Valentine's Day

Nothing special to post really, but had a few pictures to share! We've had the 24-hour stomach bug going around our house, so Eli and I are waiting to see if we are going to get it! Family is coming this weekend, so we best be gettin it if we're gonna get it! :)

I would love this pic even more if I hadn't cut her head off.

Daddy brought cupcakes home on Valentines Day! Eli was a big fan.

Cute as a Cupcake.

For some reason she was saying she looked like an elephant.

She looks like a big girl in this picture! A surfing big girl.

Here are the jigglers! Yum! The middle ones are purple but they look black bc they're stacked on top of pink ones, and the pink ones look dark red bc they're stacked on top of purple ones.

I'm ready for school!

Kid Updates

It's been forever since I've posted, especially with updates on the kids! Here we go!

Charley...

• She is getting closer and closer to being a 3-year-old, which is so hard to believe! It seems like she turned from "toddler" to "little girl" over night, right around 2.5. Which means we only have a year or so until Eli turns into "little boy"!!! They are growing up so fast! (cliche usage number 1)
• So far two-years-old has been "easier" than one as far as her self-control and tantrums issue go. Or maybe we just got used to it? Hmmm. For the most part, she can gather herself quicker than she used to, but we are still teaching (and teaching and teaching and teaching) her to put others first, obey the first time (and with a happy heart), etc. etc. etc.
• Charley loves helping around the house and will often ask, "May I help you, Mommy??" It is very sweet, and I hope it will stick. :/ She especially loves to help with cooking and baking (despite the mixer accident in December!). Other things she helps with are setting the table, putting clothes away, and picking up toys (never-ending battle).
• She loves laughing and if anything is different from our normal routine or if something funny happens, she will laugh and say, "That's SILLY!!" For instance if I were to put Eli's socks on her by accident, she would say, "Mommy, THAT's SILLY! hehehehee." Everything is silly.
• She loves being outside, but since this has been the coldest/longest winter EVER (with the exception of this gloriously beautiful day), we don't get out as much as we'd like.
• Her first dentist appointment was last month, and it went well! Thanks Allison, and Betsy, and Karoline, and Rob, and Trecy, for recommending Upstate Pediatric Denistry. Add me to the list of people who love that place! Charley did really well and got a good report.
• Charley is still in school two days a week and loves it. Tomorrow is her Valentines party, and I think I get more excited about the parties than she does. I signed up to send in Jell-O Jigglers, which of course will be pink and purple and heart-shaped!
• Speaking of parties, Charley is minorly obsessed with Birthdays. She talks about Birthdays and Birthday Cake pretty much EVERY day. 

Eli...

• Eli is almost 1.5. He is still a super happy boy and pretty laid back (until you tell him "No." hmmmm, sounds like Charley).
• He has leveled off in his crazy growing patterns and is still pretty tall but is average in weight. He has been wearing the same clothes since, hmmm, October? So, it's been nice not having to buy new clothes all the time (not to mention we have been super blessed with hand-me-downs).
• Eli is still our curious child (curious is a positive replacement for "destructive"). :) He makes messes, rips books, takes things apart, and would rather see how something works than play with it.
• He is a sweet sweet cuddle bug! He loves snuggling and giving kisses. Such a sweet boy!!
• Eli has been crying when we drop him off at nursery for the past, hmm, four - five months? He usually gets over it pretty quickly and is fine, but it's just one more way how he and Charley are different. Charley is like, "Peace. I've got things to do!" when we drop her off.
• I think he's going to be the family ham. He loves make himself laugh, and will often start cracking up in the middle of a fit if I just look at him like he's being ridiculous. And the other day, he didn't know I was watching him, and he was playing with a toy, got mad at it, threw it down, stared at it for a few seconds, and then started laughing at it. Not in mean way, but in a, "that's so silly" kinda way. 
• Speaking of throwing things, he does throw things that he is mad at or if we give him something he doesn't want, he will chunk it. We are working on this.
• Eli is majorly obsessed with basketball. He has a small one that he carries around all the time and would sleep with if we let him. I took him to a Grace girls' basketball game last week and he just sat there, still, and watched pretty much the entire game.
• He definitely has picked up things quicker b/c of having an older sister. Charley wasn't eating with utensils until she was at least two (mainly my fault b/c I didn't want the mess), and Eli has been eating with them for awhile. Everything Charley does, he wants to do. This is both helpful and not-so-helpful (ie. him trying to climb in his car seat (which is physically impossible) and results in a fit).
• Oh!! And he is walking!! Now there's a biggie! He started walking during Snow Week, and hasn't looked back. It sure is nice having two walkers!! It will be so nice going to the park and other such outdoor activities!! I realized that this will be first summer since 2007 that I haven't had an infant or crawler. I'm excited about getting outside!
• Eli has had three hair cuts already! We took him to Jelly Beans for his first "penny" hair cut in December. They did a great job! Then I cut it in January, and lemme tell you, the professionals make it look easy! It wasn't easy...at all. Yeah, I somewhat butchered it, but no one could really tell b/c of the curls. D cut it again a couple weeks ago and did a good job.

Here are some of my favorite pics from Jan and Feb (in majorly random order b/c Blogger makes rearranging pictures super challenging).

Here's Charley smiling at the Smile (which later slipped out of her lap and broke in two). I felt sooo bad and apologized to the dentist like fifty times. WHOOPS. They were very gracious.

Eli and his buddy Emma.

Such a big girl!

I heart basketball.

The kids with one of their newest friends, Harper!

Four kids on the piano=music to my ears... and Sadie was about to lose it.

Eli's expression is priceless. Mema and Granddaddy sent Eli a ball in the mail, and he was thrilled!

The two sweeties.

Playin Piano

Here's to you, Corn.

A before shot. Before his second cut.

The after shot!

When it Rains...

When it rains it pours... Or maybe "when it snows it dumps" would be more appropriate. I dunno.

During Snow Week 2011 our lights started dimming anytime we used a major appliance, ie. the washer, dryer, microwave, etc. It was one of those "please don't let us lose power" weeks. In the meantime, our Internet connection had been whack (which isn't unusual, but it had finally gotten on my last nerve). My parents were here for a visit at the end of Snow Week, so I used the opportunity [of them entertaining the kids] to finally call both the cable and power companies. One said they'd be out that day between one and three and the other said, "maybe tomorrow." Well, whaduhyaknow, the two service trucks showed up that day at the EXACT same time. I mean, seriously?? The odds of that ever happening again are like 1 in a bazillion. It was nice in lots of ways, but pretty not nice when the power guy had to cut the power in the house, which means the cable guy couldn't do his thing. But they worked it out between the two of them, and everything was fixed in a timely manner. Amazing! Oh wait - except the power guy forgot to tell us to turn OFF the main breaker in our house, so when he cut the power, it sent a MASSIVE surge of electricity into our house and blew all of our surge protecters, our printer, our telephone modem, our cable box and Eli's baby monitor to Kingdom Come. There was smoke coming from the surge protectors and I could've sworn I actually saw flames when I first checked the one behind my desk, but now I'm wondering if I just imagined flames. It was scary! When it happened, there was loud pops and crackling throughout the house. My parents and I looked at each other like, "WHAT IN THE WORLD?!?!"
The cable guy had fixed his problem and left before the power came back on and we assessed the damage, so it was only later that we realized we were going to have to schedule a NEW appointment with the cable company to come replace the fried telephone modem and cable box. In the meantime, I called the power company to file a claim for our surge protectors and baby monitor. They promptly sent our claim to a third party who then in turn promptly sent us a letter the very next day, which, in a nutshell said, "SORRY FOR YA." They said that an animal had caused the problem with the dimming lights (true...a squirrel had chewed the line), but the dimming light problem had nothing to do with huge power surge that fried everything. Anyways, I had to write a letter of appeal in efforts to reverse our denied claim, but I'm sure another "SORRY FOR YA" letter is on its way. That's why the power company hired the third party to handle their claims...because they specialize in denials.
Soooo, the cable company came back to our house two days later, on Saturday, to fix their end of the damage. The guy was here for about 45 min and did his thing. After he left, I went to jump in the shower, and the shower was full of water!!! As in, up from our drain (sewage) pipe. Nasty. We had to call a plumber who came five hours later for literally five minutes and charged us UP THE WAHZOO to unclog our line in the yard. Needless to say, I didn't get a shower that day and D pulled out the bleach and went to town on both showers.
So I never want to see a utility worker ever again. EVER!!
Actually, to be honest, I can't tell you how grateful I am that we could promptly get our problems fixed (minus the damage to our stuff). I can't imagine just having to deal with it. No power. Poop-water in your showers. I mean, people have to deal with stuff like this! I worked on a woman's house on a mission trip in which the sewage pipe was flat out leaking into the basement. And had been for months and months! On her children's toys! The lady couldn't pay anybody to fix it. And this was in the USA.
While none of the above experiences were fun, and even though they certainly hurt our pocketbook, I really just have to keep it in perspective. And here's the part where the lights dim and the music plays and Uncle Jesse talks to DJ and Stephanie about the lesson they could learn....BUT, Charley's awake and I gotta go.
Have a great day, and be grateful you have electricity and no sewer water in your tub! :)

Snow! And lots of it.

The highly anticipated "Winter Storm" of 2011 arrived late Sunday and dumped around 8 inches of beautiful snow in our area. Nothing says, "snow is coming" like a line five-people deep at BiLo. There's never a line at BiLo.
Schools were canceled before the snow even started falling, and the entire city pretty much shut down for three days. Most doctor's offices are closed, which means D can't go to work, which means snow day for the entire family. I decided I love Spann family snow days because it's like the world is on pause and we can slow down and take a breath. So far this week we have accomplished two things: much needed time at home with family AND much needed cleaning!! One of which we did yesterday (fun!) and the other we are doing today (not so fun, but productive). Snow days also require eating waffles (homemade of course) as this is a tradition I grew up with. Mmmm.
I realize that snow days look different for each family (some people have to work anyway...boo), and I also realize that snow days can only happen like a couple days a year or else our economy would shut down, not to mention life at home would get lonely and boring. You can only do so much cleaning. And by the end of the day today, I was cheering, "Cabin Fever yes I do, Cabin Fever how 'bout you??!" But, the couple days we get...I'll take 'em!
Here are some pics of our time in the snow!

Look!! It snowed!!


Our snow angel and I made a snow blob, I mean snowman. Charley had so much fun!


Our sweet little boy was all bundled up!! And good thing because we took a walk to our friends' house up the street...in the snow...uphill (both ways). I used the jogger as a walker...otherwise I would have busted my tail.


We borrowed Jeremy and Kelly's sleds (and yard)...both kids got a few turns, and Charley even went by herself! It was so fun to watch...she laughed and laughed. So precious. Thanks friends for sharing! Otherwise we would have been using cookie sheets!

Charley's Bald Spot

My sweet little girl has a ginormous bald spot thanks to our Kitchen Aid mixer. She was helping me make cookies last week, looked over the edge of the bowl after dumping in some eggs, and the mixer caught her hair and pulled it right out. It's as simple, and awful, as that. I would have never dreamed that that could or would happen. While it was happening, Charley was in shock and didn't cry, but as soon as I got my wits about me and turned the machine off, she started wailing. Oh it was awful. I didn't want to look at her head to see the damage, but I knew I had to. No blood. Just a big bald spot...the hair, which was enough to cover a small dog, was wrapped around the top of the mixing paddle. Charley recovered very quickly, and wanted to start making cookies again almost immediately. That was a relief. But, it was me who was traumatized. It has been a week, and I still get a sick feeling when I think of it. So...you have been warned. Mixers can pull out hair quicker than a mean girl in a cat fight. Protect your children by pulling their hair back or something. I certainly learned my lesson...the hard way!! Fortunately, Charley has a LOT of hair, so it is easy to cover the bald spot, but sadly, we won't be doing any pig tails for a LONG long time.
Here are some recent pics...

Our first big toddler mess. Sugar every where.

Silly Charley wearing daddy's shoes.

And there's the bald spot. Partially covered by hair.

No thank you. I won't smile.

Sweet little babies.

Our Kryptonite

Take a second and imagine you are Superman. ... Are you there? Okay, well, even though you're Superman you can't fly, and you still can get a cold, cancer, or break your leg. So I guess you are really some knock-off brand of Superman or maybe you are just plain Clark Kent. BUT the one thing that still rings true is that Kryptonite can kill you. Kinda scary. But, you say, only the "bad guys" like Lex Luther have Kryptonite, right? No!! Kryptonite is everywhere!!! Your best friends have jars of it. Your grandmother keeps a can of it next to her rocker. It's in the mall, at Wal-Mart, and there is enough Kryptonite in your local grocery store to kill a thousand Supermans! Your favorite candy bar says, "May Contain Traces of Kryptonite." Your favorite holiday dessert is made with 95% pure Kryptonite. Every single cookie on the cookie aisle (minus Oreos, thank goodness) contains or may contain Kryptonite so you just can't risk it. So, what do you do?? You avoid these things. No more pretzels at the mall. No more Chinese with the fam. No more ice cream from most ice cream places, no more visits to Grandma without the can of Kryptonite on the highest shelf in the pantry, and your friends have to hide their jars of it lest you get exposed.... sigh. This makes you sad. You know the world is not perfect. You know that you are capable of being hurt. But having Kryptonite - your poison - everywhere is pretty overwhelming. You don't want to inconvenience your grandma or your friends.You don't want to read labels. You want to simply enjoy your favorite Holiday treat. But the world is broken. Your body is broken. And in order to stay healthy, you must stay away from Kryptonite.
Okay. You are not Superman anymore. You may have guessed by now where I was going with this. Peanuts and Tree Nuts are Eli's Kryptonite, and therefore, our family's Kryptonite. We found out about three weeks ago after visiting the allergist after an adverse reaction to peanut butter. I was SHOCKED. If you had asked me two months ago if I thought I'd be reading, "How to Deal with Your Child's Life Threatening Food Allergy" or the "Peanut Allergy Handbook," I would have laughed. I NEVER thought we'd be that family. I don't know why. I just didn't. But, now we are, and it's been adjustment. Like I tried to portray above, peanuts and/or tree nuts are IN EVERYTHING. We are now "label readers," which is pretty annoying but something we gladly do in order to protect Eli. It's a lifestyle change, but certainly not the end of the world. All of this has just opened to my eyes as to how healthy my kids are. It has made me more sensitive to other families with allergies...especially those with multiple allergies (like peanuts, milk and egg - don't know how they do it!) I have realized how much I adore food...especially that of the peanut butter variety (peanut butter balls, Reese's, etc etc etc) -- have I made food an idol??
So, in a nutshell (haha), I hope to learn and grow from this. I serve a mighty God who I trust and who loves my son. Peanut butter flavored Kryptonite or not, life will go on, and God is good.

Our Night Tonight

Sometimes I have visions of my children at bedtime sitting Indian-style in matching pajamas, hanging on to every word I read out of their favorite storybook, the spotless house filled with the aroma of fresh brewed coffee, and magical Christmas smells like cinnamon and pine. Bedtime tonight, like most nights, well, every night, didn't go like this. It all started on our way to a prayer meeting that our church was having downtown. Let's just say we were about to park at the church when Eli gagged on a chicken nugget and threw up EVERYwhere. Yes, AGAIN. Sooo, I ended up dropping D off at church and headed back home to give Eli a bath and clean up the stinky carseat, which unfortunately has become a ritual in our house. In the meantime, poor Charley was confused as to why we were heading back home and said, "Mommy...I wanna go to church and see my free-ens." sniff. (that's "friends" if you need a translator)
So, we got home, I threw Eli in the bathtub, scrubbed him down, (while Charley comes in and somehow dumps water all over the bathroom floor by trying to "play" in the tub while standing outside of the tub), and then I get Eli's jammies on. Okay...clean baby -- Check. I then have to take the nasty clothes to the sink to get the chunks out (lesson learned the hard way). There's also a grody jacket (now that it's "winter," we have layers of puke-covered clothes to deal with...fantastic). While I'm doing this though, I am praising God for clean, running water!! And a washing machine. Seriously!! Please may I never take these things for granted (well, I do every day, which is just wrong).
I then go in and out of the house to clean out the car and all the things that got dripped on and what not. On one of my trips outside, I heard the door knob jiggling (how do you spell that?!) from inside the house. Must be Charley. Ut-oh- CHARLEY! Yep, sure enough...she had locked the door. And I was outside of the door. With no keys. No phone. And no children. Niiice. Fortunately there's a window on the door out to the garage, so I could see Charley standing at the door. I could only hope that Eli was still playing in the play room, because with his attention span, I probably only had three minutes before he was off drinking the toilet water or something. Soooo, I was like, "Charley. Unlock the door. Turn the little knob thing again." So, thankfully, she listened. BUT...it wouldn't turn. Her little fingers couldn't get a grip on it, and she kept saying, "I did it Mommy!" but it was definitely still locked. So then I was like, "now what?" Even when D got home, he wouldn't have had a key, and all of our spares were for some reason IN the house. Niice. So, I decided that Charley just had to keep trying. So.....five minutes later, boom, she got it. PHEW. And everyone was fine. And I didn't have to throw a brick through the window to get in.
So, yay. I was inside. But still needed to get one more child ready for bed... and did I mention it's PITCH black outside?...thank you Time Change. My body thinks it's like midnight and it's only six o'clock. And bedtime is really an hour away, but...since their bodies think it's seven, and Charley didn't nap at all today, I was definitely aiming for a 6:45 bedtime. Sooooo...we all cleaned up the playroom...Even Eli helped by throwing a toy into the bin, and then clapping...repeat. So precious. Brushing teeth went well, minus the part where Charley starting "cleaning" the sink with her toothbrush, which completely grossed me out. We read stories while Eli pulled books off the shelf and proceeded to rip them. I started talking to Charley about what she had learned in church this morning and said to her "Charley, do you know that God loves you and that He is sovereign and that you can trust Him??" she nodded, and I continued, "Just like Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego were scared when they were put in the fiery furnace, but God..." she interrupted and said, "No, no, no day weren't scared...day were in de BIGGGGGG fire and de angel dere and God and BIGGGGG fire and BIGGGGG castle and den we went back to our cwassroom and did a cwaft." Amazing. It just made me smile.
So they are sleeping now. deep breath. And I look back at the last few hours and smile. Even though my house isn't clean and my kids' jammies don't match, I sure do hope the Lord received glory from my life today...in the decisions I made...my actions. I hope I can teach my children to clean up throw up with a "happy heart" with no grumbling. I pray that I can love others before myself, including my little ones, who I just want to put to bed without stories sometimes. May I cherish these times with them!!! But for now, while they sleep, the car seat is waiting for me in the garage. sigh. Off I go!
but first...here are a few recent pics...

Eli - 13 months!

Charley - two-ana-half!!

Soooo sweet

Happy Halloween!! (now bring on the turkey!)