The plan:
Run Ragnar. Home with girls for a few days. Annual camping trip with my side of the family in Zions. and somehow squeeze in a celebration of our 8th anniversary.
What happened:
I ran Ragnar. And it was amazing! And in the middle of all, I found out my dad was in the hospital. So when we ran through my hometown (stopping for breakfast and showers), I grabbed some extra clothes just in case. We made it to the finish line and I hitchhiked north to pick up my vehicle and head for the hospital. (I didn't really hitchhike. But it's the closest I've ever been. I asked around at the finish line who was driving that direction. I found a friendly family and rode with them.)
I arrived at the hospital late Saturday evening, straight from the finish line. Which meant I was still wearing my black and pink poka dot tutu, running bib (with my team number) and medal. (I was hoping to make Papa smile.) I lounged around his room in the ER with my mom until he was admitted to the hospital. Around 2 am, we got him settled into his new room and mom and I settled in at the hospital guest house.
I spent all day Sunday and Monday there, wanting to be with them, listening to doctors and waiting for tests. I had to go home Monday night, but came back again to spend Tuesday afternoon there. By then, they were settling on a diagnosis (I'm leaving details out for his privacy but it was fascinating!...and scary.) I spent Wednesday at home with my girls, trying to catch up on stuff at home and eagerly returned to the hospital Thursday again. They took Papa in for a procedure to fix the problem. My girls were staying with one of the favorite aunties so we ran down the road to visit them (Grammy needed hugs and we weren't able to take the kids to the hospital at that time) and came back just as Papa was finished with the procedure and was moved to a new room. His recovery thus far is slow and still painful but hopefully that won't last too much longer.
Husband returned home from a business trip late Thursday evening and we were eager to see him. By then, we had decided to cancel our camping trip to Zions, wanting to stay closer to Papa. Friday morning, we were on our way to the hospital when we heard he was being released. We met them at the door so the girls could give him a quick, gentle hug and we sent them home to rest. We had a quick lunch at the hospital, ran some errands and then went to the nearby Cherry Hill water park for a playdate with cousins. We had a blast! I loved the lazy river. I lounged in a tube while the big girls splashed and swam around me, pretending to be sharks attacking my toes. Lovely watched with wide eyed fascination. She sat contently in our laps at first but curiosity took over and she braved her way into the water, wiggling and squirming, climbing in and out, hanging on daddy's feet and giggling. We also played in the pirate's cove. They went down the little slide, explored the pirate ship and ran around in the splash pool playing tag and jumping through fountains. Lovely liked to lay on her tummy, kicking her feet in the water. Or slowly reaching her fingers into the heavy stream of a fountain before jerking them away giggling (and then trying her feet, her hair, her bum, her tummy, etc). Dad took the two big girls on a water slide, which they loved until the last two turns where it got a bit rougher.
We splashed and played with cousins until we dinnertime, when we drove over to a local Mexican restaurant. They put us in a back room meant for private parties and we had a great time, letting kids explore, devouring lemonade and fresh chips and salsa.
We spent Saturday at home with our kids. We slept in, went grocery shopping, did some long overdue cleaning, Husband worked on the truck, we took naps and played. and then in the evening, we went to the drive in theater to see Monsters University, now joined by some family friends and husband's kid sister. We piled the truck with cushions, blankets and pillows and were plenty comfy. The movie was great and the big girls loved it (only distracted by the frequent dive into treats and snacks we brought). But Lovely bounced around for the whole movie. She was happy and adorable and full of energy, never staying in one spot for more than two minutes. She climbed all over, playing and giggling. Daddy patiently followed her around, sometimes taking her for walks, or just staying close so she wouldn't toppled off the tailgate. We wanted to stay for the second feature, Superman, and fortunately, little Lovely was willing to let us to that. We buckled her into her car seat, wrapped her blankets around her and told her to go nite-nite. It took her awhile (as it usually does) but she played quietly with her hands, arranging her blankets and looking around until she drifted off and slept soundly for the rest of the night. Meanwhile, the big girls stayed with us in the truck bed to watch Superman. Ladybug went to sleep quickly but Butterfly made it until the end of the movie, wanting to watch and cuddle.
Sunday morning, we slept in a little (having arrived home at 4 am) and then lounged around. It was really nice to play with the girls and get caught up on things around home. We grilled buffalo burgers and corn for lunch and after naptime/quiet time, we took the girls and kid sister to visit our new house. We admired all the new trim work on the inside, measured windows for ordering blinds and peeked in the boxes of stone and stucco, ready for the outside. Less than two months to go! At home, we had a nice dinner plus ice cream and cookies, explaining to the girls that it was a special day, the day our family began 8 years ago. Husband and I will have a date night soon but it turned out to be a nice way to celebrate, including our kids in this special occasion.
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