The Pool and The Beach!

Well, 2 months since the last post? Really? Why does it feel like it was 3 years or just last week??? I suppose that's the pace of life, isn't it? No excuses. No more talking whining, self-deprecating cracks about how terrible I am at updating....it is what it is, right? At least I'm here...finally taking a precious moment to update on the goings-on in our too-fast life. We'll go with summer highlights....these babies (and Mike and I) have been spoiled by TWO (so far) trips to the beach this summer....Memorial Day weekend on Hilton Head Island and 4th of July week at Myrtle Beach! To say we've been beachin' it would be correct. I'm thrilled to report that these kiddos L-O-V-E the beach and the pool. (for those of you not familiar, Rachael doesn't usually separate the two...each morning on vacation, she'd wake up saying, "Let's go to the beach and the pool." It was never one or the other...but always both...thata girl.)

Photo evidence of said trips:

Rachael heads out the door for the beach in Hilton Head.

All of us on the sand at Myrtle...what a great week!






What else have we been up to this summer?
 We started June off with a special day for Rachael and Mommy/Daddy -- we took her to see Sesame Street Live. She loved seeing the characters on stage but sure didn't want them coming too close.

 A visit to Springfield for Father's Day weekend, 5 kiddos 4 and under...whoa. It was a great (but too fast!) trip.

 Multiple baby pool parties in our yard and those of our neighbors. Have I mentioned that we have great neighbors? There are 20 children that are 6 and under on our street...what a wonderful sight to see...families playing together and supporting each other in this life.

 Nana was here for a week in mid-June and had fun playing with Ben and Rachael and did a great job helping us to keep up on the never-ending housework. She and I even got to take an afternoon sans kids to go shopping (one of the FEW benefits of daycare!)

 June saw very little let-up on the sickness for us -- Ben and Rachael each had ear infections and I had a sinus infection...luckily, Nana was here while Ben was sick and Rachael was able to keep on going during her ear infection with very little fever. As I type, daycare has not called this month...and no one has registered a fever. Now, with 5 days left in the month, I'm not holding my breath! :)

 And, last, but, not least: an update on the newest tricks for these sweet babies:
 Rachael continues to talk up a storm...and is really starting to enjoy pretend play. She loves to play mommy to her baby and to play doctor...poor girl has been to the doctor so much in her short life that she knows the drill. She loves to swim and isn't afraid of the pool, the ocean or the sand. She has been working on drawing circles and cutting with scissors (at school) and enjoys the math center and gym/water play at school. Her favorite pasttime is still reading books...any and all and her pre-bedtime books rotate every couple of weeks. She said one of the sweetest things just a couple of weeks ago...I came down on a Sunday morning ready to go to church and she said, "Mommy, you're so bootiful in your dress. Do a twirl" Ahhhhhhh.....melt my heart and make me feel like a million dollars. Proud mom-moment (have had lots of these and am so thankful!): Rachael likes to say grace before every meal. No matter where we are. No matter what we're eating. No matter who's with us. No matter what the weather. For her, "prayer" is everywhere. Every time. Always. I LOVE it!

 Ben...gosh...he's just doing something new every day. On June 3rd, he took 4, 6, 8 steps and by the end of the day was walking across the room. The next day, at school, spent most of the day on his feet. It's like the light bulb just turned on and won't quit, now. His language is coming.... at 15 months, here were his words: mommy daddy blankie ball banana go no down up get down thank you all done milk my milk bye-bye hi yay ei-ei-o doggie papa nana elmo amen uh-oh baby We can add to this many more words now, but, especially, "love you"...which isn't crystal clear, but, this momma knows exactly what he means...so precious. He's just as sweet (and stubborn)as he can be. He's a sympathy crier at school and has adjusted to the big kid room very well....as of July 20, he settles in to the room with no 'separation' anxiety, even if snack isn't immediately available. He continues to be methodical in his problem solving approach and loves to play with trucks, cars, anything with wheels. He also likes to work with puzzles and the shape sorter. His favorite activity is being close to sister and 'wrestling' with her...playing in her BIG GIRL bed (which happened on June 24th!)...mostly, he just wants to do what she can...and then some. Both kids love to sing -- they even sing Old McDonald in unison (at least the ei-ei-o part!).

 I couldn't really ask for anything more in this life and I get frustrated when I succumb to the Earthly idea of wanting/needing/must have more.
 Who could want or need anything more than these precious two????????? xoxoxo

Catching up!

Well, hello, blog! How nice to see you! We might have met before....I'm your author...I've been MIA. I know. Terrible. I've been out making memories instead of recording them. But, before they do fall out of the grey matter, let me get some milestones on this little slice of our family's story. The spring for us has been very up and down...sort of like a country ride. Twists and turns...flat straightaways...hills and valleys. Lemme see if I can bring you up to speed. Major holidays since the last update: Easter and Mother's Day. Easter = super fun! I was able to sneak away from work thanks to community service leave to volunteer in each of the kids' classrooms for their Easter parties. Now, for Ben, in the infant room, an Easter "party" looks like this: 3 or 4 moms (and 1 rock star dad!) sitting around, holding their baby on the floor of the classroom with a pile of plastic, empty eggs in the middle. Fun? Eh, sort of. But, I was there, and that's what mattered to me. Now, just down the hall in the 2 year old classroom, the part-ay was ON! First up was a snack of Cheetos and Oreos (not the usual fare at Little Pros) -- Rachael snacked her little heart out. Then, it was out to the playground for an egg hunt. After 15 minutes of collecting and then climbing around the slide and other toys, it was back inside for diaper changes and hangin' out. Over the weekend, we dyed eggs together and then enjoyed Easter morning church (in the cry room with 3 other families!) and then a festive coffee hour in the fellowship hall. Rachael really had fun at the church egg hunt and then, we met up with our Amigo friends for a group photo. In the early evening, we had a potluck with the Beggs' and the Blazei's...2nd year in a row...so fun! After Easter, the rest of April was a blur...work was really busy for both of us and the kiddos help the days and weeks fly by and meld in to each other. Then, May hit...with a vengeance. It started on a high...at the NCACE conference, they handed over the gavel to me. Who knew? I am president of a state-wide professional association. It's an honor and a challenge...I'm looking forward to serving in this way. NCACE has been a very meaningful part of my professional life...and through the group, I've made some wonderful friends and colleagues. I also feel like I could go anywhere in NC and get a job...or at least, have a referral source! On the ride home from the conference, I got two pieces of not-good news. Ben was running a 101 degree fever and Gammy was admitted to the hospital. What followed was the worst virus either of my children has ever had -- Ben was running 105 by the middle of the night and I took him, terrified, to the ER. It was just a virus (thank God!), but, it was 5 days of a high-temp and general discomfort for my poor sweet Ben. Rachael started with her own variation of the virus just 2 days later...she spent 4 days not eating and drinking only milk, but, her fever remained low (100.8-101) and she was able to play with a good dose of Tylenol on board. Meanwhile, my Mom and Aunt Barb/Uncle Ted were taking care of Gammy and helping her navigate her way through a stay in the geriatric psych unit of the hospital. It seems the move was harder on Gammy then even she realized and so her brain compensated by going in to a depression of sorts. It's very difficult to watch someone who's strong-willed and typically very social have a hard time coping. The medicine is helping and the MRI did show that mini strokes from years' ago might have contributed to this. We're continuing to pray for a stronger Gammy -- day-by-day. My mom graciously agreed to leave the hospital and come help with our kids so that I could go back to work...what a lifesaver....yay for retired grandma's! :) Fortunately, her visit meant she was here for Mother's day. We celebrated with a trip to the park and a yummy char-broiled hamburger lunch. I'm so thankful for my Grandmothers, my aunts, my Mom, and my Mother-in-Law who have shown me what it means to love and live life fully!

Ben is ONE!

My sweet baby boy.....happy birthday! I can't really believe this year is complete. Ben, you are a sweet, gentle little boy. Determined in your own way, you are headstrong when needed, but, more often than not, you're laid back and go-with-the-flow.
We celebrate you, Ben, and are amazed by what you bring to our family. I can't imagine life without you in it. The love which poured out from my heart the day you were born was shocking because I wasn't sure I could love a child more than I love your sister. And, I learned, it's not a matter of more...it's a matter of all...both...equally intense...the love I feel.
Happy birthday, Ben, we wish for you to be a strong, independent, happy boy and we want you to know that we love you and will do all that we can to give you all that life has to offer.
And, now, here are pictures of the birthday party, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar".....

Every new beginning...

comes from some other beginning's end.

We traveled last week to gather, for one final time, at my grandmother's home of 62 years. It was a trip I was looking forward to and dreading, all at the same time. To most, this looks like just another old house. To me, it is a place....a sacred place....where my mother and her siblings were raised and loved and sent out from, to be in the world. It is a place where I spent a week each summer...swimming in the pool....going to Vacation Bible School...and being loved on by Gammy and Pop. I vividly taste the sweet, cold peach that I snagged from the fridge in the garage/pool house on a hot summer day. It is a home in which I have many, many happy memories...celebrations of all kinds -- birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Easter. It also is the place where we all came together when Pop passed away to be together and remember Pop. It is, above all else, the only house that has been in my life for it's entirety, thus far. So, when my grandmother leaves it on March 30th, this large chapter of her life and mine will end. And, I'll just say it....I'm sad about that. But, I'm happy for the opportunity for Gammy to live in a place where she can be with others and settle into a life that won't require the upkeep of an older home. She'll be near my aunt in Lynchburg, VA, so, they can see each other often and go to church together.
And, so, like many, many things in life....we'll close this chapter and start another. A new beginning....for Gammy and for our family.
Uncle John put it best: we're thankful and fortunate that Gammy gets the chance to share her love and compassion with a new community and we'd be selfish to keep it to ourselves. I can only hope that I am able to walk in her footsteps and be even just half the woman she is.
We love you, Gammy!

All about Ben...

I need to catch up on my baby boy Ben....he's growing TOO fast for this momma's liking! In less than a month,  he will be ONE. Yes...in less than a month. I can not believe it.
Here are some milestones:
climbed all the way up the steps -- 12/3/11 -- 8.5 months
full on crawling with belly off the floor -- 12/23/11 -- to celebrate his 9 month birthday!
ear tubes put in place -- 1/9/12
separation anxiety, in full effect -- 1/23/12 -- 10 months.
his top two teeth (the first ones to appear!) make their descent -- 2/5/12 -- 10 1/2 months
his first word: uh-oh -- 2/9/12  -- definitely said with intent after dropping cheerios from the high chair.
pushing his first walk behind toy -- 2/21/12 -- almost 11 months

So, those are his "facts"...but, Ben is so much more than those amazing tasks that he's accomplished. He is sweet and cuddly. He's gentle and loving. He's strong and determined. He has an easy laugh and a ready smile. He hates the car seat. He loves, loves, loves his sister....most of the time. He loves anything with wheels...he loves belly tickles and being swung in the air. He likes most any table food that we've served....his favorites: mac-n-cheese, bananas, chicken, pancakes, yogurt, green beans, string cheese, pizza, ravioli. He is a delight to be around...and makes my heart melt at every turn.

Some pictures to catch us up:

(new camera -- can you tell???????)

Rachael is TWO!

Before we celebrate turning 25 months old, tomorrow, I'd better get to talking about a certain TWO year old in the family!
As should be expected with a birthday in the peak of flu season, Rachael's actual birthday brought her a virus -- with a high fever and extreme fatigue. What a present, huh? So, instead of a party, we had a quiet weekend, but, one the brought a visit from Pops & Eileen and cousins Mary & Allyson. So, mommy got a girls' visit, nonetheless!
Rachael also made the transition to the Waddler room (read: 2 year old room) at school. She did really well from the start -- making friends and immediately recognizing her friends from her most recent Toddler room. Her new teachers Ms. Michelle and Ms. Kesha do a really great job of keeping the kids busy with art projects and other fun lessons. She receives 30 minutes of Spanish each day, as evidenced by the fact that she counts to 10 en Espanol every day.
We were fortunate that almost everyone we had invited to the 1st attempt at an Elmo party could make it for the re-scheduled date. It was a fun morning; but, it should be noted that Rachael is NOT a fan of the guests singing Happy Birthday, nor does she want to blow out a candle. This situation makes her anxious and it's hard for me to be patient with her and just accept it as a part of her personality. I want so much for her to enjoy this milestone situation and I feel like she's not "normal" - but I know full well this is a response that's on the normal continuum for someone her age. We'll see how she is when she's 16! :)
Here are the pictures of the party....I had a lot of fun putting it together and am thankful that Mike tolerates all of my late nights making banners and listening to me fuss over the details. Happy birthday, Rachael! I hope she looks back on her birthdays and feels celebrated and special and loved...because she is.

Catching up in pictures...Christmas 2011.

So, in the last several blog posts, I've done a lot of "talking"...and have skimped on the pictures, enough of that!

Not a preemie anymore...

So, in medical, scientific terms, the period of prematurity ends at calendar age two years. What does this mean? That on January 14, 2012, Rachael is no longer considered a "preemie" or to have a different adjusted v. calendar age...she is just simply a T W O year old! And, for those that know her well, she's been "caught up" for quite a while now and she is every bit of a two year old....talking up a storm, running, jumping, laughing, loving and being her determined, head-strong self.

In looking back over her 2nd year, she's changed so very much....almost as much as she did in year one.
Here's a year-to-year comparison:

She has gone from baby to little girl right before our very eyes!
I can't even begin to write all of the things she says because she'll attempt to say just about anything. She can count to 10 (not always with all of the numbers....she sometimes goes from 4-10 and back to 1-3), she can repeat her alphabet, saying most of it in order on her own. She will sing Itsy-Bitsy Spider, Row, Row, Row Your Boat, Wheels on the Bus and Ring Around the Rosy. She is infatuated with Elmo and most any Sesame Street character. She loves to dance around the living room and prefers to be outside at least for some part of each day. She eats pancakes/waffles/cereal or english muffin for breakfast and eats almost everything they serve at school for lunch and snack. For dinner, she likes ravioli, pizza, chicken, blueberries (frozen), peas (frozen) and carrots, green beans, and sometimes ham and grilled cheese sandwiches. She also likes cheese quesadillas, mexican rice, refried beans, baked beans, pork BBQ.
She LOVES Ben....giving him many kisses daily -- most of them on her own accord. Now, she'll also push him over or take the toy he's playing with if it suits her. So, we work dilligently on sharing and being gentle. She is pretty good with her "please" and "thank yous"...we'll keep at that as well. These children will be nothing if not polite!
We have enjoyed this year with her (minus the tantrums!) and are excited to see what this next year brings.
Rachael, we pray for you daily that God will bless you and keep you and continue to help us learn how to parent you in the best way that we can. We love you, little girl! Mommy & Daddy

Christmas Craziness....welcome 2012!

OK...promised pictures last time, but, they're being held hostage on the camera's memory card or in another laptop....so, they exist, they're just not here. (I'm not sure why I've lost steam with the blog...perhaps it's that life is moving at a whirlwind pace and I don't foresee that ending anytime soon.)
Ben's first Christmas was eventful!
On Dec 21, as daddy and I were finishing some Christmas shopping, we were rear-ended on the way to the mall. It was a tap, really, but, caused $1000 worth of damage! Thankfully, no one was hurt and all vehicles were just mildly dinged up.
On Dec 23, we headed to PA. Around dinner time that night, we found that Rachael was running a 102.9 fever. She hasn't been sick in 4 months -- we knew our luck would run out at some point. On Christmas Eve, while everyone else was at church, I took her to Urgent Care and she was diagnosed with bronchitis. Antibiotic prescribed and out the door we went. Well, 3.5 hours later, as I was about to give her a bath, I discovered a bright red irritation on both thighs with white welts -- poor baby! We rushed her back to Urgent Care, they gave us a steroid and another antibiotic and we were home with her by 9pm. It was not the most fun, I must say!
On Dec 28, Ben registered a 102 fever, even though he'd just ended antibiotics only 48 hours prior.
We had him checked by Mimi's dear co-worker, Dr. Rogers, and he gave him another round of meds.
Around that same time, we learned that several cousins who were planning to be with us at the Craft family party were also struggling with colds/stomach flu. So, we decided to skip the party and head back to NC on New Year's Eve....better safe than sorry, right? Well, how about a tire blowout on i95 South just outside of Richmond, VA??? That ought to top-off the chaotic trip! Thankfully, cousin Charles helped us with his connections to a repair shop and a savvy AAA repairman helped us put the spare on. Nothing like a 12-hour ride home.
In all of this though, I have to say:
~ we had a blessed holiday -- full of family, love, care and laughter.
~ at each turn, we had resources to help us with our sick children and our broken vehicle
~ Mike and I repeatedly said, "as long as we're in it together, it'll be OK"
~ I was thankful we weren't working so that we could focus on each new challenge

Rachael was really in to the celebration this year. She certainly "gets" the idea of opening presents and watching her say "thank you" to her grandparents and aunts/uncles was really special. Ben did a great job of playing with ribbons and paper and of being especially cute and smiley.

We're excited to watch Ben and Rachael grow this year...and after seeing Rachael go from 1 to 2, we know what's in store for Ben and it'll be great! Ben, as of 12/23, his 9 month birthday, was fully crawling with his belly off the floor. As of the new year, he's eating lots of different table foods and really enjoying it. His teeth are close...we're waiting for them to come through. Rachael is ONE WEEK from turning TWO (can NOT believe it!) and is funny and crazy as ever. She's as sweet as pie and can have a melt down like it's her job!
(Oh wait, maybe it is!) And....pictures will be next. Pinky swear. :)

Wishing you a blessed 2012!