Last Week Home

SUNDAY:

Up early for no reason really.  I was going to help bake but Mom and Dad already had that done by 7:30.  Read the newspaper then helped get out the chairs and tables for the family cook out.  We set the garage up and then I worked on the blog for awhile.

Cameron was at McGuire's so it was pretty quiet around the house.  I went out to get him at 12:45.  Stayed and chatted until 1:30.  We sat around home waiting until 4 for the guests to arrive.  My brother and his family were the first so at least Cameron had Grace and Griffin to play with.

Most of my family came to the cook out.  Dad grilled a bunch of hamburgers.  Mom and Dad had all kinds of good food and drinks.  It was nice to sit and relax and chat.  We don't get the opportunity to this very often.

I could get Kyler to smile.

Nora's a big girl.

Kyler is chillin on the table while Grace, Griffin, Nora, and Cameron smile.

Tom, Judy, Scott, Aron, Me, Laycee, Kelly, and Tim watching the Golf Classic.

Aunt Sharon hanging with the kids.

Dad, Uncle Jim, and Bill.

Griffin and Cameron were so good with Nora.

Everyone left except my brothers family.  Mom got out some poppers for them to do and some little fire cracker balls.  They lit 3 on the driveway but decided to move out to the side street because the concrete was getting black.  Of course after all of the fireworks were lit the road needed to be swept so none of the little pieces blew into the yard.  Too funny.

Griffin helping Cameron go to the bathroom.

The poppers are making a mess.

Getting ready to light things on fire.

They had a lot of adult supervision.

The clean up crew was called in.

It was a great afternoon and I'm so thankful my parents arranged the family cook out so we could see everyone one last time before we head back to China.

MONDAY:
Up for Jazzercise at 5:15 a.m.  Went to class then back home.  Dad went to work and Mom, Cameron, and I went to Sam's Club to buy a bunch of food for us to take back.  Cameron needed cereal, Pop Tarts, and Granola bars but we ended up with a few more things.  Then we went to Walmart where we bought a ton of Bacon Bits.  That would be what I needed.  After burning up the credit card we went back home.

We unloaded the car and then headed to Poopy's Bar and Grill in Savannah at 11:00.  It was an hour drive.  Once there we took some pictures outside then headed in.  My parents stop there frequently but we had never been.  We looked at the menu and decided what to eat.  Then Cameron started really reading the menu.  There was a one page introduction.  The funny part is every sentence had the word "shit" in it at least once.  Cameron was cracking up laughing.  The menu is just all in good humor but not appropriate for little kids.  Thank goodness Cameron is old enough to know its funny but not to talk like that.  With that said though we did allow him to use the word "shit" while in the 4 walls of Poopy's.  He was cracking himself up (we were laughing at him too).  At one point we were talking about karate and I asked Cameron if his Sensei said anything to him about having a different gi (clothes).  He looked right up at me without missing a beat and said "Why would he give a shit?"  I died laughing.  I know people will think I am a terrible parent for letting him do this but it was harmless and he hears kids at school say way worse things.  The best part was as soon as we stepped foot out of the 4 walls of the restaurant it was like nothing ever happened.  No one spoke about what went on  in the restaurant and no one said "shit" again.  It was a funny,  probably inappropriate, afternoon.  We learned he is definitely my kid.  I did the exact same thing when we went to Hoover Dam with my parents.  I tried to see how many times I could say Dam (of course meaning the other damn).

Finally get to see what Poopy's is all about.

Cameron getting in position.

Reading over the entire funny menu.

We had Half Pile of the Poop Pile.  Yum.

Home Wrecker description was pretty funny.

Back in the car and we drove home down the Iowa side.  We then crossed back into Illinois to stop at the Commons where they have green and yellow tractors on display.  There are a couple huge pieces of machinery to climb on.  Cameron found a lawn mower he would like to have for our house.  Dad found one and said "If you would buy that I would mow your grass for you."  I found a Gator I MUST HAVE.  All were a little on the expensive side so I'm guessing no one is going to get what they want.  We went into the store and bought a few items.

This crazy tree machine from Sweden.

Check out the size of those tires.

Cameron tried driving this out but it didn't work.

Whoa!  This thing could get some work done in the fields.

He played with every gadget.

Guess where this came from?

Yep, India.  We talked about our friend Dan who goes there a lot.

Cameron wants this to mow.

I want this to drive around the property.  It was sweet!

My dad wants us to buy this one.

Back at home I started packing.  One suitcase stuffed full and overweight.  Shoot.  Had to take some stuff out to make 50 pounds. At least one bag is done.  It was 4:10 and we were suppose to be in Geneseo to pick up Steph at 4:30.  We left at 4:20 so we were a little late.  Grabbed Steph and headed to Go Fish in Princeton, Iowa.  It is the cutest, nicest bar.  Outside and right on the Mississippi River.  Beautiful night.  Steph and I (with mom) were meeting with our favorite little P.E. teacher, Tim.  Tim's daughter, Brenna, was working too so it was an awesome night.  We ate, chatted, and had a few drinks.  It was so fun.  I miss Steph and Tim from work but really don't miss work at this moment.

Steph, Tim, and I back together.

Brenna is the cutest little waitress ever.

9:00 we left Princeton and returned Steph to Geneseo.  Mom and I got home about 10:00.  When I walked in the door Cameron came running up from the basement crying.  I asked what was wrong.  He said "Can we call dad?"  I immediately got out my phone and called Todd.  As Cameron was talking to him we asked Dad what the deal was.  Dad said he went to bed at 9 but went downstairs at 9:50 crying and asking to call Todd.  Dad wasn't sure how to do it so he was getting ready to call me when we walked in.  Cameron talked to Todd for about 10 minutes.  He felt much better after the call.  He is just really missing his Dad.  I ended up sleeping with him just to make sure he was ok.  He just needed a little extra loving.

TUESDAY:
Skyped with Todd immediately when we woke up at 7:00.  When he answered I saw Manuel in the background.  They were doing some work.  I almost had a heart attack.  In bed, jammies, messed up hair...nice.  We talked for awhile and then had breakfast. Cameron could hardly wait until 10:00 a.m. because that is when Grandma Fun Day started with 3 of his friends.

Mom and Cameron left at 9:40.  They were picking Ian up, then Caleb, and then Bryant.  My mom took all these same kids out for a fun day before we moved to China so they all wanted to do it again while Cameron was home.  Of course my mom wanted to do it again too.  She loves taking this great group of boys and Cameron (and I) are so grateful for her doing it. It's always a fun day for everyone.

At 11:00 I left to run to the bank and out to get Amy.  We went to Doc's Inn for lunch.  It was so nice to sit and visit.  I feel bad for her because she had shoulder surgery 5 weeks ago and she still can't use her arm and it hurts.  Sure hope it gets better soon.  That would stink.  We had a great lunch then I took her back home around 2:30.  It was great to spend some time with her again.

Dad and I left on the Harley at 4:45 to go to Jan and Steve's (their friends).  Joann and Nick met over there too (more of their friends).  We drove out to Coal Valley to go to Mulligan's Bar for a benefit for Nancy DeMeyer.  She died of breast cancer a few years back.  Her family had a taco dinner tonight then a Poker Run on Saturday to raise money for breast cancer research.   We ate and then rode to Yeti's Bar because they were having a car show.  Had a beer and stood around looking at some old (and new) cars while talking to a bunch of old people.  I definitely brought the age limit way down.  It was fun though.  I haven't ridden with my dad on the Harley in a long time.  Nice to spend some Daddy/Daughter time.  We met mom and the boys at home at 8:15.

BOYS DAY:
Mom picked all the boys up and they went to Happy Joe's in Davenport for lunch.  When they were there Mom showed them the picture of Cameron hanging on the wall when he was turning 3.  Todd submitted the photo for a contest but we never heard anything.  A friend of ours went to Happy Joe's a few years ago and said she saw Cameron on the wall.  We ran over to check it out and sure enough it was Cameron.  So Mom took a picture of all the boys with the picture on the wall.  The manager came over and talked to my mom about it.  She then asked if she could take a picture of Cameron with the baby picture to put on their Facebook page.  Too funny.

Going in to have some lunch.

The boys with baby Cameron.

Buffet lunch.

They all went to Michael's Fun World next.  They played laser tag, pee wee golf, games, batting cage, jousted, played trampoline basketball, and obstacle course.  They were there for 5 hours.  Parts were inside but parts were outside.  They were running around so much inside though that it didn't feel like the air conditioning was on.  The boys had a blast though.

Going in to Michael's Fun World.

Basketball.

Cameron and Ian jousting.

Ian, Cameron, Caleb, and Bryant in the bounce obstacle course.

Games.

Simulators.

Laser tag.

Pee wee golf.

Nice swing.

They then went back to my Mom's and played and ate dinner.  At 6:40 they went to Willow to swim.  There was hardly anyone at the pool so they had fun.  They took the squirt guns too.

Dinner time.

Fun in the pool.

Plotting their next move.

High dive action.

Back to my parents house at 8:00 to play a little longer and have a treat.  I played pool with Ian and Bryant.  They won.  At 8:50 we started taking everyone home.  In the car the boys were singing to every song on the radio.  At one point I had to video tape them because it was so funny.  They sure are good, funny kids.

Ian and Bryant beat me.

Pinball Wizard.

The boys watching Caleb play.

Whitey's treats before heading home.

Serenading each other.  Singing "Without You".

It was after 10:00 when we arrived home so it was off to the shower and bed.

Tired boy.

WEDNESDAY:

Cameron and Dad started the morning off with a little bike ride.  Then they did some welding in the garage. We met Kelly, the kids, her parents, and niece and nephew at the Great Escape movie theater to watch Ice Age.  It was really cute.  A lot of funny parts.  After the movie we made a quick stop at Kmart to get jammie pants for Cameron and then went home so Cameron could rest a little bit.

Little welder boy.

Dad got him the whole get up and his own helmet.

Cameron likes doing it but says he doesn't want to do it for a living...Too hot.

My family and Kelly's family waiting for the movie.

The kids...Cameron, Grace, Griffin, Garrett, and Karson.

We had a delicious dinner around 4:30.  Steak wrapped in bacon, corn on the cob, and Alfredo for Cameron.  It was so good.  At 6:00 we went to karate.  We finished watching Cameron's friend, Ethan, in the early class and then Cameron did his class from 6:15-7:00.  He had a few mistakes at first because it had been so long since he did the forms but he remembered them quickly.  He did an awesome job.  It was so hot in the gym because the air was broken.  By the time he was finished he was dripping sweat.  We went to Whitey's to get ice cream to cool him down.  Delicious I might add.

Cameron and Ethan.

Cameron working his bo.

Standing proper waiting to start.

Showered and we watched a little tv then went to bed.

THURSDAY:

Up for Jazzercise.  After class we did a drive by past Village Inn.  We saw a motorcycle in the parking lot so we stopped.  When we went inside we found my dad and Cameron sitting in a booth.  My dad surprised Cameron by taking him to breakfast on the motorcycle (he asked me if it was ok first).  This was a big thing because last summer Cameron wasn't tall enough to have his feet on the pedals which meant no main roads.  This year he can ride on main roads.  When Dad told him they were going to Village Inn Cameron asked if they could go to IHOP instead.  The answer was no because it is much further away.  It was a good try though.  Mom and I joined them.  We each ordered a piece of pie.  She had cherry and I had french silk.  We thought it was ok since we had just worked out.  Boy was it good.

Cameron riding on the back of the Haley.  Yes he thought he was cool.

Two studs.

After breakfast we went home and got ready for the day.  At 11:00 we left to meet McGuire's at Huckelberry's for lunch.  We all had calzones.  After lunch we went to Circa 21 where we watched the musical Flat Stanley.  It was an hour show.  It was not the best.  Actually, it was pretty bad.  There was a group of kids sitting next to us that were very loud.  The adult sat there and read a book on a kindle or something.  It was annoying.

Calzones are ready to be eaten.

Going old school with Pac man.

Waiting for Flat Stanley.

Cameron made little hats out of the programs.

Karen helping Cameron with "If your happy and you know it" song.

All the hats that Cameron made are on the lights.

Show is over...thank goodness.

After the play we went to the Davenport Spray Park.  The kids had a good time.  We went to the car and had some drinks and snacks before leaving.  We then went to the Rave Movie Theater.  We were meeting Kelly and the kids again to watch Madagascar 3.  It was pretty good too.

The kids getting wet.

Never figured out what Cameron was doing.

Goofy kids.

Brenna, Gavin, Cameron, and Griffin ready for the movie.

Back home and we fed Cameron.  After he ate I took him to his friend Ethan's house.  He was spending the night.  Mom and I ran over to Tim and Lynette's to check out there new patio they have been working on.  It is awesome.  It looks so good.  Mom dropped me off at home and her and Dad went over to Grace's basketball game at 8:40.  I relaxed and went to bed early.  I received a text at 9:05 saying Cameron wanted to come home.  I jumped up and drove over to Ethan's house.  They said he came down and said to Allen (the dad) "You know, I was thinking.  I might as well go home to sleep since I have to get up early anyway.  There really isn't a point to just sleeping here".  When we got in the car I asked him what the deal was.  He said "normal, every night stuff.  I miss Dad.  And I'm not really sure I feel very good. My stomach hurts."  Then came the tears.  I feel so bad for him.  I sent Todd a message and he called about 9:45.  Cameron then slept with me which did not make for a good night sleep for either of us.  He woke up at 2:30 and he had a terrible stomach ache.

He thought it was a good idea to stand in the ice from the cooler.

FRIDAY:

Up at 7:00 after a restless night sleep. I had knees in my back, an elbow on my head, and lots of groaning.  Cameron still had a stomach ache and a terrible headache.  I gave him some medicine and he just laid in bed and watched tv.  I went to get my hair cut at 8:00.

When I got home Cameron had moved to his room but still lounging.  He hadn't eaten anything yet.  He said he was feeling a little better.  At least his headache was gone.  We decided to run to Subway to get breakfast sandwiches.  Man, we forgot how yummy those are.  Mom and Dad went to Grace's cheerleading show.  We waited until 10:30 for Grandma Judy, Aunt Pam, and Allison to pick us up for the day.

Flat bread sandwiches = Delicious.

We left at 10:30 and went to see Great Papa at his new Assisted Living Home.  It was great seeing him and his place is really nice.  We went to Frank's for lunch.  Cameron started complaining about not feeling well again.  He was a trooper and hung in there though.  Next stop was Toys R Us.  Grandma Judy gave him some money to spend but he felt so bad he didn't really even feel like looking. He got one Wii game and then wanted to be done.  Very unusual for Cameron.Wasn't even interested in the Lego isle.  WHAT????

Great Papa looking good.

Next stop was Kohl's.  We all had Kohl's cash to spend.  Cameron was not thrilled to be there but he again hung in there.  Judy gave us her Kohl's cash too so we got Cameron 2 pairs of shorts for school which ended up being free so that was awesome.  Judy gave us the keys to her car so we could run to the gas station to get Cameron a drink.  We sat in the car waiting for the others while they finished shopping.  They dropped us off at home.  I knew Cameron had a fever.  He was hot and had the chills.

Once at home Cameron jumped in bed and we took his temp.  102.6.  Mom jumped in her car and drove to the drug store to get kid Tylenol.  I was laying with Cameron and I could feel the heat.  I retook his temp. and it was 103.2.  The doctors office opened at 2 so I called immediately.  They wanted to see him at 5:00.  Cameron fell asleep.

Grandma feeding Cameron ice chips.

Sicko out cold.

Mom bought tickets to the Batman movie and Cameron said he didn't even care if he didn't go to it.  That is a sure sign he doesn't feel well.  Mom left at 3:00 to take Grace and Griffin and 2 of their friends to the movie.  Cameron couldn't believe Grandma was still going but he got over it quickly.  He played some wii while in his bed.  An hour after giving Cameron Tylenol I took his temp. again.  103.  His cheeks were very red and he felt like I could cook an egg on his back.

Poor kids fever finally went down a bit and I took him to the Dr. at 5:00.  Dr. Herr asked Cameron where his head hurt and where his stomach hurt.  Cameron was confused because he thought that was a pretty obvious answer.  Dr. looked down Cameron's throat and asked him if it hurt.  He said no.  Dr. Herr said "Liar, liar pants on fire".  He immediately ordered a strep test and blood count.  They swabbed Cameron's throat but it came back negative.  Dr. Herr couldn't believe it.  So needless to say we left with no medicine and prayers he gets better on his own.

No he isn't flipping the bird he is showing his band aid.

Had a low grade fever all night but he felt much better.   Mom was with the kids at the movie still so we had dinner without her.  We ordered Chinese.  How appropriate.  Dad ran and picked it up.  It actually wasn't too bad.  I'm not a huge fan of Chinese food but it was fine.  We watched a couple movies and then off to bed.

Come to America to eat Chinese.  Hmmmm.

SATURDAY:

Cameron's throat still hurt but no fever.  He had some white puss looking spots in his throat.  He played some Wii and watched a movie.  By the afternoon he was pretty bored and begged to go see the new Batman movie.  We hurried and jumped in the car so we could make the 1:00 show.  Grabbed the tickets and found a seat.  It had the most people I had seen in a movie in a long time. Around 70 people.  I have to admit I was feeling a little weird sitting in the theater since the day before some crazy guy went into the midnight showing of Batman in Colorado and started shooting.  12 people dead and 50 hurt.  He boobie trapped his apartment trying to blow anyone up that entered.  Luckily nothing happened at the movie.  It was pretty good.  Just long.

At 3:50 we ran to the car and drove quickly to church.  It started at 4:00 and we got there at 4:02.  Not bad timing.  Sat through mass and then went home.  We had some Iowa Pork Chops for dinner and they were delicious.  We then watched the Simpson movie.  Cameron has been wanting to watch it.  It is very dumb but has some funny parts.  The best part was listening to Cameron laugh through it.  The bad part is it kept freezing in one spot so we had to fast forward.  We even tried a different VCR but still no luck.  I finally bought it on Itunes so he could watch the whole thing.

Before bed Mom had Cameron gargle with Peroxide. He had done it earlier in the day too.  He was swishing it around and then realized how foamy his mouth was.  He had it come out of his mouth and then said "Hey, I am rabid."  What a goof ball.  It seemed to make his throat feel better but gave him a bad taste in his mouth.

Helping his throat get better.

What is wrong with this kid?

Off to bed.