Weekend in WV

On Friday, I packed up the van and the kids and I headed to Martinsburg, WV to visit my parents. It was Ella's first trip to the burg which usually means a bunch of visitors. When I arrived, Lola was hard at work cooking up a feast. Thankfully the weather held out for the evening and we enjoyed eating out on the deck with friends and family, polishing off the dinner with some ice cream cake for Ate's (my older sister) birthday. Happy Birthday Ate/Ninang! (in Tagalog, "Ate" is a title used to address an older sister or cousin out of respect and "Ninang" means godmother). When we were little I would threatened my sister that I would call her Kris and not Ate when I was mad at her. Calling her Kris is completely foreign to me. She is the best big sis and Tita (aunt)!

32 years ago: Kristin Marie Cazin (Orwick)

Lolo brought out the mini moon bounce for the kids

Aunt Retha, Ella, Ate, Marlene & Auntie Chayong

Saturday mom watched the kids while I attended the first Camp Fantastic med staff retreat. It was great to catch up with people outside of camp as well as make brainstorm for new ideas for this year. When I called Lola on the way home and asked how the kids where doing, she informed me that Lolo took Julia and Cazin to Chuck-E-Cheese. I asked, "By himself?" Yes, by himself. And what were his words to describe the experience with my two children when they returned? I believed the exact words were "MAN! That was a CHALLENGE!" Julia went on every ride and Cazin was happy to run around the place as well as steal plates of pizza from unknown tables. Ella bonded with Lola (her first time away from me) and had a formula to eat instead of breastmilk. After the formula, I think we have an allergy on our hands. At the last feeding, Lola noticed a red rash spreading on her face. By the time I got home, she was covered head to toe in the rash/hives. Thankfully it didn't seem to bother her and the redness decreased over night. We are sticking to breastmilk for now and a call into Piedmont Peds on Monday is on the to-do list.

Julia and the friendly dinosaur

It was a rainy drive home on Sunday, but I was entertained by Fr. Dan with his story of the Saturday evening First Communion Mass/Hostage Crisis in the convenience store next door. Though I'm sure it was a stressful situation, it was filled with colorful and hilarious bits. Praise God that the crisis was averted and everyone was kept safe. Thank God for the 2nd amendment.