The second award was for being a "computer whiz". Ms. Smith pointed out that he can turn it on, log on, use the programs, log off & properly turn off the computer.
Some of the awards were quite humerous, like one girl getting an award for "best dancer". A few kids, she pointed out could have gotten 20 awards, so they had a hard time picking just 2!
Somehow, Jon ended up in Mrs. Race's lap!
Jon was lucky enough to get two fabulous teachers, plus some wonderful paraprofessionals! He already misses them, although he's very happy spending his days with his precious Ms. Laurie!
After the little ceremony, I asked the teachers how high they have heard Jon count to. They told me that he has gone to at least 400! I had heard him count to 200 before, so that was pretty cool to hear. He tends to lose interest in counting before he loses track.

Jon's soccer season is over. We had a rough start, but he ended up having lots of fun.


Jon took this picture with my camera. He was very proud of himself!
I don't think we'll do soccer again. Maybe we'll try basketball next. Jon loves throwing the ball up, catching it, and dribbling!

Back in May, we went to the Art Car Parade. It was even more fun this year than it was last year! Jon was much more interested in all the different, and silly cars this year.



As we were waiting for the parade to start, we staked out our spot. As luck would have it, the best spot was right next to where the zebra mobile was waiting! They were all very nice people, and even shared a burrito with Jon. (The parade provides all entrants with food & water.)

I had to get a picture of the shirt!I was fascinating & fun to watch this car turn.



Luckily, Jon did not get the joke on this car! Any guesses on the title? There were quite a few family that got into the action. These kids were pretty creative.

Jon had to have the required car "driving like that" on his blog!

The lady on top has been doing this parade for 8 years! Her entourage has been growing each year.
This is one of the newer additions to the group.
A car that looks just like Daddy's car! Charlie got to talk to the owner, and found out that he used shelf liners to cover his car. Charlie's in love with the idea!
Jon thought it was silly that this dog looked ready to kiss him!
This one's for you, Papa! There were a lot of political entries. (Sorry to the Andersen side, but none were Republican!) This car was titled "M Peach Bush". It was one of the tamer ones.
Sorry if these two pictures anger some in our family. I won't apologize for strongly agreeing with it, though.

This car was one of our favorites. We were cracking up as it was singing Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody.

"Bismillah! no-,we will not let you go-let him go-
Bismillah! we will not let you go-let him go
Bismillah! we will not let you go-let me go
Will not let you go-let me go
Will not let you go let me go"

One last note. Less than 24 hours after the parade, the community suffered a major loss. The curator of the the Art Car Museum was killed by a drunk driver right in front of the museum.