4th of July in Austin

We spent the 4th of July in Austin this year to enjoy a visit with Frank's family and see the beautiful fireworks.  Big Frank was not feeling good and had to be in the hospital for several days, which meant he wasn't able to be home for the fireworks or spend as much time with the kids.  But Frank was able to stay at the hospital with him to visit and keep him company as he regained strength to come home.

Still, we really enjoyed the weekend.  We drove down the morning of the 4th and the traffic was great, which was a nice change from the last few trips.  That afternoon we visited Big Frank in the hospital and took the kids up to see him as well before going to the house to watch the fireworks.  While at the hospital Emerson made a few comments about Granddad needing to have a shirt on since he didn't have one on in the hospital.  She isn't used to see a person not wearing a shirt and that was the first thing she noticed.  It made us all laugh.  The fireworks that night were really pretty and Emerson was our own personal announcer of the colors.  "RED! .... BLUE! .... RED!... GREEN!..." she would exclaim each time the fireworks went off.  She just loved it and was giggling up a storm!  Cam was just chill about the whole thing.  

The rest of the week we hung out.  I went shopping with Dorthy and had a great time.  I also used a giftcard to a spa that Frank's Uncle Carl gave me for Christmas.   Poor Big Frank was in the hospital, but Frank enjoyed the time visiting with him.  He was able to come home Saturday afternoon after a really long drawn out check out process.  So that night we celebrated Emerson's birthday as well.

Even though the plans were not quite what we had in mind, we really enjoyed the weekend.  Here are a few pics as well.

The sweetest kids in the world.  :)

My sweet guys!  

Our family  :)

Lots of fun watching the fireworks!

Milena (MiMi) loves the kids and loves braiding Emerson's hair!

The sunset before the fireworks.

Daddy and Emerson waiting for the fireworks show.

Sky divers before the fireworks show at ACC (Austin Country Club)

My sweeties in matching pjs!

Potty Training- The Real Deal

You may recall the first time I mentioned we were potty training Emerson... it was pretty much a year ago.  I was so optimistic and thought it would be so easy and fast.  But it wasn't.  Emerson absolutely hated sitting on the potty and it was punishment in her mind.  So we stopped and decided to wait "for a better time".  But then the timing of potty training didn't get any easier.  With us taking frequent trips to Austin we were not going to have a long stretch of time that was the optimal travel free time.  So potty training was on the back burner for a while.  While I still felt all these social pressures because everyone else's perfect kid figured it out at 19 months, 1 day and 2 hours I was ok with her wearing diapers.  But then it crossed my mind that her third birthday was just around the corner and I felt another urge of pressure to try it again.  My little baby is growing into a little girl... she will be in preschool three days a week next year and taking dance and I know she needs to be potty trained, so one Sunday I decided to try it again!!

What the other moms didn't tell me....

I, of course, have asked my other experienced mom friends about potty training.  I always got the generic, you just have to constantly put them on there and be consistent, etc.  It is logical and I thought, "yeah, yeah, I get that!".  And of course, using rewards.  I had been talking to Emerson about using the potty for a while and I told her that day that we were going to start using it and no more diapers.  She would get 1-2 M&Ms each time she used the potty.  She wasn't too enthusiastic about it, but we started.  And let me tell you, it was so B O R I N G!!!  No one told me about this part... My strategy (after consulting with my expert friends) was to keep her on the potty for a bit, let her run around for a bit, then back on the potty, etc.  It really just felt like eternity with nothing happening.  Sure enough, we had 2 accidents.  The first was when I gave up doing this downstairs and took her upstairs to get ready for her nap.  Poor girl peed on the carpet!!  Then that night she peed on her high chair (not to worry... I had a thick towel under her bum just in case!).  She was upset, but I told her it was ok, and that she would continue trying to use the potty.  The next day and week KK took over during the day and I resumed at night.  On Monday she had another accident, but also had successes using the potty.  We were pleased that she was not having accidents and found that Emerson can hold it for over 4 hours!!  Wow!!  I guess it was Tuesday that Emerson just wasn't using the potty much, but also wasn't having accidents either and it clicked with me....  she was holding it.  Smart little girl decided she would hold it until nap time or bed time.  Once we realized that we told her no nap time until she went potty.  And that was NOT what she wanted to happen.  Kristen first witnessed this, but Emerson got so upset she was shaking and saying she wanted a diaper and she wanted to go to bed and then it would happen, she couldn't hold it any more and would pee!!  This freak out situation happened for a few days, and then it got better.  Then the next concern was poop... oh no, that just never goes very well it seems...  Her first time to do that was a big deal too... she was so upset and then it happened!  And then she was proud of herself.  She then started telling us when she needed to go pee and then she started wearing big girl panties!!  Yay!!!  So while we still have work to do with getting her to go # 2 normally on the potty, she has the #1 down.  She rode all the way down to Austin and back without having any accidents!!  She has been out on lots of errands and no accidents!  The last accident was the 2nd day of potty training, so I say this has been a huge success.  The first two days were the hardest, and then once we figured out she was holding it we just had to get her to feel good about peeing.  It really is a relief... I am proud of our sweet Emerson.  She caught on so quickly and I am so glad that she can hold it for longer periods of time... that is a relief too!!

And I wasn't going to post a pic of her on the potty again, but this one just makes me laugh so I have to share.  :)

We're Moving!!!

It is pretty crazy, but Frank and I have decided to move!!  We have been watching the Bent Tree area for a while in case we saw a house that we loved.  It was really just a casual watch.  As we were in the area we would drive around.  Six weeks or so ago we thought it may be a good idea with the house market moving faster to keep a closer look so we called our realtor, Paula, and asked her to set up a search for us.  She did, and we were getting a weekly email with the listings in the Bent Tree area.  We were not really acting on things, but one house came on the market that Paula thought we may want to check out.  While looking at that house we thought we could look at a couple of others as well.  The first house was not so great and needed too much work, but the moment we walked in to the second house it just felt like the perfect home for us.  For those who have had that feeling before when looking at houses you know what I am talking about.  It somehow already felt like home.  I was caught off guard for sure because we were causally looking for fun... We were skeptical that something would jump out at us that we would fall in love with enough to leave our already fantastic home.  We love our Lofty Lane home, but this new house is special to us.  We talked more later that night and agreed that we just really, really liked that house.   From there, things moved very quickly... This was a Thursday night that we looked and the next day we had a golf tournament that we were both playing in for work.  On Friday morning I called our realtor and told her we wanted to place an offer as long as Frank and I could still back out if we changed our mind.  So we decided to place an offer with a 10 day option period so we could really think it through.  As Frank and I were playing on the golf course we were both using our phones to sign the offer letter through, pretty crazy.  They countered and we countered and by the next morning we had a verbal agreement that needed to be legally executed on the offer letter.  We had an appointment scheduled to look at the house again so we arrived and were waiting to meet Paula to get in.  I called her and she had just gotten off the phone with the seller's agent who told her that the seller's left the signed contract on the bar in the house so we could sign it, but that the agent had just gotten a call that a full price offer was being submitted.  Ahhhh!  So we needed to get a hold of that contract and sign it ASAP!  Paula was almost there and I was walking around the house trying to see if I could spot the contract.  I may have somehow gotten in to the house before she arrived since the back door opened...  Where I was then able to get the contract off the counter while we waited...  Paula arrived and looked over the contract before we signed and we let out a sigh of relief.  Phew, that was crazy!  We worried that the seller's would return and take the contract with them, but thankfully they did not try to recant the offer they made to us that morning.  That afternoon we felt that we definitely wanted the house as long as there was no major finding with the inspection so we decided we better get our house ready to be on the market ASAP.  Immediately we bought lots of boxes and started packing and getting ready to stage the house.  That next week the inspection was scheduled and it all went ok... the seller's have not taken nearly as good of care of the house as we will, but nothing scared us away.  We finished getting our house ready to sell and by Friday, one week and a day after "just looking" at houses, our home was officially on the market.  Not much happened over the weekend, but then the next week we got an offer!  But... it has now sadly fallen through!!  So back on the market we go and today we have an open house.  Fingers crossed that this week we get an offer with a buyer who can get the full financing!  Really we are feeling ok now as we will be able to stay in our home until we can move into our new home, whereas before we were going to have to live at an Extended Stay for a couple of weeks.  So that is great news!!  And some other craziness has happened too... with the new house we found out the seller's had a lien placed by the IRS that potentially prevented us from being able to take a clean title, but that too has been resolved thankfully.  Lots of roller coasters with all of this!!  But it is also so much fun.  We can't wait to get in to the new house and make it our own.  We are working with different contractors to get things updated:  floors, painting, the master bath, the pool, air conditioning, etc.  It will be a busy 2 weeks after we close as we have various work done, but then we can move into this perfect home for our family and begin making new memories there!  We will miss Lofty Lane very much, of course, but this is a really great thing for us.  I have thought about our blog name since it is from our street name.  But I love it and will definitely keep it the same.

I'll definitely post pictures of the before and after work we are doing, but here are a few pics of our new home!  :)

Where do I find those rose colored glasses?

Something that has been really weighing on my heart has been the lack of faith I have in miracles or that despite the odds things can turn out ok.  I am the type of person who wants to live in reality and if a situation looks bad, and all the information says it is bad, then how could it be that it won't turn out bad?  Yes, I am referring to Big Frank and his fight with cancer.  All along the information from the doctors has been very negative.  His oncologist has been pretty blunt with his assessment of the aggressive nature of this melanoma.  It continues to grow, yet at the same time the doctors are seeing some positive results from the treatment.  Two months ago I got a strange email reply to my last post about Cameron's 1st Birthday , which by the way, was my last post!!.  The email said "Hi I'm Heather! Please email me when you get a chance, I have a question about your blog!"  I was thinking it must be some sort of spam and I quickly got a little freaked out that a stranger happened upon my blog.  But something told me I should respond, so cautiously, I replied asking what she needed.  To my absolute shock, this was the reply:  

Hi there Emily!

Thanks for getting back to me! I am 44 and a mother to a quirky little 7 year old, Lily. She is my only child, and my whole world. When Lily was just 3 1/2 months old, I was diagnosed with mesothelioma; a type of cancer that kills most people within 2 years. As I’m sure you can imagine, the first thing that came to mind when I was diagnosed was my baby girl and how I wasn’t going to be able to watch her grow up.

After intense treatment and recovery, I’m still here 7 years later and cancer free! My journey with cancer was a terrifying one and I'd like to turn my pain into purpose and become someone that other people can look to for guidance, inspiration, and hope in situations like my own. My husband and I recently participated in a short video about my experience with cancer and I contacted you because I feel that your blog would be an excellent place to share. I’m hoping to use this video as a tool to raise awareness of this horrible little known cancer that is such a deadly killer (and sadly, 100% preventable).

I would love it if you would be willing to share my video on your blog with your readers. Here is the link to my video: http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather

Let me know what you think!

Heather

I was shocked and powerfully moved.  I watched the video with tears coming down my face.  It was a message of hope and felt as if God was telling me I should not feel so hopeless and that a miracle could happen.  In the video Heather speaks of being the type of person who has rose colored glasses, and that is why I say I need to find mine!  

This was the first message, but then a couple of weeks ago as I was talking with Dorthy she shared Big Frank's feelings of hope with his fight to beat melanoma.  He believes he can beat it.  His conviction is very moving to me.  This man who is literally fighting for his life and enduring terrible side effects from treatments and the cancer is thinking positively about being cured.  Some days are worse than others for him and he is not always optimistic, but he is fighting and holding on to his hope.  This was the second message.

I believe in signs and that things happen for a reason.  Being contacted by Heather wasn't just a coincidence, it was God's plan.  As I said, it has been on my heart and I wanted to share.  I hope you watch the video as it has a message of hope and perseverance that we can all benefit from hearing.

God Bless!

Also, here are some pictures of Big Frank and family.  When he started chemo he shaved his head, so now he really looks like his older brother, Carl!

Tommy Gilstrap, Lil Frank, Big Frank, Glenn, and Glenn Picquet

This is when they all came in town to play a round with Frank before he started chemo.  It was really great to have them visit and lift him up.

Father's Day 2013

Big Frank with all his two grown up kids and little grandkids.

Cameron's "Hole-in-One" 1st Birthday Party!

Saturday we had Cam's first birthday party and it all went so well!  Thanks to KK, Stef, and my family for all the help!  :)  I have been planning his party for months really, but the last two weeks have been busy with creating little tags, signs, and finishing his scrapbook.  It is sort of strange feeling for him to be a year old... wow... it has happened so fast.  But back to the party... all the little golfers and big golfers came to celebrate our special sweetheart's first "hole-in-one".  The adults had a goodie bag that we called the "mulligan bag" filled with two golf balls personalized... one with a pic of Cam and the other with the note "Cameron's 1st Birthday, A Hole-in-One"and some golf tees.  Little golfers got their own little golf set to take home.  And before the adults left we asked for them to turn in their scorecard and sign a message for Cam, which I have placed in his scrapbook.  Fortunately the weather was sunny and warm enough to be outside so we could still have tables out in the front and the kids could go play and hit balls in the "Cameron Lakes" driving range across the street.  It did get to be terribly windy, though, so we had to quickly grab everything and bring it in just before the party ended.  Cam's smash cake was on one of the tables and it actually flipped up and on to the cupcake stand because the wind gust was so strong!!  We enjoyed hotdogs, hamburgers, mac & cheese, baked beans, chips, and had cupcakes and cookie cake for dessert.  Cameron was such a great little guy throughout the whole party... he didn't get a nap in the morning, but really did not have a major meltdown... just got upset at lunch and at the end of his smash cake when we were trying to wipe the icing off.  After most people left we opened his gifts and he immediately started having fun playing with them.  We now have lots of boy toys... trucks, cars, construction trucks, etc.  He loves everything and we appreciate everyone giving him so many wonderful gifts.  He is going to have so much fun playing with all the new toys!!

Here are a few pics!

Cameron's Month-to-Month Pics!!

I wanted to share this picture of Cameron growing over the last year.  Wow... it is just so crazy for all of that to happen in what felt like 12 very short months!!

Cameron's One Year Update!!

Sweet baby boy is now officially a one year old!!  I feel like a lot has changed with his development this last month.  Here, as always, are the highlights and recap of his routine and the new things he is up to!

• In bed around 8:30 and sleeps until 8 usually or even later, sometimes 8:30-9!
• Naps are still at 10 and 3 usually and last 2 hours.  But sometimes he has to skip the morning nap and takes a long afternoon nap from 1:30-4:30-5.  We will probably move him to one afternoon nap before too long.  
• No more bottles.  :(  We gave him his last bottle Sunday and now he has organic whole milk in the morning and at night before bedtime.
• He drinks from the sippy cup, but is cranky about it sometimes.  He would guzzle down the milk from the bottle, which is not the case with the sippy cup! But more and more he picks it up and holds it to drink without needing help.  With his milk we have to help if we want him to drink it all!
• Still in size 4 diapers and wearing 12-18 month clothes.
• He is a super fast crawler and gets around the house without a problem.  He has started walking along things more and taking a step toward things like when he is holding on to the couch and while holding steps and lets go as he reaches for the ottoman.  He has more confidence walking along things as well.
• Yesterday KK said he stood up for a few seconds on his own... that is exciting so I look forward to seeing him do that, too.
• He walks with the walker, but is on his tip-toes!  It is really cute.  
• Still says "mamma" and "dadda" and "go".  He will repeat other sounds as well.  And he seems to maybe be saying "yeah" (not yay).  
• He feeds himself now!!  We feed him pretty much everything and he chows down. Sometimes he puts way too much in his mouth and has gagged... that is a little scary of course.  But he does ok and we try to slow him down!
• Already he is getting picky and has his favorite foods...for instance, we will give him some pizza and he will cry if you don't just keep giving him that to eat instead of peas or some kind of fruit.  We try to keep a balance of the good and bad food for him, but based on his not gaining much weight I think I will not worry quite as much about it always being super healthy. 
• He likes pretty much everything and has had a big variety of food: chicken, hamburger, hotdog, peas, carrots, sweet potato, zucchini, squash, beans, rice, a few tortilla chips!!, waffles, pancakes, grapes, strawberry, pineapple, raisins, cantaloupe, watermelon, blueberries, muffins, oatmeal, yogurt, cheerios (of course), mashed potatoes, mac & cheese, and more!! 
• We turned his carseat around... he enjoys the extra leg room (he is over 2 1/2 feet tall!) and I love being able to hand things to him and talk to him where he can see me. 
• He had lots of fun at his first birthday party for his friend Bannon!  He hung out with all the "cool kids" eating goldfish and chilling.  :)

His 1 year stats from the doctor:
Weight: 22 lbs 15 oz (50%)
Height: 31 1/2 inches (90%)
Head Circumference: 46 cm (50%)

I was bothered that he only gained 4-5 ounces in the last 3 months, but the doctor said that it could be his body will start to grow on a different growth curve because sometimes kids slow down for a few months and then continue gaining after that.  It is just a little weird to me since he has always gained weight before and Emerson always gained weight... But I will try not to worry that this is a problem.  :)

Here are some pictures of our little man Cam!

Having fun at the golf course!

Love this one... so happy with daddy and Emerson running in the background.

His 12 month pic!!