Our North Carolina Trip - Part 2

Ok, I should probably finish this post!! (over a month later)

On Wednesday we made the pies for Thanksgiving, of course Missy was in the middle of it all.  She helped make both the pies, one pecan and one pumpkin.

We had a very nice Thanksgiving, the weather was beautiful, a little windy, but the sun was shining and it was a pretty day.  We cooked, ate, played, slept and played some more!  We had something on our menu that most people probably did not.  We grilled shrimp to go with the turkey and boy were they yummy! After lunch we had to go back to the park, we were leaving the next day.

Friday we packed and got ready to head home.  Denny pulled out his train to get it set up and that entertained Juliet alot!  That child loves trains, I guess we are going to have to get her a train of some sorts.  Nothing as big or elaborate as he has, but something to keep her entertained.  Before we left we took some pictures out on the deck.  Again, of course, the weather was beautiful!
Then it was time to go home!  Flying started out ok, then Nate lost it, we had upgraded to 1st class thinking the more room would help, I think he was just tired of being held and ready to go to sleep.  Once we got going everything was fine and he slept the entire way home.  

Needless to say, prissy liked the bigger seats and that they gave her chocolate chip cookies whenever she wanted them.  It was a fun trip, we are just glad to be home and in our own beds.  Everyone slept very good!!

Our North Carolina Trip - Part 1

Oh My, I never blogged the entire time we were in North Carolina!!  It was a busy trip and without wireless most of the trip I was tied to a cable and didn't want to do it!!  So here I am now, sit back and enjoy!!  We left Saturday morning and took 2 flights to get into Wilmington NC where Denny met us at the airport there.  Denny had never met Nate so this was a special trip for that in itself.  My kids are awesome travelers, Juliet had her own seat and she liked looking out the window and watching movies on the phones with her headphones Mama and Papa got her and Nate either slept, ate or laughed and cooed at us.

So Gramma and Granddaddy (Lynn and Denny), or G&G for short while I type, live in a small little town called Hampstead, NC.  It's very much the quiet town that is about 20 minutes from the beach, NICE!  We stayed with them at their home, which in my opinion could be two homes in one.  We had the entire ground level to ourselves which was nice when the kids were sleeping we could visit upstairs and they could see the kids any time they wanted.  Gramma and the kids had a blast sitting on the swing just unwinding.  Nate got a hand full of Juliet's hair for the first time and she was not impressed with this new thing he found he can do.

This place of our own came in so handy when Juliet woke up Saturday night throwing up, she and I ended up sleeping on a pallet I made on the floor of the bathroom like my mom used to do for us.  We don't know if it was a bug or just the trip or what, but she was fine the next morning, although it did spread through the house and the only person spared was Nate, thank you God. 
Sunday was a day of rest, Jon and I tried to recover from Saturday night while the kids played with G&G, you couldn't tell Juliet had been sick.  Gramma had this little Southwest plane that made noises and Juliet just got the biggest kick out of that little plane.  It was so cute because she made this game up, on her own, she gave all her babies to Granddad and then she would turn the plane on and fly one baby at a time from Granddad to the table and back.  Wow, what a super imagination!!  Oh and Juliet and the dog Amy were fast friends, they loved each other.

Monday we woke up this way:  Juliet:  "It's time to wake up", Mommy: "Why?", Juliet: "Because the sun is up".  Silly mommy, you know better than to ask a logic question to a 3 year old.  So we started the day on the swing outside me feeding Nate and Juliet watching Little Einsteins on my phone.  Leave her and Gramma alone for a minute and they are singing Santa Claus is coming to town together, it was really cute and apparently she picked the words up really fast!!
Tuesday we went to the beach, boy that did not go over good at all.  Juliet was scared of the water for some reason.  She kept saying it was going to get her.  Who knows, I don't ask questions and she was probably just sleepy.  The beach was beautiful and true to the Atlantic, it was cold.

And the biggest news of Tuesday is that Nate rolled over from his front to his back, you know that he doesn't like being on his tummy, so we were chatting about nothing and he decided he was going to put himself on his back.  Mommy was so excited!!  To make it even better Wednesday he went from his back to his front then back over.  He hasn't wanted to do any more showing off, but we all know he can do it, mommy has it on video!!  He started this thing where he would reach out to the side of the pack and play and run his fingers over the mesh on the side.  It is a sensory thing, I know, the feel and the sound it made, but buddy bear did you have to do it at 4am???  He did not sleep well while we were gone and so neither did mommy or daddy.  Juliet had her own bed in another room so she slept fine!!
So the local grocery store, Harris Teeter had these awesome little people shopping carts they called Customer in Training.  She loved pushing this cart around the store!!  Why are these not common anywhere else?  What a fabulous idea!  Isn't she just the cutest thing you have ever seen!!!

Ok, this post is long enough, see part 2!

Nate rolled over!!

I didn't even get it posted yesterday that Nate rolled over from his belly to his back when this afternoon I put him down on the floor and looked over and he was rolling onto his belly. Then he decided he didn't want to be on his belly and rolled back onto his back. Sniff sniff, my little man is learning new things and growing so fast!!! So proud of his accomplishment!! Now if he would only show daddy.

Smiles and Laughs for Mommy

I am so used to Nate being in a terrible mood when I see him after work it's kinda sad,. I want giggles and smiles from my little man.  I got my wish yesterday.  I am sick now so I went to the Dr and by CVS to get my meds.  They of course told me 25 minutes so I snuck over to the school to see Nate.  He was in his bouncer and when I leaned over him he broke into this huge grin and laughed at me.  I was in heaven.  I picked him up and every time I would kiss him or make a silly face he would laugh, it so made my day.  I think it made his teachers day too because they were all smiling too.  Of course when we got home he was tired and cranky just like everyday.  I know this will pass, but it makes for a long night. 

How often

How often do you get to sit and reflect on the day that you had or the week you are having?  With 2 small children, one a very active almost 3 and a 4 month old, not very often I would answer.  Well tonight that changed.  I was sitting here, a little out of sorts of the events that have transpired over the last 36 hours.  Little man is in the swing because that is the only place he can get sleep and Juliet is asleep in her bed and I am watching her on the monitor.  I realize how truly blessed I am.  I called work today ready for just about anything and they told me, "take care of your children, we will work everything out."  How relieving that is to me.  My job is important to this family and the lifestyle that we live, I really do like ExxonMobil and am so proud of the work I have done there over the last 10 years, and this shows me how they really do care about their employees even though sometimes we don't feel it.  Both of my babies seem to have serious respiratory problems when the cold starts setting in and there is nothing any of us can do about that except to take care of them and have wonderful doctors who get them better.  I am so blessed in these aspects that God has provided me awesome care for my children in their doctors.  Juliet was 36 1/2 inches and 32 pounds and Nate was 14 pounds 13 ounces at the doctor yesterday.
Nate and I spent today laying in bed, watching Harry Potter, last one part 1, and just being Mommy and Buddy Bear. He started taking things I had in my hand and holding them and shaking them.  I did not have to put them in his hand, he would just grab them.  He also thinks the nebulizer is a toy that he must take and try to put in his mouth!!!  I missed Juliet terribly but she loves school and is super smart, and today happened to be dance!!  I am so proud of her in her love to learn.  She got a new verse in Puggles and already knows it.  God made me in his image, Genesis 1:27.  We get her to say the new one and then the old one.  What a smart girl who can say both verses like that!!  I am so glad we started her on this journey for her spiritual growth. 
The reflections of today shouldn't come as a surprise, they are the everyday, but I never want my days to be just days, I am truly blessed.   Jon is such a wonderful husband, father, provider, Juliet is my princess, my light and my headache at times, Nate is mommy's little man and my snuggle buddy, I am so glad they were all given to me, chosen especially for me, they are priceless gifts.
So good night, tomorrow is another day!!

Starting Early

Nate developed a cough that turned nasty on Sunday so we decided to take him to the Dr today.  Of course Dr. Ori walks in and says, "That's a RSV cough if I've ever heard one." Great, starting early little man.  Don't Google RSV (Respiratory syncytial virus) it will scare you, just know it is an infection of the lungs that can cause big problems if not treated.  Yes, he is more prone to it since he was premature.  So armed with 3 prescriptions for Nate and 1 for Juliet we are 5 days on the nebulizer and prednisone with little man.  He hates that stuff just as bad as everyone else, and we are only on day one.  Since RSV is highly contagious, Mommy and Nate are home together this week, so glad we didn't go to church yesterday! 

Keep us all in your prayers!!  Love to all!

Info on RSV:  All you need to know.
RSV is the most common germ that causes lung and airway infections in infants and young children. Most infants have had this infection by age 2. Outbreaks of RSV infections most often begin in the fall and run into the spring.  RSV often spreads very rapidly in crowded households and day care centers. The virus can live for a half an hour or more on hands. The virus can also live for up to 5 hours on counter tops and for several hours on used tissues.

Happy Halloween

This year Nate was a dinosaur and Juliet was Rapunzel from Tangled.

Both were super cute!  They were in the costume parade at school, then we took them to the fall festival at the church, then to 2 houses in the cul-de-sac.  They did Halloween all day long and Juliet never took her costume off.  Nate was such a trooper sitting in his stroller in his costume watching the people.  Juliet had her first chocolate bar and a blast doing everything at the festival, even the wagon ride.  It was a fun day for two precious little people!