Our little pumpkin!

Here's Isaac in his cute pumpkin costume (thanks Hallel and Donnie!) quoting the Fruit of the Spirit in his silly voice! Hope you enjoy our lil' pumpkin!

Weekend with Gramps and Nana!

While Steven and I were on our Anniversary Getaway, Isaac and Elise were having a blast with my parents. My Dad sent me a picture collage from their time together and some descriptions, so I wanted to share them here.

Here is the collage:


Here are Gramps' descriptions:

*On one of our several trips to Paw Paw and Granny's house, Isaac decided the push the wagon with rabbit boxes that Paw Paw made us after Isaac and I discovered a rabbit had eaten our lettuce. Other trips, Isaac pulled the airplane gear to the school and soups for Granny and Paw Paw. We sure have used the wagon... a well spent $4.

*Isaac at the controls of the remote controled plane we flew at the field of the school. We had around a 1/2 dozen launches and short flights before heading home.

*Isaac driving his John Deere at Paw Paw's house.

*Elise enjoying her play center that Gramps found at a yard sale on Saturday morning. Her favorite part was the little drawer she could put things in. She hung in there with us as we went on all the adventures and enjoyed playing.

*Isaac playing with his wooden train set in his bedroom. Gramps and Isaac filled the floor of his room with train tracks and trains. His focus this trip was more this one than the one in the living room.

SEE - they had an awesome time! Time for another getaway, Gramps and Nana?! ;)

Fun with a bib and climbing the stairs

This past weekend, while cleaning up the kitchen, Steven took Elise's bib and flipped it up onto her head for a nice new 'do:



And then before we knew it, this little gymnast was all the way at the top of the stairs. She loves climbing them!

Video of Elise and her new words!

Sweet Elise!

So sweet...

But keepin' it real...



Elise rarely cries, but when she does it's usually for one of these reasons: she is wants more food than she currently has on her plate, she is finished eating and we haven't taken her out of her high chair fast enough, or she's playing with something she shouldn't be playing with and we had to take it away. Then she really really cries.

But it's still cute in the pictures... ;)

New words...

One of Elise's newest words is "Thank You", which sounds more like tay-tee, but it means thank you for sure! She says it every time we give her something. I guess she's heard us encourage Isaac to say thank you, and she's just following suit. She also says, "Mah-mah", which means "More". Usually she says this while we're eating when she wants more food, but occasionally she'll say it if she wants to do more of something fun, like being tickled or kissed or spun around.

One of Isaac's newest phrases is "the last day", which means "yesterday". As in, "We went to Jersey Mikes on the last day! And we had chips and cheese and too-key (turkey) and bread. I like Jersey Mikes!" He has also started saying "I don't like..." and "I don't want..." and "I can't do...".

But we know he can! And we're seeing each day how much more both of their little brains are lighting up and making connections to allow them to do and say more and more. It's such a miracle!

Isaac's first dream!

At the breakfast table last week I asked Isaac if he'd had any dreams the night before. He said yes. This was the first time he'd said he had a dream and therefore the first dream description he's ever given. Here's how the rest of our conversation went:

Me: Really? What did you dream about?

Isaac: Jesus!

Me: Oh that's awesome! What did Jesus say to you in your dream?

Isaac: He singed a song to me.

Me: Wow! What song did he sing to you?

Isaac: ABCD. A B C D E F G H I J K LMNOP Q R S TUV W X Y Z Now I know my ABC's next time won't you sing with me. That's the song Jesus singed to me.

Isaac's First Preschool Olympics

Isaac passing the "torch" to one of his classmates during the Opening Ceremony.

Last week, Isaac's preschool had their Preschool Olympics. It took place on Monday and Tuesday, and Isaac participated in the Tuesday session since that's his day to go to school. My Dad, Elise, and I were able to watch about half an hour of the Olympics, which were held in the morning during normal preschool hours. Isaac saw us watching with the other parents during the "Opening Ceremony", and his lip started quivering. It was obvious that he was holding back tears. He was trying so hard to stay with his class, but we knew he really wanted to be with Mommy and Ba, so he was distraught emotionally. Eventually, when I couldn't take it anymore, I scooted up near him and stood beside my little man. He seemed to take some comfort in my standing beside him, but I think he really just wanted to go hang out with Ba at his house.

Since that wasn't an option, we encouraged Isaac to play with his friends at the various stations the preschool had set up. He enjoyed that part, but clung closely to my Dad and me. We left after the first three stations, but at pickup, Isaac was happy and seemed to have enjoyed the remainder of his first preschool olympics.

Here are some pictures of Isaac at the Olympics:

The mini-slide:


The parachute:


Waiting on the church steps for his turn at tee-ball:


Tee ball:


That night, my parents, Kati and Ray, and our family gathered at the preschool for their "Closing Ceremony". We dropped Isaac off with his teachers and classmates before settling into our seats. Then when the music started, each class walked down the center aisle of the church.


Isaac and one of his teachers coming down the aisle during the Closing Ceremony

When Isaac arrived, we stood up to see him and try to take pictures. However, after a quick snapshot of his arrival, we saw his lip quivering again. He made eye contact with us and immediately lost his composure. He had been holding tightly to his teacher's hand, but he made it clear that he wanted to be with his Mommy. So I grabbed him up and held him tightly as he cried in my arms, having nothing to do with Steven, my parents or Kati and Ray. He was obviously overwhelmed with all the people. When it was time for his class to go on stage to receive their medals, I carried Isaac up and sat with him on stage. When his name was called, I tried to get him to stand on the pedestal; he did, but he clung tightly to my leg the whole time. After his teacher put his medal him, he quickly took it off and threw it down.


Isaac promptly throwing his medal off right after receiving it

Thankfully his class was allowed to leave right after that, so we jetted out of the sanctuary for a breather. Isaac was glad to be done with all that attention and ready to get some dinner. We grabbed hot dogs, chips, and cookies and headed to the church grounds for dinner. The rest of the evening went much better for Isaac. He had a blast eating and playing with Uncle Ray, and was back to his normal, playful self in no time! Overall this was a great learning experience for us all. We learned that Isaac is still taking everything in when it comes to his preschool experience and that sometimes that can be overwhelming for him. At those moments, he just needs a little extra TLC to ensure him that everything is OK. And once he's back in a place of familiarity or with family and close friends, he feels much more comfortable.

What an adventure! Fun Olympics - Crazy Ceremony - Yummy Food - Wonderful Family.

And a champion of a little boy who makes us so proud!

Our Anniversary Getaway

In celebration of our sixth wedding anniversary (and our birthdays, too!), Steven and I took a trip to the mountains this past weekend. By ourselves. It was our first getaway as a couple since our [Elise] Babymoon in July 2009. We left Isaac and Elise with my parents Thursday night and headed to the mountains.


This trip was so different than any trip we've taken recently, mainly because we had very few responsibilities and could just enjoy one another and the absolutely gorgeous mountains that surrounded us. On Friday we spent most of our day in Blowing Rock, walking around the town, shopping, and eating at the Mellow Mushroom.


We also spent some time on the Blue Ridge Parkway, mostly at the Julian Price lake. It was an absolutely beautiful day, so we sat by the lake for quite a while. This picture (below) was taken in a little alcove of trees right beside the lake.


For dinner on Friday, we had some of our favorite Japanese food from Shokudo in West Jefferson. For the record, Steven says they have the best onion soup, and he can't get enough of it. He would buy a gallon to bring home if they'd sell it to us that way!


After a relaxing Saturday morning (which was our actual anniversary), we headed for a lunch at Smokey Mountain BBQ and a leisurely afternoon in downtown West Jefferson. We'd never had an opportunity to stroll through all the shops there, so we really enjoyed that. We took our time and strolled very slowly. My favorite store was Sassafras where we found lots of homemade crafts and antiques. Steven was so patient as I took forever looking at one of the vendor's extremely detailed hand stitching. I ended up with a couple things for myself and several Christmas presents in my shopping bag! Steven's favorite store was the Hobby Barn, where we found all sorts of supplies for hobbies like building model airplanes or miniature train sets. They also sell homemade fudge, so we had to try some of that (pumpkin fudge, yum!!). For dinner, we celebrated our anniversary by candlelight at Fraser's restaurant, also in West Jefferson. We'd visited this restaurant once when we'd taken Elise as a baby to the mountains in March. She slept through our entire meal then! It was funny to think that she'd be anything but sleepy if we'd brought her this time. She loves to eat, and she sometimes eats more than Steven or I do!


On Sunday, we rested some more, took a hike up the mountain, packed up, and headed for home. For some reason, we always like to eat Cookout on our way either to or from the mountains. So, we went home by way of Boone and got some Cookout burgers. We also visited Greene's Trading Post on the way down the mountain to pick up some treats for Isaac and Elise's brave grandparents. :)

The three days together gave Steven and me great opportunities to spend lots of quality time with each other. We talked about so many different things and had lots of conversations that are difficult to have when you're sharing them with two toddlers! It was a blessing to take this trip, and we are SO grateful to our parents for keeping our kids (gracias Momma and Daddy!) and to Steven's cousin Tammy and her husband Kyle for their generosity in providing us a wonderful place to stay. (thanks Tammy and Kyle!) And the kids did great! (thank you Lord!!) Slept through the night (check!). Didn't get sick (check!). Didn't have any accidents (check!). Had a blast with Gramps and Nanna (check!).

What a wonderful way to celebrate all that God has done in our lives over the past six years! We are so thankful for His goodness and faithfulness to us!

Art time at preschool!

Last Tuesday, I was able to eat lunch with Isaac at his preschool. After lunch, Isaac and his classmates made a fall leaf collage. Here's Isaac, working hard on his art project:


Isaac enjoys going to preschool two days a week. Every time I pick him up and ask him about preschool, he says, "I played." "I went to playground." "I paint." So those are still the highlights of his time there. And also anything to do with glue. Apparently he's not the only one - the two year old class loves to do projects with glue!

This week Isaac's preschool has their "Preschool Olympics", including an awards ceremony and hot dog dinner. We're very excited about that! Preschool is so fun!

Our Six Year Anniversary!

Today is our six year wedding anniversary! Our marriage and life together has been an amazing journey so far. Here are some pictures from our engagement and wedding as we reminisce:

One of our engagement pictures:


Steven and me at the wedding shower thrown for us by my former employer:


Steven and me at the wedding shower our church threw for us:


Our wedding day:





As we enter our seventh year of marriage, we are pumped! We know God has great things in store for our family, and we are excited to move forward into the destiny He's prepared for us. Please join us in praying for our marriage to be stronger every day and for God to remain in the very center of our relationship and every part of our lives.

Playtime in the kitchen!

Elise at 12 months
Isaac at 34 months

Little girl and that sword

Elise still loves Isaac's sword from our beach trip. In fact the other day, I tried to get it out of her hand before she ate lunch, but my efforts were in vain as you can tell...

Yes, she ate at least half of her meal before dropping it...


C.U.T.E.

Birthday Reflections

Steven's and my birthday came and went this past week. We are so thankful for the lives God has given us, and we had great fun celebrating them together and with our family.

Steven and me before our date on my birthday

Last Wednesday, which was my birthday, started out with our kids waking earlier than usual. This allowed our family to have breakfast together, which is very rare around this house! Steven went on to work, and the kids and I played around the house for a while. Then we headed to have our weekly "lunch with Daddy" near Steven's work. We went to Moe's, which is one of my favorite lunchtime spots. We had a great time with each other and the food was so yummy! After dropping Steven off at his office, we headed home. Elise was fussier than normal and had been showing signs of a possible ear infection, so I felt that we needed to have her ears checked. Thankfully my Dad was able to come watch Isaac during his nap so that Elise and I could head to the doctor's. Elise didn't have an ear infection, thankfully! The doctor just said she had a really bad cold. So with that positive news, we headed home for some rest time. After Steven got home, my parents came over to keep the kids so that I could have a birthday date with Steven. (THANKS Mom and Dad!! You're the best!!!) We had a great time out together at one of our favorite date night places: the movie theatre! We went to see You Again, and it was very cute with a strong emphasis on forgiveness, which was awesome.

Isaac and BJ playing with Isaac's new (yard sale) airplane

On Thursday night, we continued the celebration with a visit from Michelle, BJ and Carly. We played outside in the backyard and had some vegetable soup while we shared conversations with each other. It was a great night!

Carly playing her Nintendo DSI (is that the right name?)at our house

Over the weekend, Isaac spent the night with my Mom and Dad so that he could go with them on Saturday morning to the Cleveland County Fair. Although they weren't able to take any pictures, I've heard only great stories of their time together. Isaac definitely loved riding the rides there! He has asked several times since then if he could please "go to fair today with Ba and Nanna?"

On Monday, which was Steven's birthday, we had a celebration similar to mine with lunch out and a date night. For lunch, Steven chose Eat Here Now, which is another one of our favorite lunch spots right near Steven's work.

Isaac at Eat Here Now with his four straws

Steven and Isaac celebrating Steven's birthday at lunch

Before we ate, the kids and I went into Steven's building so that we could say hello to Steven's co-workers. I'd forgotten how quiet an office environment is! We had to remind Isaac to use his whisper voice several times. Not just his indoor voice - even that was too loud - but his whisper voice!

After an afternoon of working when he'd have rather taken the day off, Steven and I headed out for a date night. (Thanks again to my awesome parents for watching the kids and putting them to bed for us!) We saw another movie (yes, we love movies!), but this time we decided to go to uptown Charlotte and try the Epicenter. Our friends Lauren and Brian had recommended it as a very nice, upscale-feeling movie experience. They were right! We felt like we were in New York City, not Charlotte, NC! Things have definitely changed in downtown since we were younger. When we were dating, we used to drive uptown and walk around, but there were only a few restaurants to choose from (well, in our price range, that is!) Not now! We had plenty to choose from and we had a blast. We went to see Life As We Know It, ordered pizza and chicken skewers to eat in the theatre and had some Cold Stone ice cream and a shake afterwards. We also enjoyed walking around the Epicenter and admiring their decor, including gorgeous petunias and a cute pumpkin patch. It was a great day to celebrate a GREAT man!

We LOVE October!!! Birthday month for Momma and Daddy in the Mauney house!

October 2010 Eatin' Faces...

This is Elise's first try of baked sweet potatoes (other than the baby food kind); she ate the whole potato in one sitting!


Yes, Isaac is eating yogurt with grapes.

Yummy. These kiddos love to eat!

Birthday Boy

Happy birthday to an incredibly awesome husband, father, brother, son, friend, salesman, musician... man of God. Happy Birthday Steven!

Bedtime reflections...

Recently we've been teaching Isaac that animals have "paws" rather than hands. A few days ago at bedtime, Isaac looked at Steven's hand, touched it, and said very matter-of-factly, "That's Daddy's paw!"

Uproars of laughter followed, of course! ;)

Birthday Girl

Savoring the last year of my twenties...

Our baby girl is a one-year-old!

It's hard to believe that Elise's 1st birthday has already come and gone. She is a full-fledged one-year-old now!

Over the past month, Elise has grown so much. She still crawls around a lot, but within the past week or so she has started taking lots of steps. She even bends down from a standing position to pick things up and stands again to take more steps. She sometimes bends over at her waist and looks through her legs. She seems to be at the halfway point of a somersault. It's so cute!


She is becoming a great sleeper, too, just like her brother! She finally started sleeping through the night a few weeks ago and now does this consistently. She's also taking two good naps each day in her crib. She is very easy to get to sleep - change her diaper, give her a passy, rock her for a minute and sing a song or read a book, and then she's ready for the bed. (Isaac, on the other hand, is a different story!)

It's adorable to watch her eat because she loves to eat - often she'll hold pieces of food up and display them for us to see. Then she gives a huge grin before gobbling them up. She eats three meals a day with us and she nurses three times per day, too (upon waking, after her afternoon nap, and at bedtime). She eats almost anything that we put in front of her. She loves shredded chicken, green beans, bread, bagels, bananas, plums, grapes, pasta, tomatoes, yogurt, black beans, soft tortilla shells... just to name a few! She also drinks water, a tiny bit of diluted juice, or kefir in her sippy cup. For snacks, she loves yogurt melts or puffs (if she can manage to get any before Isaac inhales them all!)

Elise is still such a happy baby girl. She is quick to grin, laugh, and make the sweetest faces ever. She's usually only fussy if she's hungry, tired, or we've taken something away from her that she wanted to play with (like our keys for example. OR the Tylenol bottle that I took away before taking the first picture above. That's why she looks so sad!)


We celebrated her actual birthday this past Thursday. We went to her doctor's appointment for a well checkup and shots. She received a great report from the doctor and she did well getting the three shots and her hemoglobin finger prick. Since Isaac has egg allergies and the flu shot contains eggs, we stayed after she got that shot to observe her for any potential allergic reaction. She seemed just fine, so the doc gave the go-ahead for us to head home for some more pleasant birthday celebrating. After picking Isaac up from preschool and napping, we had dinner as a family and sang "Happy Birthday" to Elise. She loved watching us bring the cupcake with a lit candle toward her chair. She enjoyed watching the flame dance, but we quickly blew it out and she got down to the business of eating her cupcake! She and Isaac both devoured their cakes. Well, and Steven and I did too!



After playing and getting ready for bed, we said goodnight to our little birthday princess. Isaac was having a hard time getting to sleep, so we were back and forth in his room. One time he called out loudly, so we went to check on him. While doing so, we heard Elise scream. I thought that maybe Isaac had woken her. When I got into her room, her new talking stuffed dog, Violet, was talking to her in the crib. I then thought, "Oh it wasn't Isaac who woke her, it was Violet! That toy dog must have scared her!" So I picked Elise up, and started to cuddle her. Then I realized she was burning up. I took her temperature. The numbers on the thermometer seemed to never stop... but they finally did at 105 degrees. I knew that wasn't good, so I handed Elise off to Steven, gave her some Tylenol, got a cool towel for her head and neck, got her some ice water and then called the pediatrician. The on-call nurse asked me a few questions and then said that even though a fever is normal after shots, if it is over 102 degrees within the first 24 hours after the shots, the child needs to be evaluated by a physician immediately. Since it was 9:30 PM, our options were to go to the ER at the hospital or try out the new Pediatric Urgent Care across town. We called my dad, and he quickly agreed to come and sit with Isaac (thank you Daddy!) We then made the trek to the Urgent Care. We were the only ones there, so we were seen very quickly, and the doctor determined that the fever was indeed most likely from the shots. He was very thorough with us and took the time to educate us further on fevers in babies. He gave Elise a dose of ibuprofen to help reduce the fever even more and then sent us on our way. (By then, her fever was down to about 101 degrees since the Tylenol had kicked in. And we'd been praying hard!) By midnight we were back home, Daddy was headed back home, and Elise was back asleep in her crib. The next day, Elise continued to have a fever, but it was all gone by Saturday. We thank God for reducing her fever and touching her little body! We received three phone calls from Elise's pediatrician's office on Friday to check in. They wanted to make sure she was doing well since a 105 degree temperature can be very scary! We were very thankful for the new Urgent Care (which is open until midnight) and the awesome doctor and nurse there who took excellent care of Elise and us!


All in all, Elise's birthday was a wonderful day of celebrating the blessing she is in our lives. She is a strong and healthy little girl who loves life, and we sure do love her!

I guess Isaac found Elise's headbands...

(Thanks to our friend Hallel for passing these along! They'll be on the correct child soon!)