Play Group, Piano, and Surgery! Oh My!

For this post, the title may be a little deceiving.  I didn't attend a playgroup that involved a piano hurting someone to the point that they needed surgery.  I just have some random pics to share.

I attend an awesome playgroup with about 7 awesome women.  We get to pick up tricks of the trade from one another which has been extremely helpful to me since being a mom is relatively new. This past Friday we had playgroup at my house and we had a small showing due to changing nap schedules and sick babies.  But we had a good time and I got a pic of the two little girls and Nathan (and me in the background still in my pajamas- not my proudest moment).
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The one little girl right next to Nathan (Lisa-Jean) I think will be turning 2 in May.  The one to the far left (Jude) is about 17 months.  I took this picture to show how big Nathan is in comparison.  He's almost as big as Jude!  He's only 10 1/2 months!  They're such a cute group of kids.  Before playgroup was over, Lisa wanted a close-up.

 That's Lisa's mom (Autumn) in the background- she's due with her second baby (a boy) any day now. I've made it a point that every time I see her I ask, "Still pregnant, huh?"

So we now have Terry and Arthur's piano at our house.  Terry's happy to have more space in their house and we're happy to have joyful noise-making.  I love a noisy house, especially when it's the good kind.  Andrew  now gets to develop his talent and I'm happy to benefit from his development.  Nathan isn't particularly fond of loud noises so I was a little nervous to see how he'd react to the piano, but he loves it!  Andrew plays and Nathan will sit at his feet and wiggle around trying to dance.  Nathan also likes to sit in Daddy's lap and play a little himself.  I think we have a little Mozart on our hands.

Nathan even enjoys playing duets with his friend Aiden.

Yesterday, February 15th, was a little nuts.  Andrew went in for surgery on his knee.  He partially tore his ACL his freshman year at BYU while attempting to jump over one of his friends.  His friend, like any good friend would, ducked out of the way at the last second and sent Andrew flying over him for a unexpected hard landing.  Andrew then just a couple years ago decided to play racquetball on his bad knee, like any sane man would, and he tore the rest of his ligament.  After he tore the rest of his ligament, he of course still had to finish the game.  He then walked around for two years with no ACL.  The most disgusting thing was that when Andrew was sitting, you could pull his femur forward.  I can't even explain it right, but trust me, it was gross. 

Before his surgery, Andrew had a nerve block done which is when the doctor sticks a needle close to your groin (yikes!) to numb the femoral nerve.  This is a pic right after the nerve block but right before the surgery.  He was already a little out of it.

When Andrew was out of surgery, he was waaaaay out of it.  It's mean, but I giggled a little at him.  He was shaking pretty bad after the surgery so he was in recovery for about an hour and half before I could see him.  The nurse and I managed to get Andrew in the car and I got him home to rest.  Nathan was so excited to see his Daddy when we got home even though Dad now looks like bionic man with his brace. Andrew will be walking with crutches for a week or two and then will hobble for a little while.  He'll  be fully recovered hopefully in time for the family reunion.  Andrew is such a trooper.  Since he's had a kidney stone, this knee surgery isn't as painful.

We were taking a lot of pictures and saying "cheese!" to get Nathan to smile, and he actually responded with a smile!  He's growing up so fast!

The Complicated Mind of Nathan Moore

He's 10 and 1/2 months old and I already don't understand this kid.  His likes and dislikes baffle me.  His strong will and determination shock me.  This little guy has a mind of his own.  He certainly did not learn this stuff from me.  So, we went to a rugby game on Saturday to support one of our friends and Nathan was playing on a blanket with a rugby ball.  The ball unfortunately rolled off the blanket and onto the grass.  Nathan just stared at it for a little bit, wondering if the ball was worth making contact with grass.  He then noticed Daddy was standing out on the grass.  Is he worth it?

 Though the video doesn't show Nathan venturing out onto the great unknown that grass is, he does eventually crawl off the blanket to get the ball.  Words cannot express how proud I am of this brave little boy for facing one of his greatest fears: grass.

Next, his strong will and shear determination. So, Nathan is a little obsessed with our DVD player.  I've recently tried blocking the DVD player from him by placing pillows and his walker in front of it.  Does his stop him? 

Nothing can stop this boy.  He's like the stone cut out of the mountain without hands.  Except this guy has hands and he does whatever he can to get those hands on things he shouldn't be handling.

Another thing Nathan likes to get his hands on whenever he can is toilet paper.  As you saw in my previous post, he enjoys unrolling it, eating it, and carrying it around on his foot.  Nathan's favorite room in the house is our bathroom.  Any time the door to our bedroom is open, Nathan makes a crawl for it.  I decided to film him for one of his attempts to make it to our bathroom to get the toilet paper.  He's so predictable.  Predictable, not explicable.

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