Happy 15th Birthday Rykauna!

Rykauna's 15th birthday will be memorable.  In the afternoon as the four oldest and I headed out for a swim, she said "I've never swam outdoors on my birthday before!"  Given her birthday is in November and we are typically home in Canada, that makes sense!

We are truly blessed to have now, FIVE wonderful kids.  Rykauna is our first born.  She started our journey as official 'Parents' 15 years ago.  We both still remember that first cry, that first smile, those first (of many) words, those first steps.  Rykauna has grown into a wonderful young lady, who has a zest for life and adventure, who is understanding and considerate of the less fortunate and is driven to succeed in a variety of areas.  We are very proud of her.

The actual day did not completely go as planned (what has this trip? :-) ). Tuesday was moving day.  We packed up our stuff in the morning and left Riverside Apartments (which had been our home for the last 17 days) and took a cab to the South part of Ho Chi Minh City into District 7.  We have rented a beautiful 3-bedroom condo here.  We just wanted to see a different aspect of the city.  Once we got here and got a little tour of the place, Jadon had a nap and Sara stayed with him while the rest of us swam. 

Once Jadon woke up we decided to go out for dinner and celebrate Rykauna's birthday.  We went to a very high end mall called Crescent Mall.  It reminded us of the upscale mall we went to in Shanghai only there was nearly no customers there.

 Rykauna told us on the way there that she was feeling a little chilly...her first time being cold in Vietnam.  She also decided on Western food...Pizza Hut...which was a surprise to us all as she usually wants to try something interesting and exotic.  By the time we got home with her chosen cake, an Oreo cheescecake, she was not wanting to eat any of it but was feeling awful and had chills all over.  Sure enough, she was running a temp and just wanted to sleep.  She then started complaining of sinus and nasal congestion.

While at the restaurant, Hudson started feeling off as well, and did not eat his supper.  For those of you who know our hearty eater, Hudson, it was a sure sign he was not well.  He later woke up in the night vomitting and has been experiencing GI symptoms.  So yes, we have two sick kids... each with totally different bugs.    Jadon slept reasonably well during the night but was awake from about 4am onwards.  It has been quite the trip!  Please pray they heal quickly and that no one else, especially Jadon gets sick.