Georgia on My Mind

 We had one more day with the boys before our plane left to bring us back to Orlando. Vera took full advantage of this time to harass Luke and goof around with her cousins. It was a ton of fun being back in Georgia and it made me realize how much I miss those little guys. 

Vera plotting how to take away whatever toy Luke currently had. She was very successful.

Working together to clean up the tickets

Vera stealing Luke's toy, and he was not at all happy about it. 

Jackson giving Vera the stink eye in an attempt to make her be nice to Luke. What a good, protective big brother.

Just riding around in my automobile. With no particular place to go. 

Vera did not like being a backseat driver and decided the boys were better off with her at the wheel. 

Just swingin' with Reece-piece 

Aunt Holly and Chubs taking a turn on the slide

I love being with the Elseroad boys. They  know how to show a cousin a good time.

Uncle Matthew to the rescue! We were pooped out after the visit, but are already ready for another one. This summer we will invade the Elseroad house again! 

First Flight

Vera had her first flight this past weekend when we headed back to Georgia and South Carolina. Here she is sleeping in Daddy's arms after take off. She looks nice and relaxed, but boy did she tear it up! We boarded the plane first, rookie mistake, and Vera behaved like an angel. Then as we were taxing down the runway, she decided she wanted to move around. She screamed like a banshee for what seemed like an eternity. In real time, ten minutes of high pitched wailing and kicking about. We got plenty of dirty looks, as if we wanted her to be screaming, but also plenty of sympathy. After a lifetime passed by, she finally gave in and went to sleep. We didn't hear another peep out of her until we landed. All in all, she did really well; her ear tubes saved us from having her scream in pain. She was even given her wings by the nice Delta people. I can't say that I want to do it again, but it was worth it!                                           

We Are IU

"We are IU", and I traveled to Georgia for the Sweet 16 to prove it. Here we are at the Indiana bar celebrating before the game. We still; had it in us and got our first round bought by some nice Indiana gentlemen. I say gentlemen because they were pretty old, but cool none the less. Heidi and baby Elseroad were drinking water.

Heidi with the poster I took off the wall for my future classroom. Someday down the road this will be proudly displayed with the rest of my Indiana gear.

On our way to the pep-rally to send the team off. This sign made me laugh out loud.  Nothing sums up that  Hoosier spirit like "Boo Kentucky. You Loose" Well said for an eight year old, well said. Even though the Hoosiers ended up loosing to the Wildcats, Kentucky is still the worst state ever. They loose to Indiana at being awesome. Hands down. 

At the game during warm-ups. We had great seat and a great view, but we were surrounded by  blue. We held our own though. We stood up the entire game and loudly sang and cheered for our boys. Watching the team come out with all the flags and an entire crowd of people making the IU motion with their hands just made me happy. Best College Ever. 

The view from my seat. Heck yeah! The Cream and Crimson school will be back next year, but Kentucky will still stink. Indiana we're all for you!

The Beach is in Our Backyard

This past weekend we headed to Madeira Beach to visit with Aunt Judy and Uncle Bull. They were nice enough to invite us down for the day and we jumped at the chance. We live in Florida, but getting to the beach isn't as easy as it seems. Disney though, we can do that. A short drive later and we arrived. 

Heading to the beach in Aunt Judy's arms. Vera must have remembered them because she went right to them again.

Vera was not a fan of the sand; she refused to put her feet in it. We then retreated to the bath like pool. 

Swimming around. 

Ve liked playing on the steps because she could stand up and splash away.  Matthew put about five coats of sunscreen  on her to prevent any potential burns. I added the hat for giggles.

All smiles while in the water. 

Laughing at Aunt Judy blowing bubbles. 

Playing with the squirt gun. 

Happily watching the waves with Uncle Bill. We had a great time and can't wait to go back with the whole family  this summer. 

Green H2O

This Saint Patty's Day we decided to to take a special bath. A little leprechaun put all the green toys in the tub and colored the water green too. Top o' the bath to you!   

I'm Lookin' Over a Four Leaf Clover

The Terry family was invited to a fabulous neighborhood Sainty Patty's Day party. Vera wore her green dress and headpiece. She picked it out at the store and loved wearing it. I only wish I could get her to wear hair bows like she wore this crazy thing.

One lucky little girl with her daddy

Sneaking around like a leprechaun.

I'm ready to go to the party! It was a great, green evening. 

Mama Called the Doctor and the Doctor Said...

Since birth, Vera has suffered from severe acid re-flux. We were always able to keep her pain somewhat in check with medicine, until she turned about fourteen months old. In order for her to be able to lay down and sleep at night she had to be on a seriously high dose of medicine; a NFL linebacker would take the same dose. We decided to visit a doctor of gastroenterology to be sure everything was alright and that we weren't causing or missing a more serious problem. After meeting with him, he suggest that Vera went through an endoscopic procedure so he could take a look around in her esophagus and stomach. This morning at the crack of dawn we packed little Ve up and headed to downtown Orlando for the hospital. Vera would have to be under anesthesia again, so I was a little nervous, but ready to know that her tummy issues were being treated correctly. We arrived at the hospital at six o'clock as instructed by the doctor's office, unfortunately, they didn't open until six thirty. The positive side of being there early, Vera got to go first. She was under for about a half an hour while Matthew and I waited anxiously.  

Matthew and Ve reading and watching the iphone  play the Mickey Mouse Clubhouse's "Hotdog" song. She was so happy and blissfully unaware of what was about to happen to her. When she woke up she was coughing because the tube had been down her throat. The moment the nurses removed her IV and let me hold her she was good. When she got hold of Mr. Jellybeans and her Daddy, she was really good to go. A smirk was even spotted. 

Here is a look at Vera's esophagus and entryway to her intestines. The top right and middle left photos really tell us the most. That large black spot isn't suppose to be there, and it is the reason all the stomach acid is getting through and causing Ve to struggle. The doctor said it was a pretty large opening for someone so tiny, and that explains why she needs such a high dose of medicine. Not really what we wanted to hear, but at least it confirms the originally diagnosis and need for medicine. On the positive side, as Vera grows it may get better. Only time will tell, but we can pray for the best. We're just proud of our little Ve and how well she did today. 

A Visit from Aunt Judy and Uncle Bull

Headed downtown for breakfast

This week we received a visit from Aunt Judy and Uncle Bill as they headed South for a vacation. Here we all are headed downtown to see the cites. We had a nice breakfast by the lake and then continued our tour of Celebration. It was so nice to see family; you forget how far from home you are until family comes to visit.Yes, that is a plea for friends and family to come down whenever they like.  

Vera and Uncle Bull playing with her gears. Perhaps a future Purdue engineer? I would love to see Vera follow in her Uncle Bull's footsteps. When it comes down to it, you just can't beat Uncle Bull. He made Vera laugh and stay up and hour and a half past her bedtime without so much as a negative squeak.   

Vera took to Aunt Judy immediately. She saw her at the front door and went straight for her.  Aunt Judy must have a gift. It was so nice seeing you both; please come back and see us again. 

Bowyah!

Vera need a place to put all the bows that she refuses to wear. I kept seeing bow holders on Pinterest for big bucks, and I thought, I can do that. I got a cheap frame, spray painted it white, and added my own funky ribbon. The result is a wonderful bow holder for (insert drum roll here) a mere $7.00! It looks really sweet in Vera's room and I like that I did it myself. Now onto another project!

Ruthie Comes to Town

Vera and Ruthie loving life on the teeter totter 

Swinging

One regret I have is that I do not have more pictures with my grandma and mom. Blame it on bad cameras of the time, or my rotten teenage attitude, but they are few and far between. When Ruthie decided to visit, we decided to take full advantage of this time for some pictures. We wanted them to be casual and fun, and the results were pretty much spot on; just another day with Vera.                    

And then it was my turn to teet and tot

She momentarily forgot that she had a giant bow on and just enjoyed spinning on the swing

Matthew, Vera, and Ruthie walking down the street. Big girl strawberry sandals and  all

Mile break. You sure do work up a thirst walking all over Celebration and refusing to participate. Vera was not at all cooperating with us, and giving her milk was our last ditch effort to get her to smile. 

Ruthie showing Veve how to make leaves float in the fountain and how to draw with water.  To this day, she attempts to draw on the side of the fountain with the water. That one is all Ruthie.  

My strawberry girl with her purse and hat. Too much...I think not.

This one is my favorite because it pretty much sums up Vera and I. If you come to Celebration on any given day you can find us in the park playing, laughing, and generally loving life and our time together. I believe this was a round of This Little Piggy

All smiles on Daddy's shoulders. Look at those blue eyes.

Just walking around a fountain for the tenth time with no shoes on. 

Matthew's attempt to coax a smile out of our little sweet-pea. She would have none of it. 

Hysterical, but cute. 

Stopping to smell the flowers

This is my favorite one. There is a picture of me when I was little carrying sticks  in Montana, and here is Veve's version.  Framing this one.

Snuggles from Ruthie are the best

Vera loves the slide and will climb up the equipment all on her own. She needs a little help sitting down, but she slides down all by herself. Such a big girl, and so independent. Despite Vera's best efforts to sabotage the pictures, we still got some good ones. What a great day, great life, and great family!