E turns FOUR!

On August 28th my very FIRST baby turned 4 YEARS old.  I can't believe it.  Seriously, it doesn't seem possible.  4 years?!  At times I feel like that seems so old and so grown up, but then I see that sweet baby face that used to fall asleep in my arms.  He seems so mature and so much older than his years (if you have met him, you know what I'm talking about).  He's SO handsome and SO smart.  Oh! Did I mention that he's READING?!  Yes, as in reading books!  We've been using the Bob Books and he's loving them.  He can now read all 12 in the beginning series.  He's so proud of himself.  He loooves the color green and thinks that all things Lightening McQueen or Monsters Inc. are awesome. His fave foods are butter-noodles, anything with sugar in it (seriously, that what he says) and all things chocolate.  Oh, and apples, he does like something healthy!  He's a funny guy and still has that wonderful giggle.  He and his Dada are the very best of friends these days....

On his birthday this year, we decided to have a pizza party at his new school with all of this classmates instead of an actual party here at the house.  Grandma W came to visit and helped us shop for fun plates, napkins, cupcakes and toys for his party.  That morning, before school we all went to Krispy Kreme for E's very favorite chocolate with sprinkles donut!  He even got to go behind the counter and see the donuts being made!  Then Grandma and I picked up pizza and set up the classroom while the kids were out to recess.  They all loved it, esp E!  When we got home we put the tired (and sugared-up) birthday boy down for a nap.  While he was sleeping we set up all of his gifts in the dining room (Christmas morning style), so he could open all of them when he woke up.  He was SO excited to see everything!  He and H ran around from package to package, ripping off the paper, playing with one toy then the next, until the room was a disaster!  So much stuff to see and play with...  Such a wonderful day for an amazing and wonderful boy....

HAPPY BIRTHDAY ELLIOT!

  

H - Cardio & GI update:

Good news and bad news....

We'll start with the good (the order in which the appointments were on Friday, Aug. 9).  First we saw the pediatric cardiologist, who did an EKG and Echo.  The EKG was normal, as usual.  Dr. C said the Echo looked like there was some 'improvement' and that we don't have to come back to see him for another year (we had been going every 6 months).  When I asked about having the balloon procedure surgery done in the next year, he said we should hold off on it and see how she's doing at her next appointment.  Amazing news!  He did, however, push (once again) that we see a geneticist for testing.  Next, we walked through Children's to the GI doctor appointment.  These always take foooorever! Sitting in a waiting room, sitting in the exam room, all for the doc to look at her height and weight.  Unfortunately, this time Dr. N said she had dropped from the 10% in weight to the 3% and that her height had begun to plateau.  Sooo, she suggested we try an appetite stimulant (an antihistamine that increases appetite, a side-effect) to get her to take in more calories, which should lead to weight gain. We'll see.  Fingers crossed.  This little lady sure is stressing her mama out!  I just want her to be happy AND healthy....

Back to school

It's that time of year again (my favorite)....BACK TO SCHOOL!  I love the commercials on TV, the fun college and school supplies at Target and knowing that football, cool weather and the holidays are approaching!  This year the kids are starting a new school.  Not because there was anything wrong with the old one, this one is just more convenient for us and we think it will be a better fit for our babies.  E will be in the Pre-K program (NO, I can't believe it!) M-F mornings and H will be in the 2 year old classroom MWF mornings.  Yes, I'm looking forward to having three mornings to myself!  E is really excited about going to a new school.  I love how he embraces change with such enthusiasm.  This will be the first time H has been in an actual classroom setting.  I think she is really going to like it and think it will be good for her to be around her peers.  I'm sure there will be a learning curve for all of us, getting used to a new routine and school setting, but I know it will be worth it!

Zoooooooo

The last few weekends in August the Birmingham Zoo offers discounted rates.  I assume it's hard to get people to go to the Zoo in Alabama in the August heat.  Well, we decided to risk it and it turned out perfect...almost.  We met two other families at the zoo when it opened at 9am.  The heat was not an issue this August day, but the rain was.  The sky was gray and even a little cool.  You could smell the coming rain.  We quickly packed up the strollers and did a speedy tour of the park.  The kids thought it was great!  The animals were actually out enjoying the break from the heat and the threat of rain kept the crowds down.  We had packed lunches in coolers and ate under the pavilion afterward, just as the rain started to pour....just in time.  It was a great morning with the kids and our good friends!

Moen Visit

Grandma Moen and the Chandler family came all the way from Texas to visit us!  All 5 of them (Wanda, Chris, Sara, Zachery and Toby) stopped by on their way to Florida to stay with us for a couple nights.  We hadn't seen them in almost three years!  Lots had changed for all of us... The kids had all grown so much and they hadn't even met Harper.  It was fun and chaotic having such a full house.  SO good seeing the kids (their only cousins) become instant friends and spend some time catching up with everyone. We even got a little adult time out to dinner and drinks (thanks to Wanda for babysitting)!  Plus, it was the first time Grandma Wanda has ever had all four of her grandkids together at the same time.

We also got to celebrate Uncle Chris' 40th birthday!

 Good ol' fashion game night!

 Breakfast with Grandma!

 ALL of the Grand-babies together at last!

Out with the OLD and in with the NEW!

We've been busy this summer getting rid of the old and bringing in the NEW!  So many wonderful house projects (you know how we love house projects)!  Just this summer we: bought a new refrigerator, had the front yard completely re-landscaped; installed a privacy fence in the back yard (replacing the chain-link); replaced ALL the door knobs and hinges on every single door in the house (and we have a LOT of doors); we refinished the basement (added flooring, new carpet on the stairs and painted); new windows are being installed in the basement and living room tomorrow; we have replaced three screened doors; AND we are in the process of replacing the hall lights and bathroom faucet. Phew, I'm out of breath just typing all of that!

Front yard...

 Fence, in progress...

Summa, Summa time!

It's been hot, sunny and FUN!  

Here's what we've been up to:

Evening bike rides around the neighborhood

Sprinklers in the front yard

Neighbor's swing-sets and playdates

The POOL!

 Children's Hands On Museum (indoor fun!)

Frozen yogurt with these two sweeties!

Movies (Turbo)!

Milkshakes...(a first)

Friday night pizza making

SPAIN-ish Math

The month entire of July we hosted a visitor (a colleague of Dr. M's) from Spain.  Wendy is a young Spanish woman, working on her PhD math research and visiting the US for the very first time. She arrived on July 3rd, so she was able to join us for all fourth of July festivities.  She rented an apartment by campus, borrowed a bike and really embraced the whole 'Southern/American' culture. Not only is she passionate about math, but also cooking!  She shared her expertise with us by cooking several meals together (pics below). While she was here, we also welcomed two more Math colleagues (David and Erika), whom we have known for years.  It was great seeing them, getting caught up and spending time together.

Spanish Empanada

Salmorejo

Spanish Feast: Spanish tortillas, gazpacho, tuna/bacon croquetas, carlota de cafe (dessert) and tarta crujiente de manzana (dessert, not pictured).

Wendy reading to Eli and his friend Jackson

4th of July!

This was a total whirlwind of a holiday.  Dr. M returned from his trip on July 1st (his flight the day before was cancelled, so he was a day late).  A little over 24 hours later, Grandma and Grandpa D arrived at the airport.  The following day Dr. M drove back to the airport to pick up a Spanish exchange student who's spending the month of July here to work on math with Dr. M.  The next day was the 4th of July!  As if that weren't enough, we decided to pack the 4th with as many activities as possible...that morning we had a big pancake breakfast at the house and invited Wendy (the Spanish student), we all went to see the matinée of Monster's University (E's fave), to a play-place for lunch, back to the house to prepare the fixings for the BBQ cookout we were hosting just hours later.  We had sparklers, smoke bombs and poppers for the kids to throw while we ate, drank and enjoyed company.  It was a rainy couple days, so the option of camping out on the hill to see the firework display was out of the question.  We did, however, decide (at the last minute) to drive downtown, park the car and wait for the show to begin (we did have to show Wendy the 'true American' 4th experience, after all).  The drizzle cleared momentarily so we could watch the fireworks from the back of the minivan.  It was almost 10pm by the time they were over, the kids were exhausted (so were we) but it was worth it.

Father's Day

Dr. M left for his trips the day before Father's Day, so we didn't really get to celebrate.  I did, however, sneak a few cards into his luggage for him to find the next day and E made a super cute "My Dad" project at school that I emailed to Dr. M. It was sad not having him here to spend the day with, but while he was gone we Skyped frequently and when he returned we greeted him with lots of love and hugs!  HAPPY (late) FATHER'S DAY to the best Dada we could ask for!

Three looong weeks in June....

I'm so happy the month of June is OVER!  We had some exciting things like our anniversary and H's birthday, but Dr. M was out of the country for work 3 of the 4 weeks (Nova Scotia, Spain, Romania)!  We all missed him.  I totally admire and respect single parents...the hardest job I've ever had is keeping up with two kids under 4.  Good news is that I had some help...Grandma W came to my rescue the last week!  After dealing with H's pinkeye, E throwing up in my bed at 3am, losing my debit card (which I recently found!), locking the kids in the running car (and having to call 911 to get them out), getting them to and from school on time, keeping them fed, dressed and entertained daily and bathed....while trying to keep myself from looking completely homeless and exhausted...Grandma's visit was very welcomed! While keeping up with the kids I also managed to convert H's crib to a toddler bed because she was climbing out and I was concerned for her safety (did I mention that she also cut her two eye teeth during these two weeks too? She was a mess).  I bought a new refrigerator and I sold the old on on craigslist all by myself!!  The old one worked just fine and it's actually a complicated story as to why we 'needed' a new one, but the new one is awesome!  I also managed to strip all the wallpaper off of the guest bathroom AND paint it before Dr. M got home!  Yay ME!  I really can't believe all that I got done in just two weeks...no wonder I'm exhausted!

To stay busy we:

Played in the fountain!

 Grabbed some tasty snacks at Krispy Kreme...

...and FroYo (after the Farmer's Market)

Saw our very FIRST movie at the theater (yay for free summer kids movies)!

Did Friday morning gymnastics (the trampoline!)

 Bought new kid-sized camping chairs!

Grandma W came to visit!!

 Manis and pedis for E and H :)

This is what H was doing instead of napping!  Climbing OUT of her crib, emptying her dresser, taking her diaper off and thinking the whole thing was hilarious...

Harper turns TWO!!

That sweet little lady of ours is TWO years old!  Oh, how she has changed our lives...  That sweet little smile, those curls, her blue, blue eyes her tight hugs, her little giggle and that sassy personality!  She's a character, that's for sure.  Harper brings joy to everyone who meets her.  They can't help but smile when they see her sweet face and curls.  She's reserved at times, but also very social.  She's still a mama's girl, nursing multiple times a day, but overall has become a good eater.  She loves broccoli and anything dairy (we call her the 'dairy queen'), cheese, yogurt, ice cream...  She's looks sweet, but boy is she 'spirited' and looooves expressing her little opinion!  She refuses to wear clothes most of the time, will only wear shoes if they are the same as Buba's (ie. Crocs or flipflops) and has been throwing a huge fit over going to bed lately.  Her favorite words are 'mine' and 'no'.  When relaxing, she must always have the two middle fingers of one hand in her mouth and the other hand in her bellybutton.  She throws a fit if her outfit doesn't allow for bellybutton access (which may be why she refuses to wear clothes at all).  She knows all her body parts, some letters and a few colors.  She's sharp and knows exactly what to do if you ask her to do something.  Just a couple days after her birthday we finally turned her car seat around to forward facing and I think she's liking the view (esp of the DVD player!)...

To celebrate this little lady's birthday, we all sang Happy Birthday to her in bed that morning!  Got her dressed up in a sweet pink outfit (tutu included) and headed to see some friends a the LLL meting.  On the way, however, we stopped by Krispy Kreme to pick up some donut holes to share with all of our friends!  After nap that afternoon we surprised her with a pile of presents, a new doll house and even a little "2" crown to wear.  We Skyped with Grandma and Grandpa W while she opened her gifts and blew out her candles.  She loved every minute of it!  All the toys, ripping the paper, Skype and blowing out the candles (E loved it too!).  A couple days after her actual birthday we celebrated again at a friends house with some of her friends (any excuse for more cake and a fun get-together with friends, right?).  We grilled and had some drinks while the kids played in the baby pool followed by cake and presents.  So glad our friends could celebrate with us (I know H loved it too)!  Oh, I almost forgot to mention that the morning of her birthday, H woke up with swollen, puffy eyes...so we squeezed into the pediatrician the following day and turns out that she had pinkeye in both eyes and an bacterial sinus infection.  Ugh.  Good news is, it didn't even seem to phase her!  She's a trooper!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY BABY GIRL!!

7 years!

What?  How is it possible that we've been married for SEVEN years already?!  That means that we've been together for over 11 years.  ELEVEN. Crazy.  In just the past seven years we have lived in 3 states and 4 houses, adopted two dogs, had two children, owned 4 cars, finished 1 PhD and still say "I love you" every day!  What a wild ride it's been, but there's no one I would rather have by my side!  To celebrate this "lucky" anniversary, we got a babysitter (whoot!) and drove to 4 restaurants before actually finding one that was open on a Monday night, in a college town, in the summer.  Sheesh!  It was after 9:00, but we ended up at a local staple, DePalma's Italian Resturant....after a little pasta, wine and dessert, we were home and in bed by 11.  Yep, things sure have changed in 7 years!  My sweet Dr. M did, however, surprise me with a beautiful necklace (going against our "cards only" rule) that I wore out that night.  What a great night!  Here's to many, many more dinners out, babysitters, smiles, hugs (necklaces!) and "I love you"s together!   

"Selfie" by the car :)