The Great Outdoors!

So I'm sure that many of you have been enjoying the warm weather like we have. It was hard to believe this last week that it was the middle February. I found myself slipping into spring mindset and even tried a picnic for lunch. I'm not sure who enjoyed getting out of the indoors more, me or my children. We were all thrilled to be able to go for walks, go to the park, build a snow man (at the beginning of the week before it all melted), destroy our snowman, scooter around, bike around, color with chalk, play catch, anything we could think of to do outside we did! Now when I ask my kids to grab their jackets they all grab their boots too. I always feel bad when we are not going to play outside.

Quinn requested "long walks" around our neighborhood. Rex enjoyed a nice ride on Dan's shoulders. He was a happy guy. Quinn loved destroying our snowman.

Earlier in the week as the snow was melting we enjoyed A LOT of puddle jumping which resulted in A LOT of laundry but three VERY happy children. We had "rivers flowing down our street" according to Quinn but there were no fish in them, much to his disappointment. Rex and Myla thought it was a blast jumping in them.

Another one of my children's favorite outdoor activities, eating snow.

Rex adopted a new but VERY frequently made face since being in the hospital. I'm not sure most people could even get their face like this but he makes it all the time and will hold it for a while. It pops up any time something drops or breaks or splashes or gets him.
We love this new face.

Quinn loves working hard.

Myla enjoying the snow.

My children are truly a joy.
They are always full of smiles and I got to see a lot of them while outdoors.

This is the view that I saw a lot of Quinn this week... speeding off on his "motorcycle." One happy boy, and so cool looking in his new baseball hat (thanks Aunt D and Uncle Ry)

We are still coughing and full of boogers!
Much to my frustration I am wiping dripping snot constantly and any time you hear a sneeze, GRAB A KLEENEX! It feels like we are never going to overcome this. I hear that we are not alone in this battle. Many of our friends are in the same cycle of sickness in their family.

Rex being Rex... putting everything in his mouth.

Isn't she lovely

You can't really see but he was splashing in the puddle and had leaves in his hair.

Licking muddy water... seems like a good idea.

Boogers and dirt

What a grown up little guy.

I still feel like we are adjusting to life again. It seems like Quinn was affected the most by Rex being in the hospital. We are still battling funny sleeping patterns and attachment issues. Nothing crazy just things that we are not used to having to deal with. It is somewhat flattering to be needed and wanted by my children. They bring Dan and I so much joy. We are looking forward to the weather warming up for good. I think that the park will be a favorite place for us this summer. We are hoping and praying for a swing set for our big backyard. I'm pretty sure that I would not be able to get my children to come inside EVER if we had a swing set. Oh how we can't wait for warmer weather!

Sorry for so many pictures... I just could not pick there were so many sweet ones!

One Week Later...

One week ago Rex came home!

It has been a wonderful week being all together again and adjusting to life as we know it. Dan's been back full time at work. We have enjoyed our normal weekly activities with a few minor adjustments. And everyone is doing GREAT!

Rex is doing amazing.
Dan and I continue to be in awe at how quickly he is bouncing back. We continue to learn more and more and understand just how sick our little guy was. Even as we were leaving the hospital the doctors in the PICU told me how amazed at how quickly he recovered from being so critical. I think in a way our ignorance was bliss for us. We knew that he was in critical condition but it was only as he continued to improve that we learned that the pneumonia was in all five lobes of his lungs and that his lungs were beginning to collapse in, that his blood oxygen level could have caused him to go into shock, and now look at him...
Happy and Handsome as ever!
He continues to regain his strength. When he first came home he could not walk without a hand to hold and he was running around before this all happened. He is walking on his own again now. He is quite a bit more unstable but quickly gaining back ground. He was pretty quiet when he first came home but has had no problem finding his words again and the few signs that he knows (please, thank you, more). He is done with antibiotics tomorrow and we are hoping that this is the last of any sickness that we see this winter!

Myla and Quinn were complete ROCK STARS through this entire thing. They could not have been better for the people that came over to watch them. I'm not sure anyone watched them more than once which meant a lot of different people coming into our house and they just graciously went with the flow. I would get text messages daily from the friends watching them telling me that Quinn thanked them for being there so I could be with Rexy, telling me that they laid down easily for naps, ate great, used their manners, complimented their shoes and lego building skills, and laughed a lot. Although it broke my heart to miss our on 11 days of their lives it definitely made it easier to leave the house every day knowing that they were not crying. Since Rex has come home they both have clung more tightly to me but it is something that I don't mind these days.

Through all of our circumstances Dan and I have learned to be more thankful and more prayerful. We are truly blessed and well aware that our circumstances could have been so much worse. It is a good reminder not to hold tight to the things in this world but to cling to the Lord.

I know that I have said this before but we could not have made it through without the amazing help of friends and family. My sister Dana and Ryan came and spent a weekend watching Quinn and Myla and friend after friend gave up free time to watch our kids, took work off to watch our kids, shoveled our driveway, cooked us food, visit us at the hospital and PRAYED. Thank you to every one of you for all that you did for our family.

This is one of Rexy's new faces.

Quinton serenading us!
He makes great faces while singing or playing the drums or guitar!

Today we were blessed with 39 degree weather and made the most of it. Put on boots and jackets and hats and built a snowman! Quinn was THRILLED! Rex kept trying to eat the carrot nose and grape eyes. We jumped in puddles, and fell in puddles. And Dan came home from preparing for his message and we took a little walk down the street. We are all looking forward to the next couple of days, I heard high 40s! I'm pretty sure that just means a lot of laundry but a lot of happy, dirty kids because they get to get outside!

Dan has become my master carpenter and built us a bed frame.

I was very impressed with his skills!

Since the superbowl fell the day after Rex came home we decided to skip our friends superbowl party and enjoy an exclusive Rude Family Superbowl Party! It was probably the best superbowl party I've ever been to! We ordered some appetizers and enjoyed a picnic in our living room!
I love my family.

A few more pictures from the hospital.
This was Quinn and Myla's first visit to see Rex. They had not seen him in over a week! It was very short lived being that there is not much for a 17 month old and a 2 year old to do in a PICU hospital room but it was still sweet for Dan and I and Rex enjoyed seeing them.

This was the first time that I got to hold Rex in over a week.
A sweet moment for me.

We are so thrilled that these hospital days are gone and so glad to have our family back together. One week later and we are doing fabulous!