We said goodbye to our Dodge Caravan last week and welcomed a new-to-us Toyota Sienna into the family…after multiple repairs and a few thousand dollars, it was clear the caravan was on it’s last leg and we were forced to face the inevitable purchase of another medical van. We are blessed to have safe, reliable transportation again…something I don’t take for granted for sure!!
We gave the caravan one last look at the ocean before it went to the auction block…for parts most likely!Farewell notes!“Mommy’s COOL car!”
I have been struck lately by how truly evident God’s grace is in the lives of the big sibs…they are investing their time in good things and they manage it all well. I am in awe of them and grateful for the many ways they inspire me daily.
Maxo is busy juggling the end of his hockey season while starting up LaCrosse practice at the high school…he was asked to speak at the Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FCA) club at school this past week and was recognized for his leadership potential recently with a nomination to participate in the GLOBAL LEADERSHIP CONFERENCE…open to selected juniors from all the area high schools each year. It’s fun to watch him grow as a young leader…
Max speaking at FCA…(thanks for the pic Aaron Caluza)
We got a fun glimpse into Wilson’s world through pics from his first military ball this weekend. He is thriving at APU and loves his ROTC experience so far. He’s getting closer to fulfilling his childhood dreams…makes me proud and scared all at the same time.
Fun with friend Kyla.I LOVE laughing pictures!!! ;D
Olivia’s volleyball season started today and her team grabbed second place overall in the tournament! It’s thrilling to watch our girl play hard and enjoy herself…she is disciplined and elegant on and off the court.
Rudy the happy spectator!……except when the whistle is too loud.
And then there is Rudy who embraces is all with GREAT enthusiasm…whether it is school, church, playing with cars on his bedroom floor or watching his big sibs sporting events…Rudy’s joy in all things is contagious (and a little humbling)! 😉
Life has it’s daily challenges but it’s moments like these that bring meaning to the tough stuff! ‘Grateful for it all today.
Rudy came home early from school on Friday with a bug…a thick cough, congestion and low energy. Thankfully he hasn’t registered a fever but the congestion kept him home from school yesterday and today as well. Although we’ve laid low at home mostly, we did stop by Rudy’s class on Monday briefly to share a little bit about CHDs for National Congenital Heart Defect Awareness Week…so grateful for the opportunity to share with Rudy’s classmates! 😉 We’re hoping Rudy can lick this bug quick and head back to school by Thursday to share in his classroom’s Valentine exchange.
Thinking of and celebrating Rudy, his fellow heart warriors and our heart heroes who have passed away…all of whom personify one of my favorite quotes: “In the end it won’t matter if you have a few scars, but it will matter if you didn’t live.” -Rich Mullins.
‘Grateful for the lessons we’re learning from Rudy about what it means to really live.
Rudy’s class got another “behind the scenes” look at a local hamburger joint during a field trip to In ‘n Out yesterday. It was a fun time to hang out with friends and it also turned out to be a very helpful exercise in how to order food at a restaurant…turns out Rudy is a fast learner!
An In ‘n Out selfie with Miss A and Nurse Sara.After the tour, we gave Rudy some time off the oxygen and he immediately made the rounds to visit his friends sitting at other tables……Chillin’ with the big boys!Rudy’s turn to order…“Ummmm, hamburger and french fries…please.”Although Rudy doesn’t take bites of anything solid yet, it sure is encouraging to see him “go through the motions” and take an interest in food.So proud!!!
It just so happened that we stopped at Carl’s Jr later in the day for a quick dinner between activities and Rudy insisted on ordering for himself!!! Ha Ha He confused the workers a little bit by ordering things they don’t offer on their menu but he was very proud to show off his new big boy skill…now if we can just get him to eat all this food he is so motivated to order. 😉
So January was a bit of a wash (no pun intended) in terms of our flood project as we waited for the various bids to come in and the insurance details to be processed but the asbestos and contaminated material removal began last week and is moving pretty quickly now! We’re hoping to start the rebuild in the next week or so.
January was pretty full anyway so I suppose the timing of everything is as it should be. Wilson headed back to school just in time to miss all the demolition fun…we miss him but he’s happy to back into the swing of things on campus.
Rudy was introduced to Ping Pong in Wilson’s dorm and is HOOKED…he can’t stop talking about “paying ping pong in Wilthun’s room”.
Rudy’s first dr. appointment of 2016 was with his cardiologist and, once again, the echo revealed no change in Rudy’s heart function. As a result, Dr. Harake recommends we NOT schedule a heart cath any time soon and we welcome a procedure free winter for sure. Some doctors recommend a routine annual cath for kids like Rudy whether the echo shows any change or not. We appreciate Dr. Harake’s more conservative approach and will take full advantage of this next season in school and therapy without interruption.
Speaking of therapy, Rudy has been working on “self-care” in occupational therapy and actually goes to OT on Wednesday mornings in his pajamas so he can dress himself with his OT Jeanine…they like to sing “Do Your Ears Hang Low” and this particular morning, Rudy’s certainly were!!!
Rudy’s OT shinanigans!
Rolf and Max enjoyed a dude trip up to San Jose over MLK Weekend for a hockey tournament…so glad for the occasional awesome pic of our hockey rock star –
Speaking of hockey, Rudy made a surprising new friend at the hockey rink last week. Rudy isn’t a big fan of dogs generally but Wally made for a fun walking partner during Max’s game. They became fast friends and wore each other out…both Rudy and Wally fell asleep on their rides home from the rink that night!!! Ha Ha
Rudy the dog walker!
Tomorrow is Rudy’s “Move-a-thon” at his school and he had fun this past month raising $1 donations to meet his $50 goal! His daily walks to the mailbox have been good conditioning…in addition to the dog walking 😉
Rudy and his special ed classmates got to go on a fun field trip to Kyle’s Kitchen (a favorite eatery in town that supports special needs programs)…Kyle goes to Rudy’s school and is a special big buddy. Rudy LOVED getting a “behind the scenes look” at our favorite spot!! Click here to see a quick video about our friend!
Rudy LOVES the soup at Kyle’s Kitchen and got to see how it’s made…thumbs up from Rudy!!!
We enjoyed a messy dinner (complete with condiment art) on the eve of the asbestos abatement. We’re looking forward to new carpet and fresh paint at the end of this process. 🙂
Our quarters have been a little small since the plastic barricade went up but the kids have been troopers and are making the most of it. We’re starting February 2016 excited to have our house back in order and SUPER grateful for insurance! 😉
I’m typically a “glass half full” kind of gal. I am genuinely optimistic and can rein in my worries before they get too big (most of the time) but, as I’ve mentioned before, the start of the new year is tough for me…part of it is the post-Christmas blues but it has become more than that. In recent years, it seems to be the time of year when my fears surface and feel the most aggressive! There is this point in time, usually in the week between Christmas and New Years when time stands still and the joy & relief of a well-executed Christmas turns to fear over the coming new year…instead of anticipating great things and making helpful resolutions, anxiety over all the “what ifs” regarding Rudy builds and a heaviness sets in. It’s a battle every year and I just get to the point where I say “bring it on”! The year is going to unfold as it will…all the “what ifs” are out of my control and so…bring it on!
Luckily Oma was still around the week between Christmas and New Year which provided a nice distraction this year…
A New Year’s Eve hike in the nearby butterfly grove..
One last sunset in 2015!
We rang in the new year with New York at 9pm…
…and again with California at midnight…
First sunrise of 2016!
We were greeted this new year with a plumbing issue turned minor flood on January 1st! Sadly, the clean up will require some demolition and rebuild over the course of the next several weeks…(Wait! Did I say “Bring it on”? Ok, maybe that’s just tough talk on my part. I take it back. Ugh!)…but the upside is we’ll have a lovely new guest bed/bath when all is said and done.
Rolf in “water extraction” mode on January 1st before the emergency crew arrived!
The carpet got pulled and discarded right away and we had a couple of days to dry things out, shuffle stuff around and make a comfortable spot for our exchange student from Australia visiting for the week! Thankfully James is easy going and hasn’t minded the mess…since we’re waiting for insurance claims and bids anyway, hosting James has been another fun distraction…we’ll hate to see him leave bright and early tomorrow! 😦
Rudy wearing his new koala backpack and showing off a package of Tim Tams that James brought from Australia!
We took James to the new ice rink in town for a little fun not realizing how much fun there was to be had!!!! The plan was for Rolf to skate with the kids for a little bit while Rudy and I watched and then we’d leave and let the big kids come home on their own later…
Fun on the ice…
…but then Rolf asked the on-ice monitor if we could bring Rudy out on the ice and she said YES!
Joy! Joy! Joy!Family fun for all!!!
Of course, Max made it the most fun!
We ended up staying 2 1/2 hours and only made it home a few minutes before James and the big sibs! Ha Ha We’re pretty much party animals!
So, Rudy can add another item to his long list of milestone accomplishments…ice skating, check! Happy New Year Everyone! May the “what ifs” of 2016 be minor and the blessings abound for all! 🙂
We are enjoying celebrating Christmas with each other and Oma visiting from Alabama. The past couple of weeks have been a string of fun-fueled, high octane days and now the hustle and bustle has subsided…we are blessed. We trust your holiday and Christmas celebrations were fun too and filled with things that bring you great joy. The past several days have been filled with things that remind me how very far we have come in our journey together and how much we have for which to be thankful…
I went to the district office for one last jewelry show and Rudy talked Coach Galvan into a game of Rock ’em Sock ’em Robots!!! Rich!!!Olivia was honored by the Club West Running Club at a luncheon on the 17th as the Jr. High Female Athlete of the year! My favorite quote of the day was when her coach shared that after her undefeated season he asked her “What is your running history Olivia?” to which she answered “I don’t have a running history. This was my first time running.” 🙂The athletic accomplishments kept coming when Rolf reached his goal of paddling 1000 miles in 2015!He had a welcoming committee on shore to help celebrate! 🙂Rudy and his former teacher Mr. Casady (wearing his festive “Rudy the red-nosed reindeer” sweater) on the last day of school before vacation! Woo Hoo!!First day of Christmas break was spent in Santa Maria watching Max play hockey……one of Rudy’s favorite pastimes!Christmas fun with friends at home……and at the movie theater watching Star Wars!!! (2nd time for me and Max…the last time I went to the movie theater more than once to see the same movie was probably the original Star Wars films! Ha Ha)Rudy sharing his trademark joy at the Rescue Mission Christmas feast…
…and helping his brothers sing “Run, Run Rudolph”…
Good times with special people!Rolf and his mama 😉Christmas EveSlumber party in Rudy’s room!!
Christmas morning
Christmas JOY!Our Christmas was made extra special with our dear friends the Drummonds, their daughters and husbands and the Fluitt family…and extra, EXTRA special with the appearance of baby Carter!
Livy’s a natural with CarterLivy holding a pooping Carter
Kid pic 2015
We welcome a little down time the next couple of days before the start of the new year…time to rest, regroup, reflect and anticipate the blessings of 2016. Merry Christmas dear ones! We are grateful you are a part of our family’s story.
Rudy had two check-ins down at UCLA this past week. The first was at the dental clinic. I think we’ve mentioned here before that good dental hygiene and care is a surprisingly critical issue for heart transplant candidates. In order to keep on top of this he gets to travel all the way to LA for what usually amounts to a quick checkup–but this one had a little more excitement than usual. Some roughhousing recently led to Rudy losing a front tooth and left the one next to it pretty loose. Upon further inspection in the dentist’s chair (you see where this is going, right?) the second was pulled as well making Rudy the embodiment of a fine Christmas cliche.
Thursday, we had his six-month appointment with the transplant team. While Rudy isn’t listed as a transplant candidate, this serves as a means for the team to stay current on his condition. Trips like this to LA are significant not just because of the appointment itself, but all that comes with just being in that place again–the memories evoked by stepping over a familiar crack in the sidewalk, recalling a conversation had at a particular lunch table, the emotions that come from walking by a bench that you once tried to gather yourself on, and the likelihood of running into some of the incredible people that were such skillful and compassionate guides during Rudy’s fight there. Add to this the fact that Rudy was consistently emphatic about walking instead of riding in the wheelchair. Not sure how much he knew about where he was but it gave me a lump in my throat to see him stomp down hallways with his mix of determination and mischief.
He had an extensive echo done and then we met with Dr. Alejos. Nothing really significant to report in either direction there. Everyone is extremely impressed by Rudy’s weight gain and developmental growth–Dr. Alejos always comments on how much he likes to hear the racket of an impatient kid waiting in the exam room and welcomed Rudy’s rambunctious energy. He observed that no change is a good thing and didn’t see anything on the echo that would make him want to do a cath. Even though he wouldn’t consider Rudy a candidate for any surgical intervention at this point, he also doesn’t see any imminent need. We asked him if it surprised him that Rudy would be doing as well as he is and he answered, “If I was just looking at files and reports, I would envision a very different kid–but I know how Rudy fought his way through challenge after challenge here in the ICU. There’s some things we just can’t define in medical terms.”
After wrapping up at the clinic, we decided to pop up to the 5th floor. We weren’t going to bug people by ringing the bell to enter the ICU and only intended to take a lap around the hallways and let Rudy see the pictures of penguins and puffins we used to look at–until Dr. Andy popped out just as we were walking by and waved us in to say hi to the crew on duty. So great to see Dr. Andy M, Dr. Andy S, Dr. Myke, Dr. Julianne, Jennifer, Roger and several of the nurses still there. Rudy didn’t disappoint and strutted up and down the hallway, saying hi to everyone, wanting to play with their computers and machines and trying to run away from us. Hard to put into words what the feelings were to see our seven year old strutting past his old room–in the unit where he was the first patient–and rooms where other kids were now waging their own fights.
Unbelievable.
There were several times during the seven months he was in the CTICU when I wondered if Rudy would ever make it out of the unit. I don’t think I ever imagined I’d see him walking through it with his trademark giggle and chatter. A sacred moment caught us by surprise. So grateful for this place and the exceptional people there–and glad they could get a glimpse of the rich life the little baby boy they watched over seven years ago now has.
After our quick visit there, Dr. Rick left a meeting to greet us in the lobby and Dr. Dan (who had already read the echo report) and Dr. Greg came and met us on the sidewalk outside the lab. In both instances, they were visibly surprised when Rudy walked up to them and we enjoyed visiting in between taking turns running after him. All of them were so affirming of his progress and we were so grateful for the amazing people who have come along us in this journey and focus so much incredible expertise on Rudy. (In fact, we were so amazed, we forgot to take any pictures…boo!)
We have, however, captured some Christmas fun so far this month…
Trish, Max, Olivia and Rudy braved the frigid temps (of about 55 degrees) and helped officially usher in the holiday season in the annual Santa Barbara Holiday Parade.
Rudy was a super star!
Saturday included our family’s favorite Goleta tradition…Christmas at Stow House!!! Santa recognized Rudy and greeted him with outstretched arms & great enthusiasm as Rudy walked up to the man in red all on his own.
Rudy waiting his turn to say hi.Happy FriendsTradition!Rudy having fun with fellow elf Emily.So sweet!Visiting with the Reingoats!Tractor ride fun……and we got an extra long ride around the lake.All aboard!
Anticipation for Christmas is growing! We have the SBRM staff celebration to look forward to this week and the arrival of both Oma and Wilson on Thursday. With the bulk of Rudy’s key doctor appointments behind us, we are ready for some more serious Christmas fun.
Rudy’s long anticipated birthday trip to the Disney parks was such a GREAT idea that about a million other people decided to tag along but despite the insane crowds, we managed to enjoy the magic and squeeze out a few memory making moments to cherish. Our first stop was Cars Land in California Adventure and we pretty much could have stayed there our whole visit! It’s adorable. Rudy wasn’t quite sure what to think at first…he was a bit awestruck meeting Lightening McQueen, Mater and Big Red up close and personal…but once he had time to process it all, he definitely wanted “more”…especially another ride on Radiator Racers!!
Welcome to Radiator Springs!Main street with Nurse Sara and her daughter Kayley.Rudy’s first Lightening McQueen sighting.Meet and Greet with Dad.A friendly wave with Mater and Kayley.Big Red is BIG!Rudy looks a little worried in this picture but this race ride was a favorite for sure. 🙂 (We saved a seat for Wilson)Max and Livy taught Rudy the thrill of riding with his hands “up high”!!Which he quickly discovered applies to all rides!More fun in Radiator Springs……and some more……and some more!
Thanks to Nurse Sara and her family’s military discount, we got two days of fun for the price of one and Day Two was spent at Disneyland. Turns out the happiest place on earth is a little overwhelming for the boy wonder but he did find his “happy place” on Splash Mountain…
Unfortunately, we struck out on the character picture photo ops. I was looking forward to getting those priceless pics of Rudy with his favorite Disney friends so we tolerated the long lines for our chance to meet the super stars. Our first attempt was with Olaf but Rudy fell sound asleep while we waited in line and was not easily roused so Max and Olivia followed his lead…
Shhhhh, Olaf, they’re sleeping!Our wait in line wasn’t a total waste though…Rolf and the sibs got a toboggan ride out of it!!
Our next attempt was with the big guy himself…Mickey!!! Rudy absolutley LOVES Mickey on tv and in books but when we approached meeting Mickey in person, he was uncharacteristically agitated and even screamed at Olivia to take him away! We pulled out all the tricks in the book but Rudy wasn’t having any of it!
Not so great moment with Mickey.
When Olivia and I failed to provide enough of a protective line of defense, Rudy sought refuge with the official photographer!So, the end result was sans Rudy!!
Our little mini-vacation was definitely a memorable start to the Thanksgiving week ‘o fun. I guess I shouldn’t be surprised but from the looks of all the pictures I took, Rudy’s most fun Disney moments were spent playing with Max and Olivia just outside the park gates. Ha Ha Ha
Happy Belated Birthday Rudy!
The icing on top of the belated birthday cake was having Wilson come home for his Thanksgiving break the following day…We are enjoying a laid back weekend with awesome friends, fun holiday prep and simply being…together!
Happy Thanksgiving dear ones!! How very grateful we are for our community of family and friends near and far!
The Geyling household has been a little discombobulated the past couple of weeks as I’ve been working extra long hours in my shop like a little elf. 🙂 The Holiday Silver By Trish Jewelry season is officially open! Woo Hoo! I had my first open house last night, another one today and a handful of showings in the community this next month. It’s beginning to feel a little like Christmas…but let’s not get ahead of ourselves, we don’t want to forget about our equally wonderful Thanksgiving!!!
Rudy blessed us this week with a new Thanksgiving decoration that he made at school.
I was so excited to hang it up and instinctively asked “What is this Rudy?” as I grabbed the tape and proudly hung it in a prominent spot. Without skipping a beat Rudy replied, “A hummingbird”. “What? No, Rudy, what is this bird called?” “A hummingbird!”, he insisted. He wasn’t letting go of the hummingbird thing so I decided to go at it from another angle…”Rudy! What does this bird sound like?” He thought for a second and said “Tweet, Tweet”. Ok, so we have some work to do the next few days to nail down “turkey” and “gobble, gobble” before Thanksgiving but all in all, I’m very pleased with Rudy’s “Thanksgiving Hummingbird” and believe a new tradition has been born.
In addition to my mad jewelry making production and Rudy’s holiday preparations, the past couple of weeks have included some significant fun for the family. Rolf and I celebrated our 23rd wedding anniversary on November 7th. It was a super fun day that included Livy’s soccer game, Homecoming for Max and a Santa Barbara Rescue Mission Graduation…all of which left little time for an official anniversary celebration (we didn’t even get a picture together to commemorate the day) but Rolf and I were blessed to spend the day celebrating alongside people we love!! 🙂 One of these days, we’ll grab a nice dinner together. 😉
All dressed up and ready to dance..with Homecoming date Sophia.Olivia and her soccer teammates met Julie Foudy (US Soccer World Cup champ and Olympian) at a SB Round Table event. So fun!!!
Olivia’s X Country team had a two week break to prepare for the city championships which occurred this past Thursday. Livy was nervous in the days leading up to the race but was able to keep her nerves in check the day of the race. 🙂 The kids ran a two mile course at Elings park that included a handful of crazy hill climbs…I was impressed that all the kids finished the course! Olivia was the one to beat but she kept her cool and ran a beautiful race. She won and her team together secured an overall win for GVJH girls…Woo Hoo!!! The GVJH boys team won too! All these years I’ve enthusiastically watched the kids play sports I know nothing about…soccer, hockey, lacrosse, etc…but running I know after watching my dad’s successful running career for decades! It’s fun to cheer on my girl in a familiar environment and see so much of my dad in her stride….eerie but precious! I hope she decides to continue running in high school. 🙂
Olivia is focused at the start of the race…Good friend Kyle and his sisters are there to give Livy a big hug at the finish!Champions! 😉The girls with Coach Paulsen and mascot Rudy!
Livy and Grandpa Dick at a race in 2009.
We’re so thrilled to have a break from school and dr. appts this next week. Rudy is anticipating a trip to Disneyland TOMORROW (whhaaat?) for a belated birthday celebration and we’re super excited to welcome Wilson home Tuesday night for the long Thanksgiving weekend!!! Can’t. wait.
This has been a big week for the Geylings and school sports. Max’s HS LaX team began pre-season practice yesterday with a scrimmage and Max came home so pumped about being out on the field again, his cross-training plan for the winter and the new 9th grade players who are interested in playing!! He so genuinely enjoys hockey and LaX and takes great delight in not only the sport but also the people with whom he plays…it’s fun to watch. Olivia continued her X-Country winning streak with a win at her last two meets. She’s fun to watch too…all giggly and chatty with the other girls on her team in the minutes leading up to the race but then it’s “down to business” once she steps up to the starting line and her quiet determination quickly becomes her focus. Her last meet of the season is in two weeks at Elings Park…with lots of hills! As team mascot, Rudy’s responsibilities include fist-pumping all the GV runners before each race. It takes him awhile to warm up to everyone but by the end of the last meet, he was doublefist-bumping everyone.
Olivia’s XC win in the 1.75mi with team mascot Rudy……and the 2.0 mile! (with youth pastor and friend Aaron)
Yesterday was also the annual Soccer School Games sponsored by the Special Olympics of Southern California. Rudy attended this event with his special ed classmates for the first time last year and was, shall we say, less than enthusiastic about participating…
Rudy’s passive aggressive refusal to play in 2014!!
As a result, Miss A., nurse Sara and I did not have super high expectations about his participation level this year…even Coach Galvan (Adaptive PE teacher) had a “plan B” strategy in mind to get Rudy out on the field if needed. The frustrating thing is that in APE class and at recess, Rudy is all about playing soccer but when it comes to the big, organized events, he’d rather not. Ha Ha
Let the 2015 Soccer School Games begin!!One of many fields!! It was so great to see so many schools participating…a real Special Ed community building event for sure!!!Rudy starting out slow all by himself at the kick ball diamond…Discussing “the plan” with Coach Galvan…Warming up with volunteer Spencer…Having fun at the skills test station…
Checking out the game in progress with nurse Sara from the sideline…Making his way into the pack with Spencer and Sara…And again in Game 2 with Mama and Miss Tanya…Rudy rushing the goal (what?!)…during half time!!Not that it’s all about the goals…but here’s the final score! Way to go Mountain View cougars!!Rudy’s ribbon presentation!Show us your award Rudy!!
Rudy definitely exceeded our expectations and, most importantly, had fun! And for me, it’s always an amazing sight to see so many people working so hard together to create a memory-making experience for these very special kids in our community. A big thanks to the Special Olympics of Southern CA, the local school districts, special ed teachers & volunteers, nurse Sara and coaches Galvan & Tanya for making it all happen! Until next year…
Rudy's Beat 