Excuse Me, You Have Toilet Paper Stuck to Your Foot

So, this was kind of, well, very gross.  Also, I'm sure this will not be the only time this happens.  A couple days ago I was in our office getting some items together for a lesson for my Sunbeam class.  Nathan was playing quietly in our family room.  After a few minutes, I decided he was being a bit too quiet.  I went looking for him and I came upon him coming out of our half bath.  I peaked in the bathroom.  The toilet paper was all unrolled and on the ground.  The toilet seat was up and there was water all over the ground.  I looked at Nathan.  He had a piece of toilet paper stuck to his chin and his foot.  I picked him up and found that his sleeves were all wet.  I gagged a little bit.  My son played with toilet water!  My son ate toilet paper which very likely had toilet water on it! I quickly undressed him and scrubbed him all over.

If that's not a guilty face, I don't know what is

 

Hopefully I can get over the fact that Nathan's hands were in toilet.  Right now I can't think of anything worse, but I'm sure in Nathan's mind he's saying, "Challenge accepted."

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Once again, the day Dad and I left Ohio, we woke up to more snow.  I'm really beginning to think I'm cursed.  We wanted to get on the road at a decent time so I could get home in time to run to the church to see Andrew before Nathan's bedtime.  Andrew is the Cub Master and was putting on the pinewood derby.

Since we wanted to get on the road early, of course Kaili and Nathan decided to sleep in.  Nathan didn't get up till after 8am and I had to bribe Kaili to get out of bed after 8am also.  She's usually bounding down the stairs by that time.

Once we got to the highway, it was smooth sailing and we got home quickly and safely. Thank you Dad for going with me!  Thank you Nathan for being so good in the car! Thank you Dan and Tiff for being such great hosts! We had a great time!

I've included some pics and videos from the rest of our trip.  I'm going to miss Kaili- the pirate, the princess, the little mom.  I'm going to miss Averi- even though she's getting chemo, she's a ray of sunshine.  I'm going to miss Tiff- even though she has "double lives", I learned how to be a better mom just by observing her.  I'm going to miss Dan- even though I cannot beat the guy in Carcasone.  I want a rematch at the reunion!

Kaili twirling for Nathan

 Kaili modeling her Bell dress

 Ok, the story with this pic... I am a horrible mom.  I didn't buckle Nathan into his highchair and he fell forward out of his chair.  When I came to rescue him from his fall, blood was running out of his nose and he must have bit his lip because there was blood in his mouth and his lip was swollen.  After about 20 minutes of crying, I finally got him to smile.  Poor kid.  It will be a miracle if he makes it to his first birthday.

 Kail was wearing this dress which made her look like a mermaid and she wouldn't let me take a picture.  This is the best I could get. She was giggling as she ran away.

Before we left Ohio, Dad and I took Kaili an Nathan to Chuck E. Cheese.  Sooooo much fun.  Nathan was very afraid of Chuck E.  Can you blame him?

 One of our last wagon rides to Averi's room in the hospital

 While the girls made jewelery, Grandpa took Nathan for a ride around the hospital.  Since Nathan can't crawl around the hospital floors, we had to do what we could to keep him entertained.

Tiffany and Kaili making jewelry at the hospital

Kaili gets her craftiness from her mom.  Tiffany makes such pretty things for her girls.

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!