Sleep, it's a wonderful thing!

Ronny volunteered to take a 1/2 day off of work today so that he could do the night shift last night with Joseph so that I could get some sleep. Joseph went down within minutes last night and finally slept. I woke him up to take his antibiotics at 2:30 and he went right back down. Hooray! Things went so well that Ronny went to work at the normal time this morning. Joseph seems to be doing well this morning. Today I have decided to give him pain meds only when he asks for them. We'll see how well he does. We've pretty much given up on the sling as its too hard for him to keep his arm upright so he walks around with "Sponge Bob" on all the time. Its pretty funny.

My sister, her husband and children and my mom all came for a visit last night. Joseph really loves having visitors. It helps him laugh and keeps his mind off his finger. Sometimes we have to remind him to slow down and be careful when they are here. Uncle Mike brought over an assortment of flavored milks for Joseph. He is in heaven with those.

Today Joseph asked for help getting dressed. He apparently has decided that he is done living in his pajamas. This is a good sign! I told him he has to have a bath first and that we would have to cover his arm with a trash bag before getting in, he thinks this is going to be cool. We'll see. He is also going to start practicing writing with his left hand today in preparation for returning back to school next week. He is not so jazzed about that.

Long Nights Part 2

After returning home Joseph was feeling pretty good. The morphine and lidocaine shots worked longer than I had anticipated. Ronny surprised Joseph with IN N OUT for dinner that night. (This is Joseph's favorite!) Our great neighbor across the street kept the kids entertained all day and sent home some food with us when I picked them up. We are truly blessed to have her next door!

When it came time for bed, Joseph surprisingly went right to sleep. Unfortunately we had to wake him up only a couple hours later to give him his medication. At that point he really felt the pain! He cried and fussed for a good two hours not being able to be consoled anymore. At that point I just crawled into bed with him and held him. We had Ronny set up the laptop on top of his dresser and we watched Star Wars the rest of the night. Sadly he would finally fall asleep and then have to be woken up shortly there after for his antibiotics. I think be both only managed about 2 hours of sleep that first night.

Yesterday was better than we hoped. The other kids were able to distract him most of the day. I couldn't seem to convince him to take a nap though. I took him to karate for a few minutes to watch the new moves he would need for his test when he gets his splint off. He managed about 20 minutes before asking to go home. His sensei is great and is missing a couple fingers and his left leg so he totally understands what Joseph is feeling.

After dinner Uncle Aaron and Aunt Meghan came over for a visit. Joseph loves Aaron! (probably because Joseph is a carbon copy of him in personality). Aaron had him laughing hysterically which was good to see. We took them over to the new house and gave them a tour. We were pleasantly surprised to find the house complete aside from the new carpet and landscaping. (I think we may close sooner than expected!)

When we finally got him in to bed he was hurting again. I think the nights are harder because there are no distractions from the pain. He and I ended up watching more Star Wars but did manage about 4 hours of good sleep. An improvement which we hope continues.

The kids go back to school next Tuesday. Joseph is very worried. He knows that the end of the year tests start as soon as they go back. We are not sure how this will work as he can't write with his right hand. We plan to practice with his left one in the next couple days. For a kid who gets out of work anyway he can, he is surprisingly concerned about these tests. It will work out, I'm sure Joseph is not the only kid who breaks an arm or hand right before tests.

Trauma Part 1

Joseph with his foam support. We affectionately call it "Sponge Bob"

Joseph after getting home from a long day in the ER. We both were there in our pajamas as we didn't have time to change before heading over.

Yesterday morning I was sitting at the computer when I heard Joseph scream, "Mom there is so much blood!" I hate those words, they are never good! He came running up the stairs holding his finger out. The tip was covered in blood and dripping profusely. I jumped up carried him downstairs, grabbed a clean cloth, and shouted to Charley. I really didn't look too closely at his finger as it was apparent he needed the ER right away. She came running, I told her I was taking Joseph to the ER. She didn't even bat an eye. She just said no problem Mom. (Its pretty sad when she thinks this is just another normal day!). I called Ronny who had just left for work and told him to turn around and come home as Joseph had just seriously cut his finger and he needed to come home to be with the other kids while we were at the hospital. On the way I asked him what had happened. He had been wrapping the cord of the blinds in Sam's room around his finger and pulling his finger out. He said usually the cord just loosened up and his finger came out. This time though the cord took his finger right off.

Thankfully the hospital is only 5 minutes away and happens to be a new Primary Children's endorsed hospital. We walked in and were greeted by the sign in lady and an older women who immediately came over and tried to soothe Joseph while I checked him in. We were immediately taken to triage where I got my first real look at his finger. The nurse looked at me and asked if I had brought the missing portion in as well. The top 1/2 inch of his finger was gone and the white portion sticking out that I originally thought was his finger nail was actually his bone sticking out. I grabbed my phone and called Ronny and told him to find the missing piece, wrap it and bring it to the hospital ASAP. I also told him to take the kids next door while I prayed our neighbor was home and could take them indefinitely. At this point, knowing how bad this was I wasn't sure if they were going to transport Joseph to Salt Lake or be able to take care of him there.

Ronny arrived at the hospital just as the doctor came in and he cleaned and prepped the missing portion of his finger and cleaned and dressed his finger. Up to this point Joseph was upset and terrified but still able to be consoled. The doctor then said they would need to give him an IV and Joseph freaked out! It took Ronny and I and another nurse to hold him down. Once the IV was in they pushed morphine and an anti nausea medicine. The nurse looked at me and asked if she should go get some more for me. I was doing great up until this point. Thankfully Ronny was there so that I could pull myself together. It took me a few minutes but I didn't pass out or lose my stomach. (Quite an achievement after seeing his finger I assure you!) They then took him to x-ray to confirm the bone was still intact, it was.

The doctor came back and told us he was calling in a specialist from Salt Lake who would come and reattach Joseph's finger. We said great but didn't realize it was going to take him 3 hours to get there. GRRRRRRR! When the doctor arrived and examined Joseph's finger he told us there were a few problems. The way the finger was severed it exposed the bone and killed the blood vessels that provided blood supply to the top of that bone. This left us with 3 options. To save that portion of the bone he could connect his finger to his abdomen for the next month while more tissue grew to cover the bone that could provide blood supply, 2. Fuse his first and second finger together with the first at an arc to do the same thing, 3. File off the bone until enough tissue that was left could be skin grafted to cover the bone and provide the blood supply. Knowing how active Joseph is and knowing he is a 7 year old boy the first two options would probably result in him tearing more tissue and bringing us back to the third option eventually so we opted for option three which turns out to be the most recommended and chosen option.

At this point the surgeon asked if we would like to put Joseph in a papoose board. I have had experience with this and knew this would traumatize him more than just holding him still. They pushed in more morphine before starting and I calmly gave Joseph the choice. He could hold really still while the doctor gave him the lidocaine shots and worked on his finger, or they could tie him to a board to keep him still. He tried to negotiate for just putting him to sleep. I explained he would have to go to the OR for that and would probably end up staying the night and Mom and Dad couldn't come with him if that was what he wanted. He chose to have me hold him and lay still. Joseph did a GREAT job! He laid perfectly still although being totally terrified (that made two of us!). I held a sheet between the doctor and his face and the two of just hunkered down while the surgeon and nurses did their thing. Ronny joined us when they started the shots but watched most of the procedure.

When the surgeon said file his bone, he really meant cut his bone. He ended up taking about 1/3 of an inch to 1/2 an inch off the top of his finger. Then he removed all the inner tissue of the tip of his finger and reattached it to what was left of his finger. His finger will be about 1/2 inch shorter than it was before but he will have a nail bed that will probably grow a little crooked. In the end Joseph really did amazing. He didn't move an inch. After that they gave him antibiotics through his IV and then proceeded to splint his arm. The splint goes from under his elbow up and over his arm and hand and then back down and around the elbow again. His arm is completely immobilized for the next month. He is prohibited from any physical activity that would jostle his hand. To this little boy, that is pretty much everything!

The doctor informed us that once the morphine and other drugs Joseph was given wear off, Joseph would have a really tough time with pain. He cautioned the next 24-48 hours would be the worst of it. We are seeing that now!

WHAT!?!?!?

This morning (May 24th) we woke up to this!

So the boys are doing this!

House Pictures

Front of the house, they will start to lay the cement for the stairs tomorrow.

Side of the house: Those white doors go to a built in storage shed.

Living Room from the front door; blue carpet to be replaced soon.

Another angle of the living room and stairs.

Kitchen, we went with quartz counters as none of the granite matched the cabinets. Stainless steel appliances were already ordered to go in so our fridge will match.

Kitchen and dining area. All this is tiled and we have recessed lighting in here.

Master bath and shower. This was done before we bought the house, we love the tile!

Master Vanity

Half the walk in closet (apparently I forgot to take a picture of the master bedroom). Picture large room with lots of windows and blue carpet for now.

Laundry Room (its upstairs, Yahoo!)

Kids bathroom

Two of the three kids room. At the right is a large linen closet.

Hallway to half bath and stairs to basement.

Stairs to basement

Family Room in basement, through that door is the unfinished portion. We will eventually finish another bathroom, bedroom/office, and storage closets.

Back of the house, everything not concrete will have sod. Eventually we will put in a fence.

From the driveway; view of the path to the park and church.

House Update

This last Friday night the kids and I headed over to the house to see what had been done this last week. Some good friends of ours came along to check things out as well. We discovered the carpet installers were just finishing up laying the carpet as we came in. Unfortunately they were just finishing putting in the WRONG carpet! The carpet chosen for this house before we purchased it was midnight blue, not really up my alley! We went to the design center 3 weeks ago and changed to a dusty brown color called Harvest Sable. Apparently someone didn't get the paperwork for the change. I picked up a scrap of the carpet and asked the installer what color this was. He told me black! I told him he had just laid the wrong carpet. I don't think he spoke much English so I'm not sure he understood me. So on Saturday we went into the sales office to pick up something and see the builder's realtor. We told her about the carpet and she immediately apologized and confirmed we had picked out a brown/beige carpet. She told us she would call the design office first thing Monday morning and we told her would do the same. She assured us they would fix this. Hopefully this won't push our completion date back too far.

On a happy note, the formica counter tops that were originally installed have been removed and the quartz counters we picked out have been installed. They look great. I need to remember to take a camera next time so that I can post the progress.

Completion Date

The builder of our house finally set a completion date, June 10th. We have been waiting for this the last two weeks. Now we have an idea of when we'll be needing to be packed up and ready to move. Ironically its the same day we are heading back to Oregon for graduation so we will see when we'll actually close with delays and travel plans. At least we now have an idea. I started the packing process yesterday. I'm sure it will pick up now that we know what to expect.

SOLD

So after lots of frustration and multiple offers on other houses that fell through for one reason or another we have finally bought a home. Phewww!!!
We spent all day yesterday looking at homes trying to take notes on each one so we could make sure we remembered which was which. Our realtor called a builder here in our community to find out what they already had built and those that would be finished in the next two months. We took a detour in the late morning to check out what they had. We had a hard time keeping everything straight. We liked a few but had lots of questions. We then looked at what was left on our list and broke for lunch. After a series of phone calls back and forth between our realtor and the realtor for the builder about different things the their realtor called us back and told us there was one more home that she forgot to show us. We headed on over and met her at a new home that was probably about 80% finished. We walked in the front door and I knew this was the house. We walked through it and the feeling just got stronger. (Thank goodness Ronny was feeling the same way!) We asked about how much it would cost to finish the family room in the basement and to add granite counter tops, and how much they were willing to negotiate on the price.
After everything we went home and prayed about it. We both felt that this was the house for us. So we headed over to the sales office and were pleasantly surprised when their lender was offering 8,000 in closing costs and gave our realtor a raise on his commission as well. Our realtor called us this morning and told us our offer was accepted by the builder and that everything would be finished up between now and June 30 so we qualify for the federal tax credit as well yippee! We are scheduled to pick out paint, carpet, and granite colors on Monday.

Oh and yes, those are snowflakes in the picture. Utah weather!!!! Snow on April 29th, spring where are you????

Charley's New Retreat

I have been wanting to update Charley's furniture for the last few years but finances have never been what I needed them to be to be able to provide new digs for her. A few weeks ago my mom mentioned to me that she had a dresser that her husband was needing to be moved out of his house in order to get ready to rent or sell. Ben's dresser has been held together with staples the last few months so I jumped at it. I jokingly told her if there was any other furniture they needed gone I would be happy to take it off their hands. It was then she told me her hubby had an entire bedroom set for Charley if we wanted it. I thought she was kidding at first and then told her that this was something that I was really looking for.So... last night Ronny and I borrowed my Dad's truck, took the seats out our van, and headed for the Avenues in Salt Lake. When we arrived we were shown the room and my mouth dropped. This furniture was so cute and exactly what I wanted for Charley! Not only that, but there were two dressers a night stand and two bookcases that came along as well. Charley now has the nicest furniture in the house. THANK YOU DEX !!!! A big thank you to his daughters too who were willing to pass along their furniture.

Unfortunately I do not have sheets to fit the bed. That will be something we will have to go shopping for soon.

Early Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day!!!! I know its a little bit early but Ronny will be out of town which means I will not have time to blog then. So to all the Mom's, soon to be Mom's, and women wishing they were Mom's, here's to you and all your faith, time, and talents!

Usually Ronny takes great excitement in taking the kids to the store and helping them pick out presents for me. Its always a treat to see what the kids have chosen and what guidance their dad gave them.
A couple weeks ago I was at Costco picking up some things for our primary class conference party and came upon this booth selling these pictures. My sister has one hanging in her home and I have always wanted one myself. When I saw them I jumped and squealed like my kids on Christmas morning and went searching for the San Diego Temple. They had one in the smaller size but the frame was bigger than the print so I decided to go to the bigger one. The price was only $20 different so it was definitely worth it. They unfortunately did not have it there but they were offering free shipping. SOLD!I called Ronny at work and told him about the purchase and told him he was off the hook for Mother's Day. We have been trying to save up money for a down payment for a home but I just couldn't pass this up. I love it! They had several other pictures that I really liked too but I wouldn't look at their catalog in fear of wanting others. They will just have to wait until we can save up for decorating after we purchase a house. I can be patient (at least sometimes.....).

Watch Out!

As spring and the upcoming sports seasons were nearing, we knew our lives would become significantly more busy soon! We were discussing with the kids what options they had and if they wanted to try something new this year. A gentleman in our ward sent out a neighborhood announcement that he would be starting karate lessons in his basement soon. We asked the kids if they wanted to try it out. He was only charging $5 a lesson per kid so we figured we'd give it a try and if the kids weren't that into it we wouldn't be out an entire season of registration and uniforms.
The kids loved it! Charley found a new friend right off the bat that was her same age and stature (this is saying something!). Charley kicks the hardest in the class (including the boy who is a head taller and 2 years older). Joseph really took to it and is very serious about getting his stances right. Sam is thrilled that he gets to hit and kick someone and that its actually encouraged!

Their Sensei told them they would be sparring in just a couple months and start to testing for belt colors as well. We had the option of buying the Gi or just wearing sweats. I told the kids they had to show me they were going to stick with it before I payed the money for the gi. When all the other kids were putting theirs on and looked so cute I broke down and bought them. I'm such a Mom! After watching them and seeing how much fun they were having I knew it would be worth the money. If not they will have Halloween costumes for the next couple years!

Projects, Projects, Projects

I'm really hating projects these days! Really, must each child have one every month??? Charley was assigned a science project this year. This is her first one and as we were shooting around ideas a few weeks ago, Ronny mentioned he had never done a science project. Well really, you can't say that and not expect me to pass the buck! So Ronny was given the task of helping Charley with this one.

Ronny talked Charley into doing her science project on chocolate chip cookies and cookie dough ice cream. Their question was, "Can you tell the difference between home made chocolate chip cookies and cookies made from cookie dough ice cream?" They were both very excited!
They bought 3 brands of ice cream and the three of us sorted through the ice cream and pulled out all the cookie dough. (Yummy, NOT!) We discovered there really isn't much cookie dough in the ice cream, only enough to make 3 cookies. We then made 3 batches of cc cookies from different recipes. We invited my sister and her husband up to be the taste testers with my Dad.

In the end the project turned out great and the two had a fun time putting it together. Unfortunately she had to start on her next project the following day that was due in the same week. Can we just choose to opt out???

Ben Turns 4

Earlier this month Ben turned 4 years old. Can you believe it???? Where has that time gone? We opted for a low key celebration after our California adventure. Just cake and ice cream at home with Grandma and Dex. He also called his friend Darin in Oregon and had a nice little chat (as much as a 4 year old can). We gave Ben a new bike helmet and we are now working on learning to ride a big boy bike. The other kids were racing at this point so we are a little behind with Ben but he is getting there. Ben has mixed feeling about turning 4. He says he wants to stay 3 because when you get big you have to do more chores and get in trouble. I thought that was hilarious, he has life figured out already.

Nana's House

Our trip to Nana's house this year started off with Sam informing me that this no longer was family vacation because Ronny was no longer with us. I laughed and agreed with him and then told him he could call his Dad and let him know of his disappointment. We arrived late Wednesday night just in time for the kids to scurry around the house for about an hour and then head to bed.
Trips to Nana's house always include: A trip to the shoestore (this time of year we look for Salt Water Sandals, a staple for our summers.).
Playing in the Mud: (its always better when she lets us take our pants off!) Sam asked Papa for a shovel. Papa asked him why he needed one, Sam looked back and said, "for digging Papa!" Why else would you need a shovel?

And of course, a trip to the Book Store:

We threw in a few more things like a baby shower for Aunt Deborah, a mission farewell for cousin Emily (we all got to sing in sacrament meeting, it was awesome!), and fire building and dutch oven cooking with Papa. Joseph and Papa also made a checker board and checkers out in the shop. (This was their "project" for this trip.) Papa also gave Joseph his first checker lesson. Good Times!

Guest of the Day

So our final day of Disney fun started with taking Dad to the airport to fly back to work. We dropped him off, headed back to the hotel to pack up and get something to eat, then headed back for our final day of adventure. As we pulled up to the parking attendant to pay our toll another gentlemen stepped in front and told us we had been picked as the "Guest of the Day" and asked us to follow his little white SUV. He also told me that we would not be charged for parking that day (sweet!). We followed his little white car directly out of the parking garage and out where the trams are parked. He stopped and moved the cones out of the very first parking space next to where the trams pick up and motioned for us to pull in. He then came up to our car and placed a special flyer on the dash and a yellow ribbon under the wipers. He then shook my hand and told us we were randomly selected to be the "Guest of the Day", asked us where we were from so he could put it in his records, and told us if we wanted to leave and come back we would once again be escorted out to "our spot", and then told us to have a magical day. (We did!)

I then got the kids out and started herding them towards the trams when another gentlemen stepped forward and told us he would be driving us in. He escorted us to his van and drove us straight to the entrance. The kids were very confused and kept asking what was happening. We entered the park and headed to the favorite ride of each child.

Sam wanted to try to get picked for the Jedi training so we headed over to fantasy land and waited for the next show. Just as they were setting up rain drops started to fall so they canceled the show but brought the characters out so the kids could take pictures with them. They loved it and we wouldn't have gotten such great pictures had that not happened. We headed out to another ride and came back for the next show. This time the show went on and both Sam and Joseph were picked to participate. Afterward Joseph told me it was too bad Dad went home because, "today is all about the magic!" as he put it.We went on a few more rides, had lunch, then decided we needed to head to Nana's house soon. On the way out I had the kids silhouettes done which came out great. That women is amazing! (If you go, step into her shop on main street and just watch her do someone.) She is talented!







We left in the afternoon to avoid LA traffic and headed to Turlock for the next portion of our CA trip. We had a great few days at the Disney Resort and look forward to another adventure sometime in the future. We'll have to save up though. This trip we managed to go 3 days for the price of one, I don't know if we'll ever top that. We'll have to see what next year's advertising special will be.

California Adventure

Tuesday marked our trip to CA Adventure. I had taken Charley once before but she was too young to remember anything. We started our day with the Soarin' over California ride (name?) I really liked all the aviation history and pictures that are there for you to look at while waiting in line. I was able to tell the kids stories about my grandfather and his job working with those early airline companies.

Our kids favorite ride was the new Toy Story Mania ride/game. Ronny and I loved the California Screamin' roller-coaster. The only child who wanted to ride that was Sam and he was too short. He cried when he couldn't ride on it. Ronny took Sam on the Tower of Terror to make up for it while the rest of the kids and I headed over to the Bug's Life kiddy rides. We also went to the 3-D show they have, I DO NOT recommend this. It gave my kids nightmares. Ronny took everyone but Joseph on the Ferris wheel while Joseph and I happily stayed on the ground and waved. Ronny admits that for a little while he was sick for a few minutes, Ferris wheels are not my favorite.

This park closed at 6 and we were done. There really isn't a lot to do there yet. We ended the day by doing our Disney shopping in the Downtown Disney stores. The kids had been saving their pennies and soon found out that they didn't go as far as they had hoped so Ronny and I pitched in to help them out.

We headed over to Mimi's Cafe for dinner and had the best waitress ever. The restaurant was very busy but this waitress made it feel like we were here only patrons. While finishing up she brought out boxes with their specialty bread and brand new chocolate milks for the kids in travel cups and boxed up their little pudding desserts with plastic silverware to eat back at the hotel. She made the day complete and while walking out we all gave her a big hug and told her thanks. (We gave here a huge tip as she was amazing!)

Disney Mania Day One

Our Disney adventure started early Monday morning waiting in line in the parking garage after we realized the park didn't open until 10:00 and us getting there at 9:30 thinking we were running late.

We hit the park running and made our way over to Pirates of the Carribean and then to Splash Mountain. Joseph quickly decided he was not liking the roller coasters, Sam loving them, and Ben and Charley just along for the ride. Watching and listening to Sam and Ben's reactions to everything were so funny and priceless. While walking off Star Tours Ben looked at me with a worried face and asked, "Mom, how are we going to make it back to Earth, aren't we still on Endor?" Then as we were getting on Space Mountain Ben asked again, "Are we going to blast off?" The first day we made Joseph go on all the roller coasters much to his dismay. He complained and hid his face all day, Sam on the other hand couldn't get enough and wanted to go back for more. Ben even had his hands raised on Thunder Mountain while Joseph cried, "HOLD ON TO ME DAD!" Joseph enjoyed rides like Buzz Lightyear Blasters, Star Tours, the Submarine, and the Teacups. We have so many great pictures that I'll have to do a slide show at the end of all the posts.

For the first time ever at Disneyland I did not see anyone I knew. We did however meet people from Oregon and fellow C track families from the Jordan School District. We had a great time and ended the night at Denny's with hot chocolate and a brownie sundae across the street from our hotel. Ben was out before we even got to Denny's and the rest of the kids were asleep within seconds of hitting their pillows dreaming about the next days adventures.

California Dreamin

As the snow began to fall we headed South to warmer weather. We started our visit with my Aunt and Uncle in St. George a day early as a winter storm headed in. The kids could not get enough of their dog and loved the time there. Ronny and I had a good visit with my relatives (so sad to have missed Skyle though). Charley however had a hard time with the cat and was happy to get some much needed allergy medicine (I forgot about the cat, oops!). The next morning we stopped over at my Grandmother's house for a few minutes. I say few because that's all the boys could handle, they were ready for the sun down South!

We made it to Anaheim and checked into our hotel Saturday afternoon and headed over to Irvine to visit some good friends from college. It was even warm enough for a swim so the the kids took a dip in the pool with their friends. (I can't believe I forgot to take a picture of our time there.) The next day we headed to church with them and I for the first time had to answer the question, "Where are you visiting from" as Utah. I don't know why that was so hard for me. Go figure. After church we headed just down the road to visit Uncle James, Aunt Anjanette, and baby Jackson. We had fun at the park and a yummy dinner! So much fun and some much needed R&R especially with the Disney mania starting the next day! Had we had one more day we would have visited my great cousins in LA. We will have to catch them next time!

Service Opportunities

Many of you have asked about our card making experience and how to get in on the action. So here's what I have learned:

The card making opportunity that we did is now closed. I checked it last week. They only had slots for 100 families and they went fast. My suggestion for you is to go to Disney.com and click on the Give a Day Get a Day link. Register you family and put in your zipcode or a zipcode near you. We were limited on what we could do as we had a 6 year old helping and we wanted to do something quickly as our plans were to go this last week. You have to be flexible and as soon as you find something that works for you don't wait to jump on it as they always fill fast and you can always cancel if it turns out you can't make it. After completing the service it can take up to 2 weeks to get your vouchers through email so keep that in mind.

Good luck and have fun!

Give a Day, Get a Day

With the kids on a year round school schedule and with all the new changes at Ronny's office, trying to plan a family vacation this summer quickly became difficult. After checking all the calendars and deciding what conferences Ronny should attend we decided to take a few short trips as a family this year. Once that was decided, Ronny and I began throwing out ideas on what to do. We had talked a few times about taking the kids back to Disneyland now that Ben is old enough to ride on things so we decided that was going to be our first adventure.

I'm sure many of you have heard of Disney's new ad campaign of give a day of service and get a day at the park. We thought it would be great for the kids to "earn" one of their tickets so I looked into it. With us wanting to go this month and trying to find something we could all do together made matching us to one of their sponsored service events a little difficult. First off we found that Ben was too young to participate so that would change things up too. Then a friend pointed us in the direction of a hospital in Illinois looking for people to create "Get Well" cards for their patients. I quickly signed us up for that and we were "matched" by the website. They asked for people to make 10 cards each or 25 per family. We didn't think 25 was enough to earn tickets for our whole family so we decided to make a few more.

We quickly found out that making cards ourselves was no big deal but helping the kids took a significant amount of time which is why they ask for only 25 per family. In the end Ronny and I made 10 or 11 and the kids each made 5. This gave us a total of 36 which took us about 4 hours. We really had so much fun making these together and the kids did a great job. We loved that the kids earned their tickets by serving others and the teaching moments this brought along the way.