Aww...

Roo developed a horrible case of hives yesterday afternoon after the pediatrician's office closed of course. Being the paranoid mother that I am, I didn't want to take a chance and wait until Monday for a doctor to see her. We opted for Doctor's Care rather than Urgent Care or the Emergency Room, both of which we have had HORRIBLE experiences. Well, the doctor at Doctor's Care didn't have experience with children under two, so he told us that he didn't feel comfortable making a diagnosis. I guess I am grateful for his honesty. The office was kind enough to locate another doctor for us who did have experience with little ones, so we ventured to yet another doctor's office. Our second doctor was WONDERFUL! She seemed to think Roo had an allergic reaction to something. Her hives had improved greatly just in the time it took to travel to the second office. We tried to make Roo as comfortable as possible, but as the night approached the fussiness increased, and she even developed a slight fever. Needless to say, it was a very sleepless night around our house. This morning her hives were out-of-control. Her poor little body looked horrible and she was fussy, fussy, fussy. I ended up calling the on-call service for our pediatrician. After answering two thousand questions, I was given the advice to try Benadryl. Benadryl did help somewhat with the rash, but not the crankiness. Nothing is worse than trying to take care of an inconsolable baby with you have had no sleep!

Trish and Ryan stopped by just as I had finally rocked Ella to sleep, so Trish could bring Carson a prize! I tried to move with Ella asleep, but that didn't work. Ella was AWAKE again and full of cries! Trish saved the day AGAIN!! She rocked little Roo to sleep and continued to rock her until she received a special visitor with a special prize! Her super-precious boyfriend, Ethan, came by to bring her a little treat to make her feel all better. Ella was a completely different baby once Ethan arrived. She wanted out of Trish's lap to play. She smiled her little toothy grin, talked, crawled, and played like nothing was wrong with her at all! Ethan brought Ella her first flower and a little balloon!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! After playing inside for a little while, we ventured outside so Ethan could take Ella for a little ride in her car, and of course so Carson could play baseball and basketball with Trisha and Ryan.

Thanks Trisha, Jessica, and Ethan! You are the BEST!

A Perfect Day at the Zoo!

We "officially" ended our Spring Break with a trip to Riverbanks Zoo! We got up super early and met Trish, Jessica, Cassie, and Ethan on Friday to begin our day-long journey to Columbia. Carson was so super-excited! I think we must have heard "Are we there yet?" a million times within the first thirty minutes of driving! We arrived to much colder and cloudier weather than expected. I was accused of looking up the weather of Colombia, South America instead of Columbia, South Carolina! Mommy of the Year had Carson wearing shorts and short sleeves with no jacket! After wrapping himself in a blanket for a few minutes, I guess he decided to be a little chilly. He didn't care. All that mattered to him was seeing all of the animals. He was slightly impatient at the beginning. He just wanted to glance at each animal and move right along. He was wanting to find the hippo and gorillas. All children were great until lunch. I think Ella must sense when her mommy is about to eat because for some reason that is when she always decides to become inconsolable!!!!!!! That must be her idea of a weight loss program! I did manage to almost eat my entire lunch with a screaming baby in my arms. After eating, Roo took a little nap while we enjoyed the sea lions and the gorillas! Carson LOVED the gorillas. I think he spent the most time watching them than he did anything else at the zoo. Toward the end of our visit, Carson, Trish, and Cassie watched a bird show while the babies finally had a diaper change. A trip to the carousel, playground, and gift shop ended our day at the zoo! We actually managed to leave the gift shop only spending 2.99 on a little camera that showed pictures of animals. This is definitely a record!

We couldn't leave Columbia without a trip to the mall! A trip to a place where there are too many kid things is always stressful with a five year old. Carson wanted everything from a Webkinz to a cookie. He even tried to be sneaky and try to convince me to let him make a Build-a-Bear for Trisha! He is so super sweet! Ella didn't let me down this time during dinner. She proceeded to scream and cry and even choke while I was trying to eat!! Maybe one day I will enjoy a meal again.

Our ride home was pretty eventful and stormy! Carson and Ella finally crashed, so it was nice to have a little time for a kid-free conversation without hearing "Mommy", "Mommy", "Mommy"!

We had a FABULOUS day, and I am very SAD that Spring Break is OVER!!!!!!!!!

Thursday Thirteen

Brian had to travel out of town for work on Tuesday night, so while daddy was away WE PLAYED!! Poor Carson was stuck in a house full of girls! At one point, he said he would just bring Harley inside!

13 Slumber Party Tidbits
1. I am way better than Trish at Wii bowling!!! (I must add that I have NEVER played before and she's played MANY times!)
2. I can stay up ALL night long and only function on one hour sleep the next day quite well with two small children.
3. When all else fails at 12:30 with a screaming baby, take a ride. It may not get her to sleep, but it sure stops the SCREAMING!
4. Texting is out of control! :)
5. Placing bets on Wii can be fun, but can also bring back blasts from the past!
6. Wii baseball is way too hard for me. Carson enjoyed it though!
7. Cooking grilled cheese sandwiches at 4:30 in the morning with "spray butter" will result in laughter!
8. Sarabeth and I can play baseball and cheerlead all at the same time!
9. My two children ADORE Trish and Sarabeth. I must say I think they're pretty grand too!
10. Wii is very addictive. Carson had to remind us several times about SHARING!
11. I didn't have my camera, so I didn't get any pictures at all! That is so not like me!
12. We shouldn't have scheduled someone to come drill holes around our house so early the next morning!
13. The slumber party was so much fun and just what I needed!!

GIRL TIME IS THE BEST!

Just Too Funny!

Sara and I began our Spring Break today by indulging in some retail therapy! We decided to venture out to Spartanburg rather than G-ville. Within the short amount of time we were there, I was "Heather", "Mrs. Cassidy", "Carson's Mommy", and "Ella's Mom". It was too funny! No matter where I turned there was someone different that I knew or at least knew who I was. The two funniest ones would have to be a current student of mine who was "afraid" to speak to me, so his mom did and a little girl riding in a buggy whom I had NEVER seen before that told her mom that I was Carson's mommy!! I definitely would not have seen so many people that I knew had we gone to Greenville! After shopping, we enjoyed a great dinner. It was nice to "escape" from mommyhood for just a little while!

An "Official" Ending for a NEW Beginning!

I would definitely have to say that this week has truly been one of the hardest, yet one of the most exciting weeks of my life. God has truly been holding my hand all the way through the tiny baby steps to the giant leap I finally made on Tuesday. For several months now, I have been sensing that God had a change in store for my life. Many of those signs were very painful for me and yes, I tried to ignore many of them. Yet I truly believe that they were all just preparing my heart for what was to transpire. For the past nine years, I have been blessed to be provided the opportunity to have approximately 350 precious nine year old children call me their teacher, I have formed life-long friendships with the most AMAZING people, I have truly felt like a member of many different families, I have traveled countless miles, I have worked endless hours past three, I have cried enough tears of happiness and sorrow to form a lake, I have learned how to stand up for what I believe in, I have had the MOST AMAZING volunteers,I have had the MOST AMAZING experiences, and boy have I grown-up a lot!!!!!!

I have known for a couple of years that a brand-new elementary school was being built about two miles from our home and that it would be set to open the year Carson started kindergarten. I have struggled for some time with what would be best for my family instead of what would be best for me. After many conversations with God and with me truly watching for God, it was made clear to me as to what I should do. I realized I should find a way to provide Carson the opportunity to be able to go to school in the community in which he lives, not one that is thirty minutes away. I knew in the back of my mind that the ONLY way that would be possible, would be for me to try to pursue employment at that school. As a mother, I could not expect nor would I allow someone else to take my child to school each day and be responsible for picking him up. With me being thirty minutes away, there was ABSOLUTELY NO way I would be part of his daily school endeavors. So, I took baby steps at first. I followed all policies for my school and district. I then contacted the principal of the new school and remained in contact for several weeks. And I prayed! I waited! And I prayed! I sought out assistance from one of the most amazing former-principals and personnel directors ever! And I prayed! Finally, the inevitable occurred - - - I received my contract. So, now I panicked! And I prayed! I asked for and received a brief extension on my contract and breathed a little easier. And I prayed! Finally, I was told on the morning when contracts were originally due that I had to turn mine in that day!!! I no longer had the two week extension, I didn't even have a full day to make my decision. And I hadn't heard back from the principal from an email I sent him over a week ago. So, I prayed and watched for God. Less than an hour later, I received an email from Kelli telling me that there has been approval for the principal to hire two new teachers. I spoke with the principal and set up a district interview for the very next day. I then decided to take a HUGE leap of faith and turn in an unsigned contract. I turned it all over to Him! The next day, I was offered a position at THE school, the one two miles from my house, the brand-new school Carson will call his OWN!

As the next eight weeks or so draw to a close I know I will feel extreme sadness and happiness all at the same time. I am confident that I have made the right decision for my family and for me. God has continued to show me that even in the last two days!

I pray that my new journey will be as AMAZING as my current one...

A Picture Perfect Easter!

A Little GIRLY Time!

Whew...What a Day!!!

Today was ONE busy day! Carson "kicked off the baseball" as he said at his baseball Jamboree today. His Mets team played at 10:30, but his mommy and Ella were about thirty minutes late. I just can't seem to be able to be anywhere on time with TWO children, and I HATE it! Anyway thank goodness for Daddy, Grammy, Papa, and Aunt Lizzie who do seem to make it places on time! Carson had a terrific game, and we are so proud of him. Today he played shortstop and was able to get several players out.

As soon as his baseball game was over, we headed straight to Chuck E. Cheese for our first birthday party of the day! (Have I ever mentioned how much I LOVE that place??!!) Anyway, Carson had a great time, and Ella was perfect. I shouldn't complain!!

We left Chuck E. Cheese and ventured to our second birthday party of the day! This party was for Roo. It was her new "boyfriend" Ethan's first birthday party. Everything was so adorable and perfect. I LOVE at-home themed birthday parties! All of the children had a great time playing outside. The weather was perfect! I would have to say that Carson's favorite part was probably digging in the "dirt"! I told him he had two minutes until it was time to go, but he quickly responded, "No Mommy, eleven minutes!" Ella enjoyed "playing" outside, riding Ethan's rocking horse, eating cake, and trying to take Ethan's new toys away from him. I was shocked to see that my normally precious timid baby girl actually became a little aggressive! We had a FABULOUS time at the party and were so glad we were invited!

And finally, I should have known better than to try to attempt a trip to Walmart after an exhausting day. I just had Ella because Carson went to Grammy's house to dye Easter eggs. I was on my way to go pay when a girl brought it to my attention that Ella was missing a shoe. I was FURIOUS! I tried to retrace all of my steps through that mad house trying to locate her shoe. It was NOWHERE to be found! I even asked at the Customer Service desk if anyone had turned her shoe in, and of course no one had. As I was walking out the door, this WONDERFUL lady stopped me and said that she just turned in a shoe that matched the one Ella had on. Ella had kicked it off in the parking lot! I guess that is why I couldn't find it anywhere in Walmart!!

Now, we are finally home and are about to get ready for the Easter Bunny!!!!

And Yet Again...

Ella had to visit the doctor again today per the request of her pediatrician because her cough was getting NO better. Super Dad came to the rescue AGAIN and was able to take her to the doctor. Yes, that makes the second time in one week!! The doctor ordered a chest x-ray to make sure Roo's lungs were okay. I lived through that once with her, so I completely understand what her daddy went through today. The x-rays looked okay. The doctor just saw a little shadow, which she said could have been from Ella moving. Despite the okay x-ray results, Ella's ear is still infected, cough is still horrible, and her appetite is not what it has been. The doctor decided to switch Ella's antibiotic to something a little stronger in hopes that she will soon feel better. We also have to increase her breathing treatments. I cannot wait for summer when I can be a stay-at-home mom! I still have time to create my dream bubble for Ella to live in for the few short months in which it is possible!!!!

Ella at Thirteen Months

Finally weighs more than 16 pounds
Cruisin' everywhere, but walkin' no where
Pulling up all over the place
LOVES, LOVES, LOVES to be outside
Says something that resembles "Harley" and points to the door
Shows all the signs of "teething", but still only have evidence of two teeth
Has developed a little "attitude"
Starts "swatting" at you when she is not happy
Has a "mad" crawl
Does not sleep as well
Hates nebulizer treatments
Gags every time food goes into her mouth
Is recovering from an ear infection and an upper respiratory infection
Has become somewhat of a "cry baby"
Plays by herself quite well
Enjoys romping around with her Big Brother
Makes super-cute noises with her mouth
Doesn't have ANY interest in television
Has learned to crawl up in Car's rocking chair
Is putting more THINGS in her mouth that DON'T belong
Has a sunburn thanks to her MOMMY OF THE YEAR
Has her daddy wrapped around all of her fingers and toes
Has not mastered drinking out of a sippy cup
Cries at the sound of laughter
Can't be tricked by anything other than milk in a bottle with her normal nipple
Loves to play peek-a-boo
Claps and rolls her hands to Pat-a-Cake
Still needs to go to the doctor for her 12 month well baby (if we can ever get well)
Loves racing her brother in her pink car
Will not keep any socks or shoes on her feet
Has takin' a liking to baseball (don't think she has a choice!!)
Continues to melt our hearts away!!!!!!!!!!