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.

Special Delivery

He has arrived! Yes, Nathan Andrew Moore arrived March 26, 2010. It was a Friday morning- I woke up at about 3:30 AM and discovered that my water broke. I shook Andrew awake and told him I think my water broke. He sleepily got up turned on some lights, grabbed some towels for me, turned the lights off, and crawled back in bed. He then turned to me and said, "Oh, would you like the lights on still?"

And so the adventure of Andrew and Shantel becoming parents began.

I proceeded to calmly explain to Andrew that I think we need to call the doctor and that I'm pretty sure we're going to have to go to the hospital ASAP. He then realized that he wasn't dreaming and that I really was having our baby. Sure enough, the doctor told us to come to the hospital. So we packed our hospital bag, grabbed some more towels, and made our way to Rex Hospital.

We arrived around 6:30 AM (it took us so long because I insisted on taking a shower). I wasn't having any contractions, so the doctor started me on pitocin. I started getting contractions every couple of minutes and the contractions stayed at this rate throughout the day until I was 10 cm dialated. I did get an epidural when I reached about 6 cm. Boy am I grateful for anestesia! At about 4:15 PM, the nurse told me I'm ready to start pushing. That was such a workout- Andrew was such a great help. In between pushes, Andrew would provide me with some water through a straw and some oxygen through a mask. I felt like I was in a boxing ring and Andrew was coaching me through each round.

At 5:06 PM, little Nathan Andrew Moore made his way into the world at 8 lbs. 9 oz. and 22 1/4 inches long. I couldn't help but smile when the nurse place Nathan on my chest- he was beautiful! Our little boy has a full head of dark hair. The doctor and nurse were quite surprised by this since when they felt Nathan's head earlier, they both said he was bald. I'm so proud of my beautiful boy!

As things calm down around here, it's beginning to set in that I'm a mom. I feel so lucky to have two wonderful men in my life now. I'm grateful we are all healthly and doing well. Thanks everyone for thinking about us and praying for us! I've attached videos and pictures below. Enjoy

"A little advice from Grandma and Grandpa"

"The Big Toe"

"It's Over!"

"Lookin' Around"

My cutie's first moments

First Moments with Daddy

Before the big push

Nap time at Grandma's

Nathan's cradle

Like daddy like son- go Wolfpack!

First Family Photo