Little Girl Growing Up

     Eeeekkkkkkkk!!!  Emily got her ears pierced!  My mom allowed me to have my ears pierced around the age of 5 after deciding I was ready to have them done.  This was my plan for Emily as well.  I have asked her multiple times over the last year if she wanted to go get her ears pierced, describing what would happen to her and the process that would occur.  Her answer was always a quick "no" or "not yet" after telling her it was like a shot.  Well, while out shopping on Saturday, we were at the Handpicked Jewelry store and she saw some cute butterfly earrings.  I said simply, as I have before, "You could wear these if you had your ears pierced."  She looked at me and said, "will it hurt?"  I described the process once again and to my surprise, she said, "ok, I want my ears pierced!"  Emily, my mom, and I headed over to Claire's inside the mall-- Emily was SO nervous but did so good!  The ladies there pierced both ears at the same time (thank goodness), and yes, she did cry directly afterwards but I think it was more from the nerves and shock than pain.  Her new little white gold 4mm ball earrings are PRECIOUS and are a reminder to me that she is quickly growing up before my eyes.  Gone is my sweet little, chubby cheek baby girl...  Her responses to getting her ears pierced?   "I think Santa Claus saw how good I was..." (wants new earrings for Christmas), "Aren't you so proud of me?", and "I can't believe I got my ears pierced!"  I love her.

Calculations

     So with this whole "PFAPA" thing, a person is supposed to be able to kind of predict when the next fever episode will hit... Well, I was right on the money and Matt got another fever on the actual day I predicted he would get one around-- Nov. 5th.  This does not definitely mean he HAS this syndrome, but it does make me lean towards it a little bit more.  Needless to say, we headed to the doctor the next morning!  He had a runny nose and congestion with this fever, which is not a "normal" symptom for him-- so that symptom plus his crazy labwork made us lean towards giving him antibiotics this time around instead of steroids.  Our next steps?  An appointment with a new infectious disease doctor to get a second opinion and a very expensive and detailed genetic swab test that we should hopefully get results from in about a month or so...  He has already had chromosome testing done which yielded normal results, so I'm not 100% sure what the difference is in this particular test but I believe it will show all of his genome sequences and look for genetic variations (such as duplication or deletion syndromes).  I am slightly nervous about the results because it can also pick up on diseases/syndromes that can hit in adulthood, but two of our many doctors recommended this test, and I must say I would love an exact answer.  I may never get an exact answer but we will keep trucking along!  It could ALWAYS be worse!!!  And on a side note, we are so thankful for our new nanny Ms. Erica!  She was a lifesaver while Matt was sick, allowing both Stephen and I to work while she took care of and loved on our little man for us!

Oh No!  Another Fever! 

At the Doctor-- exhausted, poor thing...

Taco Soup Recipe Share

I LOVE taco soup...  Thought I would share my version on here since the cold weather has finally arrived!  Super easy and great for busy weeknights!

Easy Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 can chicken broth

1 can green enchilada sauce

1 can chopped green chiles

1 can Mexican stewed tomatoes
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 Rotessirie cooked Chicken-- skin/bones removed and chopped
3 cups water
1 package of frozen corn kernels
 1 onion, chopped
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp pepper
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp chopped cilantro

Literally, throw it all in the crock pot together and give it a good stir.  Cook on low for 8 hours or high for 4 hours.  Top with sour cream, a little bit of cheese, and some chili cheese fritos!  Enjoy!!! 

Happy Halloween 2014

     Our Sofia the First and little Minion had a great time last night on Halloween!  Matt stayed indoors in his costume and greeted everyone when they came to to the door for candy.  Emily had the best time trick-or-treating with her cousin, Chad.  This was her first "real" experience going door to door and getting candy.  She loved it!  Happy Halloween everyone!

The Minion!

Now with the addition of cinderella shoes ;)

Mischievous little boy...

Sweet baby girl!

Carving a pumpkin

Matt just wanted to play spoon...

She did NOT like putting her hand in there.

Mommy and Matt

Mommy and Emily

A beautiful blonde Sofia the First!

Sofia and Pocahontas!

Preschool Fall Party

Real princesses know how to play and climb walls in their gowns...

Matt the Minion on halloween.

Emily and Chad

Best picture I could get of all 3 of them!