Over the Mountains and through the Woods to Dan and Tiff's House We Go

So a little over a week after being home from Miami, Dad stopped in Raleigh to pick me up to head to Pataskala, Ohio. When Dad and I awoke Tuesday morning the 11th in Raleigh, there wasn't quite 4-6 inches of snow, but there was a nice thick layer of ice waiting for us.  It again took quite a few tries to get out of our driveway and it was pretty slow going until we made it to a main road.  I don't know why I choose to travel on days that seem to scream "STAY HOME"!  Anyway, once on the highway, the trip was pretty smooth, though it snowed for most of our way up there

Our original plan for this trip was to get to Ohio in time to help Dan and Tiff with Kaili while Averi received her third round of chemotherapy and subsequently stayed in the hospital to recover. When we were about halfway through our trip, we received a phone call from Dan explaining that Averi's count was not high enough for her to begin her chemotherapy this week.  We felt so bad for Tiff and Dan as they really just want to get through these treatments so they can begin living life again.  I think there is no worse feeling in the world than the feeling that you can't move forward.  So, Averi would have to wait a week in order to get her blood tested again.  Dan felt frustrated that Dad and I would then be there during a time that they would not really need us since Averi and therefore Tiff would be at home.  Though, after being able to spend so much time with Averi at home, I count myself blessed to have had this time with her.  She is such a joy!  More on that later...

After about 7 or 8 hours in the car, I performed a miracle.  I converted Dad.  It's truly a beautiful thing to see someone's views change when they read this book for the first time and they love it.  Dad is now a fan of Harry Potter.  I know.  I know.  A miracle, right?  We started listening to Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and any time we stopped listening to pump gas, answer a phone call, etc., Dad would remind me that we could listen to the book, but only if I wanted to of course.  It's okay Dad.  Don't be ashamed.  Stand for what you know to be good entertainment. 

FINALLY!  We arrived.  As I said earlier, Dad and I got to spend a week with Averi at home.  She is pretty much always smiling and she has the sweeeeeeetest smile I have ever seen.  You just can't ever be mad at Averi.  On Tuesday the 18th, Averi had her blood tested again.  A normal count is about 1,500 (don't ask me what they're counting... I just know that they get a blood sample and you receive a number back representing some count).  Her count came back at just over 2,900!! Apparently playing with her Auntie Shantie really boosted her spirits!  Grandpa probably helped with that too.  Averi loves her Grandpa.  Miss Averi went into the hospital early the following Thursday and Grandpa and I began our duty of watching over Kaili and preparing meals.

What a blessing this has been to get to witness such a strong family handle such a difficult trial in such a beautiful way.  Tiffany says that if anyone's kid was this ill, they too would rise to the challenge.  I believe to some to degree this is true.  But, I just don't know if anyone would be able to handle as well as Dan, Tiff, Kaili, and Averi.  Dan works so hard to take care of his family.  His down time consists of traveling to the hospital after work to spend time with his family.  Tiff is such a bubbly person.  I tease her for always singing what she's saying.  I think this is where Averi gets her joy from.  You just can't help but smile when Tiff is around.  Kaili is such a sweet big sister. She prays for her sister and her parents in every prayer she says.  It's amazing that a four year old can care so much!  And Kaili, I need to tell you something.  I love playing Barbies with you! And Grandpa loves playing pirates with you! (Kaili preps everything she says with an "I need to tell you something".)

So that leads us to where we are now in our trip.  Grandpa and I have Kaili duty and we're lovin' it.  Nathan loves Kaili too.  He now follows her around the house instead of following me.  I kind of feel left out!  Dan and Tiff switch off staying with Averi in the hospital.  Every evening Grandpa and I bring dinner to the hospital so that the family can always have dinner together.  Again, I feel blessed to be here in Ohio and have the chance to observe the Fisher family.  They are truly an inspiration!

 Nathan getting ready to go out in the cold.

 Playing in Ohio

 Tiffany volunteered (crazy lady :) ) to make these adorable plastic bag holders for their church building.  I'm going to attempt making some when I get home.

 Averi enjoying her dinner from a straw- all smiles

 Hey all you granddaughters!  Grandpa enjoys playing Barbies!

 Why use a little bowl?  It's all psychological I guess.

 At the hospitals, they have little wagons the kids can ride around in.  Nathan was giggling for the most part while in the wagon.  Maybe he can get a wagon for his birthday.

 Averi's first night in the hospital.  Kaili loves her little sister.

 Averi's home away from home.  Nathan would never survive staying in such a confined area for 3-4 weeks.  Both he and I would go nuts!

 Averi just loves her daddy.  I caught a little moment they shared when Dan joined us for dinner after work.

 Nathan's first time playing in the snow.  He didn't like it much.  We pretty much just got this pic then went inside.

Kaili is in that coat somewhere making snow angels.

For family home evening, Kaili directed us in "I am a Child of God."  She is very talented as you can see.

Before I started recording, Nathan was following Kaili around.  He only did it a little bit in this video, but gives you just a taste of how much he loves Kaili.  Maybe Andrew we need to give Nathan a little sister to play with.  What do you think?

Bienvenido a Miami

So December 26th Andrew, Nathan and I woke up in Raleigh to this lovely sight.

Gorgeous? Yes. Bad timing? Absolutely. Since we were planning to leave for Miami that morning, six inches of ice and snow was not a happy sight.  We decided to pack up the car and try to get out anyway.  We were pretty desperate for a vacation.  It took a few tries to get the car out of the driveway, but we made it.  Once we got out to the main road, everything was clear and we enjoyed the snow on our drive down. 

We made a quick overnight stop in Charleston, SC to visit with the Mayberry's.  Andrew got to meet Josh for the first time and Vanessa and I enjoyed torturing Andrew and Matt by watching New Moon after the kiddos went to bed.  While eating his bottle Monday morning, Nathan was found hiding under the sofa.  We figure he must have been hiding since Josh at this time was getting his nose cleaned out by Aunt Nessa and Nathan was afraid he was next.

We safely arrived in Miami Monday night. We had a great time checking out the scenery, eating delicious Cuban and Argentine food, playing dominoes, attempting to fish, going to a Heat game, going to the zoo, shopping and most importantly, giving Nathan the chance to play with Grandma, Grandpa, Bisabuelo, and Bisabuela. 

 Playing with Grandpa at the outdoor mall

 Nathan's first trip to the beach

 Sand in my toes, wind in my hair, ah what a life

 Big tree at outdoor mall

 I will have a boat like that someday

 I love Grandpa!

 Bonking heads

 Miami Heat Game

 Nathan and Bisabuela

 Riding a Rhino at the zoo

 Wishing he could swim with the ducks

 Beautiful giraffes

 Nathan and Bisabuelo

 Andrew fishing- look at those sweet legs! Woo woo!

  Nathan sporting the "messy" look after fishing

Moore Christmas Please!!

So, another Christmas has come and gone and what a Christmas it was! This year I had the pleasure of singing with a group of women from the church. We performed at our Stake Community Christmas Celebration and we put a concert together at one woman's home. It was a blast and really brought a great spirit for the season. We had another concert planned, but unfortunately it was canceled due to snow- SNOW! I can't believe it's snowed in Raleigh 5 times already! Its going to be quite a winter at this rate.

The Moore family decided to start a tradition this year, so on December 18th we held our first annual Moore Christmas Bash. We had a white elephant gift exchange which brought out the creative side in everyone. We had gourmet soup, an old troll doll, homemade crafts, a Spongebob Squarepants pencil topper with a used pencil of course, a creepy Santa door decoration, moist towelettes, toothpaste, and more!

The most hilarious part of the evening for me was taking in all the ugly holiday sweaters. I'm proud to call you all my friends! The lucky winner of our ugly holiday sweater contest received a leopard print Snuggie. Let's just say, the competition got really "ugly". Ha Ha! Okay, sorry. Moving on...

The winner: Dan (the guy with the red sweater and crocheted bells that actually rang... awesome)

As the party died down, things got a little wild Mormon style. We busted out some of Nathan's bubbles. I can't remember what was said or what Lauren or Andrew did, but I remember laughing a lot. It was like being back in college- good times. P.S. That is a bowl on Andrew's head.

On a more lucid note, to bring out our inner child, Andrew and I decorated some graham cracker houses with our friends Ryan and Staci. Andrew apparently had no idea what a graham cracker house is supposed to look like, so his was quite original. This is what happens when you grow up in a house full of boys. I'm sure you can figure out which house belongs to Andrew...

For Christmas eve, our family went and slept over at Grandma and Grandpa Moore's house. We were joined by Alex, Audrey, Amy, and Alexandra (a French foreign exchange student who lived with the Moore's while Amy was in high school). We stayed up late eating, playing games, eating, watching movies, eating, and.... eating. I had such a great time- what a warm and cozy memory.

The next morning we enjoyed a delicious breakfast and opened up presents. Nathan wasn't quite sure what to do with his presents so we helped him a little bit.

Christmas Morning

Nathan's First Truck

Halloween

We've posted some pics of our Halloween costumes on Picasa. This was my first project with a sewing machine. I didn't sew Nathan's costume- I'm not that talented. I just put the cloak and dress together that Andrew and I are wearing.

http://picasaweb.google.com/frshante/Halloween?feat=directlink

I'm really enjoying staying home with Nathan and having the opportunity to attempt developing some talents.

Superman at 6 months

Nathan is just six months old, but he has so many extraordinary abilities- you may even call them superpowers!

His greatest ability is to soak his victims- you can probably determine how and with what. In case you need clarification, I've provided video proof of this ability.



He has the power to weaken his enemy's senses with his terrible shrieks.

And his giggles... they're infectious! They leave his victims laughing so hard, they become immobilized.

In a nutshell, he's wetter than a category 5 hurricane, he louder than train, and he's funnier than grandma trying to play volleyball! He's super Nathan!!

But in all seriousness (well, as serious as a Moore can get), here are some things he is up to: he is sitting up and reaching for things, he's really good at opening his mouth when it's time to eat from a spoon, he loves his carrots and oatmeal so far, he equally hates his green beans, he's a chunky 17.5 lbs. (it's all head though since he's 50th percentile for everything but his head which is 80th), he loves playing with Daddy and Mommy, he's beginning to get up on his hands and knees though he can only push himself backwards, he doesn't have any teeth yet though we're expecting one any day now since he's drooling enough to fill a small fish tank and he wants to chew on everything in sight.

We're so lucky to have such a special boy as a part of our family. He is such a great joy! I can't tell you how many people comment on how easy going Nathan is whenever we're out in public. He really is such an easy baby. I fear that it can only go downhill from here. We also get several comments on his beautiful eyes. Just telling everyone now, please do not comment on his eyelashes. Yes, they are gorgeous and the envy of many women, but I fear that if Nathan hears this too much, he will one day follow in his father's footsteps and at the age of 3 cut his eyelashes to make them look more manly. It's terrifying, right?

To close, I want to share with you the best part of our day. Every day before we go to bed, Andrew and I sneak into Nathan's bedroom to check on him. We love to watch him sleep with his little monkey blanket in one hand and pacifier in the other. If you try to remove one of these items from his hand (which Andrew likes to do since he's such a tease), Nathan will stir in his sleep till he can find the missing item again. He's very protective of his monkey and pacifier. So cute.

We miss everyone and we look forward to the Fisher reunion next summer!

Videos of Nathan and "The Encounter"

Just wanted to share with everyone some of the fun things Nathan is up to.


Nathan got a serious case of the giggles...


Nathan rolling over for the first time...



Nathan playing with Joshua at Aunt Nessa's house...



Nathan playing with his girlfriend Lana...

As you can see, Nathan is a busy guy. He is such a joy! Andrew and I just can't get enough of him.

Now, a tragic story I would like to share with you. Over a week ago I walked into my bedroom and came face to face with one of my greatest foes. This enemy has crossed my path countless times and has taken advantage of my squeamish disposition. Sometimes I am beaten by the enemy and he escapes, leaving me in fear of our meeting again- especially in the night. Sometimes I conquer the enemy, but often shaken by the encounter, Andrew, my knight in shining armor, must dispose of the remains. Well, as I was saying... recently my foe and I met again. I was determined not to lose this fight. I was willing to do whatever it would take to walk away victorious! Who is my foe? Watch the video to find out and to see the remains of our battle.

Home Sweet Home

Hello all! Just wanted to update everyone on the comings and goings of the Moore family. Nathan is still a growing, healthy and happy little boy. Mom and Dad couldn't be prouder! He's laughing at all of his father's antics while I can only get smiles from the kid. Who can blame him, right? His dad is just hilarious plus that beard just tickles. When he laughs, we can't help but laugh ourselves. Before we know it, our stomachs are sore from laughing at Nathan who is laughing at us, who are laughing at Nathan, who is laughing at us... you get the picture.

Andrew is studying hard for his CCIE certification which entails a written examination and a lab. It's a toughy, but I'm sure he'll do well. It's in his nature to succeed. I mean, look at him- he's happily married to an incredible woman (wink), he has a great job, he somehow managed to fix up this insanely scary house, and he has a son who adores his daddy! Life is great!

I'm not doing too shabby either. After discussing with Andrew our options, we decided it would be best for me to stay home with Nathan. So, I'm home! (Hence the title of this post- "Home Sweet Home") I feel so blessed to get to stay home and raise my son. It was killing me the idea of missing him grow up, which I've learned happens so fast.

So, just an update on our house, which is on the market now. You can check out the listing on allentate.com and search for the house using the street name: Rothgeb. The address is 2705 Rothgeb Drive in Raleigh. We had an open house a few weeks ago and had a couple nibbles, but no bites. We've also had several showings, but again, no bites. Looks like we're just going to have to enjoy living in this house... dang.