Tumble Tumble Little Ones

Have I mentioned how much I love Caroline's preschool.  How loved she is there, how loved we feel there, how relaxed and engaging her classroom is.  I really feel that Caroline has come into her own this year.  I love to see how she socializes with her friends and teachers.  Did I mentioned that she's potty trained.  I got a note home from Caroline's teacher about two weeks ago that said she wasn't wearing pull-ups at school anymore and that she really didn't need to wear them at home. "Well that's new" I thought to myself.  I was actually going to go sans diapers over Spring Break.  Apparently another little girl in Caro's class started wearing princess undies and that did the trick.

Sweet Girl

Sunday we were invited to a birthday party for Caroline's friend Molly.  Molly had the Tumblebus (ingenious) come to their school and then celebrated with treats afterward.  A fabulous affair for all! Happy Birthday Molly!

Tumblebus!!!

Music time

Getting Ready for Summer

Yesterday Caroline and Charlie's Papa came over to pour our new patio!  Thank you Stuart Bauer Pools for doing such a wonderful job!  Already I can see the Mullers enjoying Bar- B-Q's  in the summer.  My kids running around, playing in their dinosaur blow-up pool, and having an overall dynamite time outside this year.  No longer are the days when I have to remove piles of gravel from my living room, pantry, and washing machine.  Hooray!

Covered in plastic after Caro ran over the wet cement!  Whoops!!!

Ready for some lounge chairs and eating area.

I'm adding this pic just because it makes me happy:

Ready to help Papa at work!

Celebrating 8 Months!!

This week my baby boy will turn 8 months old.  My how time flies!  8 (out of many) reasons why Charles Alan Muller lights up my life:

Picture courtesy of Sarah Reinhart, who is one of the only two people who take great pics of my kids (Thanks Sarah and Ann).

1.  He's a scooter!  Seeing that little tush wiggle around the floor, propelling himself as fast as possible after his sister is the cutest darn thing ever!

2.Such a chunky little monkey.  There's nothing better than giving squishy kisses into those little tummy rolls!  Still the best Big O Salesman of the Year, I'm worrying that I might never find shoes that fit the fattest little feet ever.  But I guess that's what spring and summer are for; we'll just barefoot it bud!

3. Charlie seems to have one of the best demeanor's I've ever seen in an 8 month old.  "A Barbie in the face, no big deal, I'll just chew on those pretty little feet!" type of guy.

4.  He's a sister lover.  The only times Charlie does cry is either when he is hungry in the middle of the night, or when Caroline is upset.  Once she starts going his lip starts to pout and he joins right in.  And violins start playing somewhere.  

5. His new favorite: swinging at Seneca with his big sister.  We took Charlie to the park this weekend and for the first time put him in a bucket swing.  Those little feet started to kick and a smile broke out onto the face.  He was hooked:

6.  Those six little pearly whites that flash all day long as Mr. Happy cheerfully plays through his days.

7.  I have to say that one of the things that I love best about Charlie is that he is the spitting image of my husband.  Boy do I love those two guys... and they sure do love hanging with each other.  Nothing sparks Charlie's interest more than when his Daddy walks into the room.   I know that Matt is waiting for the day to sign up for Little League coach and to finally buy those two season tickets for U of L games!

Higher Mom!

8.  We've seemed to have made it through the "twitchy lung".  Charlie had an appointment with Dr. Garcia and an asthma specialist who say his lungs are sounding incredibly clear.  How wonderful!  We're down to only two maintenance breathing treatments a day and my baby boy no longer sounds like Wheezy the Penguin from Toy Story 3!  Needless to say Matt and I (and all of the grandparents) are ecstatic!

No more Wheezy!

Love you buddy!

Lex Vegas Baby

So last week the Mullers took a much overdo vaca to Lexington to visit all that we love.  Our first stop on the trip was to visit my sister Carla at the most awesome hair salon Kentucky can offer: The Hive; where she gave Caroline a gorgeous new do.  I decided to chop her hair into a blond bob a'la Marilyn Monroe..... but later on she and Charlie decided to channel a very different persona.  Caroline continues to say that she wants her hair cut like her best friend from preschool, Reese.  The problem with this is that Reese has the tightest little curly cue hair ever, and well, lets just say that Caroline was blessed with her Daddy's locks.  Carla did the best she could:

Love the new do Aunt Carla!

Go On Girl!

Char wants fancy hair too!

 We then headed over to Cousin Luke's favorite hangout, Monkey Joe's, where the kids had a bang up time bouncing in the jumpies and drinking super large slushies (and catching a virus that knocked all three of them out).  I didn't shoot any pictures there, as I was jumping and knocking kids around myself :)

We were so fortunate to have stayed in an amazing cabin that my dad's friend owns that was right on the KY River.  The water was beautiful reflecting the ice hanging off of the cliffs.

what a view to wake up to!

Enjoying the view

FYI: If you are going to stay at a hotel or rental home with a bidet and have children hanging around make sure you tell them that they are NOT special little sinks made just for them... YIKES!

Yuck

Do you think their clean yet?

We also were able to celebrate our Granny's birthday on the River:

Happy Birthday Granny!

And no trip would be complete to Lexington without a visit to Joe Bologna's with our Uncle David (who still had yet to let us visit him at his apartment.  My imagination is running wild thinking about how filthy it must be).

Yummo... breadsticks!

The most important part of our trip besides visiting with my dad and family was visiting with my dad's best friend Mark.  A man that has been a significant presence in my life since I was four, Mark has been by my dad's side for as long as I can remember.  He is the sweetest, gentlest, most humorous human being I know.  I can't count how many times the guy had to coax me down from tree stands, let me roast marshmallows in his gas fireplace, or simply hug me and tell me that I was his sweetheart and that he loved me (something that all children should hear).  A true hero (a war veteran), and an amazing father of three great boys.  We learned that Mark has inoperable brain cancer but continue to hope and pray for everyday that he is with us in this world.  I am so blessed to have this man in my life, and am so happy that he finally got to meet my Charlie. 

Charlie and Mark

Merry Christmas Mullers!

I've waited to post the adventures of Christmas Break because I was waiting to see if one special event would happen:  Charlie in his first acting debut as the Baby Jesus.  The week before Christmas break my school was out for three days due to the snow; one of those days being the school's Christmas program.  But low and behold all of those little sad faces once the break was over and the administration decided that "Yes, it is still the season of Christmas, and of course we can hold our Nativity in January!"  So here you go folks.... behold!  The Christ Child! (Just try to ignore the big purple panther on the floor, the sneezing angel, the pointing shepherd, and my baby falling out of the manger)

 The following pictures are of some of the fun we had over the break.  How thankful Matt and I are to enjoy our kids with our friends and family.  How lucky we are to have so many people who love us!

Cookies for Santa made with love by Caro and her Nana

Yearly tradition: Christmas Eve at Pendennis

Sitting Up Already!! Anything for the Tickle Me Elmo!

Love this present from Uncle David!  Go X!

ball pit from Uncle David... 170 balls in the family room... Not sure a "thank you" is due for that one... just wait until you have kids!

Princess Caroline on her new trike Christmas morning

Wii from Pap Pap and Lulu! Super fun... even Charlie enjoys (can you see him on the floor?)

  

The Best Day Ever!

Here's my idea of the perfect day:
1. Charlie sleeps through the night: check
2. The 2nd Christmas tree is lit and decorated and the stockings are hung: check

2nd tree, even more beautiful than the 1st!

Are you up there Santa?

3. No school today because of the beautiful snow outside: check
4. Dancing in our pj's all day long: check

Dance girl, dance!

 

Charlie : Big O Salesman of the Year!

  

A lot of people have been asking how Charlie has been doing lately: so here's the update:  We spent over 4 hours at a pediatric allergist (and my old pediatrician who is the most wonderful man alive!) yesterday trying to determine why Chuck sounds the way he does. He definitely has fluid in his ears from the ear infection he had this weekend which perforated.  The fluid should go away on its own... but if not he might have to get tubes (which most kids have).  But,  the extra drainage is caused by Charlie's "twitchy lungs" in which:

1. Airways become more narrow, making it hard for air to move in and out. Tightening of the muscles surrounding the airways (bronchoconstriction), extra mucus and swelling of the airway linings all add to the narrowing, which is called obstruction.
2. Airways become super-sensitive or hyper-reactive to things that do not bother people with normal lungs. The "twitchy" lungs over-react even to cold air, exercise and smoke. The airway narrowing or obstruction and "twitchiness" cause the asthma symptoms which usually come in new "waves" called flares or attacks.

    We are treating Charlie by giving him a nebulizer twice a day with steroids to help open up his airways.  He also will do nose spray once a day to help with his drainage.  His chest x-rays are perfectly fine! Great looking lungs!  Dr. Garcia called him a Big O Tire Salesman because he is so healthy and big!  The brochiolitis that he got in August triggered these asthmatic symptoms and every time he gets a cold or bug, we hit a set back in getting him to 100%. 

  Even though Matt and I love his daycare we have decided to pull Charlie out this year to lessen the occurrences of illness.  Caroline will continue to go as usual (she is so social and smart... we couldn't take her out:)  My mom and Cathy will help to watch him during the day and hopefully Matt's cousin Kaitlin.
   Charlie is such a wonderful baby; after 6 hours of doctors and x-rays yesterday he didn't cry once!  And we discovered that he has cut a tooth!  Such a big happy boy... and now we know who is perfectly healthy... just needs a little TLC!

Big enough to sit on lap? Not yet!!!!!!!

P.S> we did do allergy testing, and I am happy to know that he has a peanut and egg allergy (so I can be careful what to give him when he turns one).  Most kids grow out of these allergies... in fact Dr. Garcia called his peanut allergy a "placenta allergy" that babies get in the womb if their mom craves peanuts during pregnancy.  Maybe I should have laid off the PB&J's!
  On a sad note we found out that he is not allergic to Christmas trees (which I dumped on Monday), but dust mites.  So, technically it is better for us to get a live tree and spray it with pollen and mold killer than getting a fake tree because it collects dust.  So, today I will head to the big HD for our second tree of the season!

On a happier note:  Daddy and Caroline enjoyed the snow this weekend while Charlie and I stayed warm inside putting up decor.  Caroline made her first snow girl and had her first sled ride of the season:

Randy

Little Red Sled

Snow Daddy

Frosty the Armless Snow Girl