Day 30: 30 Days of Thankfulness

I'm thankful that I did this. I've had 30 days to reflect on things I'm thankful for.

But after 30 days, I am thankful this is over and that tomorrow I don't have to do this! The pressure to blog everyday is tough! I like to do it but I find that some days I just don't have that spare moment.

Goodbye November! Hello & Welcome December!

Day 29: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful for the places we've lived and the experiences we've had.

I'm also thankful the mistakes I've made. Without them, I wouldn't be the person I am today. I've learned and grown from each mistake.

Day 28: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Zack left for a business trip today. It was very hard to say goodbye for a few days. He will be back on Thursday, which seems like forever to me. I hate being home alone and this will be the first time with all four kids by myself. Today I am thankful Zack's flights went well and that he arrived in California safely. Boo to business trips!

On a side note, I got home from work, fed the dogs, fed the kids, walked the dogs with the kids in the stroller, played with Dylan and Emersyn, put Emersyn to bed, read to Dylan and put him to bed, started a small load of laundry, and now I'm off to complete the rest of my parenting tasks before sitting down. So hopefully the kids and dogs sleep well: Day 1: Success!

Day 26 & 27: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Day 26: Today I'm thankful for forgiveness, to forgive and be forgiven.

Day 27: I'm thankful for having a great 4 day weekend with my family. I'm also thankful today for quiet moments. Our life is so busy and constantly crazy that quiet moments are appreciated more than ever.

The Carousel

Dylan is not one for adventure. He is hesitant to try new things. For example, it took us forever to get him on a slide.

We've been to the mall many times and many times we've asked if he wanted to ride the carousel. What kid wouldn't? Dylan is the kid that loves to watch but not ride. So yesterday when we asked him if he wanted to go on I expected the same answer as usual. I was surprised when he was practically jumping out of his shoes with excitement as he shouted 'YES!'. $1.75 later, Daddy and Dylan were happily riding the carousel. Dylan smiled the entire time as his horse went up and down. He waved to me every time he passed by. When the ride finished he got off and asked to ride again.
We praised him for his bravery, something we've been working on.

I wanted to share his experience because he's come a long way. We are very proud of him!

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving started off bright and early at 6:30. Sleeping in is not a possibility in our house. We spent the morning playing, watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, making arts and crafts, and webcaming with my family. I'd have to say, it was very relaxing and enjoyable. Emersyn is suffering from a bad cold, so she napped periodically throughout the day. Zack prepped our turkey a day in advance. He uses a new recipe each year and this year the turkey had lots of prep work. Zack loves to make the turkey year after year. We ate around 5 and it was mighty delicious. Poor Zack, he slaves in the kitchen for over a day and we eat in 15 minutes. It was tasty and he did a wonderful job making everything. I am lucky to have a husband that cooks! The day was what we envisioned, fun, fattening, relaxing, and making memories together.

I tried to capture Emersyn when she was happy. Suffering from a bad cold isn't fun for anyone and she was fussy most of the day. The times that she was happy I tried to capture. Dylan on the other hand is challenging to photograph. He doesn't sit still and won't look at the camera. I could do flips and he won't look. So lately all I'm getting is the goofy faces.

When Emersyn was sleeping, we sat and worked with foam shapes. Dylan loves to peel the paper off of the stickers. He made the yellow one, I made the pink one, and Zack made the blue one. As you can tell, Daddy really got into it!

Of course I had to share a picture of the cook and his master piece. Oh, and we had windows open as it was in the 60's yesterday.

I thought this picture was funny. Niko & Blitz love Thanksgiving for obvious reasons. We always include them in our feast. They never beg from Zack because he doesn't share. So Dylan and I are the targets. Dylan gets mad at them for begging and staring at him.

We had apple pie for dessert. Dylan only ate the whip cream. Go figure!

While the kids were sleeping at nap time, we decided to goof around and take silly pictures of ourselves. We used to do that all of the time, but now I'm always taking pictures of the kids. So here we are....the Mr. & the Mrs.

Oh I forgot to mention how amazing Zack is. My plan was to hit up Walmart late in the evening. They had a toy sale at 10 and I wanted to get some deals on Dylan's Christmas gifts. As the night approached I was exhausted. My wonderful husband volunteered to go for me. The store was crazy busy, but he was successful in finding what we needed.

We hope everyone had a wonderful turkey day. We are thankful for so many things in life!

Day 25: 30 Days of Thankfulness

I'm thankful for my husband going out last night at 9pm with all of the crazy shoppers. We got Dylan some cool things at a great discount. Zack volunteered to go because I was so tired. What a guy!!!
Today he put up the tree, hung lights, and cleaned out my car. I'm thankful for his hard work!

Day 24: 30 Days of Thankfulness

I am thankful for this day. Good food and making memories with my family!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Boys Day Out

Dylan has been in need of some one- on- one time with us. Sharing the spot light can be hard for him at times. Today Zack had the day off and decided to make it a Daddy & Dylan day. They went to Chick- Fil-A for lunch and played on the indoor playground. After Dylan's nap Daddy took him to Crowder Park. They had some male bonding time before picking up Emersyn. Once home, they continued to play with Legos, cars, and wrestle. They both seemed to have an enjoyable time together. Below are some pictures Zack took at the park, plus my one bad cell phone picture of them building a Lego robot.

Day 23: 30 Days of Thankfulness

This fortune says it all. I am thankful to have everything I need in life. Family, friends, a home, a job, food, love, and laughter.

School Feast

Today was the Thanksgiving Feast at daycare. Each class had their own feast. Families were invited to join in on the yummy food and fun. Zack brought Emersyn (who was home on a sick day) and ate lunch with Dylan. I stopped in and took some pictures before heading back to prepare my own class for lunch. I took Dylan's picture with his teachers Ms. Brittnay and Ms. Megan. Both Daddy and Dylan ate lots of delicious food and had a great time.

Day 22: 30 Days of Thankfulness

This month I've been talking to my class about the meaning of Thanksgiving. Some of it is beyond their comprehension, but my goal is to expose them to the information in hopes they will get something from it.
Today I asked them what they do on Thanksgiving. Some answers I received: "I'm going to shoot a turkey",
"Eat hamburgers", "What's Thanksgiving?", "I'm not going to be a turkey for Halloween!" "Stay home, but not eat turkey because I'm going to set it free".

Answers from 3 1/2 year olds are priceless and I am thankful for the innocence of a child.

Post Confusion

Yesterday I posted about Emersyn turning 6 months. The problem I'm finding is the post date. I actually started typing on Nov. 17 but didn't actually finish and publish until yesterday. The entry gets posted under the date it was started. So if you follow my blog weekly or daily, you will have to go back and check out the post on Nov. 17th.

Hopefully this helps.

Day 21: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful for an understanding boss. Emersyn had a rough weekend and still wasn't feeling well this morning. We weren't sure if she is getting teeth or if she had something else. Zack took her to the doctor this morning and then dropped her off at daycare. She has a bad cold and could be getting teeth, but nothing more than that. or so we thought..... I went to give her Tylenol at 10:30 and barely got it into her mouth when she decided to puke all over me. Puke is an understatement. Knowing Zack had already taken her to the doctor and that he had a very important meeting, I spoke to my boss and explained the situation. I am not one to call in sick unless necessary, and not one to leave work unless I have to. Since having kids, that can be a challenge. So my boss was extremely understanding, told me that family comes first, and sent me home to take care of my sick baby. I feel bad for leaving because I know I need to be there, but at the same time Emersyn needs to be at home. I am thankful for my kind and understanding boss.

The Talk

I knew that some day I would have to talk with Dylan about the difference between girls and boys. I didn't think that day would be today!!!!
This morning when he was going potty he said "daddy has big pee-pee, Dylan has little pee- pee". That comment in itself made me smile. Then he looked at me and said "mommy and Emersyn...where's your pee-pee?"

I then had to explain that only boys had pee-pee's. I was trying to avoid the obvious, especially because I didn't know what to call the female part. Ha!
Dylan is smart so he proceeded to say "Boys have pee-pee's and what do girls have?" So in the quick second I had, I named it a hoo-hoo (who-who).
Oh boy! Now we are stuck with that name!! As we walked out of the bathroom Dylan said "Boys have pee-pee's and girls have hoo-hoo's!"

Zack just smiled. I laughed, but really?!?! Isn't it to early to be having this conversation?!?! Then again Dylan is almost 3! My baby is growing up way to fast!!!!

* on a side note, I'll be posting about potty training later :-)

Day 20: 30 Days of Thankfulness

I'm sitting here at 4:30 a.m. rocking Emersyn back to sleep after a feeding. My brain goes in all sorts of directions at this hour. I thought I'd blog now since I know today will be a busy one.

With that being said, today I am thankful for two things. First I'm thankful for the product Little Noses.
This is a saline solution made for infants. It helps loosen the junk in their nose so that they can breathe. After the saline in squirted up their nose, we use a booger sucker as I call it, to get those boogies out! Sounds gross? Well, yes it is. But when your child has a cold and can't breathe, this stuff works wonders. I hate doing it so I make zack do it. Emersyn cries, freaks out and acts like she can't breathe at all. Zack is just better at it and doesn't mind. He's the booger rescuer! Ha!

The second thing I am thankful for today are my friends. (and no, the nose spray isn't more important than friends! It was just the way I typed it!)
We have met some wonderful people in our travels. From Buffalo to California to North Carolina, we have become friends with some of the most caring, genuine people. Regardless of the distance or how busy life gets, our friends are always their when we need them as we are for them. I am very thankful to have met theses special people we call friends.

Day 18 & 19: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Day 18: Yesterday I posted that I was thankful for my siblings. I wanted to add a picture of them, so I erased it and thought I'd repost it today. Then I realized I don't have any pictures of the three of us together, let alone just the two of them. I'm always the photographer and I while I have many pictures of them, I don't have many of them together. The one in this post was taken Dec 09' for Dylan's baptism. I guess I need to take some updated photos when I go home this year.

Anyway, I am thankful to have a wonderful sister and brother. We annoy each other from time to time but always love one another. I am thankful to have them in my life!

Day 19: Today I am thankful for my parents. They give endless love and support as they watch their three kids make lives of their own. They raised us right, gave us many things, let us make mistakes, and sent us on our way hoping they taught us enough to survive in this crazy world.
So far I've survived and that I owe to them for helping me grow to be the person I am. So to my Mom & Dad: thank you for being such wonderful parents. It is an honor to be your daughter!

Emersyn is 6 Months

My baby is 6 months, halfway to being 1! Oh my goodness, where has the time gone?

On November 10th, Emersyn turned the big 6 months. We sang "Happy Half Birthday" to her as she smiled that big toothless smile. She has made so much progress since last month and is becoming her own little person with her outgoing personality.

Her stats this month:

Weight: 18 lbs 12oz (91st percentile)

Height: 27.5in (95th percentile)

YES SHE IS A BIG GIRL....which explains why she is growing out of her clothing so fast. We hurried to get every 3-6 month outfit on her and as of today she is fitting VERY comfortable in 6-9 month clothes. Who knows what size she will be wearing in December. She is growing like a weed and taking after her Daddy. She is one solid ladybug!

Milestones and Tidbits about Emersyn this month:

-Sleeps through the night. Goes down around 7:30 and wakes anywhere between 6-6:30.

- Rubs her feet together when she is tired. She takes after her Mommy :-)

- Chews on paci and is almost 100% successful putting it in her mouth independently.

-Loves to stick out her tongue and blow bubbles.

- Picks up toys with one hand and can pass things from hand to hand.

- Bears weight on legs with support from us or her bouncer.

- She isn't crawling yet, but somehow manages to scoot forward a few inches when on her belly.

- Babbles, growls, blows bubbles, laughs and screams with excitement.

- She loves to laugh, loves to be tickled, and loves kisses.

- Sits up on her own. She is still a bit wobbly, but she can do it.

- Chews on EVERYTHING!

- Bounces like a maniac in her bouncer. She loves when we cheer for her.

- Stares at her hands as if she's inspecting a manicure...it's funny to watch.

- Eats oatmeal, fruits and veggies.

- No teeth yet, but I have a feeling they are on their way.

There is so much to tell you about her, it's hard to put it all down. I hope this gives you a good idea of who she is and what she is doing.

Emersyn is a wonderful baby. She loves to laugh and cuddle, but also has an independent side. She is very vocal and likes to stay busy. She has come a long way and we are pleased with her progress. She is our heart and soul. Dylan dotes on her non-stop, the dogs are always kissing her, and she is the apple of our eye!

This month we did another at home photo shoot. I'm hoping to have professional pictures taken next month. I took many pictures but only uploaded a few. We have a picasa web album set up as well. I will eventually add a link onto my home page so you will be able to see all of the photos.

Eating the 6 month sticker!

My beautiful baby!

DJ Ladybug in the house!

Check, check, 1..2

This picture makes me laugh. I tried so hard to get them to smile. Dylan had his breakfast all over his face and Emersyn was more interested in chewing on her skirt.

She drools a lot....like buckets and buckets of drool...yup, its gross.

And there you have it, another month down. Maybe next month she will be on the move?!?!

Day 16 & 17: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Day 16: I am thankful for laughter in my life. Ive said it before and I'll say it again, I love to laugh. Laughter is the best medicine!

Day 17: I am thankful for the cozy place I call home. I am a home body so loving where we live is important. This is the first house we've owned.
We've tried hard to make it our own.
For a first house, we are very happy.
I love coming home everyday knowing that this is our safe haven, the place where memories are made.

Getting Older Stinks

Getting older stinks! Well, I'm actually looking forward to turning 30 in December, but the few 'white' hairs, trouble loosing weight, and getting glasses is the stinky part.

I've been delaying an eye appointment for some time now. It's not that I didn't want to go, I just didn't have time and it wasn't a priority. I finally went and while my vision isn't really that bad, the eye doctor suggested glasses for night time, watching T.V., and seeing 20-30 feet away for long durations of time. So I have glasses now! I actually don't mind how I look, its just adjusting to wearing them. I had Zack take a few pictures of me with them on and as usual, I'm not very photogenic. So this was the best one. I look fat, but that's another stinky part of getting older. The fat doesn't fall off like it used to, and especially after having two kids. That's a work in progress.

Oh and the few 'white' hairs I've been finding. HA! I pull those suckers out! My mom says if I pull them out more will grow in, but that's the chance I'm taking.

So I guess there are pros and cons of getting older. These just happen to be a few I don't appreciate.

Ok, rant is over :-)

Early Birds

Just wanted to share my little early birds. These two doll babies make it a point to get up everyday between 6-6:30. If we get to sleep in until 7 a.m. its a treat. Gone are the days of sleeping in, but it is SO VERY worth it.

Day 15: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today I'm thankful for my health and my families health. Of course we get colds, flu's, and other germs, but overall we are healthy. We don't have any serious illnesses, or anything long term.

Even during the process of Emersyn's surgery, I'd sit in the waiting room and realize how lucky we actually were. The children's hospital was filled with kids suffering with cancer, feeding tubes, physical impairments, and many other things. It made me realize how grateful I was that Emersyn could be fixed. I had those same thoughts again today at the pediatrician. We were there for a 6 month check up. In the room next to us was a screaming little boy with some serious issues.
I looked at Emersyn and was thankful for her health.

So while I may complain about being sick, or my kids being sick, I'm actually very thankful for our overall health.

Day 14: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Parenting is the most rewarding, yet challenging job I've ever had. Today I am thankful for being on this parenting journey with Zack. I couldn't do it without him. Parenthood has made us better people. We keep each other laughing with our different methods and styles of handling things. When one is impatient, the other is patient and understanding. When I'm worried, Zack is not. More than anything we try and keep parenting fun. It's been a learning experience that has taught us so much. I'm thankful everyday that I am a Mommy, and grateful to have Zack as my parenting partner in crime.

Day 13: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful that my children have 3 sets of loving and generous grandparents. They all take interest in what the kids are doing which means a lot to us and to them. They all send cards, stickers, toys, and boxes of goodies for the kids to enjoy.

So thank you Grandma & Grandpa M, Grandma Clare & Grandpa Alan, Pops & Nana! We love you! We look forward to seeing everyone at Christmas :-)

Ladybug

I bought these pajamas at Target. How could I resist? Ladybug pj's for my little ladybug! The sad part is she is growing so fast, she'll probably only get to wear them a few times. But isn't she the cutest?!!?!?

Day 12: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful for technology. More so I was thinking about Skype. We've lived away from family for 6 years and now that we have kids it's becoming more difficult. With Skype, we can stay connected with the family visually. I think this is important for Dylan and Emersyn. They need to hear and see their grandparents, aunts and uncles. I grew up going to family parties and having the ability to see my grandparents on a more frequent basis. Unfortunately our kids don't have that luxury and it makes me sad. Don't get me wrong, we love living here, but there are times we miss being back at home near loved ones. So a few times a month we try and web cam with my parents. We actually need to start doing it more with all of our family since Dylan now understands the concept (well, for the most part). Family members love seeing them, watching them talk, play, and interact. It's a quick, yet meaningful moment that we wouldn't be able to share without technology.

On another note, I get so caught up with our daily schedule I don't always get to watch the news. What would I do without my cell phone. Everyday on my lunch break, I try and get caught up on the world news. Without technology, I'd be literally living under a rock.

**I was thinking about this earlier today.....The things I am thankful for are not in order of importance. I am just going day by day and taking the time to think about the big and little things.

Day 11: 30 Days of Thanfulness

Today I am thankful for the veterans who have served our county. To stand up and fight for your country is brave thing to do.
I also love that it is 11-11-11!!! This is coming from someone who was married on 7-7-07. I hope many are married and born today, as this is another memorable date in time.

Day 9 & 10: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Now that I'm back to work I'm finding it harder to blog on a daily basis.
I didn't post yesterday so I have some catching up to do.

Nov. 9- I am thankful Dylan's loving teachers. They are teaching him so much and take great care of him. We are trying to potty train this week. They have been so positive and patient and that is boosting Dylan's confidence. He was accident free yesterday for the first time. Hopefully by the end of the month he will be diaper free!!!!

Nov. 10- Today I am celebrating Emersyn turning 6 months. That little girl is my heart & soul! She is my hero!
I am thankful for her everyday, but today especially. She has made me a better person over the last 6 months and I thank her for that!

Day 8: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful for my doggies! For the past 4 years they have given me unconditional love. Since we've had kids they've taken the back burner. We continue to walk them twice a day, but trips to the dog park and snuggle time have become less.
It doesn't matter how busy we are or the type of mood we are in, Niko and Blitz give love unconditionally. Our house wouldn't be a home without them. They're my furry babies and I am thankful for them!

Day 7:30 Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful for medicine and the doctors who provide the medicine.
I've been sick with overlapping colds since October 3rd. My colds are always accompanied by a cough. This time my cough was so bad i pinched a nerve in my leg. Yup, strange indeed!
This weekend my cold(s) turned into a sinus infection. The kind of infection that made my face hurt. My jaw, cheek bones, eyes and overall face hurt so bad that I finally decided to take a trip to the doctor. My sinus' are so inflamed that I was put on an antibiotic and a steroid. This will also help my coughing decrease. I'm the annoying person who coughs ALL day!

I've started my medication and at this point I don't think I'd feel better without it. Over the counter meds just weren't working. So I'm hoping by the end of my 5 day course of antibiotics. I'll be on the upswing.

Day 6: 30 Days of Thankfulness

Today I am thankful for humor. A smile is contagious, a laugh is priceless. Laughing should be something that happens everyday. It makes me feel better when I'm sad, and it makes it easier to get through rough days.
I love to make other people laugh as well. I'm not really a funny person so it must be my sarcastic attitude.

Dylan has a great sense of humor and Emersyn's is developing. We want our kids to have great, well- rounded personalities. Humor is part of that.

Today I watched Dylan make Emersyn laugh. Zack & I make each other laugh all of the time. Today I am thankful I have humor in my life.

Laughing is the best medicine and I love to laugh.

Halloween

This post is long overdue. We took photo's Halloween night, but some of them came out really dark so we did a re shoot causing a delay in this post.
Halloween here in Holly Springs was cold and rainy. The kids are used to being dragged out in crazy weather to walk the dogs, so why was this any different. Plus, who doesn't want to go trick or treating!?!?!? We bundled up and off we went. Zack walked Niko & Blitz, I pushed the stroller.

Dylan did an amazing job as a pirate. He said 'trick or treat' at every house, used his manners, and even said 'AARRRR a pirate' when people asked him what he was. He wanted to keep going after we were all ready to go home. That boy loves candy! Emersyn was a trooper. She was snug as a bug...HA!...in her ladybug costume. She was just along for the ride. Half way through she fell asleep!

We left the house before we ever got any trick or treaters so we had LOTS of left overs. Those went to work with Zack! The pictures below are out of order, but you'll get the idea. Despite the nasty rain, we had a blast and got lots of yummy treats.

What a sweet little pirate!

Eating candy after we got back. Yup, we sugared him up before bed!

Hope everyone had a fun Halloween!