Thank the Lord for iPhones!

Seriously, without our phones, this post wouldn't exist...LIFE has just been busy lately and the camera has sort of been out-of-sight, out-of-mind. 

Even before bed, it's the phone I grabbed and not the camera.  They don't always share well these days so when they can hang out side by side, it's picture-worthy!

Thursday, Ryan took a personal day and surprised Phoebe at school around 10:00 in the morning and they headed to Bankers Life Fieldhouse to catch Disney on Ice.

Being a little goofy after the show.

They let me tag along for a quick lunch at the Old Spaghetti Factory.

Then they headed to the Children's Museum for the rest of the afternoon.  Needless to say, they both slept well that night!

Friday morning I had the eye appointment I'd rescheduled when we got that snow the day we were to leave for Georgia.  We woke up to MORE snow on Friday.  Maybe two inches total but it wreaked havoc on the roads during rush hour.  So...rather than make it downtown, drop off the kids and back north for my appointment, I called my eye doc and asked if they'd rather I reschedule or bring an almost five and almost two year old with me.  I feel as if I should preface this story with the fact that Maverick is finishing up his antibiotic from last weekend's ear infection and we've finally progressed back to solid poops but the kid is a machine.  He pooped once before and once during the appointment (and of course since I'd planned on taking them to school prior, I was NOT prepared with a diaper bag).  Luckily they were pretty easy to clean up and we could just throw the diaper back on.  He pooped again on the way back downtown, too!  We were moved into three different exam rooms during our visit and carting around 3 winter coats, my 10-lb. purse and a backpack full of distraction, it was a little chaotic.  I think they were ready for us to go when we were done...and let's just say I was a hot mess by the time we left...

"Watch this!"

"Mom!  She's in my spot!"

Saturday we squeezed in a quick haircut for Maverick as those curls were getting a bit unruly.  He did better this time and was bribed well by a Thomas the Train video and smarties.

 And you get what you get with phone pics - they're playing "You're the Dad and I'm the Mom" and they're in their car with their babies in this picture. 

Just attempting to get a better shot of his new do but I think that'll have to wait till next week's post.

As I'm typing this, Ryan is down for the count on the couch with stomach issues and I'm selfishly hoping it's something he ate at lunch that no one else in the house can catch.  Here's praying for another healthy week!

Stayin' Alive

Not a whole lot of exciting news this past week.  Maverick came down with a cold and woke up with pink eye Saturday morning.  We got into the pediatrician who diagnosed him with an ear infection (thus the pink eye) and swiftly prescribed Augmentin and eye drops - two nasty enemies of the Wallis' kids. 

However, Phoebe behaved stellarly and Mommy needed caffeine so we headed to Starbucks after our appointment.

Poor Maverick just wasn't in the mood.

  However, give the kid 24 hours on antibiotics and he was good as new! 

Saturday night, around 9:30 p.m. Phoebe came downstairs looking dazed and confused. She was a little clammy and we rushed to the kitchen sink where she promptly threw up and was back asleep 30 minutes later.  Not sure what the reason but we decided between Maverick's pink eye and Phoebe's puking that we'd skip church altogether. 

Monday was Martin Luther King, Jr. Day and day care was closed in observance of the holiday.  We woke up to blustery temperatures and so much snow blowing we couldn't see the houses behind us.  Phoebe is VERY anxious to wear her snow pants and was thrilled to see snow.  Unfortunately there was very little accumulation - just frigid single-digit temperatures.



That meant we stayed inside.  Actually, Phoebe and I got some great cuddle time watching a Madeline cartoon we'd picked up at the library.  Maverick slept till 10:54 a.m. - I can't tell you the number of times I went upstairs to make sure he was still breathing.  I think both kids like to sleep like their daddy!  I also got a lot of the basement organized while the kids played.  They tried on old Halloween costumes. 

It fit him better than her but neither wanted it on for very long.

They were too busy playing to be bothered with costumes.

Praise the Lord for once again happy, healthy children!

The remaining problem we're having is the booty issues caused by Maverick's antibiotic.  His little bum is so raw - yesterday he was shuffling around like a little old man, whimpering.  We even set up a cardboard box so he wouldn't have to sit while he ate dinner.  12 hours of sleep covered in butt paste made him a whole new man this morning!

Merry Christmas, Happy Birthday

So 2013 started a little rough for the Wallis family.  We successfully finished the short work week after the New Year but 7:00 Friday evening, Maverick puked all over the kitchen floor.  Mommy puked Saturday, Phoebe puked at 3:00 Sunday morning and Daddy just felt REALLY lousy on Monday (his 36th birthday).  The good news is that it was fast moving and didn't linger more than 12 hours once it hit so at least it was short lived.  See?  You can't even tell he was sick just the day before!?

We got a large box full of fun toys and crazy outfits from my dear friend the following week.  Maverick is in love with all things train (or as he says, "CHOO CHOO!!!").

And you can see why we don't allow the Rapunzel costume to be worn at the dinner table...we're having a hard time eating our vegetables or trying new things these days but are trying desperately to lay some ground rules now.  This was her fight to not eat soup.  She thinks "soup" is "disgusting."  Oy.

And because we were sick over the first weekend in January, our Christmas with Uncle Steve, YiaYia and Papou was postponed till this past weekend. 

Bevin made the trek as well and kept the kiddos entertained.

Still playing with his train.

YiaYia did some knitting for Christmas.

Phoebe (aka Rapunzel) helped everyone open their gifts.

So did Maverick.

Maverick only slept for maybe twenty minutes before they arrived so we took a little break to rest on Papou's lap and look at his favorite seek & find Thomas book.  He got the same book from both grandparents so now we have one for the car and one for the house - it worked out perfectly!

While Mav "read," Phoebe convinced Uncle Steve to watch her favorite Christmas movie with her - Home Alone.  Uncle Steve got a little nap in, too!

Phoebe is REALLY into changing clothes these days and loves skirts, dresses and boots.

We also celebrated Ryan's birthday while we were together.  He asked for brownies and ice cream so that made my job pretty easy.

This little girl LOVES her daddy!

Maverick is very interested in helping these days and his stubborn side shines through.  He's very insistent on doing things without any help and I fear we're going to have a few battles in the very near future.  The "terrible two's" may be our new reality in just a couple of months!

Among truck accessories, kayak storage and garage organization, he also got another coveted Starbucks card.  These items are a hot commodity in our household - even Phoebe knows what she likes to order there.  Luckily the one right by our house does NOT have a drive-thru or we'd really be in trouble!

Towards the end of the evening Uncle Steve got hold of the camera and things swiftly went downhill.

Ahhhh, family!

Catch Up December 2012, Part 3 1/2

 Friday morning (the morning after we got back from Georgia) Ryan and I both had to work.  Better to close out the fiscal year on a Friday than a Monday, right?  Auntie Kate bravely agreed to watch our children and took excellent care of them.  Behaving at breakfast.

Safely watching television.

Fort-making at its finest!

Maverick likes to play with Phoebe's toys just as much as she likes to play with his!

We actually got to have Auntie stay the night with us a couple times while she was home from Pennsylvania.  You see, it was actually a good year to be gone for Christmas as Auntie came down with a nasty virus and both Uncle Steve and Papou had awful colds and then Papou got Auntie's yuck.  We wouldn't have seen them anyhow!   Thankfully Auntie was on the mend when we headed home so our kiddos got some much-needed Auntie time.  Here they are enjoying some hot chocolate.  Thought maybe the rainbow marshmallows might entice Phoebe to give it a whirl but she's going to stick with the occasional chocolate milk for now!



We got a few more inches of snow after we got home so Ryan didn't completely miss out on the shoveling experience.

Luckily, Target had pint-sized shovels for sale earlier in the season - I just hoped they'd come in handy!

Sunday after church, we celebrated Christmas with Auntie since Uncle Steve was back in Chicago and Papou was still feeling puny. 

Auntie made me this fabulous piece of art...can't wait to hang it!

That evening Grand Daddy came by since he was visiting family in Princeton.

New Year's Eve we had an impromptu get together in Anderson since we had cousins in town from Colorado and Arizona that we don't see very often and had missed at Christmas.  Here are all the great grand kids sitting at the "adult" table.

It wasn't quite everyone - Uncle Steve and Auntie Kate are missing, along with Shawn and James both out of town because of work.  It was still fun to see everyone!

And the icing on the cake was that GGPa (who had been taken to the hospital early Christmas morning with a gallbladder infection that led to its removal) got to come home in time to visit for a bit before everyone headed out.

Great Grandparents with all their great grandchildren.

And nothing caps off Christmas like a prayer from grandpa.  LOVED IT!

And...since it's New Year's and I'm not 100% sure just how resolute I'll be in my blogging, here we are maintaining the one tradition that we started a few years back - lunch at Shapiro's (downtown, of course). 

Luckily, New Year's fell on a Tuesday so I could enjoy their chicken stew. 

It doesn't get much better than that! 

Here's to a year full of love and laughter, joy and peace.  May God guide your steps and your hearts in the coming year.  Blessings from our family to yours in 2013.