Huling Happenings

New Rings

2011-08-07T23:51:00.004-04:00

In the October of 2004 Keith proposed to me on a Sunday evening in a park. Later, when we were getting ready to shop for a ring, his mother, LaDawn, gave him the set that had belonged to her mother. At the time, I didn't know my soon-to-be mother in-law all that well. The intention had been to take it to a jewelry store and have it cleaned and restored. It really was/is a beautiful setting.

However, the salesperson at the store kept talking about how it was out of fasion to wear yellow gold and wouldn't it be great to get a new setting and simply take the diamond out of the old setting. As those is the business of sales would say, I got "sold." I found a setting that I felt I simply had to have. Keith called his mom to make sure she was okay with just using the diamond and not the setting. She said "yes" and so we went ahead and did it.

After we were married I learned a little more about my new family. Around our one year mark we spent Christmas in Arizona with the Hargraves (LaDawns family.) I learned that Keith's grandmother had been an accomplished pianist and even taught piano lessons. The whole reason my mother in-law wanted me to have her mother's rings was so that they would "be on a piano playing finger again." She never complained about my choice not to use the original setting but, deep down, I knew I had not made the right decision. If I were in her shoes I would have been unhappy with the situation. Unfortunately, I lacked the courage to own up to my mistake for about another 5 years.

My first engagement ring was absolutely beautiful. We used the money we saved on the center stone to get a diamond encrusted setting. After I started wearing it, I immediately started having problems with diamonds coming loose and falling out. But, not to worry, the store had a great warrenty. Still, I was always very worried about the center stone falling out so I never wore it very often. As seldom as I wore it, I continued to have problems with diamonds falling out and finally, the store refused to honor their warrenty based on a technicality (I won't go into that.)

That brings us up to the present. It seemed that kharma had come back to bite me and we decided that it was finally time to make the switch. LaDawn was happy to return the original setting and we had the stone reset, the ring refinished, and resized. Now, when I wear it I have a feeling that it is finally how it was meant to be. I guess that ring just needs to be on a "piano playing finger" and I am truely honored to wear it.

Good News, Bad News

2011-08-02T04:02:00.002-04:00

Let's start with the good news. This fall I am starting my student teaching which will be my final semester. Last week, I recieved a letter informing me that I have been selected to recieve a new scholarship for student teaching. This was not the type scholarship you apply or. In fact, I didn't even know it existed since GMU has very few scholarships in the music program. Here's what the letter reads.

"Friends of Music (FOM) is pleased to inform you that you will be the first recipient of the Dr. William and Shirley Billingham Student Teacher Award for the Fall 2011 semester. This $1000 scholarship was created specifically for student teachers for the semester in which they are doing their student teaching. The School of Music faculty recommended you for this scholarship based on specific criteria involving your dedication to music and commitment to educational excellence."

This was quite a wonderful surprise and I feel incredibly honored that they selected me out of a pool of 12 other students who are student teaching this fall. It will look really good on my resume and will definitely help me to get a job quickly. I just hope I can live up to everyone's expectations.

The letter also requested a picture and a short bio and for various department publications. I realized that the last picture I've had taken of just myself was by bridal portraits, ha! So, I asked my friend, Kara, who is an amazing photographer, to take some headshots for me. Below is one of the best.

Ok, here comes the bad news. You don't have to read on.....I won't be offended.

My experience with clomid has not been at all what I expected. The two possible outcomes I was prepared for were pregnancy, or an ovarian cyst. The only thing clomid did was make my pain exponentially worse, to the point that I went to the ER not once, but twice. I finally saw the good doc today and I didn't like what I heard.

Let me go back a bit. Before I started the clomid I went off the pain meds altogether. I found that I felt better off of them because I was no longer groggy all the time and, truely, they weren't helping the pain that much anyway. The day after I took my first clomid I felt amazing, better than I have felt in longer than I can remember. I continued to feel good until two days after taking my last pill. Then it got a lot worse.

Apparently, this was very telling. You see, clomid supresses the production of estrogen. So, there is a connection between my pain and estrogen. Next, the doc did a sonogram and found that I am, in fact, not ovulating at all. The clomid didn't even do what it was supposed to do. If we were to try the clomid again he would double the dosage in the hopes that it would be more effective the second time around. The pain spike I experienced (should say am experiencing) he called "rebound pain." So, if I doubled my dose of clomid wouldn't my rebound pain double as well? I think I'll pass.

By process of elimination it appears that I have endometriosis. This is a diagnosis that I had not even considered but as I have done some research I have found that it fits my symptoms like a glove. I told the doc that we don't want any more fertility treatments and that we want to be as agressive as necessary to solve the problem. The fact of the matter is, my condition is unlivable. I absolutely cannot go down the infertility road, which could go on for years, when I am in this much pain on a regular basis. I have two beautiful kids who need me to be better now.

The doc prescribed me Lupron which is an injected drug that simulates menopause. The purpose of this is to see if a hysterectomy would eliminate my pain. (Lupron is not an option for long-term treament.) If the Lupron works, then we're looking at surgery right around Christmas time. The idea of removing my uterus scares me to death. It's just so final. But, there is nothing else to do. I'm extremely anxious about all of this (hence I am up at 4:26am blogging.) The Lupron will make my symptoms worse for two weeks before it will start to make them better. It's going to be a long two weeks. I really hope this works.

Moment of Truth

2011-07-14T14:06:00.006-04:00

Well, it's not really THE moment yet. Today I took my first clomid pill. For those of you who don't know, clomid is a fertility drug designed to induce ovulation (which is the process that causes an unfertilized egg to be released.) Clomid has some risks for people like me. In fact, it specfically warns that people with chronic cysts should not take this drug. Now, I haven't had a large cyst in over 6 months but the last two I had were about 9 months apart. 2 massive cysts in 9 months is highly unusual. Most women get maybe 1 their entire lives or none at all. There is a risk that if I take clomid that it will overstimlate my already overstimulated ovaries and the result will be a cyst for the record books. We're talking 7-15 centimeters. The biggest one I've had was 6.

I brought my concerns to my doc when he suggested trying clomid. He acknowledged the risk and said he thinks the potential benefits outweigh the risk. Frankly, I'm skeptical but I really don't have any other options at this point. So, worst case scenario I lose an ovary. Best case scenario I get pregnant. Time will tell, I guess.

Summer Fun!

2011-06-05T13:31:00.004-04:00

We have been very busy the last few weeks. Ever since my classes ended I have had such a blast being home full time again. It's kind of funny how absence really does make the heart grow fonder. I'm sure by the time fall rolls around again I'll be ready for a change. For now, I'm really enjoying these fun little kids.

Just this weekend we went camping with some friends. Noah and Allison had a blast. There were a lot of catapillars which they found fascinating. The campsite we went to was on Skyline Drive in Shenandoah and we stopped at a few lookouts to see the view of the mountains. Noah said, "Wow! It's like a whole new world!" It must be amazing to discover something like that for the first time. We even braved a hike to a waterfall. Allison struggled with all the walking but Noah was a real trooper. When we got home we were all filthy, tired, tick-free, and happy.

Earlier this month we had record high temperatures. We have been spending a lot of time at the pool but when that got old we got creative. The slip and slide was a big hit and we spent some time at the fountain attraction in Fairfax Corner. We also managed to go to a few playgrounds in the morning before it got too hot. Summer hasn't officially started yet but I can already tell it's going to be a good one. Here are some pics of our adventures!

Weekend Trip

2011-05-26T19:28:00.003-04:00

A few weekends ago my parents, the kiddos and I drove up to Massachusetts for my lovely cousin, Dot's, wedding. It was an 8 hour drive and the first long road trip for Noah and Allison. It was great having the DVD player in the new van. Whenever they started getting obnoxious is was movie time! They handled the drive really well.

The hotel we stayed in had a fantastic breakfast bar which we enjoyed for two mornings. The kids found the whole thing to be a grand adventure. They got to snuggle up together in the room at night and slept better they do at home.

Instead of bridemaids, Dot had all the litte kids dress in wedding colors (purple, green and white) and they were a part of the pictures. It turned out super cute and Allison loved wearing a corsage.

The wedding was really lovely. I got to play Clair de Lune while Dot walked down the aisle and it was a really beautiful moment and I felt really fortunate to get to be a part of it. She seemed very happy and married a good guy from what I could tell. It was a great trip!

Oh, How Time Flies

2011-05-05T13:21:00.003-04:00

The look so peaceful when they're sleeping.....

CPP

2011-04-28T16:07:00.002-04:00

I know this is my family blog but I'm going to use it for something personal. In the last year I have been diagnosed with Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and Pelvic Adhesive Disease (PAD.) I've had surgery and taken hormone pills as treatment. In the end, they only offered temporary releif as the pain has always returned. My doctor has now diagnosed me with Chronic Pelvic Pain (CPP) which occurs in about 4% of women. The exact cause of the pain is unknown so it is almost impossible to treat except for with pain medication.

The treatment my doctor is prescribing is pregnancy. Ha! PCOS and PAD are both associated with infertility. You might ask, how can pregnancy aleviate unexplained pelvic pain? That is the same thing I asked my good doctor (no sarcasm there, he is really amazing.) The effect of pregnancy on CPP is as much a mystery as the cause of CPP. Clinical history shows that, for some reason, going through a pregnancy reduces CPP in some women. I have no problem with that since we've been trying to have another baby for more than a year now. So, now the real conundrum: how to get pregnant.

Yes, I know HOW to get pregnant. The problem is every other time I ovulate (which only happens about every three months) I get massive cysts. I also have so much scar tissue that there is a chance my tubes are completely blocked anyway. Despite all this, my ever optimistic doc still thinks I have a chance to get preggo on my own. Yeah, right. Well, we'll give it a try.

So, when I DON'T get pregnant on my own then the next step is checking for blocked tubes. IF those are clear, then its clomid. Clomid is not a great option for someone with a history of cysts because it can cause even bigger cysts to form. But hey, worst case scenario, I lose an ovary. Good thing I have 2! When, I mean IF, that doesn't work well, then what? I don't even know.

Probably the worst part of all this is that I can't exercise the way I used to. Every form of cardio is painful except for swimming. Too bad my gym doesn't have a pool. My doc said to keep exercising if I can. It helps elevate endorphin levels and makes it easier to cope with pain. Plus, exercise is good for overall health. The least painful form of cardio is the elliptical machine. I used to make fun of elliptical users because I figured they were too wimpy to run. Yes, now I am a wimpy elliptical user. My hope is that I will someday be able to run another distance race. It might take a miracle.

Slacker

2011-04-14T23:44:00.006-04:00

Yeah, it's been 5 months since I posted. I'm a slacker. The kids are growing and life just keeps moving whether we like it or not. Here are a few videos of some of our recent activity.

I find it easier to share videos through You Tube since uploading takes forever on blogger.
http://youtu.be/aF3wksdyAbk
http://youtu.be/YR1lhbv3-W0
http://youtu.be/ASsmrmIb4Vk

As you can see, there has been a lot of dancing in our house.

And in other news, Allison is potty trained! She is also taking her first ballet/tap class which has been interesting so far. Noah is learning to play the piano and is also taking swim lessons. I plan to teach him how to read this summer as well. And that's what's happening!

Noah is 4!

2010-11-17T19:11:00.003-05:00

Noah turned 4 yesterday. Over the weekend we took a trip to the zoo per Noah's request. We invited cousins and friends to meet us there and have cake. The weather was PERFECT. We really couldn't have asked for a nicer day.

It's just crazy to me that it's been four years since Noah was born. I still remember that day like is was yesterday. I remember the excitement and anticipation of what he would look like, what he would act like and everything. He's turned out to be more than we ever could have guessed. If I could describe Noah in three words they would be: loving, joyful, and bright. Happy birthday Noah!

Pain, part 2

2010-11-11T11:53:00.004-05:00

After recovering from my surgery in July I found that the pain I was experiencing was much better, but not entirely gone. Last week, I started feeling like I might have another cyst. By Tuesday, I could hardly walk without extreme pain. My doc is out of town so I made an appointment with his collegue. She was equally great and equally perplexed by my situation. I do, indeed, have another cyst on my right ovary. This one, 5 centimeters in diameter. The last one was 6. "Large" pain-causing cysts in most women are 2-3 cms. So, I guess that would make mine XXL. The fact that I got 2 of them in 8 months is equally alarming.

So, I found myself driving home with tears streaming down my face asking, "why me?" The tiny thread I was already hanging on broke and it was all I could do to go through the motions the rest of the day. Pretty pathetic.

That night, I was holding my little boy in my arms and he said to me, "I just love you SO much, mommy." It was really what I needed to hear. I started thinking and realized that I have so many good things in my life that a few more months of pain is nothing. My condition is not life threatening, my kids are healthy, my husband has a job, and the list goes on. I WILL survive this.

What are the next steps? Well, I either need to get pregnant or go on birth control to stop the cysts from coming back. Getting pregnant on my own has not been working for me for the last year so fertility drugs are probably in the plan. So, what's next? Triplets? Bring it on.

She's 2!

2010-10-24T20:53:00.004-04:00

So I'm about 2 months late on this post but, better late than never right?

At the end of August Allison turned 2 so we threw her a big joint birthday party/luau with her best friend Savannah who is 3 days older. We did it in the common area behind our condo which worked out great. It was the perfect sunny day and we set up a moonbounce, slip 'n slide, kiddie pool, and tiki hut. We had a really great turn out and it was a blast. Here are some pics.

Presents!

In the moonbounce, which my sister so generously gave me so if you ever need one, I have one!

Party central.

Eating her birthday ice cream.

Blowing out her candles.

This is the cake Lynne (Savannah's mom) and I spent half the night making the night before. The beach is vanilla wafer crumbs and I made the tiny little grass skirts by hand. It tasted as good as it looks too!

I CAN'T BELIEVE OUR BABY GIRL IS 2!

Back to School

2010-08-29T21:10:00.003-04:00

Well, tomorrow I'm off to school to get my teaching certification. I'm nervous and excited at the same time. Luckily, the kids will not be in daycare but spending some quality time with grandparents and friends while mommy is studying. I will miss them, but it will be worth it when we can actually start saving some money for their futures.

Summer Fun

2010-08-22T21:08:00.006-04:00

It seems that summer has just flown by. Here's some pics of the fun things we've done this summer.

4th of July. Noah and Allison liked the lights, but not the noise.

We had the opportunity to go to Florida and see the Huling clan in July. We spent a weekend in Destin playing with all of Keith's extended family. It was the first reunion in about 3 years. I don't have any pics of that yet. After going to Destin we spent a week in Orlando with Jeff and Robin (Keith's bro and his wife). They were great hosts and got us good deals on tickets to Universal Studios and Disney World. Above is Allison and her daddy on the African Safari ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom. I'm not really sure what's going on with her finger.

Here we all are in front of Cinderella's castle. It was sure a hot day!

Teacups!

Noah's first roller coaster ride. He wasn't scared a bit.

Noah and Allison with their cousin Ella. Noah says "roar!" for some reason. Allison and Ella are close to the same age. They had a love hate relationship. They loved to fight and they hated to share. Hopefully, they will get along better when they're a little older.

This is outside the Jaws ride at Universal Studios. We took the little ones on it. For those of you who have to been on that ride it's all very fake. Big artificial sharks jump out at you and the driver of the boat pretends we are getting attacked by sharks. Noah didn't know it was fake and spent the whole ride yelling, "we gotta get outta here!" Poor little guy, he thinks it's funny now since we told him is was just pretend.

Dora.

At Islands of Adventure.

On Fish, Two Fish. We got very wet on this ride.

Noah and Ella on Dr. Seuss' crazy carousel.

Waiting out the rain. The kids were none too happy about the fun interruption.

After waiting out the rain we finally made it to the Harry Potter attraction. It was pretty amazing. The best part....butterbeer. It's like drinking candy coated ice cream.

Happy Summer!

Recovery

2010-07-13T16:44:00.003-04:00

Over the course of the last 5 months or so I've been dealing with some health issues. It all started with a large ovarian cyst (about the size of a baseball). The cyst went away but the pain didn't. I went to see the OBGYN that delivered Allison, Dr. Tudder. He prescribed a bunch of different medications that didn't work. I had multiple ultrasounds and an MRI which all revealed nothing. Eventually, Dr. Tudder said that there was nothing wrong and that I should go back to my family doctor to find the cause of the pain.

I was crushed. I really believed that this doctor would be able to figure out what was wrong. At that point I was ready to give up and just live with the constant pain. Keith convinced me that I should seek another opinion. After asking around for some recommendations I went to Dr. Silas, another OBGYN. After hearing my ordeal and doing a physical exam he agreed that my problem was most likely gynological. He suggested doing an explorative laparoscopy. After giving it some thought and prayer we decided to go forward with the surgery not really knowing what was there, if anything.

One of my greatest fears was that they would find nothing and the surgery would have been for naught. I was also concerned they would find a serious problem. Yesterday, I went in for surgery. The doctor found evidence of a prior infection that had caused a great deal of scar tissue to form. That scar tissued adhered my reproductive organs to my liver. He was able to detach the organs and put them back where they are supposed to be. According to my doctor, there was no way any external imaging could have detected this particular problem.

The long term effects of this are that I will still experience pain from time to time, although not nearly the pain I've had over the last few months. It is yet to be determined how this will effect my ability to have more children. I'll have to have more tests run so see how extensive the damage is.

I am so relieved to finally know what's been going on in my body. At times I felt like I was going crazy. Like, maybe the pain didn't really exist. It has been one of the greatest trials of my life, thus far. I have definitely felt the prayers of my family and friends over the last several months. The Lord has blessed me with the ability to endure this while still fulfilling my roles as a wife, mother and teacher. There have been days when I literally have felt myself being carried when I couldn't go on any longer. Thanks to everyone who has supported me through this difficult time. Now, all that is left is recovery.

Ham

2010-07-07T20:28:00.003-04:00

Several weeks ago we were approached by a guy with a camera crew asking to interview us for a TV commercial. We signed the appropriate wavers and did the interview. Noah pretty much stole the show. It ended up making it into a radio commercial for Cox Cable. They edited out the part about us having Dish Network. Haha. Here's the interview. I'm so proud of my little ham.

:-)

Races and Other Things

2010-06-22T13:15:00.003-04:00

It has been an eventful couple of months. In March I ran in the National Half Marathon relay with couple of friends. It was the first year they were doing it as a relay. It was not organized very well. I did the 2nd leg. After finish my 5 miles I had to ride the train to the finish line and by the time I got there the race was well over. I would have been better off just running it to the end.

In April, Keith and I ran the Ocean City Half-Marathon, the same race I did last year. It was really great having a running buddy this time. My training wasn't what it was last year due to some health problems. But, we finished in the same amount of time. If Keith hadn't been there I don't think I would have finished in under 2 1/2 hours. This time the kids came and my parents helped out. It was really fun to see them at various points during the race and at the finish. It was a great experience overall.

In May I turned 27. My parents took me up to NYC for my cousins wedding. While we were there we went to see West Side Story on Broadway. It was amazing. I'm officially in love with musical theater. I can't wait till I can go do that again.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of months.

Allison has discovered her love for blackberries.

This is the only picture we took on the day of our race.

Incognito.

Getting ready to start my leg of the relay.

The boys at the air show. I LOVE this picture.

Catching Up

2010-03-18T12:34:00.014-04:00

So my last post was before Christmas. We have lots to catch up on! Our biggest news as of late is that I will be going back to school full time in the fall. We have decided that we would both like to pursue careers in teaching. The plan is for me to get my teaching certificate first and then Keith will go back to school after I start working. I can't think of anything more fun that having summers off together as a family.

Keith turned 28 last week. He got shoes and camping gear and spent time with family. It was fun and low key. Noah had a great time helping put the candles in the cake which was a lemon chocolate chip cake. Yum! We debated whether Keith is "pushing" 30 yet. When he turned 27 the conclusion was that he was only "leaning" toward 30. I think 28 is pushing 30 but some think you have to be 29 before that happens. Either way time is moving fast. It seems the older we get the faster time goes. Will we wake up tomorrow at Allison's wedding?

The kids are thriving. A picture is worth a thousand words so perhaps all these photos will make up for 3 months worth of blogging neglect. Enjoy!

We had record breaking snowfalls this winter. Allison was adorable in her snow pants!

Perma-pigtails.

Allison is discovering her inner daredevil.

Noah is a happy 3 year old who loves to snuggle with Mom and Dad.

Noah with his best friend at Hidden Pond.

We survived the cold/flu season reasonable well. Allison did get a 48 hour bug. She fell asleep on the couch which almost never happens.

Our little girl has learned how to eat with a spoon.

This was when Noah got my mascara.

Here's Keith entertaining some kids who came over for a playdate.

Santa 2009

2009-12-15T23:57:00.003-05:00

Last year Noah was terrified of Santa. This year, he's still not so sure about him. It took a candy cane to get him on Santa's lap but Noah's face says it all. Allison really couldn't have cared less. The result: children of the corn. Maybe next year we'll get a little more enthusiasm out of these two. Merry Christmas!

Nasty Baby

2009-11-25T09:43:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago I was helping Noah on the potty when the phone rang. Normally I would have just let it ring but I was expecting an important call so I ran to get it leaving Noah and Allison alone in the bathroom. I thought the worst that Allison could do was unroll all the toilet paper. A few moments later I heard Noah yelling, "Nooooo baby!" and I ran in to see what she was doing. Noah had gone poop and then got off the potty after which Allison proceeded to go fishing for poop. And she took a little taste as well. Never a dull moment.

The picture is of her eating dirt, but you get the idea.

Halloween

2009-11-22T15:46:00.009-05:00

So, I just realized I forgot to blog about Halloween. Silly me! Last year Noah was afraid of his costume. It was a little bee costume and we wrestled him into it despite his protests. We were hoping that once he saw how it looked he'd warm up to it. It turns out, we probably just traumatized him.

This year I was determined to get Noah into a costume. I spent a lot of time talking to him about Halloween in the weeks leading up to it. He still said "no way" to wearing a costume. Then, one day, we were at the store and I was showing him a bunch of different costumes still getting the same response. I picked up a Superman costume and took it out of the package just to see if it would fit. The moment he saw it out of the box, he wanted it. I never thought it would be so easy! After that he couldn't wait for Halloween. He's cured! This all happened about 2 weeks before the holiday. When we bought the costume it fit perfectly but by Halloween it was a little small. Kids grow so fast!

We went over to Burke Lake to take a ride on the ghost train and the carousel. They handed out candy and we had cotton candy too. The kids were loaded with sugar before they even went trick or treating! We went with some friends. Here they are in their costumes. The little kangaroo is Allison's buddy Savannah (they are only 3 days apart!) You can see that we put Allison in the dreaded bee costume of last year. Luckily, Noah was not afraid of her.

That night we went to a friends house for a little potluck and then went trick or treating in their neighborhood. It was great fun despite the rain that hit about half and hour in. One of the best

things that came of all this was Noah finally discovered what his very favorite candy is. Drum roll please........................SMARTIES! That was all he would eat from his bag. It was great because Keith and I got to eat the rest. Here they are with a couple of friends from the trick or treating group. So much fun!

Noah Turns 3

2009-11-19T14:08:00.004-05:00

Monday was Noah's 3rd birthday. It's so crazy that it has been 3 years since he was born. I asked Noah if he'd rather have a party or a trip to the zoo for his birthday and he chose the zoo. We went last Saturday and the kids had a blast. Sunday we did cake and presents. Now the countdown begins again to November 16th 2010......here's a little tribute to our oldest.

Incubation.

The day after he was born.

His 3rd birthday! He's growing up so fast!

Music Time

2009-10-09T21:35:00.004-04:00

It seems that our children have some musical talent. They certainly have a great deal of enthusiasm for singing!

Here's Allison singing the Batman theme song and Noah singing ABCs.

I seem to always blog two entries at a time so check out the one after this, I just wrote it 10 minutes ago.

Catching Up

2009-10-09T21:23:00.005-04:00

Here are some snippets of what has been going on with us over the last several weeks.

Allison is getting so big. He hair is growing fast and I was finally able to give her pig-tails. I can't tell you how long I've waited to give my daughter pig-tails. They didn't last long though, her hair's still pretty short.
She still enjoys an occasional dirt snack at the park. But, in her defense, she's getting better about it every day.

We took the family to the Cox Farm Fall festival. The kids had a great time and especially loved all the pumpkins. Oh, and Noah got nice and dirty as usual. See below.

Vindication

2009-09-16T11:22:00.003-04:00

Lately, Allison has been impossible at the grocery store. The main problem is that she always stands up in the cart. I'm not talking about the main compartment, I'm talking about the basket in the front. Now, you might be thinking, "why don't you just use the straps?" They don't work, you'd sooner hold back the wind then get that girl to sit down. After a few experiences of getting stern looks and judgemental words from strangers I decided that I would start putting her in the main compartment with Noah. She can stand up there and it's less dangerous. Unfortunately, she thinks it's fun to throw all the groceries out of the cart. So, do I let her stand in the basket and endure the judgements of others or put her in the main compartment where she'll chew through the butter box and throw everything else out?

Today I saw a mother with a little girl Allison's age standing in the front basket. Finally! I'm not the only one. So I say, let them judge! I know that my baby girl is safe because I'm standing right there and I will catch her if she falls.

Backpacking Trip

2009-09-09T23:09:00.006-04:00

Last weekend Keith and I left the kids and went on a 2.5 day backpacking trip in Shenandoah. I've never been backpacking before but I like hiking and I like camping so it seemed logical that I would also enjoy backpacking. So, here's what I learned....

-although fun, hiking with 30 pounds on your back is actually hard work

-seeing deer in their natural habitat is so much cooler than at the zoo

-hiking down a mountain is MUCH harder than hiking up

-I have the best hubby in the world

We went about 13 miles total and towards the end of our second day my legs and knees were so tired that I could hardly walk. Keith was amazing, he took as much of the weight off my pack as he could carry. Who said chivalry is dead? Now, if I could just get him to do the dishes....

Here are some pics from the trip:

Here's Keith at the summit of Robertson Mountain. Right before the "thigh-burning" descent.

Here's a picture of the deer that wandered into our camp. She just hung out and stared at us for a while. It was pretty cool.

This is the first day (hence the smile). I'm sitting on the stool that Keith fashioned out of three sticks, some rope and a peice of fabric. Yeah, he's MacGyvor.

A Year in Review (tribute to Allison)

2009-08-31T23:45:00.009-04:00

Allison is now a year old. We celebrated her birthday last Saturday and I really can't believe that our little girl is growing up so fast. She even started walking today. Sigh. So, here is a nice picture overload of Allison's first year. Enjoy!

Summer in Review

2009-08-31T23:03:00.007-04:00

It seems that I have not been the world's best blogger but I will attempt to make up for lost time. Here are some of the things that have gone on this summer. We went on a camping trip several weeks ago which proved to be quite interesting. It was Allison's first time and she slept in her portacrib in the tent. She found it difficult to stand up as there are no bars to grab. But, alas, she found a way.

Here is Noah on his first day of potty training. He was so determined to earn a popsickle that he sat on the potty for two hours while watching tv.

Noah and I have been having some fun baking cookies with our new-to-us Kitchen Aid mixer. His favorite part is, of course, eating the dough.

A few weeks ago Keith had a get together with all 5 of his brothers. We were able to convice a few of the other wives to come out. The men went to Kings Dominion and spent time playing frisbee golf and paintball. The ladies (and 7 children) picked raspberries, and went to the Prince William County Fair. On the last night we all got together at the swimming pool. It was a good time and was so awesome to be with family!

Noah and his cousin Jacob just chillin by the pool, eatin' some chips.

Allison with her cousin Ella showing off their cute bows. My wonderful sister-in-law makes these and you can buy them at her website ellasbows.com.

Stay tuned for more posts........

Potty Training

2009-08-03T11:56:00.003-04:00

We've officially survived potty training. I've always heard that it is really difficult but one can't really appreciate how difficult until you experience it. I couldn't have done it without Keith. At the end of the day, when I had reached my breaking point, Keith was always there to take over. Now, a week and a half later, Noah has very few accidents and wears underwear all the time. Yeah for Noah!

Independence Day

2009-07-05T20:20:00.006-04:00

It's great when the 4th of July is on a Saturday because we get two days of fun instead of one. I guess people feel like they get jipped if they don't get a day off work. So, we started celebrating on the 3rd. We went to the Water Mine with the cousins, which was a blast. The kids really enjoyed it. Well, Noah did. Allison slept for a lot of it.

On the 4th we went to the Burke Ward Picnic at Accontink Park and won the water balloon toss. Yeah, us! Noah also got to ride the carousel which is quickly becoming one of his very favorite things to do. That night we went to a friend's house and had a bbq and they lit off hundreds of illegal fireworks. It was pretty exciting! Noah had a grand time and, again, Allison slept for much of it. Independence Day might be one of my favorite holidays. We are truely blessed to live in America and have all the freedom and prosperity that we enjoy. God bless America!

Noah on the Carousel at Accotink Park.

Recovery

2009-07-01T19:25:00.003-04:00

Ever since I can remember I have been a nail biter. I know, it's a very gross habit. I've lost count of how many times I have tried to quit. Most of the time it lasts a few weeks, maybe a month, before I have a relapse. Well folks, 2 1/2 months and counting without biting a nail. You might ask, how can one quit a habit of 24 years? I didn't think it was possible myself.

The change happened when I ran the half-marathon. That was something I didn't think was possible either. After the race I wondered why I was able to make myself do something I didn't like (running) but I couldn't make myself stop doing something I didn't like (nail biting.) Shouldn't it be easier to not do something than to do something? Suddenly, I found the will power. Oddly enough, it takes very little will power anymore. I don't even have much desire to bite. Something about running that race changed me in a fundamental way. I have realized that I can do hard things.

A Day at the Pool

2009-06-27T19:23:00.005-04:00

We had a fun day today visiting with our friends in Baltimore. Here are some pictures from the day. The first one is of Allison eating some leaves, yummy!

Farewell to Transience

2009-06-25T23:17:00.004-04:00

Since we got married in 2004 Keith and I have not stayed in one place more than 8 months, that is, until now. It's kind of funny to think about all the places we have lived:

Burke, VA (4 months)
Chicago, IL (4 months)
Burke, VA (8 months)
Fort Collins, CO (4 months)
Great Falls, VA (8 months)
Oklahoma City, OK (4 LONG months)
Salt Lake City, UT (6 months)
Fairfax, VA (3 months)
Ashburn, VA (1 month)
Burke, VA (11 months)

Oddly enough, it seems we have come full circle. We have lived in more cities in 4 years than some people live do in a life time. I am thinking about this because we are now fast approaching our one year mark of homeownership.

I used to beg Keith to give up door-to-door sales so we could just stay in one place for a year. Recently, I started to feel a little itchy. Like we need to pack up and move. It feels strange to still be here. Although, cumulatively, we've lived in Burke for almost 2 years. When I really tried to imagine moving I realized that what I really want, and have wanted all along, is to put down some roots. We talk with our friends about our kids going to kindergarten together and I hope that we stay long enough to see that come to pass. There is no reason for us not to. Hopefully we can put down roots here. It just feels like home. In all the places we've lived, nothing feels quite like home the way Virginia does.

DC Trip

2009-06-12T21:40:00.006-04:00

I've been meaning to post this for a while but I just forgot about it. A while ago we went downtown with some friends to see the Natural History Museum and some of the monuments. First we went to the museum and had a great time. We went to the butterfly exhibit which was so cool. You go into this room and there are butterflies everywhere and they even land on you. Allison was the only one fortunate to experience a butterfly landing on her and she didn't even notice. Noah noticed and insisted that we get it off her. So protective.

After the museum we were on our way to the Lincoln Monument and Noah blew out his diaper to the point that his pants and shirt were soiled. He hasn't done that in about a year so I had stopped bringing a change of clothes for him. I ended up buying him a t-shirt from a cart ("I Love DC") and putting Allison's spare pants on him.

While I was changing Noah the others found a fountain to splash in outside of the museum. The moment Noah saw that he was all about it. I was fine with it until he fell in and soaked the new clothes I had just put on him. So, I bought ANOTHER t-shirt and took the pants off Allison to put on him. Then, Allison had her 3rd poopy diaper of the trip and used my last diaper so when Noah soaked through the one he was wearing he had to borrow a pink pull up from Ava. Phew! This is long. Well, you know what they say.......a picture is worth a thousand words.

Summertime

2009-06-10T19:51:00.001-04:00

Well, it is offically summer here in VA. We've had quite a few hot humid days and have taken advantage with trips to the pool. Although, oddly it seems that every time we go it starts thundering. We've been having thunderstorms almost daily for the last few weeks. Yesterday, we were at the pool and some really loud thunder came from nowhere and we had to scurry home as quickly as we could. We make it inside moments before big chunks of hail started coming down. Noah was scared out of his mind. Here's a cute picture of Allison in her bikini. It's ok to put a baby in a bikini right?

Fears

2009-05-31T19:55:00.002-04:00

So this has been an interesting week for little Noah. For the past while I've noticed that Noah is absolutely scared of everything. He's scared of dogs, the wind, carousels and the doctor most of all. The last one I can understand but the wind? Really?

On Friday we went to the doctor. At first he was nervous but Allison was first to see the doc so he got to sit back and watch. After watching them examine her it was his turn. Not only was he not scared, he was delighted. The doctor had him eating out of her hand. She was looking for Diego in his ears and had him blow out a pretend candle to listen to his lungs. Amazing, best doctor ever. Needless to say I was pretty happy with how well it went.

Earlier this week we also came across a few dogs. He started to have his usual reaction of panic but it was half-hearted. They were just little puppies and he was curious. Next thing, he had those dogs eating out of his hands. 2 fears down, 2 to go.

Saturday we went to Burke Lake Park to ride the train. They also happen to have a carousel there. The last time Noah rode a carousel was about a year ago and it was quite a traumatic experience. I was extremely surprised that he immediately wanted to "ride the horsies." So, we got a ticket and I sat him on a horse and he said, "bye mom!" and off he went. Had the time of his life.

This afternoon we went for a walk and there was a nice breeze and a few gusts of wind. This would normally send Noah into a panic but instead he said "ooooh, it's windy!" and smiled. So, now I ask him, "Who are you and what have you done with my son?" It appears that my little boy who was afraid of everything, overcame all his fears in one week. If only it were that easy for us grown ups.........

Video madness

2009-05-17T23:09:00.006-04:00

Bears and Baltimore

2009-04-29T20:29:00.005-04:00

Our good friends April and Luke recently moved to Baltimore for the summer. They have 2 kids also. The oldest, Ava, is Noah's age and they get along really well. In fact, they are sort of betrothed. Normally they live in Utah so we are taking advantage of every opportunity to see them while they are so close. Since the half-marathon we've been to Baltimore twice. The first time we went to the Aquarium and the second time we went to Port Discovery which is a children's museum. I never even knew something like that existed before. Noah had a great time at both places with his buddy Ava. Here are some pictures.

In the rain outside the Aquarium. Noah is quite the gentleman. This will be a good one for the wedding slide-show. :-)

Those kids would have jumped in and swam with the sharks if we would have let them.

Our little jester.

Yee haw!

The happiest baby in the ball pit. Okay, the only baby in the ball pit.

Allison has hit a major milestone. She's now as big as Buddy the koala bear. Where does the time go?

Easter and Marathon

2009-04-20T08:59:00.004-04:00

It's been an eventful few weeks since I last posted. We'll start with Easter. The Friday before Easter we went to my parents house for an egg hunt with the cousins. Noah really liked finding the eggs and especailly opening them to find chocolate candy inside! That same evening we went to the other cousin's house and colored eggs. On Easter sunday we went to my parents house for dinner. It was really fun to see all the kids together enjoying the holiday.

Last week, the kids took their first of many baths together. It is much easier to bath them when you can do both at once. Maybe I can actually start bathing them more than once a week. :-)

On the 18th I ran in the Ocean City Half Marathon. I was so nervous the night before I didn't sleep at all. I was freaking out because it would be a lot harder to run 13.1 miles on no sleep. Somehow I got through it. My goal was to average a 10 minute mile and I pretty much did that. I finished in 2 hours and 11 minutes. Out of 370 runners I finished 224th. Pretty good for my first time I think. I really had a lot of fun. The weather was beautiful. We really couldn't have asked for a more beautiful morning. It was in the 50s when I started and probably about 70 when I finished and sun was shining the whole time. I can't wait to run another one. Anyone want to join me for the Richmond Half-Marathon is September?

This was in the 11th mile. Almost there!

After the race we walked to the beach and enjoyed the scenery a little bit. Then there was a post-race party at a local hotel with pizza and goodies and a hot tub. Man, that hot tub felt so good on my tired legs! Overall, it was a great experience. The only thing that could have made it better would be to have seen my kids at the finish line too. But, we left them with the grandparents (thanks guys!) because they would not have enjoyed getting up at 5 am. I couldn't have done it without Keith's support. He's so wonderful and I'm so lucky to be married to him!

Cherry Blossoms

2009-04-06T09:05:00.004-04:00

On Saturday we went downtown to see the cherry blossom parade. It was Noah's first parade and he absolutely loved it. He got to see Elmo and Bigbird and the Easter Bunny. He really liked all the marching bands too. It was super windy too but that wasn't too bad. We all got a little bit of sun (except for Allison) and were quite worn out when we got home. Here are some pictures!

Allison slept for quite a while despite the wind, sun and noise. Babies are amazing.

I was looking at some old pictures yesterday and Allison was "helping". She was pretty much in heaven with so many things to grab.
Keith got out his backpack (he's been wanting to go backpacking lately) and Noah wanted to give it a try. It might not be his size though.

This and That

2009-04-02T14:08:00.005-04:00

I have 8 more runs before the big race. Last week I ran 12 miles in the rain around Burke Lake. It was actually pretty fun. There were hardly any people there so it was very peaceful. There were even some pelicans on the lake. It was the first time I've seen pelicans, outside the zoo, except for in Finding Nemo and I don't think that counts. The half-marathon is 13.1 miles so now that I've accomplished 12 I feel like the pressure is off.

I got my hair cut last week. Here are the results. Nothing too dramatic just some bangs and layers.

Keith's second season on the Grumpy Old Men (that's the name of his basketball team) has ended. He is not signing up to play full time for another season. He plans to play as a substitute if they need him which is fine for me. He doesn't have to pay anything to be a sub.

Here's a picture of Noah jumping off the bed. He'll jump off of just about every peice of furniture in our house.

The kids are doing well. Allison really wants to crawl but she's not quite there yet. I think she has inherited my impatience. She can only be on her tummy for a little while before she gets really frustrated. Noah is becoming more willful and independent every day. His latest pastime is opening the fridge and standing there saying "ummmmmm" for a very long time. I find myself constantly telling him to close the door because he's letting all the cold air out. Nothing gets done around the house unless Noah's involved. Today he helped unload the dishwasher. His idea of helping fold laundry involves putting all the clean clothes in the dirty clothes hamper. It seems he doesn't understand the distinction.

I love this picture of Allison because it really shows her pretty blue eyes. Not to mention her smile. :-)

We had dinner with my former college roomate/close friend and her husband. It's been years since we've seen eachother so it was great to catch up. Here we are at California Pizza Kitchen.

My piano teaching business is dwindling. I've just lost 2 more students. I must admit it's a blow to my confidence when I lose a student. As a private teacher-slash-stay-at-home-mom there are many challenges to overcome. Firstly, I have 2 kids to tend to neither of which seem very interested in letting me teach. Second, I live in a condo so there is a noise issue. I have to be careful not to teach too late eliminating the option of teaching when the kids are in bed. Thirdly, I spend all day dealing with my own kids and have little patience left for my students. It is becoming harder and harder for me. Half of my students are adults and I enjoy teaching adults LOADS more than kids. I am considering changing my studio to an adult studio. I just wonder if there is as much of a market out there for adults who want to learn. Where would I even start to market to adults? Sigh.

It seems I need to find another way to earn income for our family. So, I've applied for a job as a subsitute teacher for the Fairfax County Public Schools. I'm thinking of just doing one or two days a week and trying to do a babysitting exchange with another mom who maybe wants to do the same thing. So any moms out there who are reading this and are interested in swapping kids a few days a week you let me know! Enough of my ramblings already. 2 weeks til marathon day!

Williamsburg

2009-03-19T18:34:00.006-04:00

I'm a little behind on blogging as usual. Last week was Keith's birthday. He turned the big 2-7. As he puts it he's not pushing 30 until he's 28. Right now he's only leaning towards it. I surprised him with a weekend trip to Williamsburg. We left the kids with the grandparents and drove down on Friday. Unfortunately, it rained the whole time we were there so there wasn't a lot to do. It was still quite enjoyable, nontheless. It was really nice to have a break from the kids and get to sleep in even for just one day. We came back on Sunday morning. It was the longest I've ever been away from Allison and I was amazed how much I missed her even though it was such a short time.

On Saturday morning we went for a 10 mile run which was really fun. We ran along a road through the forest. It was raining but not much got through the trees so it wasn't too bad. After our run we went back to the hotel and spent the afternoon eating pancakes and watching tv. We went to a nice steak dinner after that and then saw a movie. We saw Taken which we both really liked. Here are some pictures from the trip.

At the hotel.

The Chophouse, where we had dinner.

Now on to the kids. Allison has become little-miss-grabby-hands. Whenever we eat she insists on sitting on my lap and trying to grab food off my plate. We were eating chicken noodle soup for lunch today and I was helping Noah with his food and Allison hit the side of my bowl and the broth flew. Amazingly, she didn't get any on her while I got soaked. Noah just said, "uh-oh!" and I think he was relieved that, for once, he wasn't going to get in trouble for making a mess with food. Sigh.

Noah helped set the table for dinner tonight. He did such a good job. Here he is showing off his work. Notice the placement of the glasses. I can't believe how grown up he is getting.

Skinny Pants

2009-03-07T21:10:00.002-05:00

We finally got the couch business straightened out. Here is the stinky couch. As you can see it has a very low back. We ended up selling it for a $100 profit. So it turned out to be a good thing,

This is beautiful new couch. I got it on craigslist, of course. The color is little darker than the picture. It's kind of beige with a hint of olive. It's very comfortable and it has 2 recliners. That's probably Keith's favorite feature. The best part it that the people we bought from have a really nice smelling apartment. Now our living room smells like vanilla. Mmmmmmm.

I can officially wear my skinny pants. Yeah! This picture was taken before I got to do my hair but it show the pants well. These pants are pre-Noah. It took me 9 months to wear them after Noah and this time it took only 6. I'm very proud of myself. I've still got 6 weeks of training left for the half-marathon so I hope to see even more improvement.

Today was an unseasonably warm day. It was so nice to be outside wearing shorts no less! It's even more funny because just on Tuesday we were taking Noah sledding after the snowstorm. Gotta love this VA climate! I'll have to post some pictures of Noah in the snow.

We went to the elementary school where I used to go sledding when I was a kid. It's a REALLY big hill. We sent Noah down the steepest part first. He was really digging it until he got to about the middle of the hill and then his facial expression turned to pure terror. I was at the bottom to catch him. He was going so fast that he knocked me over and we both wiped out. Nobody was hurt and he was laughing by the time he stopped. I will never forget that look on his face. It was so funny how quickly it changed.

I guess that's what is so enjoyable about sledding and roller coasters and other scary things that we enjoy. It's the thrill of having absolutely no control and no idea what the outcome will be. It's terrifying but extremely invigorating at the same time. Noah enjoyed it but did not want to do it again so we went to a less steep part of the hill where he went down numerous times. I have a feeling Noah will be a thrill seeker when he's older.

Couches, Beds and Bottles

2009-02-27T23:08:00.004-05:00

My voice is offically back. Thank goodness! This week has certainly been an interesting one. On Tuesday was bought a couch off of craigslist. I'm a BIG craigslist addict. It looked like a great deal so I sent Keith to check it out and he decided to buy it. Afterwards he told me, on the phone, that it had a smell but he wasn't sure what it was. When I got home I immediately knew that the smell was cigarettes. Keith also then informed me that he really didn't like the couch because it doesn't have enough back support. So I'm not sure why this smelly and uncomfortable couch is sitting in my living room.

Over the last few days I've managed to neutralize the smell to a tolerable level using baking soda and febreeze. I believe, over time, I can get rid of the smell all together. As for the comfort level of the couch, I actually like it and it matches our room pretty well. So, I decided to make a case for keeping the couch but Keith will not have it. So, now I have two couches taking up a lot of space in our small living room. The only solution is to sell one or both of them. I listed them both on craigslist to see which would sell first.

Here comes the most frustrating part. I've sold MANY things on craigslist in the past and had no trouble at all. But with this, I get email after email and NOBODY will follow through. I've people so much as say they want to come buy it right now and then never email me back. You've got to be kidding me! If I don't get one of these couches out of here soon I'm going to loose my mind.

On a more cheerful note, Noah got a big boy bed this week. He absolutely adored his racecar toddler bed but he kept rolling off at night or wanting to sleep in our bed. The other night I was fast asleep and when I rolled over I woke up because Noah was asleep across my legs like a puppy dog. I concluded that he must not really have enough room on his toddler bed. Since we got the twin size bed he has stopped coming into our room. He's been napping better too.

This week, Allison decided that she is done nursing. She would just cry all the time for about the last week and a half and I couldn't figure out why. I though she was teething so I kept giving her tylenol, orajel, and teething tablets to no avail. Finally, one night, I remembered that this is exactly how Noah acted when he was giving up nursing. So, I made a bottle and gave it to her and she hasn't wanted to nurse since. It's particularly weird because, up to this point I couldn't get her to take a bottle at all. Now she's just as happy as can be and loves to hold her own bottle and everything. Easier for me!

Final note, tonight we got the movie Enchanted from netflix. I absolutely loved it! If you are ever having a bad day just watch that movie and it will cheer you right up. So funny.

Laryngitis

2009-02-25T23:13:00.003-05:00

Today I woke up and tried to speak and nothing came out. I've had laryngitis before but never like this. It's been a whole day and I still can't talk. In the past it's only lasted and few hours and then my voice is back. It was so sad when I tucked Noah into be and he wanted me to sing him a song and I just couldn't. I don't think he really understood. I just kept telling him that mommy's voice is broken today.

Over the course of the day, I noticed that Noah's behavior changed becuase I wasn't able to talk to him. If I needed to tell him something I'd get down to his level and whisper to him. He was almost more responsive to this than my usual tone. I try very hard not to yell but I definitely have a tone I use when I'm being firm with him. I simply could not do that today.

The other thing I noticed was that he also spoke more quietly. He likes to talk really loud at the dinner table and we are constantly telling him to quiet down and he rarely listens. At tonight's dinner it was very quiet because I was only speaking in whispers. Noah didn't feel the need to talk so loudly. There might be some benefit in speaking softly with children.

It's not a coincidence that parents who yell at their children tend to have very loud children. However, I never thought that if I spent an entire day whispering that it would cause such a dramatic change in the overall noise level of my home. When I do regain my voice perhaps I'll try to speak more quietly to my children.

"Please Help"

2009-02-23T14:39:00.002-05:00

Today I was driving home from the grocery store. Allison was screaming in the back seat and Noah was complaining because he was hungry. I was feeling overwhelmed with the two of them. I pulled up to a light and saw a man standing on the median holding a cardboard sign that said "please help." Over the years I've had a rather cynical attitude towards the homeless. I almost never give them money because I am sure they'll go buy alchohol. I prepared myself to do the usual avoidence of eye contact and impatiently waited for the light to turn green.

Just after the light turned the man ran out in front of my car. I almost ran him over. He was running to the car next to mine where a woman was offering him a few dollars. As he ran by he looked me right in the face. There was something about him that caught my attention. He was very young. He looked like he was only a few years older than myself. He was tall and strong and looked quite capable of working. I began thinking of the economic hard times we are experiencing in this country. Surely, there are many who are out asking for help who are NOT alchoholics. For all I knew, this man had a family and was simply out of work and out of options. I was overcome with guilt for having such a bad attitude towards this man. How could I, as a mother, deny this man a little bit of charity? Yeah, I don't have a lot but I can certainly afford to spare a little for someone who has nothing.

I pulled into the next shopping center and found a Subway. With two screaming kids in tow I bought a sandwich, cookies and some juice. With a few dollars added to the bag I drove back to place the man had been and he was gone. I panicked. Noah was in the back seat begging for the cookies he knew I had. I kept telling him they were for someone who had no food. I drove every direction from that point figuring he couldn't have gone very far in only 10 minutes on foot. Finally I found him and was able to deliver the food. He expressed gratitude and we continued on our ways. I drove away wishing I could have done more. I wanted to know who he was and learn his story.

The fact is, that I will most likely never see him again. But I have seen many like him and done nothing. I suppose I have a lot of time to make up for that. Upon reflecting on this experience I can't help but think of my own children. The poor and homeless are somebody's children too. If nothing else, they are children of our Heavenly Father. I can only hope that if, Heaven forbid, one of my children were is such a situation that somebody who show them compassion.

The Latest

2009-02-18T20:40:00.005-05:00

Here's Noah in his cardboard box-airplane.

We've been on a smoothie kick lately. Smoothies make the best mustaches!

We had a very nice Valentines day last week. Keith's parents came over and we had some steaks cooked on the grill, yummy! We then made some candy with a little kit I found at the store. It was really easy and fun. Noah got to help. I wish I had taken some pictures before we gave them all away.

After putting the kids to bed, we went out to a dance put on by our church. It was specifically for the adults. They had a chocolate fountain and played a few of our favorite songs. We enjoyed dancing the Electric Slide and the YMCA, oh yeah!

My aunt and uncle were in town this weekend. Monday we went to my parent's house for lunch with everyone. My brother and his family were also there. It was really fun. That night we went to see Confessions of a Shopaholic, which I LOVED! Apparently I was the only one who loved it. It was not the kind of movie one takes seriously but is very entertaining.

The kids have been up to their usual shinanigans. Today Noah decided he didn't need to wear diapers anymore. I was pretty happy about that until he peed all over my foot. I don't think he's quite ready for potty training just yet. Allison loves watching Noah play. She especially loves it when he runs in circles in the living room. When he laughs, she laughs, which makes him laugh, which makes her laugh.....and so on. Next thing we know we are all laughing for no reason at all.

Allison fresh from the bathtub wearing the hooded towel Grandma Huling made for her.

This video is of Noah singing "The Itsy Bitsy Spider." He sings it all the time, especially at the dinner table and when riding in the car.

Shopping Carts

2009-02-12T15:01:00.007-05:00

I am way overdue for a new post. Better late than never, right? Things have been quite busy for us around here. Keith started the winter season of his basketball league. He played the fall season and liked it so he signed up again. It's at a place called Hoops Magic. It's HUGE! It has 5 full courts in one gym. Quite amazing.

I am currently training for a half marathon. It's been a goal of mine since after I had Noah. I decided when I got pregnant with Allison that I wouldn't have any more babies until I did it. So, we bought a treadmill and I started a training program. It's pretty hard, but has been easier than I expected. I have been able to reach each goal so far. I am only up to running 3 miles at a time but I still have 9 1/2 weeks to go. The race in is Ocean City, MD on April 17th. I figured a coast would be pretty flat so that's why I picked it.

Allison is now sitting up all by herself. She does fall over after a little while but she's getting stronger and stronger. I can't believe how fast she is growing up. She really enjoys solid food and I am considering putting her on formula. I've been nursing her for almost 6 months now and I'm getting kind of tired of it. Keith thinks I should go till she's 9 months. We'll see.

Noah is still Noah. He's getting bigger and bigger and more and more independent. Last week we found a toy shopping cart at the thrift store. Best 99cents I ever spent. He loves that thing! This morning we went grocery shopping and he insisted on using his own little cart. So we walked through the store and I filled his cart first and then mine. He kept stopping to tell everyone all the things he had in his cart. It was pretty cute.

Here's Noah "teaching" Allison to sit up. He thought is was really fun to fall down.

Never a Dull Moment

2009-01-24T21:56:00.005-05:00

Some of the pictures are a little older, like this one of Noah in Allison's carseat. Which is actually his old carseat but he doesn't remember.

Duck head! Allison was just a few weeks old here.

This is current. Noah is a great older brother!

Noah's most recent preferred sleeping position.

Now that Allison is all recovered we have been trying to get back into a more normal rhythm. I started a few new piano students this week. In all, I have 6 new students since the first of the year.

Last weekend Keith and I went to see the National Symphony play. They had a pianist named Leif Andsnes (not sure I spelled it right.) He's Norwegian and VERY good. They played the Rachmoninoff 3rd piano concerto. It was amazing! It's been a long time since I've been to the symphony and I forgot how much I enjoyed it. I got tickets for this week's performance of Symphonie Fantastique and took my mother-in-law. It was also very enjoyable. I hope to attend more NSO performances in the future.

We got a second car this week. We bought my brother's 98 Camry. We got it for very cheap and it's perfect for me to drive around with the kids on occasion. Most importantly, it has 4 doors. I was getting so tired of getting those kids in and out of a 2 door car.

The kids have been their usual selves. Allison has really taken a liking to solid food. Particularly the sweet ones. She really likes banannas and applesauce. But, who doesn't? Noah just about gave me a heart attack the other day by drinking gasoline. Yes, GASOLINE. How did he get gasoline, you might ask? Well, we ran out of gas a few weeks ago and Keith left the gas can on the porch. It was the second time I had to call poison control in the month. (The first time he drank all purpose cleaner.) Surprisingly, gas isn't all that hazardous when swallowed. We just had to keep him away from any open flames for a few days. Never a dull moment.

Nothing but the Good Stuff

2009-01-16T01:18:00.005-05:00

I figured out that Noah actually didn't erase the pictures. He just somehow moved them to a separate folder on the camera. So here we go. These pictures were all taken around Christmas time.

Christmas Eve luminarios.

All of us.

Allison has mastered the poker face.

Noah in the new play room. I got it all on craigslist. I love cragislist!

This girl has an iron grip and she love to grab hair.

Learning to roll over.

Every morning Noah likes to watch Mommy put on makeup. He always insists on holding everything after I use it. Most of the time he can't get any of it open but this time he did.

BTW Allison is all better. She came down with some bad diarrhea last night and we ended up in the ER. Since she didn't respond to antibiotics so they decided she must have a virus. Today her fever is down and she's sleeping much better. The diarrhea has finally subsided this evening. Needless to say, we are very relieved. Just when I thought she couldn't get any worse, she very quickly got much better. She is very lucky to have so many friends and family who were praying for her.

A Good New, Bad News Day

2009-01-14T13:06:00.003-05:00

So I've been meaning to post about Christmas and now we're half way through January. Where did the time go? I'll just give a brief synopsis about Christmas so as not to bore anyone with a ridiculously long post. We spent Christmas Eve with Heather's parents. They came over to our house and we made treats. Then we had a nice dinner and went caroling to a few families we know. It was really fun to see how happy they were to have carolers. It seems to be becoming a lost tradition. Then we made luminarios (sp?) which is a Huling Family tradition. We also watched a Christmas Carol which is a Stephenson family tradition. I really enjoyed combining our different family traditions to make something entirely its own. Noah REALLY enjoyed helping make the treats. He was really good at eating them too. Overall, it was a wonderful day. (I HAD pictures, but Noah got a hold of my camera and erased them all.)

Christmas Day was spent in Woodbridge with Keith's parents and also his brothers and lots of cousins. Two of Keith's brothers came into town and it was really great to spend time with everyone. We all went to Lurray Caverns and did many other fun things in the week that followed Christmas. It's was a really fun time for everyone!

So, that's the good news. Now come the not so good stuff. On Monday afternoon Allison came down with a fever. I didn't think much of it but when it didn't subside by the next day I became concerned. When it peaked at 103.7 I called the doctor. She doesn't have any other symptoms besides fever and generally being unhappy. We went in and about a dozen uncomfortable tests later, they still don't know what's wrong. Her white blood cell count is very high and she tests negative for a virus. That leaves bacterial infection. They did blood and urine cultures and we're waiting for the results. Meanwhile, they gave her two injections of antibiotics last night and two more this morning. The worst possible thing is that she has a blood infection, which is potentially life threatening. Best possible outcome is that the cultures will be negative and she'll just get over whatever it is on her own.

The doctor is optimistic after she made it through the night last night without get any worse. But, she hasn't gotten any better either. Sooner or later, she has to get better.....or worse. The doctor thinks that if she was going to get sicker she would have by now. I'm a little more skeptical, but I'm not a doctor. They gave her antibiotics which might have prevented her from getting worse but I still worry that this could be very serious. Maybe I just worry too much. I won't stop worrying until the fever breaks. We will get the results of the blood test by tomorrow. Here's hoping.

Parties Galore

2008-12-16T13:26:00.001-05:00

We had a really crazy weekend that even spilled over into Monday. On Saturday, I went to a baby shower, then a wedding rehearsal, then a birthday party, and then a Christmas Party. Its was a lot of partying. By the time we got home from all the festivites we were all very tired, but we had fun.

Noah saw Santa Clause at the Christmas Party. He was okay from a distance but really scared up close. Santa was handing candy out and Noah wouldn't go anywhere near him until he saw the candy. Then he went right up, took the candy and ran. It was pretty funny. He also had fun playing with his friend Gavin at the party. They shared their fear of Santa.

That night we decided to paint the bathroom after the kids went to bed. Unfortunately, the paint color I picked turned out to be more orange than beige (which is what I was going for). So, we're going to try just painting it white. You can't go wrong with white, right?

Last night we went to a wedding where Noah was the ring bearer. He looked really cute in his suit and tie. He ran down the isle swinging the little pillow in one had by his side. (He didn't have the real ring.) Everyone thought he was really cute. We ended up spending the rest of the wedding outside because the kids were being too noisy. Luckily, it was quite warm yesterday. It felt like spring in December! I wouldn't be surprised if we didn't get any snow this season. (And I wouldn't be disappointed either.)

Sleep Training and Solid Food

2008-12-12T09:55:00.002-05:00

Allison is fast approaching the magic age of solid foods. I decided to give her some rice cereal this morning. She didn't really like it very much. I'm not sure she swallowed any but I'll try again later. She seems to be nursing more often (especially at night) so I think she needs more than just milk. She sure is growing fast.

She doesn't want to be swaddled any more, which is fine, but ever since we stopped swaddling her she wakes up a lot. When I try to swaddle her to help her sleep she gets really mad. I'm not sure what to do. I guess Allison just needs to figure out what she wants to do with her arms when she sleeps. The baby monitor stopped working so I guess now is a good time to sleep train her. We only hear her crying if she's REALLY crying. I forgot how much work babies are. In the beginning I just kept telling myself, "when she's 4 months it will be easier." Well, she's almost four months and it's actually gotten harder. It really doesn't get easier until about six months, at least that's how it was with Noah. I guess I was just hoping this one would be sooner. At least she's not sick anymore and she's happy, even if I'm still sleep deprived.

Doctors

2008-12-09T23:13:00.003-05:00

Allison has been very sick. We took her to the doctor on Monday and the doctor said she has RSV. She wanted a follow up the next day. When I took her in this morning I saw the other doctor who wasn't sure that she has RSV, so she ordered a test to make sure. I was told they would call with the results in a few hours. When they didn't call, I called them. The test wasn't back yet but the nurse told me that if the test is positive there isn't anything we can do because it's a virus. If it's not RSV then it's likely some other virus. If the test is positive, do nothing. If the test is negative, do nothing. So, I'm wondering, why bother ordering the test in the first place?? It just doesn't make sense.

So now I'm thinking of changing pediatricians. The time leading up to Allison's birth was very hectic for us and we didn't have time to really research doctors. We ended up going to the first one Keith found in the phone book. I haven't been particularly happy with them. When I went in with Noah shortly after having Allison the doctor thought I was pregnant. That's not a big deal but I had just been there a few days earlier with Allison and saw the same doctor. It just seems like they don't really care. The front desk people aren't very nice and we always have to wait a really long time to see the doctor. Anybody know a good pediatrician in the Burke/Springfield area?

Fun Times

2008-12-06T13:47:00.003-05:00

The other day I was cleaning the bathroom. We have an older house that we bought out of forclosure so it wasn't in the best condition. The upstairs bathroom is particularly bad. The previous owners were do-it-yourselfers who had NO IDEA what they were doing. If I ever meet them I am going to introduce them to a little thing called painters tape. They caulked the sink in such a way that it was all over the place (and chunky) and then painted the walls and decided to paint onto the caulk as well. When they painted the walls they didn't bother to clean any dust off so it's all grainy. And don't get me started on the wall paper border! As I was cleaning I realized that not matter how clean this bathroom is it is never going to look good. So, I started with the caulk. I managed to cut it all out (not an easy job) but not without tearing big chunks out of the wall. I think they may have run out of caulk and started using grout instead. So I had to spackle the wall too. After removing the caulk I realized the sink was installed a little crooked. Hence, the massive amounts of caulk. The sink is in pretty bad shape too so I got some stuff to refinish it. So, today I'm going to sand the caulk, refinish the sink, remove the wall paper and maybe try to sand the dust out of the paint before repainting it. I'll have to post before and after pictures soon. This bathroom also need a new shower and toilet but that will have to wait for now. I don't beleive the previous owner EVER cleaned ANY part of this house. The shower has begun to turn yellow and the grout between the floor tiles is a putrid shade of brown. Instead of replacing the floor I'm going to try using some super toxic industrial strength cleaner. That's another project for this afternoon. It's not that the bathroom isn't functional it's just very depressing to try and clean something that will always look dirty. The next house we buy will NOT be a forclosure. Maybe we'll get something new.....

Sick Kids

2008-12-04T10:41:00.002-05:00

The kids are still sick. In fact, I think the baby is getting worse. Last night she woke up more times than I can remember. She would start coughing and wake herself up and then she'd get upset and couldn't calm down until I went in and held her. Noah woke up a few times also. I should feel exhausted but I'm actually ok this morning. Sure, I'm tired but no more than usual.

Yesterday Allison was being so funny. I've never seen a baby jibber jabber so much in my life. She was squealing and laughing and wiggling all around. I'm going to start calling her chatterbox. Noah is finally getting over his obsession with oranges. Last week I bought a box of clementines and he's been constantly eating them to the point that he's been having some diahrrea. We decided to limit him to 3 a day. That led to a big power struggle over the oranges. This morning he had one for breakfast but didn't finish it. I think maybe he's finally getting tired of them. Now the rest of us can eat some too.

Another day

2008-12-03T10:00:00.002-05:00

So, last night was pretty rough. Allison woke up about every three hours. I've been expecting her sleeping to get better as she gets older but it only seems to get worse. I'm hoping that this is just a growth spurt. Now, Allison and Noah are both sick. At least Noah can take medicine. Allison is too little for cough syrup but she get antibodies from my milk so hopefully she'll get better soon.

We put up our Christmas tree a few days ago. We found a great deal on a fake one at the thrift store. Only $15! It's a little Charlie Brown-ish but after being decorated it looks pretty nice. I even wrapped some presents and put them under it to make it look complete. So far, Noah has only broken one ornament. Hopefully, he can resist the urge to unwrap all the presents.

Keith got a raise at work. Yeah! Now we can start saving for a second car. It stinks not being able to go anywhere. Although, I'm so used to being stuck here all the time, I'm not sure if I'd know where to go if I had a car. I'm sure I'll think of something.

Day Two of the Blog

2008-12-02T12:59:00.002-05:00

Today has been off to a great start. Noah has a cough but seems otherwise in good spirits. That was, until I started mopping the kitchen floor. By his reaction you would think I was poking him with sharp needles or something. This is new development. I have mopped the floor many time without Noah caring the least bit. Maybe he was just tired or something. He's asleep now, thank goodness. Allison is too. It's nice to enjoy a few moments of quiet even though I know they won't last too long. Oh! There's Allison crying. Gotta go.

My First Post

2008-12-01T09:20:00.000-05:00

So, I'm finally trying out this blogging thing. Everyone says it's great so we'll see. I'm not convinced anyone will read it but it's good practice for me I guess. We are the Hulings: Keith, Heather, Noah and Allison. We live in VA and life is good. We bought our first house this summer and it has really been an adventure. After moving around so much over the last few years it is nice to finally put down some roots.

For almost two years it has been just three of us. Me, Keith and Noah. We loved watching our oldest boy grow and learn new things. In August we had a little girl who we named Allison. She's now 3 months old and SO cute. We can no longer give Noah our undivided attention but he doesn't seem to mind. He really loves his little sister. We have to make sure and watch him so he doesn't love her to death sometimes. It is a joy to sit around the dinner table with Noah and Allison as they jibber jabber about heaven knows what. We really need to get that on video. Already I feel like they are growing up too fast. I'm not looking forward to the day I have to send Noah to kindergarten. Although it is nearly 4 years away, I'm sure it will come all too fast.