Change of Plans

Plans are meant to be changed aren't they? Unfortunately, that is exactly what happened this past weekend. As much as we plan and anticipate we cannot control everything. All week Dalton looked forward to his birthday parties; skating in the morning and family time in the evening, but those darn plans hit a speed bump Friday.

At 10:00 am Friday morning as I was about to head into town to buy party supplies and food I received a call from Mrs. Winkelmann, Dalton's teacher. Dalton was running a temp of 102. Yikes!! He was perfectly fine before he left for school. With the impending parties Saturday a doctors appointment and diagnosis was necessary. Given the circumstances we decided to hold off buying any food until we knew the verdict. Good thing because at 4:45 pm Friday afternoon we got confirmation...no ear infection like we had thought, but Dalton tested positive for the FLU!! Of all things, of all days, to catch the flu bug the day before his 5th birthday parties.

That's when the tough decision to cancel and re-schedule was made. Honestly, I think it was one of the toughest decisions we have had to make yet. You may ask why? It's simple, other than a constant fever Dalton never really exhibited any flu-like symptoms and when the pediatrician tells you there is no need to cancel. Get the Tami Flu in him tonight and he will be back to normal tomorrow just in time for his parties. REALLY? You just told me he has the flu, but it's okay to be around people! He seemed normal, he did not feel bad like you would expect if you had the flu. So how do you explain canceling and re-scheduling a birthday party to a 5-year old? It is not the easiest thing to do. We made the tough decision not only for everyone else's benefit not to be exposed, but also for Dalton so he could rest, re-cooperate and be ready for this weekend. Fortunately, we did not have any plans this coming weekend and Silver Wings was available so we told Dalton that he could celebrate his special day for another week. All weekend we questioned our decision. Did we do the right thing or not? In the end, I know we made the right decision, but it was not easy. Especially Saturday evening, when according to our plans we would have had family and friends at the house, Dalton was back to normal.

Instead of parties Dalton managed to entertain himself while being confined to his room, as not to expose the rest of the family. We sent Mallory to my parents for the weekend while we took care of Dalton. We did lots of hand washing, Clorox wiping and Lysol spraying. Dalton seems to be back to himself and is eagerly waiting for his parties Saturday. Hopefully there are no more speed bumps along the way.
 

Thanks Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Barbara for the birthday present. It seemed to lift his spirits Saturday. Sorry we will miss you this weekend.



Celebrating The Big Day

After a fun-filled day at school Dalton had even more waiting for him at home. I made him his very own baseball cake as requested.

1st task - homework...a birthday bag full of birthday projects.

Next was a surprise visit from Uncle Jeff who will be out of town for Dalton's party this weekend.

Thanks Uncle Jeff for the new project...LEGOS...hundreds and hundreds of little pieces!

A shot of the birthday boy and his cake.

After cake it was time to open presents from mommy, daddy and Mallory before Mallory's bedtime.

Enjoying birthday supper...pizza, per Dalton's request.

After supper the project began...

There was a break for cake...

Then back to finish the project.

All in all it was an All-Star kind of day for one special little boy!

Happy 5th Birthday Dalton

Five years ago today at 7:11 AM a very special little boy changed our lives forever. It is so hard to imagine that it has been 5 years already. It's been an interesting adventure to say the least, but we have cherished every moment. We can still remember the nurse handing our little boy to us for the first time...that amazing smile, beautiful round face, and the ten tiny fingers and toes. What a blessing you have been Dalton Reid. Mommy and Daddy love you so much.

Birthday Cookies...baseballs at Dalton's request.

Signing Happy Birthday to Dalton at school this morning. He was KING of the classroom today! What a big day for such a special little boy.

January 26, 2006 - The day God blessed our lives forever with Dalton Reid Winkelmann!

Flying High

Dalton has always had a fascination with airplanes, big trucks and boats. Occasionally while driving down the road you will hear "When I'm older I want to drive that big truck" and our normal response is "when you are older." A few weeks ago Dalton was 'flying high'. He went with Grannie and Grandpa to see Uncle Jeff's BIG JET. For those who don't know Ryan's older brother is a pilot. Dalton got a full blown tour including a stop in the cockpit. Now all we hear is "When can I go on an airplane ride?"

Happy New Year

First of all, yes I know I am way behind on blogging, but in 2011 my blogging opportunities have been minimal. Between work and the kids I'm barely staying a float. I promise I will get better.

We hope that each of you have had a wonderful start to 2011. We are certainly blessed with two amazing families and wonderful friends. We are excited to see what 2011 will bring. We will start the year off celebrating Dalton's 5th Birthday, I will transition into a new position at work and then we will anxiously await the arrival of baby Jones in May. August will bring tears as Dalton will start Kindergarden. For the rest of 2011, bring it on. My motto this year, "One Day At A Time". Here is to a Happy, Healthy, Prosperous New Year, 2011 we accept you with open arms!

Christmas Day - Wachsmann Family

After the kids finished opening their presents Christmas morning we let them play while Ryan cooked breakfast for all of us. We then loaded up and headed to my parents.