Its not Thanksgiving in our house.  We are celebrating Saturday, due to Rob working.  Although I couldn't help myself, and picked up a turkey for today, cause we will have turkey at my moms and not get leftovers to bring home.

Yesterday was payday.   And I left very early to get the job done, before all the last minuters.  It was so quiet in Walmart.  *beams*  On the way there, I had to pull over to the side of the road and appreciate God's beauty.

And now I have to share it.

You can decide which is your favorite shot.  Rob and I have differing opinions.  LOL

So for the last two months at baton the coach has spent quite a bit of time on some basic gymnastics.  One of those things she's worked on has been a handstand.

Rainee mastered it today.

She can hold it about 5 seconds before going down.  LOL  But thats a MAJOR accomplishment for her.  
Kaylin still can't do it.   

So very cool, and she earned herself a bottle of pop. 

Kinda been a Calamity Jane week.

Yesterday we went into town to get Zeria who spent the weekend at the baton coaches with her twins.  She had a lot of fun.  We stopped at the Humane Society to see if the peak-a-pom was still available that I'd spotted online.  It was.  Beautiful, Lovely 6 month old puppy.  So I bought it.  Climbed in the excursion, and realized I'd left the lights on, and the battery was dead.

The lovely lady at the Pound tried to jump my excursion, but her car was just too small to get it going. 

So I called the coach who had a mutual friend come get my kids while I waited for the tow truck.  The mutual friend picked up my 6 kids and dog, and took them to the gym.

The tow truck came.  He offered to try to jump it.  It worked.  And he did NOT charge me.  I was thrilled, as otherwise we were doomed to spend the night in Port Angeles, and complicated several peoples lives getting us to where we needed to be.

I headed to the school to get my kids.  Jumped out to say hi.  Told them we'd head down and get Zeria's stuff and then leave.  They'd been playing at the playground.  Jeremiah turned to climb up the slide one last time, and fell and split his lip badly, and poked a hole in his tongue.  Almost needed stitches.  Bleeding, and screaming hard.  Very upset.

So I head down to the school office carrying him.  And trying not to laugh.  Laughing was hysterical.  LOL

Get some klynex for Jeremiah examine it a bit closer.  No we don't need stitches, but its definitely NASTY.  Head home without further incident.

Today has been a much better day.  Other then heading into costco without my list, so headed back to the car got my list, headed back to Costco, forgot my pen, headed back again.

Yup I have blonde roots.  *nods* 

Got home from grocery shopping to find a very very miserable Jeremiah.  I'm holding his birthday pressy a kitten, and he doesn't even want to look at it cause he's puking.  Why is he puking?  Cause he hasn't eaten a single bite of food since yesterday before he cut his lip.  He's scared its going to hurt, so he declared a fast.

*ugh*  Tried to bribe, bully, cajole him into eating.  No go.  He pukes again.  Suggest pudding, and he says he'll eat that.  So run to PB's to get it.  He ate it, and a yougart, and is now sleeping.  Split lips, and tongues are very stressful. 

Todays going to be better yes?

We're back from our trip to Seattle and Olympia.   We had an appointment for Rainee at pulmonology, and then the kids baton.  We had a fun trip there, more relaxing then we suspected.  And had a AWESOME motel only four  blocks from the space needle.

That was the view from our room.    After a bit of a down time we walked over to the space needle, and looked around.

Though you can't tell it in this picture the space needle is just behind them.  The kids were properly impressed with the height of it, and if we were rich we would have gone up.  We weren't LOL, so instead we just looked.

Sitting/Standing at the base of it.

Looking up the base of it.

We also wondered over to the very cool water fountain.

The kids had a blast at it.  We stayed there for almost an hour.  It performs to music, and was quite entertaining.  You can also get very close to it, and play russian rullette over getting wet.

I kinda like this picture blurry it shows the kids in action.  They got a bit close.  LOL

Samuel also loved the water fall, probably the most.  And its not actually a blurry picture, he's IN the water.  LOL

After the nice adventure we headed back to the motel and settled in for the night. 

I however spent the night VERY sick.  *ugh*  My flu bug came back that I'd had a day and a half earlier, and I ran to the toilet every 15 minutes all night long.  In the morning I got some keopectate, and was fine.  We actually do not think it was a flu bug, as NOBODY has gotten it.  I think its an allergy to corn oil.  But not sure and certain yet.

The next morning after everyone praying over mommy, we headed very early to Childrens Hospital for Rainee's pulmo visit.  It was a hard visit.  Rainee's asthma hasn't been great for awhile.  The test in early September rather woke us up.  We had thought it was her reflux acting up, but I'd missed valuable cues, and for the last year and a half its NOT been her tummy but her lungs.

While I filled the nurse practitioner in on what had been going on since September, they did her lung study test.

It what NOT a good test.  IT more then confirmed what I told the doctor.  The irony is in Rainee's mind she was having a VERY good day.  She did NOT have asthma.  Her small airways are functioning at 40%.  Her large airways under 60%.

The doctors kept saying.  "When Rainee has a good day, you can do this and that."  And I'd say.  This is a good day.  And they'd say, well when she's better.  And I'd say she *is* better.   They never did actually hear that part.    So when my child is the "healthiest" they believe she is in severe distress.  Great no?

The intresting news is Rainee finally responds to albuterol.  She absolutely did NOT when she was a baby.  So their switching her med to advair which has longacting albuterol and flovent (she's currently on flovent).  There hoping this will maintain her better.

We will take the long expensive trip back in 3 months and see if that helps.  There's also talk about revisiting a bronchostopy, and a sleep study.  But those will be discussed with our regular doctor who we were unable to see on such short notice.  We will find out in about a week if that is necessary.

Rainee was a major trooper at the visit.  And they were able to see how clearly she does NOT communicate about her asthma.  But also how talented she is.

She drew that on the white board while we were waiting for prescriptions, and results.    theres a dragon, and a lion in a cage, and a knight with a bow, and a knight on a horse.  Well study it, she's got lots of stuff in it.  ROFL.   Not bad for a white board and a very dead blue pen.  (no tip left lol)

The rest of the adventure was mundane.  Olympia, our normal motel which we love.  And Rob and I reeling from the news, and quite frankly too numb to worry.  About half way through baton the next day we finally started grasping the realities, and making game plans.  Not that there's a lot of game plan.

Also Rainee in talking with the doctors made her own wee break through and began informing us more often that she "can't breathe."  This is a VERY good thing.

The very sad thing is how very often she said it.  And we just can't give her meds that often.

Her baton coach is very aware of how bad she is, and was extra solitictous about giving her the time she needs when she got tired.  So we'll continue on with that.  All prayers are appreciated.

We will now travel with a epi pen.  And have a prescription of liquid steroids at home.  These are last resorts.  I don't know.  I'm too numb to really think through it all.  Living in denial will do that.

It doesn't look complicated, but trust me on this.  The top was very very irritating.  ROFL.  Until I took matters into my own hands, disregarded the pattern, and tacked it down.  You can't tell in the picture, but its essentially two pieces in the top in the very modern style.  Well they didn't say to tack it down, and I kept getting it totally twisted up.  The second I tacked it down, everything just flew together.  Wish I'd thought of that two days ago.  *snigger*

In reality it took me about 3 hours start to finish, but I kept having to walk away in extreme frustration.  

The belt is shiny silver.  And the pajama pants aren't part of the costume.  *snicker*   She will have BIG dangly earrings, wear her hair in a fro, with a big silver headband. 

We were hoping for it to look 70's and showy at the same time.  Did it work?  Oh there's a good chance she'll wear silver spats on her feet.  But we're still negotiating that.  *snicker*

I've been putting off a venting blog for too long the time has come.

We had our loverly adventure.  It was fun.  I didn't however have the luxury of blogging about the fly in the ointment.  My dad came out and fell our last danger tree for us while we were at church.  He's not allowed on our property when the kids are her.  He can't currently go to church, because no church will allow him to.  So it was a good "safe" time to come do it.

After church we visited in the driveway (he and I) for a few minutes.  He said he was probably  maybe headed up to Ellis mountain, or maybe Snyder peak.  I mentioned we were planning on going to Snyder. .  He was headed there immediately.   And we didn't go for quite awhile.  I just *knew* that would be more then enough time for him to be long long gone.  I tried to call him on his cell phone to find out which he decided to do, so I could avoid him.  But he was out of range.

He's not allowed within 250 feet of his grandchildren.

He left our house at 12:15.  We didn't get to Snyder Peak until almost 3:30.  Pull into it, and there's his car.  *sigh*  He immediately heads down the road (to protect himself he's walking).  I hop out of the car.  "I thought you'd be gone."  "I would be, but my dog disappeared."

*GROWL*

So he continues to head down the road looking for his dog, and says he'll just stay down there.  His "friend" shows up about 20 minutes later to pick up the car so dad doesn't have to compromise himself.  I'm not going to apologize for visiting the same place he is.  He's the IDJIOT who made it so he has these wretched rules.

Zeria was cranky while we were up there, but her and Rob had spatted about ten minutes earlier, so I just figured that was it.  I tuned her out, cause I refused to let it irritate my outing.  When I was done enjoying the view, and before we went into the car I asked her what was wrong.  She just started sobbing.  It had broken her heart not to be able to see, talk, hug grandpa. 

She cried for about forty minutes of our drive home.  Eventually Rainee joined her in the tears.  Rainee was still crying when she got home. 

Its amazing how many people one "little" sin can hurt.  (sarcasm about the little).  Its days like this I could gladly shoot my dad.  (Not really, but gah* what a irritant)

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On another wee small rant.  I'm sick and tired of feeling like I have to justify the fact that I get Rainee the flu shot and the H1N1 shot.  If your child had 71% lung function, and averaged pneumonia 6 or so times a year, you'd be getting it too.

Yeah sometimes vacc's go wrong.  But vacc's have ALSO eliminated small pox, and almost eliminated polio.

As my pediatrition said.  "I've never seen a whooping cough vaccine cause a bad effect, I have however had two patients on ventilators, with serious life time consequences because there parents chose not to vaccinate."

You have the right to choose not to vaccinate.  Please don't cram it down my throat, and force me to do the same.

And Kate this is NOT aimed at you in anyway shape or form.  You and I agreed a long time ago to disagree on this, and it has never affected our friendship.  It never will.

It is aimed at quite a few others (as far as I can remember none of them at xanga) who keep venting about how they will "never" get that vac.  More power to you.  But if it protects Rainee from one bout of pneumonia this summer, it was worth the 30 seconds of pain in the arm.

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If you want to sympathize with me on the first rant go ahead.  If you want to discuss the second rant.  Please don't.  I value your friendship too much to get into it with whoever you are. 

You would think with 6 kids high on trick or treatin Candy, and a three day trip in Seattle this week the last thing we'd want was a 'venture.  But ironically it made me want it more.  The three day trip is not pleasure, but a pulmonology appointment in Seattle, and baton.  And I just wanted us for fun time.  So we loaded up and headed up to Ellis Mountain.   I'm still mastering my camera, but as the day progressed I learned a LOT.  Needless to say the above picture, was at the beginning of the learning experience.

There are several ways to get to Snyder Peak, and Rob had been wanting to try one we hadn't been on in about 3 years.  We got most of the way up it, and woops BIG wash out.  So, back down we went, and around to 101 to go the way we knew we could get up.   This is the kiddos standing at the washout.  It was a LLOONG ways down if you were to look the other direction.

Half way down we stopped and took a small hike to a creek that looked like it was going to look purdy.  It wasn't.  But I did snag this of Mr. Goofy.

Jeremiah chose from there to the top of the mountain to take a nap.  Didn't hurt our feelings.   I took pictures of falls on the way up, but not gonna share those.  They were rather blurry.  But the last picture I figured out what I was doing wrong.  So when I got to the top...here's the view.

The fire station is closed off.  They consider it "unsafe" whatever its quite solid.  And makes it so you can't get the "whole" view.  But it was still incredible.

Its not really a place to go if your afraid of heights.   See the road down at the bottom.  That was where we'd come from.  And in the distance are my beloved Olympics.

The fall color is fading...but there were still some brilliant ones.

With my old camera and the 12x optical zoom, you could use it at full telephoto without a tripod.  And I kept attempting to do that.  This camera however has a 24x optical.  You can do the 12 without a tripod, but 24...is just not gonna work.  Tis fine.  I have a tripod, and there's always a rock or something to steady on if its not with me. 

I *NEVER* could have taken the next two shots with my old camera.  The kids were calling this the peanut river.  It was soooo teensy from above.  But I'm amazed at what the zoom did for it.

Thats the Sol Duc.

And I've tried and tried and tried with my old camera to take pictures of the Olympics from this view point.  But usually they were little gray glimpses.  Not for my lovely new Nikon

.
Mount Olympus peaking through the clouds.

While Rob and the kids were at the top view point, I was going to wander down towards the bathroom when I realized you could go under the deck of the fire lookout, something we'd never done before.  So I called them to come see, as we could get a peak-a-boo view of Lake Crescent there.  Rob took this for me.

If you stare really really hard.  The little tiny blue spot purdy much in the middle of the picture is lake Crescent.  LOL

The lighting up on top was wonderful, and made it easier to experience with what worked, and didn't.  And enabled me to finally feel like I'm getting a bit of understanding of what works, and what doesn't.  So after the kids got a wee bit farther away from the VERY steep ledge where they posed with me, I snagged one of Rainee with the fall color.  She doesn't like her "funky" teeth.  I LOVED her blue eyes.

On the way back down we stopped at two different falls, and this time with what I'd learned I was able to get some wonderful pictures.  I'll be kind to those patiently loading this, and just share my favorite.    I'm still fuzzing some up, but that was due to it getting dark, and definitely needing to carry a tripod with me.

While stopped at the last falls, Rob picked me some vine maple leaves, and a lonely daisy.  I had to snap a picture when we got home.

So there ya go...one late fall adventure