Sunday, March 15, 2015

February

January went out with a bang and February continued to be just as busy and eventful... both good and bad, but mostly good. I'll recap through the pictures.
Christine became very accustomed to her breathing treatments, which we have nicknamed Mr. Neb

Getting ready for Valentine's Day

A few of the coupons were to make something with us. Mark and the girls made a play house. They helped with the design, making of, and decorating (which was the best part).



Yeah for twins!!

The weekend after Christine's birthday we decided to celebrate again since she was home and Mark's sister was visiting with her family. Christine loved the extra attention. Adriana had some ideas for the cake so we left it all up to her and it turned out great! Christine loves Curious George and monkeys so that's what she put on it.


That's a huge piece of ice cream on her spoon, not cake!


Cousin time!!



Then the following weekend we hosted a Valentine Party. This is a family tradition on Sarah's side and it was fun to share it with our neighbors. We did it on Valentine's Day so decided to do it around lunch. Everyone brought appetizers or desserts and then we played some traditional games. It was a great afternoon!

Cookie making!

The infamous red hot game


Our lovely cupids!!


The following week we had a few snow days because of the iffy weather. No snow came, but there was some rain and cold weather. We enjoyed being together and playing.
A tea party/doll birthday party

These dolls have really become part of the family.
Adriana loves making towers when she unloads the dishwasher!

Playing in the boxes

Then we got to have a fun weekend with the Tanner grandparents!

We spent Saturday downtown visiting the Varsity for lunch and the World of Coca-Cola.




That night we took Elena in to urgent care. She had been sick and when we went to the dr on Monday they thought it was a virus and not much to do but wait it out. (These viruses have been visiting our house way to frequently lately). By Saturday with her still sick we wanted to see if there was something else going on. And there was. They sent us to the ER and come to find out that she had viral Pneumonia. We were admitted and spent the next few days under the care of doctors and nurses. She was a trooper, especially with the cannula in her nose most of the time to supplement her oxygen. She did enjoy watching more TV, having food that she got to eat in bed, and playing with all the buttons on her bed. Her sisters came for a visit and I think Christine was relieved to be on the other side. Especially when she noticed the nose cannula.



A few hours before we left and feeling much better.


After all that, and yes we are still in February, we got to enjoy some fun Georgia snow! School was cancelled for 3 days and this time we did get some white powder. Everyone had a blast.



We even let Elena go out for 5 minutes





 

More fun in the boxes

As part of my Christmas gift from Mark he got me hooked up with the Georgia Symphony Orchestra. It is a perfect situation because the rehearsals are the week of the concert and other than that you just practice on your own. My first concert was the end of February and it was great to get back into playing.


Sunday, February 22, 2015

January 2015

January was an up and down month for us. Mostly up, but some down. The girls enjoyed the rest of their time off school and we were even able to go to the park.


Sampling the whipping cream



We got to spend a few days with some old friends from Texas which was so great! They had a cabin for the weekend up in North Georgia.


In the middle of January I decided to surprise my sister, Emily, for a visit to Boise, ID. Her husband and I planned it all and when I showed up at her door, she was beyond surprised! It was priceless. Afterwards she said she had the thought, "You look like my sister... you are my sister!!" It was fun to visit and spend a few days together. It was the first time I have been able to visit her since we've been married so way overdue. Christine was still 1 so I was able to bring her for free. It was a great trip.




Buddies


Cousin twins
 Boise Aquarium








A fun sister lunch

Bounce house excitement!

Saying good-bye

The next week, I took Christine to the doctor for her breathing and was sent immediately to the ER. Poor little thing has struggled with this in the past and we've been doing a lot of treatments to hopefully prevent serious illness, but this virus was a bad one. We spent 2 1/2 days in the hospital, including her whole birthday. Glad we could get the help for her, but bummed about when it happened. Mark brought the girls for a little birthday celebration with cake and ice cream and her presents. The hospital staff also helped celebrate by making a poster for her door and giving her a huge My Little Pony. We were happy to have her home and feeling better. We are learning a lot about respiratory illnesses. The doctors tell us that her bronchial tubes are smaller than normal so when they get inflamed she can't get the mucus through her system. In a few years she should outgrow it. 
Our cute Christine is such a happy, loving girl and we love having her in our family. She has quite the vocabulary and loves expressing what she wants, is thinking or just what is going on around her. She is already developing preferences for shoes and clothes. She loves baths and can't get enough Curious George.


The nurses singing Happy Birthday

Loving her pony

The Birthday Party! Our baby is 2!!


We also celebrated the following weekend at home just to spoil her a bit. Pictures of that will be forthcoming.