(no New York Fashion deals yet)
This is what you get your children when you start to feel guilty for being sick for most of the summer. 3 children, 3 kitties........of course.
Carter took his level 6 and passed it. He had so much fun swimming with his buddies and mastering (once again) his dive.
Asha started in Level 2 during the first week and was promptly moved into Level 3, excelling at everything asked of her. Into the second week she started to complain about her nose hurting when she went under the water. She had a pretty nasty cough at the time during the nights in the camper and we were giving her medication. Unfortunately, it wasn't working and we noticed that her cough had changed. We decided to take her to the doctor and make an appointment for myself as well, as I had an awful cold & a slight temperature.
That same afternoon (Wednesday), Asha was admitted to the hospital with pneumonia. I listened behind closed doors outside her hospital room as nurses tried to find a vein to put in an I.V. and take blood from her. She screamed and called for me, testing my skills as her mother once again. Afterwards, she was happy sitting in her hospital bed, waiting for her daddy to get there with movies and snacks. She stayed for one night, with I.V. fluids for 24 hrs, and medication to take home afterwards for 10 days. She went home with her I.V. still in her arm so she could come back for the next 3 days to get medication injected into her body.
Two days later, I was admitted to the same hospital with pneumonia as well. I had been given antibiotic pills earlier that same day to take at home and ended up throwing them up all afternoon. By the time Ron got me to the hospital around suppertime, the nurses could hardly find a vein to get an I.V. into me. They had to poke me about 9 different times to find a vein. Ouch!!! I was hooked to an I.V. for 24 hours where fluids were injected into me. I ended up staying until the next evening when Ron picked me up and took me home. I also went home with my I.V. still in my wrist and returned to the hospital twice a day (morning & evening) for 3 days for antibiotics. I took medication at home for the next 10 days to treat my pneumonia.
A week later (after my I.V. came out, a camping trip with my family and some fun on the farm), I started feeling awful again. Ron brought me to the hospital for multiple testing and was, in the end, diagnosed to have something called C. Difficile, a "bug" you get when large levels of antibiotics are given to you during a hospital stay. I had, in the meantime, lost all energy, was very tired & sore in my legs and shoulders, and went to the bathroom anytime I ate something. I, unfortunately, have the type of C. diff. that cannot be treated with antibiotics to cure (now THAT'S ironic).......so I am left to get my body better on my own. So........I am adjusting and trying to build the good flora back up in my body. I'm eating yogurt (which I HATE) and taking Probiotic vitamins to help my body. I've lost weight (nice little side-effect) and everyday I am trying new foods to see if my body can handle it. It's a crap-shoot, like I said earlier. Everyday, I'm getting stronger though and getting healthier. I believe God doesn't give us anything we can't handle, so.........I'm gonna handle this one just fine!!
So........let's continue on with the F.U.N. in summer now.
The kids have been having fun playing in the canola fields by our house. Carter & Asha like to take long, bamboo sticks out to the field and play Ninjas.
The girls take the opportunity on really hot days to "shower" on the trampoline. The water is super cold, so the rinsing of the shampoo is a little more difficult. Daria usually has to catch Asha first with the hose.
We have witnessed this Glory many evenings. We can sit on our deck or walk down our lane and see a gorgeous sunset almost every night. How many of you can say that? Another benefit of living on the Prairies.
We just came back from a 4 day camping trip with Ron's side of the family. There are eleven grandchildren (most of them teenagers) and ten adults, so the camping is getting easier (but louder) every year. It was so much fun and the weather was unbelieveable!!!
3 roomies: I've had the priviledge of vacationing with both of my sisters -- not at the same time (that would be CRAZY!!!!) -- but, on seperate occasions. Although my older sister & I had a blast together, I think the most special vacation was spent cruising the Caribbean with my younger sister. It was incredibly meaningful to watch her first reactions to so many things on our holiday. We were able to share so many moments together and I will cherish that forever. Thanks, Buff, for coming along and helping me through a week of work that would have been difficult if you had not been there.
Blissful: My younger sister has a complete wacky side of her and she is so funny....sometimes. This was a time when she was determined to ride this crazy, retro bike that my older sister has on the farm. She could hardly stay on the thing -- she was practically peeing with laughter. And so were the rest of us.
Picture Perfect: Although there are a ton of differences within us three sisters, I do not deny the similarities. We are too much like our mother -- and she's a pretty incredible woman herself. The three of us live so close to one another and we are so blessed to have children the same age, who love each other very much. So, I will never take my sisters for granted. I know this doesn't happen everyday -- that three sisters can see each other whenever we want. That we can share a bond so close that it makes people around us stop and take notice. 
Happy Birthday, Buffy.....a little late, I know. 