This last week has been jam-packed and one of the hardest weeks I've had in a while. Jordan has been in Ft. Hood for the last two weeks and I've been in "single-mom mode" since he left. I never imagined I'd have to plan holidays without Jordan being involved at all. From planning costumes, to carving pumpkins, it was up to me to make this holiday happen for the kids. Some people might throw in the towel and say do the bare minimum, but I LOVE Halloween and I love traditions and I knew I had it in me to make this holiday work out. I took the kids to Bracken United Methodist Church Pumpkin Patch, which was so much fun! It was low-key and felt very festive and like Fall. The kids loved the free train ride and hay ride and I loved all of the cute photo opportunities to show everyone that we are crushing this Halloween season.
This year I decided to let Olivia carve her own pumpkin (with a little help from me) and she did a really great job! I'm such a perfectionist, but Olivia really likes to get things right and it was fun to help her make her kitty cat pumpkin. My pumpkin is the Bone Man from The Corpse Bride and I gotta say I was pretty proud of myself for how well it turned out. We had some pretty awesome jack-o-lanterns on our doorstep to scare away the ghosties!
Taking the reigns
Olivia snapped a pic of mom taking guts out of the pumpkin
Last year, practically the day after Halloween, Olivia announced that she was going to be a wolf for Halloween. I laughed off what she said and dismissed it as a whim that wouldn't last, but to my great surprise, Olivia was adamant the WHOLE YEAR that she wanted to be a wolf for Halloween, so I said all right and rolled up my sleeves and got to work putting something together, and I gotta say she's the cutest little scary wolf out there. Watch out guys, this girl is fierce and knows what she wants!
Olivia at her Character Parade at Converse Elementary
For Romney, I went to a consignment store and bought his costume for $7. He is the most adorable "fat monkey" (as Olivia calls him) alive!
And for me, like I said I LOVE Halloween, but my costumes have been kind of lame the last couple of years. This year I decided to put some true effort into it my costume. I dressed up as Blake Belladonna, a Faunus (animal-human-like creature) from the American anime show RWBY (pronounced Ruby). I am obsessed with this show, although for some reason I've always felt shy about admitting that I like anime. This year I decided to own it and I am truly happy with my costume! It was so much fun getting to be someone else who is a truly awesome and bada** character.
Nothing like being a katana/gun-wielding cat woman for Halloween...or any day for that matter. On Halloween day I attended Olivia's school Character Parade. Her teacher was Little Red Riding Hood, so it was perfect! I loved showing off our costumes and we had a great time watching all of the students strut their stuff! There were some really creative costumes and I'm glad Olivia's school lets them dress up, even if they have to bring a book that matches with their costume.
That day I just hung out at home, went to Soda Fix with Romney so he could do a little pre-trick-or-treating, and then we went over to our friends' house to trick-or-treat. We made dinner together and then took the kids out in the pouring rain to get their candy. It was a very memorable Halloween without Jordan being there and celebrating in a new place and with new friends. I'm so grateful for the people we've met here in San Antonio who have truly stepped in to help me out during these rough patches without Jordan. The rain alone would have kept me inside if I didn't have people pushing me to get out and make this holiday happen for my kids. Thanks Brett and Amanda! You guys are amazing!
After I got home and put the kids to bed, I talked to Jordan and I just cried to him. I didn't realize how hard the holiday had been without him until it was all over. I missed him not being with us and I was sad that he missed out. I was sad that despite being able to make this a great holiday for the kids on my own, that it could have been even better with Jordan. We sure did pick a rough road, but I know it's the right path, even if there are lots of thorns and rocks on the way.
The day after Halloween I had a "whoops moment" and overslept when I should have been taking Olivia to school. Taking advantage of the negative situation, I decided to take the kids in to get their flu shots and got Olivia a doctor note to excuse her tardiness. Romney had been irritable a lot recently due to a cold and now the flu shot, so I had been giving him fever/pain medication all day to help him feel better. He had been on the tail end of a cold and I attributed his crankiness and fever to the flu shot. That night was rough and he had a hard time sleeping. At 3 AM I got up with him again and gave him meds and noticed a rash on his bum. I thought it was a yeast infection, but by morning when I woke up to take Olivia to school, the rash had spread to his feet and hands. I immediately turned to my mom tribe and the ruling was Hand Foot and Mouth. I was freaking out! I had no idea how Romney had even come across this infection and it was so random. It literally could have been from anywhere, but he most likely contracted it the weekend before Halloween. Since I had friends coming in that evening to stay with us for a medical residency interview, I decided to take him into the doctor to confirm what was already suspected.
Poor Romney was miserable and it broke my heart. The verdict was positive for HFM and I knew I was in for a rough couple of days. Of course I felt just awful for Romney. He's sooooo happy and to see him in such a sad state wrecked me. I feel like we've hit the peak of this illness, and although he still has a rash, he's back to his normal happy, energetic self, and I think he's on the mend.
Jordan came home on Friday night and it was such a relief. He immediately started helping with Romney. I had planned a surprise party for him that had to be cancelled due to Romney's illness and I was just heartbroken about the whole situation. I hadn't seen Jordan in the flesh for two weeks, and to have him come home for his birthday weekend to a house under isolation made me so sad. Luckily, Jordan was just happy to be with his family. I truly have the best husband around! He is so easy-going, a genuine family-man, and my best friend and partner in life. It has been extremely hard without him around, but we've been making it work, but I know I'll never work completely without him, even if I can make things great on my own. It's always better when we're together as Jack Johnson wisely sang.
A birthday poster with fun facts about the year Jordan was born
I made him a birthday brunch of curry cheesy eggs and French toast with homemade whipped cream!
We went to the drive-in to see the new Thor: Ragnarok movie for his birthday
We bought a cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes for Jordan and celebrated together as a family.
Jordan, I hope you know how loved you are, not just by our little family, but by extended family and friends for miles and states around. You are the most likeable person and the most sincere guy I've ever met. We are so impressed by you and all the hard work you put in for our family. What I love most about you is the hard work you put in at home to make your family feel important and loved. I know Olivia had a blast playing outside with you in the backyard and I know Romney adores sitting on your lap and rough-housing with you. Thank you for being an amazing dad, a wonderful husband, a great doctor, and an all-around great person. Happy 30th!
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