Brrrrrrrrr!!!!

I LOVE cold weather.  I always joke that I was born in the wrong part of the country.  I long for winter...REAL winter..you know, where it snows instead of is rainy and 40 degrees?????  

I am hoping with this trend that I will get my wish this year...I can not believe how cold it has been, but I am not complaining at all!

Friday, we headed to my parents and picked them up for a visit to Southern Season.  Emma knows the is going to get a little something from Stacy in the candy department..and her favorite is orange slices (who knew?!)

I made her pose by the Christmas tree at the store (can we just stop for a minute and talk about how cute her outfit is???  Yes, I picked it out for her!)

One the way home, we stopped at McDonald's for some chicken nuggets (I know it seems like this is all I feed her...but stop judging.  She's actually underweight for her age, so I figure it will do her some good.)  I looked back and saw this...I think she was so tired, she wasn't sure whether she wanted to eat the nugget or fall asleep!

Saturday, we had tickets to the game.  I practically had to drag Brent along.  He kept talking about how cold it was going to be, yadda yadda yadda.  

Well, he was right.  Even though we were bundled up like Eskimos, it was freezing.  Normally, we praise God for our shady seats, but this day, there was about a 20 degree difference between sun and shade.  We barely made it to the 2nd quarter before needing to warm up.  We met some friends over on the sunny side and watched some of the game there, and I almost needed to take off my coat.

We always make a point to see Miss Brooklyn outside the BlueZone.  Now that Brooklyn is walking, these 2 are having a blast together.  And it cracks me up because Emma loves Clint (Brooklyn's dad) and Brooklyn always runs right to Brent.  I guess Brittni and I are just not cool enough:)

Sunday morning, I woke up with the sniffles and some serious head congestion.  (Thankfully, it went away as fast as it came and I felt fine after one day).  But Emma had also had a runny nose since she got the flu mist, so I decided to keep us at home from church.  Emma got super cranky in the house, so I thought a walk to the park may help.  She refused to put her clothes on, so we went in pjs.

Brent had to go to church because he does the lights for the service, so we took some pictures to send him.  (Please excuse my appearance..remember, I have a cold and clearly didn't shower yet.)

And just for the record, I did not tell her to go down the slide head first...she did it all on her own.  And I probably should have told her no, but really...life is short, play hard!

A good report....

Last post, I asked for prayers for Emma's cardiology appointment.  There isn't a huge chance that her heart murmur could evolve into something serious, but A.) you NEVER know...life is so fragile, and B.) She's my baby and I'm her mama...so I am going to worry.

I was scheduled to take Emma on my own this time, because Brent had something at work that he couldn't get out of.  I was a little nervous about it, just because I like the emotional support that Brent brings, but also really grateful to have the on-one-one time with Emma.

We took the obligatory "picture on the front steps" before we left.  It was a beautiful, foggy fall morning and we took the back roads to the Cary office instead of the interstate.

I love Dr. Robinson and UNC HealthCare.  The Cary office is never crowded, and the staff goes above and beyond to make your appointment wonderful.  I can only imagine the horrible news that people receive or are dealing with there...and we feel blessed every time we walk in there.

As soon as we arrived, Emma went straight to the toys and started playing.  She is normally way more reserved, but was having a blast while I filled out paperwork.  It was a relief that she was so happy and excited to be there.

We immediately say Dr. Robinson, who listened to her heart for awhile.  He said that Emma still had her murmur, so the valve is still closed a bit (she has Pulmonary Valve Stenosis), but it was just on the other side of normal...so he didn't see the need for another ultrasounds that day.  She would have to come again next year, and will likely have to every year until it goes away (IF it goes away).  He quickly calmed all my fears about Emma racing on the playground and suddenly collapsing, and said any changes in her breathing would be gradual and we had nothing to worry about.  I was very grateful, even though part of me would love to have heard "the murmur is gone!!"  

We celebrated in the room before checking out with a few hugs and selfies:)

And the sweet nurses gave Emma some stickers, which she quickly put on her shirt.

We headed to our favorite Walmart from there for some chicken nuggets and a smoothie (Emma's favorite at McDonald's).  

That afternoon, we went for a walk and I couldn't help but laugh and cry at these pictures.  It cracks me up because she is so serious...and she insisted she bring her phone with her on the walk.  But it made me sad because she is growing up and one day, she will be doing this and probably gabbing away about how much she can't stand her mother and how I'm so annoying...blah blah blah.

 So for now, we are blessed to have Emma as our daughter, and grateful that though she is not perfect, the perfect One loves her more than we do and has promised to take care of all of us.

November already???

I cannot believe it is November.  Thanksgiving is in 2 weeks, and Christmas is close behind.  In some ways, I have no idea how it got this late in the fall, and in others, I am thankful for it to finally be here.

I love fall because I love taking walks with Emma in the cool, crisp air....

I love going to the park, bundling up, and watching her try new things.

I love going to Lowe's with Brent so he can build us something awesome (and get some much needed man time with tools).

I love seeing my ski family at the Winter meeting, and catching up on life over some burgers and beer.

And every fall, November will mark Emma's yearly cardiologist appointment (until her heart murmur goes away).  So I look forward to good news and precious moments with my baby, who is quickly turning into a beautiful little girl.  Prayers for tomorrow morning, please:)

Halloween

This was Emma's first real Halloween.  Last year, she wasn't really old enough to trick or treat, so I was really excited this year!  We went back and forth on her costume...first she wanted to be a ballerina, then a spider...so I thought maybe we would combine the 2 and be a spider ballerina...but then she got super afraid of spiders...sigh.  I had already bought the black tutu and top, so the next best thing was a kitty cat.  It actually was really easy, Emma loved it, and she didn't fuss over it.  I was worried she wouldn't let me paint her face, or refuse to wear the headband and tail.  But she was super cute, and had a blast!! 

I took a billion pictures...so be forewarned!

We had a blast!  My parents came over to hang out, and help with passing out candy so we could trick or treat a few houses.  Brent got off work early to help out, and carve the pumpkin (a task I loathe!)  I was exhausted by the end of the day, but went to bed with so many beautiful memories:)