Wordless Wednesday: Solid Foods!

Guess who started eating REAL food?!?!?!?!

Monday's Movie - September 20, 2010

Here's the "Monday's Movie" button. If you want to do a "Monday's Movie" please feel free to use this button (right click on image and select "copy link location" then paste in your own blog post) so you can link back to my page as well! Enjoy!!! :)

 

 

 For your viewing pleasure:

Sierra counts in English & Spanish @ 28 months old

Sierra is growing and learning so quickly, as a mom and a licensed teacher, it is even hard for me to keep up with her! Of course we are bias, but we think she is so bright and we love building on these skills each and every chance we get! :) Oh, and by the way, she was not yet potty trained when I filmed this video back in August; however, when she says "I need to go potty" at the very end of the film, I pretty much ignored her but she did go upstairs before nap time and again she reminded me that she had to go. I obliged and let her sit on the potty and sure enough, she went poo-poo in the potty!! Pretty impressive. Guess that was Mama's clue that she was ready to start potty training! :) Hope you ENJOY today's "Movie"!!!!

Happy Birthday Papa!

Today is my Dad's birthday and we just want to say,

Happy Birthday Papa! We love you very much! 

Hope you have a great day!!!

Wordless Wednesday

Wordless Wednesday

If only you could have been there to witness this very moment. Priceless!!!

 

 

 

Monday's Movie HIATUS - September 13, 2010

My sweet, blue eyed baby boy, Mannix

~Mannix - Meaning "Little Monk" in Gaelic~

I normally do "Monday's Movie" on Mondays, but today I am taking a little hiatus to blog about something different. Today, September 13th marks the one year anniversary of the loss of my sweet baby boy, Mannix. Last year I was newly into the school year and student teaching was exhausting me; not only that but I was also 4 months pregnant, having to leave my sweet baby girl, and basically just overwhelmed all around. Therefore, I did not blog about my loss during that time but I wanted to take the time to do so now.

Sweet boy, sitting on my lap

Sierra and I had gone away for the weekend to celebrate my father's 60th birthday with family in Richmond. As usual, Brian had to work and did not go with us. On Saturday morning before we headed to Richmond I noticed that Mannix was making a weird noise when he was breathing but I really just thought maybe he was having the typical fall allergies or ate a bug that made him sniffle (he was definitely my bug eater). I didn't really think twice about it but I do remember picking him up while Sierra was eating her breakfast and I snuggled with him, giving him tons of kisses like I used to love to do and looked into his blue eyes (probably the only blue eyed "child" I will ever have) and told him something like, "you need to stop getting into mischief, like eating flys, that makes your nose and tummy upset." We left and all was well.

I could really use a back rub, are you done working yet Mom?

Needless to say, all was not well. On Sunday evening, Sierra and I got home around 5:45pm and I started unpacking the car while Sierra was still in her car seat and not hanging out under foot. I brought the first patch of luggage into the house and there right before me on the kitchen floor lay Mannix's limp body. I. Lost. It. Really. My mother, father, and husband can all attest to how much I really did lose it. I ran outside and grabbed my phone, gasping for air (now remember people, I watched my husband die, so you would think I could have a little composure over losing a cat; well, yeah, not so much). I quickly called my parents house as I was getting Sierra out of the car, whom I am sure was very confused about why mama was screaming crying. My dad answered the phone, which was probably a good thing because he calmly talked to me whereas my mother would probably have freaked out WITH me instead. My father asked, "what in the world is wrong." I don't remember exactly what I said, I think it was something like, "It's Mannix. He's dead. He's not breathing. On the kitchen floor. I don't know what happened. There's blood. There's saliva. I don't know what to do. I don't want Sierra to see him like this." All this while hyperventilating and crying hysterically. Dad calmly said, "Karen, where is Sierra?" I said, "I am holding her." He said, "You need to take a deep breath, take Sierra upstairs, put her in her crib. She is probably going to cry and that is okay, just put her down for a minute. Then go get a towel and go pick up Mannix and set him in the garage. Then take another deep breath, calm down, and call me back." So I did exactly as he said and to this day I remember when I picked Mannix up he was still warm and limp; I knew he had not been gone for long.

The boppy is a multi-use pillow :)

After I settled down and got Sierra in bed (she was going to bed around 6:30pm those days because of such an early schedule in the mornings) I then called Brian at work. I had gotten myself settled down but of course, as soon as I heard Brian's voice on the other end of the line, I lost it again. I asked him how was Mannix when he had left, just a mere 45 minutes before we had gotten home. Brian said, "he was fine, standing by the door while I was tying my boots and getting ready to leave, same as he always does. Why?" Then I told Brian that Mannix was dead. At some point between the time that Brian left for work around 5pm and when I got home around 5:45pm, something bad had happened. I was devastated. He was only 5 years old.

She might drive me crazy, but if you mess with her, you are messing with me!!!

Brian was so kind about the whole thing, considering he isn't the biggest animal lover I know. He was very sensitive towards my needs and agreed to call the vet in the morning and take care of everything for me. He was so sweet about it. Sure enough, he called the vet, took Mannix's body into the vet and even paid to have an autopsy done so I would have some answers. To this day, a year later, I still do not know how much he paid to have all that done for me. He told me not to worry about the cost. He knew how much it meant to me to have some closer and understanding of what happened and that was all that mattered. The autopsy revealed that Mannix

Ahhhh. Sun!

Hey! Who's blocking my sun?

The next several days were so hard for me, but the next day was definitely the hardest. I dropped Sierra off at my friend Courtney's house and I remember tearing up while talking to her about it. Then I went to school, where just 2 weeks prior I had shown my new 1st graders pictures of my two kitty's, and if you know anything about 1st graders, they ask questions about your personal life ALL. THE. TIME. So a common recurring question was, "is your white kitty still getting into things?" They asked that because I told them that Mannix was always mischievous and getting into things and that drove my husband bonkers. They thought that was funny. I couldn't break their little hearts, like mine was, so I would just say "yes." I teared up as I was telling my mentor teacher about it and as soon as the day was over, I got in my SUV to come home and before I could drive away I bawled my eyes out right there in the school parking lot. My heart hurt. 

Can someone please get this kid off me?!?

Look Kid, You are too big for a ride!

Now I know, for someone reading this that is not really an animal lover you would think I was crazy and I understand that. However, Mannix was my sweet little boy. He would sit on my lap every night. He loved me unconditionally. He would snuggle with me in bed after Daniel died and I felt all alone. He would greet me at the door every night after work. He never judged me if I took too long to clean out his litter box or took too long getting his food out. He ate all the bugs that ever came into the house so I wouldn't have to worry about squishing them. Whenever I was working on homework he would come and sit right on top of my papers as if to say, "Stop working Mom. Pay attention to me." He would look at me with those big blue eyes and just be so sweet. He would climb the cabinets and the walls and everything else he could, which would drive Brian crazy. He would snuggle with Sierra and never get upset with her for pulling his hair out. He would look at our female cat (Neko) as if to say, "really, PMS again!?!?" He was just the best, most loving, sweetest cat I have ever known and I truly loved him. He was my first baby and I miss him so much. I really hope that some day my husband will allow me to get another cat just like him, but I know Mannix can never be replaced.

Mama misses you every day Mannix.

Mannix Gregory Miller - October 2004 - September 13, 2009

Are you ready?!?!

Are you ready for some football?????!!!!!!

We sure are! You might remember that I had one little fan back a while ago, well now I am super excited to have TWO little fans!!!!!  

Go Bills!!!! 

My two little fans!!!

Touchdown!!!

Hey Mom, Look! Chyler's a Bills fan too! :)

Flashback Friday!

I know of another blogger that does "Flashback Fridays" and so I have decided to do some as well. There are hundreds (probably thousands actually) of pictures that I had good intentions of sharing and posting; but life continues to go on and I never can get ahead of myself; so instead we are going to "Flash Back"!!! :)

Here is my first ever FLASH BACK FRIDAY!!!! Enjoy!

Last August we drove 15 hours to Florida to visit with my Aunt in Miami, Brian's Dad on the Gulf Coast, and then attend a family get together in Georgia on our way back home. Sierra was an amazing traveler in the car for 15 hours straight (we drove through the night mostly) and we didn't even have a DVD player and yes, she was still rear-facing then! Simply Amazing! She was awesome in the car, and still is! I was just 12 weeks prego with Chyler and feeling very sick; in fact, as soon as we stopped for breakfast, I sat up and vomited into a near by grocery bag...fun, fun, fun! Despite the drive though, it really was 12 days of non-stop fun! :)

While in Miami for 3 days we hit up the Miami Seaquarium one of the days. It was a great place, but it was VERY expensive (costing us about $90 for the whole day - and that was with us bringing our OWN lunch) and it was also VERY hot and humid - Gotta love Miami in August! All and all though it was fun to see the animals and spend the day together. Sierra had a good time, but I think she would have enjoyed it more if she was older, she had only just turned 16 months old a few days prior.

Checking out the fish with Daddy (Look how hot and sweaty Sierra was!) Yuck!

That's a BIG fish!

Walking around the Seaquarium with Daddy

Sharing an slushy with Mama. Really hit the spot!

After leaving Miami, we headed West over to Fort Myers to see Brian's dad. We were there for 5 days and had a blast! Got to see lots of sights, do lots of things, and spend time together. One of the days we headed to the gulf to swim. LOVE the gulf. That water is so warm, crystal clear, and just beautiful. Our adventure there was short lived because a huge storm rolled in, but it was fun while it lasted. Brian even found 3 sand dollars and many shells with Sierra. :)

Sierra's first dip in the Gulf

Looking for shells with Daddy

Sierra watching the sunset with her Grandpa

Sierra with Grandpa & Grandma Deb

Sierra also was able to get up close and personal with a shark jaw, Santa Clause, and a camel! Who knew Florida had so much to offer! :)

On our last day there we headed to another beach on the Gulf and enjoyed swimming and playing with Grandpa, Grandma Deb, Mama, Daddy, and Great Aunt Sue (Brian's aunt).

Peek-a-boo! Where's Sierra?!?!

Playing in the sand with Aunt Sue

Such a FUN trip!!

My goal is, if I keep up with these "Flash Back Friday" posts, I should be able to get to this summer's trips by next summer. LOL!

Monday's Movie - September 6, 2010

Summer Fun

For Your Viewing Pleasure
Enjoy!

In honor of Labor Day and saying farewell to summer, here is a video that I took the last day of our beach trip in Corolla, NC this summer.



PS - Now it is only 320 days until our 2011 vacation :)

*Also, notice my new "Monday Movie" button. It was created for me by my awesome Sister-in-law, Blakely. Soon, I will have a link to share and you can "steal" the button to use if you want to do a "Monday Movie" on your blog as well! :)

6 Months Old!

GUESS WHAT!?!?!

Chyler Anne is 6 months old TODAY!!!!

To say that she is a blessing to us is a total understatement. She is a precious blessing from the Lord and we are so blessed to have her as a part of our family.

She had her 6 month check-up on the 13th and she is now 17 pounds, 1 ounce and 26 and 3/4 inches long. That is one chubby and tall baby girl. She is developing just perfectly and we are so blessed with her happy and precious spirit. She still loves to nurse and to sleep and is sitting up well now. The months are just flying by and we are trying to savor every moment because we know soon we will be chasing after her, just like we are with her big sister. We love you Chyler Anne and praise God for your life every single day!

Gardening with Daddy

Sierra LOVES her daddy. She is such a daddy's girl it really is amazing to me. She asks where he is every morning, every day after nap, and every night. She cries when he leaves for work and she gets so excited when he comes home, screaming "Daddy!!!!" She just loves her daddy time! The other day she got some great "Daddy Time" with Brian while I was cooking dinner and they were outside pulling weeds / cleaning up the front flower bed. She was so sweet wanting to help him so I snapped some pictures. Too cute (both of them)!!! :)

First Swing Ride

Chyler took her first (outdoor) swing ride the other day. We were visiting friends and my friend Emily suggested that I put her in the swing. I said, "really?" She still seems like my little baby and it is hard to believe that she is growing up so fast. I don't think Sierra sat in a swing outside on a play ground until she was 10 months old! :) She really enjoyed it though (despite her unhappy expression). I can see many more fun times ahead with this sweet, precious girl! :)

Wordless Wednesday

My Sweet Cheeks
:)