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Okay, I've finally gotten off my rear to do an update here. What have the Hermansons been doing lately? First, we have been enjoying the fine spring weather. The kids have really taken off on their bikes now. They have even ventured out into the cul-de-sac or the "soul de cack" according to Ryder. But with spring comes strong winds that kick up dirt and pollen into the air and unfortunately we think that landed Ryder in the hospital with an asthma attack. Not fun. We were at the hospital a total of 3 days and 3 nights during the Easter weekend. Ryder thought it was so cool that he was going to stay at the hospital and there was even a TV in his room. How exciting! But then it became very unfun when the nurses hooked him up to the oxygen and he had to wear the nasal cannula at all times. Plus he had to wear a oxygen pulse meter on his big toe. Also, not fun. I know these pictures do not look how I just described Ryder but I think it's because Daddy and Chloe had just arrived to visit him.






Watching hours upon hours of cartoons did help pass the time. And yes, I did bring other things like coloring books, books, cds, and puzzles for him to do but he was usually bored of those activities within 5 1/2 minuts. Did you know that even a 3 year old can get tired of watching cartoons. I did not know this was possible.
Then on the second night at the hospital, Granny and Papa arrived to visit. Granny brought all of Ryder's favorite books to read to him. They also brought a big Batman blanket and Ryder thought that was great!


Finally, on Easter morning, Ryder's oxygen level was good enough for us to be released and we all were able to join the family in LaQuinta for lunch.

More Pictures of the Kids and their Awesomeness!

Our Newest SuperHero

Introducing....SuperFairy!



SuperFairy has the ability to transform bad guys into princesses and can talk any little brother into eating dirt. Her uniform of anything pink and frilly will increase her powers exponentially but forcing her to wear shorts is her "kryptonite." She will turn into a weeping, wailing pile of mush.

Off to the Races!

It seems that while I was away for 6 days, Ryder decided to really ride his bike. Before I left he was still very timid, pedaling carefully, barely steering. Now, he practically rides circles around Chloe.

And now that we are finally experiencing some marvelous weather, bike riding is the number one activity at the Hermanson household. Chloe has grown out of her princess bike so Aaron picked up a bike she can grow into the next couple of years. She rode it for about a day then decided she liked her little bike better. She told me that the new bike is for 6 year olds, not 5 year olds. But more likely it's because she can't keep up with Ryder. This is the only proof that she has tried out the new bike.

This weekend, Eden came down for a short visit. On Friday, Aaron and Eden were able to go to the Indian Wells Tennis Garden to watch the BNP Paribas tennis tournament going on. Saturday, I was able to tag along. We had a great time even though we were roasting in the heat. On Sunday, the whole family went out to Joshua Tree National Park to get in a short hike before Eden left.



And now I'll leave you with the next YouTube sensation. This video is of my cousin, Shelly, her little girl. She has the best baby laugh ever. And after a sad day of saying goodbye to our grandfather, we sure needed a good laugh.




"A cheerful heart is good medicine..." Proverbs 17:22

Forest Falls

Well, not too much has been going on around here. Besides the new puppy. I thought it might be time to post some pictures of the kiddos. Last weekend, Aaron drove us up to Forest Falls, a small town north of Yucaipa. But to call it a town is really too much. More like a spot. The snow there was piled at least 5 feet high in some places. Unfortunately, I did not realize there would be snow therefore, we could not get out. There is a campground at the end of the road in Forest Falls that we wanted to check out for any summer camping trips. According to locals, there are waterfalls during the spring and summer from all of the melting snow. After checking out the spot, we stopped further down the mountain to explore a small river. It was an awesome location. Aaron said it reminded him of the Provo Canyon in Utah. Here are some of the pictures we took.





I know it's hard to believe but the kids love to throw rocks into running water. Hmmm...do you think that would work in our backyard as well?


They are getting so much better about taking pictures together and at least acting like they want to hug each other.




Here's Chloe, like her mother, trying the hard way to climb over to her dad. This picture was taken in the midst of her having a panic attack because she was certain that she would fall in the water and be all wet. "And Mommy didn't bring my swimsuit."

Ah, success!! (After pointing out that there was an easier way.)

Take notice of what Chloe is holding in her hand. Mud!
This is the girl who at one time I thought was allergic to dirt. Once, I walked into the bathroom and found her washing the bottom of her flip-flops because they were dirty. She would not wear them until she had scrubbed them clean. Practically disinfected. Then she went outside, in the dirt, and promptly had a meltdown because the dirt got on the bottom of her flip-flops. Again. Oh, the horror of it all.


All in all, a good day.

The protector

Gunner is supposed to be Rex's trainie when it comes to outdoor "home protection". So far training seems to be going pretty rough.

Welcome Gunner!!

Because our lives were not exciting enough already, Aaron decided to add to our brood of animals. Last week, a friend and he visited the animal shelter in Thousand Palms where there are numerous cute dogs waiting to be adopted. He has been looking for and talking about getting a great playmate for Rex for about a month. So last week, he found him. A 2 month old male shephard mix. "But Lyndsey," you might ask, "Did Aaron not discuss this with you before he purchased him?" Why no, of course not!! Remember this is Aaron Hermanson you are talking about. He knows for sure that he can talk me into just about anything especially when it involves cute, fuzzy puppies. Here are a few pictures of him.




The three pictures above were taken after two hours of play with Tico. Tico, at first, was unsure of this intruder, nipping and yapping at him. Then, Tico finally realized that this puppy wanted to play. Yay!! They played chase for about an hour and a half. Rex seems very excited about Gunner. Tinkerbell just growls and snarls at him but that is to be expected.

He's a cute little sucker but I am not looking forward to the whimpering and crying that is going to happen tonight when I put him in his crate. So don't ask me what I think of him in the morning.