The past week...

It has been a week around the Mauney house! I am behind on posting our latest pictures because our schedules have been packed more than normal recently. Both kids started preschool at the beginning of September... I had three Thirty-One parties in two weeks... And then we got sick. Well actually I got sick the day before my last Thirty-One party. I felt horrible with sinus-y symptoms. I loaded up on Sudafed and nasal spray (so I could breathe during the party) and went on. I didn't realize how loopy I would feel while I was presenting at the party! I forgot so many things that I normally say! But I told the ladies that I was on drugs, and they just laughed and were very gracious to me.

The next day, Elise was running a low grade fever, but that didn't stop us from going to Carowinds with my parents to spend the afternoon and get our 2012 passes. This is the first time we've ever bought season passes since we've been married. Isaac enjoys the little kids' rides, and Elise will be ready for them by the spring. On Saturday, my Dad and Steven got to ride six roller coasters while Mom and I were with the kids. We ended the day watching them ride the last car on the new Intimidator. Then we had a fish dinner at Capt. Steve's in Fort Mill. Yum.

Sunday morning, Elise was still running a fever, so Steven took Isaac to church while I stayed with her. It rose to 103.8 later in the day but went down with Tylenol. She continued to have a low grade fever for the next three days, off and on, along with a tight cough. I kept her home from preschool. Isaac went Monday and Wednesday, but at pickup on Wednesday, his teacher said he "wasn't himself". She said, "He didn't want to be line leader and during circle time, he just laid on the rug and slept. Well, he didn't really sleep because the kids kept tripping over him, but he was really out-of-it". Poor baby! When we got home, he just wanted to curl up on the couch. Then he started complaining of soreness in his legs and belly, along with a headache. I started to worry at that point. Neither Isaac nor Elise took good naps because they were both uncomfortable. I called a doctor-on-call who does house calls to see if she thought they needed to be seen. She said most definitely yes, so we decided to try her services out. She'd been referred to us by a good friend, so we felt comfortable having her come over. And boy were we glad she did! She arrived about 6 PM on Wednesday. She examined Elise first. She heard lots of wheezing when she listened to her breathe. Ultimately she diagnosed Elise with bronchiolitis. This includes wheezing and inflammation around the bronchiole tubes in the chest. Elise had bronchiolitis when she was two months old, and apparently that can continue to occur as children get older. This was how her body responded to getting the common cold. Her treatment is round the clock nebulizer treatments and a steroid medication for the inflammation. Thankfully we already had a nebulizer from when she had bronchiolitis as an infant, and the doc had a dose of steroid in her van! So we were able to get Elise feeling a little better that night.

Isaac was next. After an exam, during which he was unusually cooperative, the doc did a strep test. It was positive. Yep, Isaac was so miserable (I mean, he was crying out in pain for most of the afternoon.) just like I was in the spring when I had strep. Not fun! Thankfully Doctor Sara was awesome, and we got the antibiotic called in ASAP. In the meantime, we gave him some tylenol and he curled up on our couch while the doctor finished her paperwork. Not in a cold exam room. On our couch in our very own house! And in case you think we're rock stars, let me tell you that this 'visit' was cheaper for us than visiting our own pediatrician!! (Now that we have a new, high-deductible (no copays) healthcare plan.)

Anyway, we got both kids medicated and they were both asleep by 8 PM, which is unheard of around these parts. Steven went to pick up the prescriptions and some late dinner, and I finished some Thirty-One work. When he got home, we chilled and watched an episode of Five-0 together. Thankfully our babies slept peacefully, and Isaac started feeling much better on Thursday morning. They both stayed home from preschool on Friday and recouperated. Just in time for Elise's second birthday!

Whew! I guess cold and flu season is back??!!

Check out this hair!

It is growing! And the curls Isaac chopped off are slowly coming back. :)

Kidspeak as of late...

Isaac:
"I'm scaling." (as he stands on the scale)

Elise:
"I say where Idee go?" (telling me what she's said earlier)
And "Mommy say "Idee, don't do dat!""

Elise:
"I feel bedda!" (even if she hasn't been sick... just randomly, she says this)

Isaac's prayers before meals (and at bedtime) usually sound like this:
"Lord Jesus. Help you for today. Have a wonderful day. Have a Neen day. Have a wonderful time. Amen."
('Neen' is his made up word that means "thank you for the day and be obedient", according to him.)
He also prays occasionally "Help me eat peanut butter when I am bigger."

Isaac:
"I wannna go to Afovery Place Tids." (Discovery Place Kids, Isaac's pronunciation)

Isaac:
"Does this help me be tall?" He asks this about all the food he eats.

Elise:
Looking in the mirror after I dressed her, she said, "That's pretty!"

Isaac:
"Is it Wednesday or Friday?" He asks this every day.

Isaac asked Elise if he could play with her toy. She said no. He asked why. She said "atause I said so!"

Family Mountain Trip

A couple weeks ago we took my parents up to the mountains for a long weekend. (This was supposed to be a beach trip, but Hurricane Irene changed those plans!) Mom and Dad rode up with the kids and me on Thursday, and then Steven came up to meet us on Friday night. This was the first time we've vacationed with my parents since Steven and I have been married, so it was a very special and much-anticipated weekend. We had a wonderful time and can't wait until our next trip!

On Thursday, we stopped by Boone on the way to the cabin. We ate at the Mellow Mushroom in Boone and played in the Boone park. We headed to the cabin after that, settled in, and had a quiet evening (well, as quiet as you can have with a one-year-old and a three-year-old running around!) My Dad and Isaac got out walkie talkies and went down to the creek to play for a while. They gave my Mom and me a play-by-play on the walkie talkie.


Gramps had brought some popcorn, which the kids love, so we had a nighttime snack before bed. We watched a little Veggie Tales while we had our snack, and Isaac snuggled up with Gramps.


Elise shared her snuggles with Nana.


On Friday we drove to Blowing Rock for several hours. The kids played in the park most of the time we were there. They enjoyed the swings and the playset, but they especially found their niche in the sandbox. After that, we did some geocaching in Blowing Rock. We found the place where the town's time capsule is buried, and we took a stroll through the public library. I also got to go into my favorite store, Take Heart, while Mom and Dad kept an eye on the kids. It's one of those stores that's so small and has so many trinkets that you don't even think about taking your kids in. Our friend Sara works there, so I got to say hello to her, too. She sent me away with half a dozen mini cupcakes as her gift to us for our family vacation!



Steven arrived Friday night about 6:30, which was just in time to head to the Todd General Store for their Friday night Bluegrass singin'. We piled into our van and drove on over to listen a local band play and sing their songs. Isaac was mesmerized, especially with the bass. He couldn't get over how big it was! Elise walked around the back of the store with Nana. We all got ice cream (it was very hot and humid that night, so we needed it! Of course, I always need ice cream!) Once we got home, bathed, and dressed for bed, Steven and Isaac played guitar while we all sang.

The next day, we all went to the West Jefferson Farmer's Market and were in for a treat. There was a special demonstration of how to shear sheep and make their wool into yarn! There were real sheep, and we got to see one being sheared. Then we saw the carder, the spinning wheel, and the loom demonstrated as the wool was turned into yarn and ultimately fabric. I don't have any pictures because my dad was the only one with a camera that morning, but hopefully I'll be able to add some soon (Daddy??) ;)

We had a yummy lunch at Smokey Mountain BBQ, and then we headed to Mount Jefferson to check out the mountain views. While we were at an overlook, a sweet lady offered to take a family picture of us! We were so thankful to have a shot of us all. Here we are, at the first overlook on the ride up Mount Jefferson:


Then we all did a little bit of hiking to get some exercise and enjoy the beautiful forest. Here are some fun pictures we got while we were on the hike:



On Sunday, we went on the Blue Ridge Parkway and stopped at the Moses Cone House to show my parents the beautiful expanse and also see some horses. We ran into my Aunt Donna and Uncle Gus, which was a nice surprise! While we were there, Isaac and Gramps played quite a bit with the walkie talkies.





After that, we headed to the Blowing Rock park (again, yes! We love it!) to have a picnic. Then we spent the early afternoon playing in the park. The kids enjoyed the sandbox again, but Isaac enjoyed playing frisbee and basketball with Steven as well. Elise also gained more confidence with the slide and went down with no trouble.




After such an adventurous day, we headed back to the cabin, packed, and headed back home. We had pizza for dinner at the Mellow Mushroom in Blowing Rock. We got home after dark and were all completely worn out! But we'd had such a fun time together that it didn't matter. Thanks Mom and Dad for coming with us and making our trip so such a wonderful time! We love you!!!

Rainy day... time to play!

Labor Day was a dreary, rainy day around here, so we took the kids to Monkey Joe's for the first time. They loved it! It was a fun, safe place for both kids play. Once we got home and naps were over, it rained really hard. Steven stepped out onto the porch during the storm and the kids followed. They wanted to go out into the rain, but due to the lightening, we kept them out of it. However, once the storm passed, they wanted to play in the leftover flash flood water. There was quite a bit of water running down each side of our street, and that became a favorite spot to play. They played for about a half hour or so out there! Here are some pictures of their rainwater adventure...

Elise, carrying water in her bowl:


Isaac, walking through the little "creek":


Steven and the kids playing in the road:


These kids love water. Pouring it, drinking it, splashing it, spraying it... They can spend hours pouring water from one container to another. It was so fun to watch the joy in their faces as they played together and made the most of such a rainy day!

Look what we found in the fridge...

Yes, she's getting into the jelly. Such an independent little lady!

Mountain Trip to see Tammy, Patrick and Rebecca!

Two weeks ago, the kids and I took a trip to Todd, NC to visit with Steven's cousin Tammy and her kids Patrick and Rebecca at their mountain cabin. We had a wonderful three day visit with them! Isaac and Elise loved having lots of time to play with Patrick, who is ten, and Rebecca, who is seven. Tammy and I also had some great quality time to catch up and visit. While we were there, we visited Grandfather Mountain, which included a small zoo and the famous Mile-High Swinging Bridge. We also went into the town of West Jefferson and visited the shoppes there.

Here are Isaac and Patrick in the gift shop at Grandfather Mountain:


We saw bears there, and Isaac loved watching them. He didn't know I was taking a picture of him, so this shot really captures his smile and excitement that we rarely get on camera:


Rebecca and Isaac:


After crossing the Mile-High Swinging Bridge...
Patrick and Isaac:


Patrick, Rebecca, and Isaac at the bridge:


One of Isaac's favorite parts of our trip was building a fire with Tammy and Patrick and then roasting marshmallows over it. They did this on Wednesday and Thursday, which thrilled Isaac. Here he is, roasting his marshmallow:


Elise and I enjoyed eating ours:



After the marshmallows had all been roasted and we were back inside, I walked into the living room to find Isaac playing like this...


After long days of fun, the kids were ready for bed! :)


A great trip and awesome family time!

This is how our kids play together...

Isaac's figured out how to put his kid sister to work...

What's wrong with this picture?

While Isaac can swing very well in the regular swing, recently he has preferred the infant swing that is usually occupied by Elise. Good thing she has learned how to swing in the other one...