Jackson and Emily's Journey Through Life

Monday, April 21, 2014

Easter 2014

Once again we had a pretty nice and relaxing holiday at home. As far as I'm concerned that is the best way to celebrate with two little kids. On Saturday, which was also my birthday, we went to an Easter egg hunt with some of Jacksons preschool friends. Due to some rain, the hunt had to be rescheduled indoors. The kids had a blast regardless!

All dressed up...

Emily had more fun playing with the big balls than hunting eggs

Looking for eggs...

Checking out the goods

On Easter we started out the day by going to mass and then carried on tradition by going to Bobby and Pa's afterward for breakfast and an Easter egg hunt. This year great grandma joined us in the holiday fun. That afternoon we played at our house followed by dinner on the back deck. The weather was beautiful!

Goodies the Easter bunny left for the kids

Ready, Set, Go!!!

Traditional Bloody Mary photo but including great grandma this year

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Update on Emily

Yesterday Emily had her 15 month well visit. She was pretty upset the whole time we were there. Part of the problem is that the appointment fell on the verge of nap time and she is now at the age where she has developed a fear of the doctors office. She received two shots this time. We were told that she looks very well. We will start working on weaning her off the pacifier, reserving it for naps and bedtime only. Her stats were as follows:

Weight: 20 lbs 2.5 oz (33%)
Height: 30.5 inches (47%)

Emily eats pretty well but is still our little peanut. On that note, she is starting to exhibit some pickiness. Its not as bad as Jackson though! She practically runs everywhere and enjoys climbing up on things. She still takes a morning and afternoon nap and sleeps about 12 hours at night! She has 4 teeth: the top middle and bottom middle, although there are two more approaching on the top. She says: Jack, ball, ma, and da. She is starting to follow simple commands. She loves her brother to death even though he can be so rough with her at times. I guess she doesn't know any different! She often laughs at him when he is rough housing with her.

Snow and Sand

We took a road trip to Naples last month with the kids. I had already planned on going down there sometime in February and then Toby was asked to attend a conference in Sanibel on Valentines week so we just combined trips. We left early one afternoon when Jackson got out of school. That morning started the snowfall that would turn into the "biggest in decades". As we headed down through South Carolina we quickly drove out of the snow. The next morning we were sitting on the sunny beach enjoying the warm weather. It was a nice visit going to the beach often, the park, and visiting with Pa and old friends. Although, we got to escape winter and enjoy the beach, I was a bit disappointed that we missed the snow, considering it never happens like that here in Charlotte. The kids would have had a blast playing in it.

Unfortunately, Bobby could not be there because she was up north to help grandma. Grandpa Miller became very sick this past January. He passed away the Sunday that we left Florida. We will never forget him and will cherish all the good memories. Rest in peace, grandpa! We love and miss you!

My baby looks like a teenager in this photo! :(

Happy to be in sunny Florida!

Morning at the beach with mommy

Deep in thought

Ice cream treat with the kids...

Another beach day

Tuesday, February 4, 2014

January 2014

Since the holidays we have been laying pretty low. In a way, the weather throughout most of January has sort of forced us to. For the most part its been cold or rainy or both. We have had some random mid 60 degree days thrown in, which is always welcomed. We have had lots of relaxing afternoons at home watching movies. We have spent the weekends at birthday parties, out to eat, and just being together. Last week was probably the most eventful. Emily had the procedure to fix her clogged tear ducts. She did very well with the procedure and the anesthesia. It was very brief. We took her to a day surgery center to have it done. We had an arrival time of 5:30 a.m. and were back home by 9:30 that morning. She was just left with some swelling and a little bit of bloody drainage. Both went away very quickly. Hopefully the problem is gone now. There is only a 10% chance that the procedure would not correct it. We just have to watch and see over the next couple weeks. The afternoon/evening before the procedure we got snow! It only amounted to something like 0.9 inches but we still went out to play in it with Jackson after we got home from Emily's procedure.

That's it for now. We have warmer days ahead as we are traveling to Naples next week! I'll update again after our trip.

One of the random warm and sunny days...

Before the procedure

Feeling more relaxed after her first dose of medicine kicks in

After we got home that morning. Poor baby!

Fun in the snow....

Sunday, January 5, 2014

Christmas 2013

This year we had a nice, low key Christmas at home. We celebrated with both sets of grandparents which was great for the kids. Talk about getting spoiled. Bobby and Pa hosted dinner and a gift exchange at their house on Monday night. Tuesday evening we went to mass with grandma and Papa. After the kids went to bed, all of us adults were like elves running around the house wrapping gifts and putting toys together. As usual I could hardly sleep that night due to the anticipation of the next morning. I was up before everyone else and eagerly waited for Jackson to wake up so we could go downstairs to get the party started. He woke up and went the bathroom as normal but then went back and laid down in his bed. I could hardly believe it. I finally started making noise on purpose and then I finally heard him call my name. The very best part of the entire holiday is seeing the look on his face when he sees the presents under the tree. We took our time opening gifts and just lounged around the house watching Christmas movies. Toby and his mom prepared a delicious prime rib dinner. This meal has sort of become a Christmas tradition for us. The rest of the evening we laid around and enjoyed a cozy fire. It was such a fun and truly relaxing few days spent with loved ones. I like to think that we are making beautiful memories for our children.