Sick and Tired

Wow, it has been awhile blogger! Since Valentines Day, we have either been sick or we have been busy, which leads us to be tired.

Feb. 15 - After work Emma had an ENT follow up appointment since one of her tubes was taken out. All was well. She was a brave girl and the other tube is still in place.

Feb. 16 - After work Emma had dance class and after dance class Bo had the kids because we had "dance moms" night. We went to a Mexican restaurant and ended up closing the place down at 10:30! We had a great time and I have enjoyed meeting and getting to know this new group of friends. We have a lot in common and we all get along so well.

Feb. 17 - It was Friday night so we went out to eat with the Spires Family so the girls could see Ally and baby Avery. After dinner we went to the  mall so the kids could play in this new play area. My friend Lindsay and I snuck away for a little shopping while the daddys watched the kids play. Of course leave it to clumsy Hannah to fall while I was away and she bruised her left cheek.

Feb. 18 - Saturday was BEAUTIFUL!!! Bo and I have been contemplating some updates to our place in order to help sell it. We went to Lowes and priced new kitchen cabinets and counters. We left with nothing but a lot on our mind. Should we really invest almost $10,000 just to help the place sell when we won't get the money back whatsoever? We are losing so much on the sell of this house and that would just be more to lose. But, on the flip side it would make it look better so it would possibly sell faster. It was so much to think about. So, we took the girls to lunch and then to the park to avoid the decisions.

I spent the entire remainder of the day cleaning - even to the microwave and baseboard cleaning. I caught up on every piece of laundry and felt so great about my hard work. And then around bedtime we noticed Hannah getting very "still" and when Hannah is sitting, quiet and still, we know something is wrong. She did a "spit up" after her bath but that is sometimes normal for Hannah because of her food allergies. She went to bed fine. Bo and I were heading to bed around 11:30 - midnight and of course we always check on the girls. I checked on Hannah and moved some of her animals and books around and then my hand felt something wet and slimy. I turned on her light and the poor child had throw up EVERYWHERE. I mean......her spaghetti dinner was right in her bed. I cannot believe she did not call for me or cry out when she did it. Moreover, I am so glad I checked on her because you hear horror stories of people drowning in their own "mess" sometimes. Hannah Boo continued to get sick until about 2:30 in the morning. Of course I had laundry going again and was spraying Lysol like crazy. I have to say at least Hannah is a good patient. She throws up and moves on to talking and being cute Hannah. She's does not cry, she's does not panic or act sick at all. It cracked me and Bo up how "relaxed" she is about getting sick. She was better in the morning and even eating crackers and drinking Gatorade. But, we obviously stayed in on Sunday and then Monday was Presidents Day, so I "enjoyed" my day off in the house making sure we were all healthy.

Feb. 21 - And to my surprise we all stayed healthy. Hannah was fine and Emma never caught the bug. I went back to work, Emma to preschool and on we went with our week. I cannot believe that I had to register Hannah for preschool also. Our week remained busy but normal with nothing too crazy aside from a media specialist meeting I had one night.

Feb. 25 - This Saturday Bo and I continued our thought process on the house and kitchen. We decided to start with just painting. So, we went to Lowes again and picked out paint. We came home, proceeded to destroy the kitchen by taking everything out of it and we painted. The girls were great as we worked. They too destroyed the living room with every toy imaginable. They even took out the puzzles, lined them up and were playing hop scotch with them. At one point Bo went in there and said, "girls, don't do that, let's pick up the puzzles." Emma said, "daddy, go paint!" Although she had that sassy tone, it was pretty funny.

We finished what we could and then got ready for our date night with a friend of mine from high school and her husband. We took the girls to mom and dads and headed to VA Beach to the Cheesecake Factory. We had a wonderful dinner and even ran into another high school friend while we were there. We picked up the girls around 10:30 and came home.

Feb. 26 - It was Sunday so we got ready for Sunday school/church. We decided to just go to Sunday school in order to finish the kitchen. We got started on the trim work and then Emma, my mom and I went to a bridal shower for one of my friends at 2:00. Hannah stayed home and took a nap and Bo completed the paint in the kitchen. Later we noticed Emma not eating dinner. Then, she began to get whiny. She said she was tired and she wanted to go to bed. Then, she said her stomach hurt. After bath we came downstairs and she proceeded to throw up. Oh great!!!!! We were up with her off and on until about 1:30 AM. She threw up about six more times. So, needless to say, I am home today. Emma is okay now. I have declared today movie day for the kids. Our kitchen looks good. We have decided to get our cabinets re-stained. We are also going to redo the countertops. That project is not starting until next weekend. Our kitchen is going to be in shambles for the next few weeks.

Looking ahead it appears I have six straight weeks of work until spring break. We have a few things going on like spring pictures, Bo's half marathon, my friend's wedding, my cousin's sweet 16th party, my spring book fair and Emma's preschool Easter activities. After Easter it is the BEACH for the week!!! And then shortly after that is Disney and the end of my school year since the library closes 2 weeks before school is closed :) We are counting down to spring! I am ready for Busch Gardens, thunder storms, popsicles, rainbow flip flops, and spring clothes!!!! So, move along March!! Go quickly so we can count down to our trips!

Happy Valentines Day!

I think we had one of the most low key Valentines Days ever. It was nice too because I have been fighting a sinus infection and finally went to the doctor on Monday. So Tuesday I was still not feeling well and didn't want to fight the crowds at restaurants. We ate in and we will have our Valentine dinner this weekend.

Mom and dad gave the girls their Valentine treats the night before since Dad was on duty Tuesday. They got lots of hello kitty things - stuffed animal, nice silver necklaces, stickers, scroll color pads, magnets, etc.

Tuesday morning Bo was out of town so we didn't do gifts until everyone was home that evening. Bo and I said NO GIFTS because of Disney, but he had flowers and cards for all of his girls when we got home. We gave the girls Olivia DVD's, Olivia characters, the cute white dog that Hallmark was promoting, via via pets, hello kitty candy necklaces, and hello kitty pez dispensers. Bo got some takeout and we stayed home! 

Emma also had her Valentine party at school. I did not go but my mom and Hannah did and mom sent me this picture. She has more on her camera but I do not have them yet. She got some cute Valentines from her friends and of course Max. 

Dad's Birthday

Last week (Feb. 6) we celebrated my dad's birthday, but I just got the pictures from mom. Bo was out of town so the girls and stayed the night. Mom cooked a yummy meal and we had cake and ice cream with Lindsay, Steve and Andy. It was very nice even though my dad had his first birthday without his mom there. It was a night that Granny definitely should had been there for. With so many kids it is nice to sometimes stay in and eat at home, which my dad prefers. He also likes my mom's cooking and her chocolate cake better than any restaurant. The girls helped make "PopPop's" cake that day so they thought it was a huge deal. We gave dad one of his series DVD's and two Cal Ripken pictures to hang in his Cal Ripken/sports room. Happy Birthday dad! We had a nice night celebrating with you!

**That night was also the night of The Voice. My friend from high school is on it - he is Leland from The Line. All four judges turned around when they sang. It was so cool seeing him on tv! We are pulling for you Leland!

Daddy is Home!

Bo came home from New York tonight, after re-routed flights! He brought the girls home a New York Minnie Mouse character and stuffed animal and beach cover up shirts from the M&M store. We were all very glad he was home - especially a very tired, full time working mommy. Girls are in bed and now we are stuck in the house together for Carolina vs. Duke. One of us is going to be upset tonight.

When You Wish Upon a Star....

It looks like our Disney vacation is finally into play. We have talked about it a lot but working with 8 people and different schedules, it was very hard to find the perfect time to go. I have always wanted to go at Christmas, but it is just too far away. With everything that has happened this year my mom and dad said they are ready to get away. It took a few days for my brother in law to check with work and my dad, but now...everything is booked, so there is no turning back!

this is the Old Key West Resort

The girls do not know yet. Of course they know we are going sometime this year - Emma says it is when she turns four. They just do not know we are "actually" going. I am going to wait at least a month to give them a time frame or else they will be asking me every minute. I also have an idea of how we are going to announce it, so I want to capture it on video.

We fly out on May 3rd. We are staying at the Key West Resort and we come home May 7th. We figure that is enough time for a 3, 2 and 1 year old. We have direct flights, which is also helpful. I am really excited. I have not been since right before my cousin was killed, almost nine years ago. It was such a special trip that we got to experience with her and now I am just excited to experience it with my own children. I get teary just thinking about it.

We have watched a video tonight that was recommended by our Disney agent - You Tube "disney family video 2." It is such a cute video and we have watched it about five times tonight.

So....that is the good news! I am excited that we have the beach in April and now Disney in May.

We still have a lot going on here - again things I just cannot write about but at least this gives us something exciting to look forward to after a rough start to the year.

This Week

The rest of this past week included Bo being out of town a lot. Thursday was the craziest day with dance class and everything on my own. Friday night we went out for one of Hunter's last home basketball games and then we had his birthday after the game. Parents of the year here had their kids up past 11:00! But, they had a blast!

Saturday we did a lot of housework. We went out to eat and then its always an exciting Saturday night getting groceries!

Just a mobile upload of Hannah cuddling with Emma watching a show

Bo left this morning at 5 AM. He will be in New York City most of this week. I have spent the ENTIRE day cleaning out the girls' closets. The entire upstairs was a complete disaster. Mom always helps me decide what to keep and what to goodwill. April also came over and she uses some of the clothes I don't want to get rid of, but that the girls can't wear for Adair. It also helps me with storage since we just don't have a lot of extra space. April left with two huge trash bags of clothes for spring and summer. The closets look sooo much better. However it was an all day chore and I am exhausted.

this was the BEGINNING of the pile April had to go through - it got much worse. I texted her this picture to give her an idea of how much we were going to have for her to look through!

The other announcement for the week is that we have only used two Pull Ups a day for the past week. Hannah.....I'm going to say it - is potty trained! She only wears her pull ups for nap and bed. AND............Emma....no longer wears pull ups to bed. For the past week we worked with her wearing her big girl panties to bed and we have not had any problems. I just get her up before I go to bed for her to "potty" one more time. She is always half asleep while going and I have to hold her to make sure she does not fall off! Now...I am seeing toilet paper run low like crazy. It really makes a different having another child potty trained. I guess it is cheaper than pull ups though! Hannah has worn her big girl panties since we started working with her and she even hates the pull up for nap and bedtime. I also wanted to make sure her being out in pubic consistently with no accidents was good and she has done great everywhere we have been. Now she is even telling us she has to go, which is fabulous instead of "timing" her going. So...big accomplishments around here. I am very proud of both of them!

Good news about my friend Laura is that she finally went home on Friday. Although she still has to report to the hospital frequently throughout the week for her treatments, at least she is able to sleep in her own bed. She had a permanent catheter put in her chest and they have to give it some time to see if the IGA continues to attack the kidney. To read more about her story see www.caringbridge.org/visit/cooperelliott. She also got to hold her baby for the first time on Wednesday night! I was so happy for her.

This week is going to be CRAZY....Bo gone, my dad's birthday, PTA, dance, Kellys Kids Party, Friday is a workday, then Bo's race and Laura's baby shower this weekend. Lots to do but I like staying busy these days as it is helping me deal with this grieving process. There is still a lot going on and much that I cannot publicly talk about, but I am just hoping paperwork, and things happen soon so we can move on a little.

Hope you enjoy your week.

Hannah's Allergy Update

Tuesday Hannah had her annual allergy appointment, although we were several months late. This girl is such a trooper when it comes to the doctor. She is never shy, scared or hesitate of anything the nurses or doctor ask her to do. She struts herself right in, and she weighed in at 29 pounds! There was a small table and chairs in the room they put us in and as soon as the doctor walks in she goes, "where are the crayons?" I mean.....if there is kid size table and chairs, you must be able to color at it!! So, the doctor found her some crayons and Valentine pictures to color. She sat right at the little table while the doctor did all of her checkup things. They tested Hannah on peanut, egg, seafood, tree nuts, etc. They could not test the honey since it was so rare. The main thing was to see if egg and peanut had gone down. Again, Hannah did not care one bit about the testing. She said she remembered doing it before. The nurses were all prepared to hold her down and they were shocked when they didn't have to do a thing. Hannah ate her sucker and just sat there in my lap.

Thankfully and surprisingly, the peanut went from 11 to 5!!! They also said it is rare for peanut to go down so much. The egg did not budge, but I was very happy with the peanut results. Doctor said they are still both epi pen worthy but if she happens to get down to a three by next year they will start some food testing with her in the office. I was very pleased with everything. Hannah had been so good, I hated leaving her to go to work. She was just so cute and fun to be with that morning. The doctor did give me her emergency action plan to turn into preschool - which I cannot believe I have to register her for THIS week!!! We love you Hannah and we just can't believe how big you are getting!

These were really nothing compared to what they were last year

She looks so worried about things doesn't she?