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What a stretch of chaos our family has gone through. As you recall from the last post ages ago, our family had been hit with about a month of health issues. Well, here I sit today, 2 months later, letting you know that they are still going on! We hit a stretch that started with the new year that simply became hilarious. Here is a quick run down.

Amy started having issues with her lungs – she has Asthma, but her lungs were burning (not a typical Asthma symptom). So, I decided to change the air filter…but couldn’t find it. Turns out one wasn’t installed in our furnace. Lovely. Because it was causing such a problem, we moved in with my parents for about a week while I got things situated. The Thursday we went down, Ryken got a stomach flu and was exploding his diapers (sorry to be gross, but it puts in perspective the wonders of the month so far). This meant that after every nap and evening sleep we had to change all his sheets, blankets, etc. and give him a bath. Saturday, Amy got the bug. Sunday, I got the stomach bug. When I had it, the water had to be turned off for about an hour as some work was being done at the house. Monday, Amy’s mom got the bug. Tuesday, my mom got the bug.

I had to go up the hill on Monday to clean some stuff, and again on Tuesday to be there for the heating company to do some work. Upon returning Tuesday, the power in my parent’s house had gone out. This was an issue, as cold was one of the triggers that set Amy’s cough off. So, we decided to head back up the hill and see how the new filter was doing. Amy walked in the house and didn’t die. A step in the right direction!

Over the next few days, we had the end-of-the-world-storm-of-the-century again and got a nice bit of rain. Day two of the rain, Amy noticed some water on the floor. ‘Whats that?’ she asked. A leak. After finding that one, I found another. Splendid.. I haven’t dealt with them yet, but they don’t seem major. Just more added to the pile.

Finally (I hope), on Sunday we were driving to church and I noticed some odd traction issues with my truck when driving around corners. I paid special attention on the way home, and it was a real issue with the truck – not just wet or muddy roads. So, now the truck is out of commission until we can scrounge up some money to get it fixed.

Overall, we are alive and blessed. Frankly, I’m just trying to justify away my lack of posting. So then… what wonderful things have happened over the last month? I’m glad you asked.

First off, Christmas! We weren’t really sure what Ryken would think – if anything – of Christmas. He answered that question on Christmas morning:

Ryken had gone to the tree and brought his gifts back to the gate just outside our room. When I got up, I looked down to see a gift trail. I could imagine him saying ‘GET UP ALREADY! ITS TIME FOR TOYS!’.

Here he is happy with a new toy, and looking up to Amy for some guidance on what to do next with it:

He’s starting to figure it out:

Here he is checking out a car that I liked (I’ll share):

Christmas was a blast with the family this year, and it was nice to have a bit of down time. The next day, we made the trek up to Yosemite to stay at a cabin (understatement). My brother’s in-laws were extremely gracious to invite us to spend 4 days up there with the rest of the family. I’ve always dreamed of shooting Yosemite in the snow, and I got a bit of a chance. This is a road near the ‘cabin’:

The view over the edge of the road:

Here is the road just off the ‘cabin’s’ driveway (the roof on the left is part of the ‘cabin’):

Some icicles hanging off the entry roof:

and finally, the ‘cabin’:

Now you see why I keep putting quotes around the word cabin! The place was amazing. 3 levels, hot tub, pool table, amazing views…oh ya, and it was IN Yosemite. Such a fun opportunity. And not just for us:

Ryken had a great time playing in the snow for the first time. We were so fortunate to have an awesome set of snow gear for him pieced together by our family. The jacket is from my brother and sister-in-law, the boots are from my parents, and the snow pants, gloves, and hat are from Amy’s mom. Talk about provided for!

Good thing he had all that gear, too:

He had a good time:

He even got some time to slide around on a sled:

So, even in the midst of all the chaos, to be blessed with a family like this, and opportunities like these, it isn’t too hard to see the silver lining around the storm cloud that is over us:

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