A Christmas Story

Our Christmas celebrations started with our gift exchange with Mandy, Heath and Drew. They bought Ethan a race car track and Emerson a baby doll. She was so cute with her one tooth! We bought Drew another drum set. Of course Ethan had to bring his down from the bonus room and rock out. Here are some videos of our evening.

Ethan's School Christmas Party

The three year old classes combined their Christmas party this year. They celebrated with snacks and juice boxes. Some of the children exchanged presents. We had simple gifts this year, just reindeer ears with bells on them. I normally buy gifts after Christmas while they're on clearance, but I didn't find anything last year. I took Ethan home early since we were heading to my mom's house. He wanted to leave the second I got there and had a bit of a meltdown when I made him sit down and eat! He was in dire need of a haircut too, eh?

To Grammy's house we go...

After Ethan's Christmas party, we set out for Grammy's. She saved her tree decorating for Ethan. He has decorated A LOT of Christmas trees this year! He even helped Grandma decorate hers. Emerson enjoyed wearing all of Grammy's costume jewelry. Every time my mom put a new piece on her, she had to come and show me. She's becoming quite the girly girl! We did a lot of Christmas shopping and played at Monkey Joe's. I had to take Emerson to the urgent care there because she was coughing so bad. She ended up having an ear infection. Poor baby!

Christmas Eve

I let Ethan open up his Slide/Bouncer a day early because it was warm on Christmas Eve and was supposed to rain on Christmas. It was a bit rough putting it up for me, but I think I know what I'm doing now! Drew came over to play before we went to Chris' parents house to celebrate Christmas with them.

Ethan was very anxious to get home and get to sleep before Santa came. Chris mentioned one time that Santa wouldn't come if he was awake and that was all it took. He wanted no part in reading books or a story without a book. We had reindeer food to put out, cookies to put out and our Christmas Eve pj's and book to open. He didn't even want to read his new books! Next year we will have to start our traditions earlier in the evening because he didn't enjoy it like I would have liked him to. Emerson will be more active next year as well.

Christmas Morning

Our kids actually slept until 8:50 Christmas morning. They are the best kids EVER! When Ethan woke up (in our bed of course), I asked him if he thought that Santa came. He whispered to me, "I hope so." He's so sweet! I told him to wait in the bedroom so I could check things out around the tree. I really just wanted to capture his reaction on our video camera, which I did and it was unreal. I wish I could post it on here, but I took it with our real video camera, not my digital camera. He kept saying, "Wow, I got a lot of presents!"

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Chris' parents came over around lunch or so. I bought Chris Wii Fit, so we played that with them. My mom and RT came around dinner and we exchanged gifts with them before dinner. I threw a roast in the crock pot, so dinner was very relaxing.

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I woke up with a horrible headache on Friday and ended up getting really sick a few times. Luckily my mom was here to watch the kids. Ethan threw up in the middle of the night and went back to sleep with no other symptoms. We must have caught a bug from somewhere. My mom stayed through Sunday, so there was a lot of playin' going on around here!

All I want for Christmas is...

Chris and I brought the kids to see Santa tonight. Ethan was so brave and walked right up to Santa. I was so proud of him. When I walked over there, he had already told Santa that he wanted a Diego man, an Alicia girl (she's with Diego) and a truck. I asked Santa what he said he wanted and he told me that Ethan wanted a Diego man, a VCR and a truck. I said, "A VCR?" Santa said, "I think that's what he said, but these ears are gettin' old!" Then I put Emerson on his lap. As shown in the picture, she did not like Santa at all.

Tomorrow we're off to Rock Hill for a few days to see my mother. I am hoping to finish all of my Christmas shopping. We also will be without a computer for a while because ours is being serviced. Emerson likes to pick the keys off of the keyboard, so they have to replace the entire keyboard. I will blog when I can.

Where is Ethan?

I was looking around on the web this afternoon and found this picture. Apparently, Little Miss Lumbee visited Ethan's school a couple of months ago. He came home with her card and an autograph. See if you can find Ethan. Here's a hint: just look for Anna and her red bow. They are inseparable.

Reminiscing...

Our 6th wedding anniversary is today, so what better way to reminisce? Pull out the wedding video! That was actually Chris' idea last night. Aren't you impressed? He wanted to show Ethan Mommy and Daddy's "movie" as Ethan called it. I took that opportunity to see if the old wedding dress still fit! Thank God for not preserving that thing, right? Black bra and all...it fit! Somehow it fit about the same although I am 20 pounds lighter now...hmmmm...what children do to your body! My sister-in-law told me about a photographer that takes fun pictures of brides years later in their original wedding dress, so I may try that. It was a fun night playing around with the kids in the dress. Ethan wanted a picture of himself in the dress, but his daddy was none too pleased! Enjoy our silly pictures!

PS: The kids seem to be feeling good. Thanks for the prayers!

Oh, what a night...

Emerson started out with a low grade fever yesterday, which quickly turned into 103.9. Scary. I know. Her nail beds were turning blue as well, so we called the Nurses' Line and were advised to take her to the Emergency Room. Ethan's nails slightly turn blue as well with a high fever, so we decided to give her Motrin and check her in an hour. Her fever went down, she was breathing normal and went to sleep. WELL...Ethan started coughing during all of this and threw up. He was wide awake and jumping around after that, so we put him back to sleep. While we were making the decision not to take Emerson to the hospital, Ethan started coughing again. Only this time, he was having a really hard time breathing. We have never gone through this whole croup thing, so it was terrifying for us. I was not dressed, so I told Chris to take him to the hospital and I called Heath to come and stay with Emerson. Thank God for good friends when you don't have family close by. As Chris was leaving, he spotted our neighbor coming home. He was on call (he's a surgeon) and coming home from the hospital, so he checked him out and told Chris it sounded like croup. Heath showed up within minutes and off I go to be with my little boy. They actually got us back pretty quick, but we didn't see the doctor for another hour and a half. I sent Chris home to relieve Heath since Ethan was stable (oxygen level was perfect). Five hours, one breathing treatment, one steroid shot and one chest/neck xray later, we were home in bed at 4:00 am. He's still coughing, but they said he'll be like this for 2-3 days.

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Back to Emerson. She woke up this morning with a 102 degree fever. Better than last night. I gave her some Motrin and she drank lots of water. She didn't want anything to eat. Chris asked her and she said, "no." I know right, she's 17 months old. Chris is a riot. Anyway, while she was napping this morning, I decided to make her an appointment just in case. Glad I did because she has strep throat even though she woke up with no fever. What a wonderful weekend this will be at the Moore home!

Where's Grammy?

Elf Yourself

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Elf Yourself Part 2

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Pigtails and Elephant Ears!

Great idea, Amy! When Ethan was about 9 months old, I put his hair in pigtails. I know, I know, he's a boy! Chris was none too happy, believe me! Then on Halloween this year, Emerson tried on Ethan's Dumbo costume. Dumbo looks like the same kid to me! Check out the comparison.

Gobble, Gobble...

I hope that everyone had a nice Thanksgiving. We had a nice relaxing day. My mom and RT came on Wednesday evening and Kami and Corey came for lunch. We pretty much ate and played outside all day. Our neighbors little boy, Ayden, came over to play for a while.

Mom and I took the kids with us shopping yesterday and they behaved really well. It was the employees at the mall who had the attitudes. We decided to just give up and go home! I did get some decorating done on my trees though. This year I let Ethan decorate his own tree. He actually did a really good job! I have found some ornaments that my grandmother made for me over the years. I used to laugh at all of those hand made ornaments, but they now have a whole new meaning. I've loaded some pictures in the web album.

Thanksgiving Feast

Ethan's school had their Thanksgiving Feast on Monday. As you can tell by the pictures, Ethan was miserable. They had him wear a Pilgrim hat and he was not having it. Anna even tried to get him to wear it, but he wouldn't do it. Then he pouted about it. Who knows! It was not his day!

The other night I was pretending to cry so that Emerson would give me a kiss. I would close my eyes and whine. She was so funny watching and observing everything that I was doing. Then she would lean over, kiss my cheek and close her eyes and whine too! I tried to get her to do it on video, but she wouldn't cooperate. Well, she did for about a second!

Santa Claus is coming to town...

Chris and I joined Shannon and Kim in taking the kids to the Christmas parade yesterday. It was freezing out! I think it was by far the longest parade I've ever been to. It was right at two hours long. We kept asking Ethan if he was ready to go, but he HAD to see Santa. Christmas gets better and better the older he gets. He also gets smarter and smarter the older he gets. He knows that we don't have a chimney and often asks how Santa will get in our house on Christmas Eve. I don't know how long telling him that Santa comes in the house "by magic" will fly.

Christmas Pictures

I tried my best to take our Christmas card picture today. Obviously by the looks of these pictures, it didn't work out very good. It's a pain when I have a camera that does not want to cooperate and two children who do not want to wait for it to work! I have added the pictures that I was able to take. We'll try again soon!

The Leaf Jumper and The Eskimo!

Ethan and I raked up what little leaves that we have in our yard this afternoon. I don't think he has ever jumped in them and that was always a favorite childhood pastime for me! I think he had more fun raking than jumping though. After every jump, he'd rake them back up! Then we went to the backyard to crack "pecorns." Now we're watching Jack Frost while Emerson naps. Oops, spoke too soon! More pictures in the web album.

Do you think we read this book too much?

The cutest boy in the world...

Here is Ethan's school picture. Isn't he handsome? I wish I knew what that photographers trick was. Every time I try and get him to smile, he has to do a superhero pose!

Why is it that when you pull out the camera, they stop doing what they were doing? Emerson was talking and talking and singing until I tried to film her. Anyway, here is what I was able to get. She was singing the Itsy Bitsy Spider. What sweet souls my children have, huh?

Happy Birthday, Ethan!

Our big boy turned 4 yesterday! He had a party at school with cupcakes, snacks and juice. Chris and I took him to lunch and then I took him to the Methodist Church for playtime. They even sang to him there and gave him a moon pie with a candle in it! It was very sweet of them to do that. Chris came home about an hour early so that we could take him to Chuck E. Cheese. Let me just tell you that that little girl is a handful! She is everywhere. Chris and I had to take turns playing with Ethan because she would just roam off. I would tell her "bye" and she'd wave bye to me and keep on going! Ethan had a lot of fun and as soon as we left, wanted to know when we could go back! We went to dinner and then the mall. We let Ethan ride the train and some other rides in the mall. Luckily I brought pj's and as you can imagine, he was asleep before we left Fayetteville. Not Emerson though. She talked the whole way home and did not go to sleep until 10:00. She slept until 9:00 this morning though. Pictures are in the web album as well as some videos.

You've got mail...

Ethan's birthday present from Auntie, Uncle Chris, Logan, Tyler and Ryland came in the mail today. I let him open it early since he was so excited to have some mail. He and Chris got right to work putting the airplane together. Ethan even went as far as going upstairs to get their "worker hats." The close up shot was taken by Ethan! Emerson wanted to get up on the counter so bad with them so she went and got the bumbo to stand on! Not high enough! :( She's very resourceful! They are all fast asleep now as their day was filled with good ole' high activity play!

Happy Early Birthday, Ethan!

We celebrated Ethan's birthday this weekend at Exploration Station. He had a really good time with his friends. His theme this year was Diego. He loves that cartoon for some reason and really learns a lot of Spanish from it! I should have dressed him up as Diego for Halloween and Emerson as Dora. Emerson only has to see a picture of Diego and she says, "DaaaayyyDooohh!" We are very blessed to have such wonderful people celebrate our children's milestones with us. There are tons of pictures in the web album. Thanks to everyone who came.

Happy Birthday, Aunt Kim!

Ethan, Emerson and I took Aunt Kim out for her 25th birthday yesterday! I'm kidding, she's not 25, but she doesn't look a day over it! :) We tried to get the guys at San Jose to sing, but they wouldn't. Here are just a few pictures of our lunch. Nothing else to really report. Wish me luck tomorrow in leaving the children with Miss Meredith. I never leave them, so they get pretty bad separation anxiety when I go. Kim and I are going to the Holly Day Fair for the morning and I can't wait!! Kid free for a few hours is SO appreciated since it's few and far between. After an hour or two, I will be lost without them! I've also posted a video of Ethan reading to Emerson on the way to school this morning.

"Beauty School Dropout....

go back to high school..." Oh, you know you all are singing along to Grease! Emerson was actually letting me try different styles with her hair this morning! Well, only two, but that's pretty good for her!

Ethan got to watch most of Mickey Mouse's Three Musketeers in the car while I ran errands today, so he just had to dress up as soon as he got home. The following pictures are his version of a musketeer!

Little Drummer Girl!

Ethan brought his drum set down from the bonus room the other day and has since lost his ownership of it. Emerson loves that thing! She gets really mad when she can't sit on the little stool just right. Luckily Ethan doesn't mind sharing it with her.

Ethan and I went to a birthday party yesterday while Chris and Emerson napped. He had such a good time playing. People kept commenting on how well behaved he was...very proud moment for mommy! It feels good when other people see what I see even if he's not perfect all the time! I let them eat a cupcake in the tub before bath time. They were so excited! It seemed like the best place for them to eat it and the easiest clean up for me.

After church and lunch today, we took a walk to the pond to feed the fish. I captured some shots of our afternoon. The kids are still outside with Chris, but we're getting ready for nap time. We'll see how this time change works out with nap. Pictures are in the web album.

Happy Halloween!

We took the kids trick-or-treating in the freezing cold last night. We started out walking, but Chris ended up going back home to get the golf cart. We piled blankets on there and took off. Our neighborhood is always jammed with people on Halloween. The boys (including our little Drew) got lots of candy. Drew and Ethan were both very polite with their "trick-or-treat" and "thanks yous." We took turns taking them up to houses. On one of my turns Drew told one woman that he needed more candy! He's a trip! Kami and Corey stayed at our house and gave out candy. I did not get any good pictures, but you're welcome to check out the album.

MEME!!!!!!

Alright, so if I don't do this, I'll feel like a jerk! My sister has tagged me for a meme. Check out her blog for a short description. It's basically six random things about me. Here goes:

1. I can only eat peas mixed with mayonnaise.

2. I do not feel in order unless my house is.

3. I HATE repeating myself. It annoys me to no end.

4. I used to ride around on my step dad's riding lawn mower when I was little and pretend to "give tours."

5. I always pick the longest line at the bank (even when it starts out being the shortest).

6. I cannot stand it when I see women walking around in public with curlers in their hair.

Now it's my turn to tag three people, so MANDY...THERESA...SHELLEY...it's Meme time!

Trunk or Treat

Ethan's school had their Halloween Carnival yesterday morning. At first he didn't want to wear his costume, but after realizing that he didn't have to wear his tights, he gladly obliged! I bought some sweatpants to wear instead. They had games, snacks and a tattoo booth! Emerson had a ball as well. She kept stealing all of the balls off of the putting green and then would run away with them.

Last night we went trunk or treating with Heath, Mandy, Drew, Betty (Mandy's mom), Shannon, Alex, Caroline and Kim. The Methodist, Baptist and Presbyterian churches downtown put on some great fun for the children. We went trick or treating at the Methodist and Baptist churches and then moved on to the Presbyterian church (Ethan's school) for indoor activities. Then we went to dinner at Cracker Barrel and then it was off to bed. Very tiring day for the children, but they had fun.

Bakers in Training...

Grandma bought Ethan and Emerson some aprons the other day, so we put them to use! Grandpa and Grandma came over for dinner Monday night, so Ethan wanted to help prepare dinner. We threw on our aprons and went to work with Emerson in tow, of course. As you can see, she climbs up the step ladder to help. Notice Ethan's knee up on the counter? It reminds me of how I used to wash dishes with my leg up on the counter when I was young. Remember that, Mom and Amy? Don't ask me why, but it was comfortable for me that way! I have a ton of pictures of Ethan and Emerson's Halloween filled day today, but we have more activities tonight that will require more snap shots!

Ethan the teacher!

This post is pretty random, so I'll explain as I go. The first pictures are of Emerson this morning. She spotted my trusty camera on the counter and kept saying, "Deese, deese." It took me a minute to realize that she was saying "cheese." I had to get a few pictures of her actually saying it!

My mom bought this little Nemo car at Christmas when Ethan was one. It has definitely stood the test of time. At one point Ethan put it in the shower and turned the water on, but yet it still worked! Emerson loves sitting in the back of it, so I took a picture to show my mom (I was on the phone with her while she was doing this!).

This video is self explanatory. Ethan gets SO excited when he teaches Emerson a new word.