It was only a matter of time...

...until we ended up in the Emergency Room with one of our kids. I mean, really, I'm thankful that we've managed to avoid that trip before now.

I'll set the scene:
It was Labor Day and Adam had to go into the office for just a few hours. The kids and I were all upstairs around noon. Ainsley was happily playing by herself in her room (this is normal!) while Mitchell, Elise, and I were in the Master Bedroom reading some books in our bed. All was well. I decided to vacuum up there since everyone was happy and peaceful. I was about 15 feet from Elise and Mitchell, vacuuming the hallway right outside the bedroom. I felt a THUMP on the floor at the same second Elise screamed "MOMMY!!! MITCHELL FELL!" I reached him as he stood up and saw a good-sized gash next to his eye, which was starting to bleed pretty heavily. I kept my cool, but knew immediately that this was ER-worthy. BUMMER. I was RIGHT THERE and they were resting/reading under the covers just seconds before! Augh.
I asked Elise to run downstairs and get my phone to call Adam and/or the Pediatrician's office. Of COURSE this happened on a Holiday, so there were only nurses in the office. Adam came home, agreed that it needed to be checked out by a Doc. Adam took him in (yes, I was worried that I would have a hard time watching the whole thing!) and then sent this picture back to me.


He was still smiling. Poor thing. By the time Adam got home (15 minutes after the fall), Mitchell had already stopped crying, the bleeding had stopped, and he was acting totally normal. Adam said that he was trying to do somersaults on the exam table at the ER. such a boy. I'm SOOO realizing the innate differences between girls and boys...

Adam said that one nurse, after irrigating the wound, said, "wow. that is a deep cut...". Yes, it was.

2 hours and 3 stitches later, he was home and ready for a nap. He didn't even need Tylenol.

This was first thing the next morning:



And a couple days later...

Nothing says, "Happy 2nd Birthday" like a good cut, black eye, and a scar...
We love him.

Happy Birthday to Mitchell...

I cannot believe that Mitchell is 2. Really. It's amazing to think that two years ago, we still lived in South Carolina, Ainsley hadn't started talking yet, Mitchell was a calm, quiet newborn at 1 week old, etc... ALL of those things seem very removed from our current life.
Have I mentioned that we miss SC, but love living in VA...Ainsley never, ever stops talking. really.ever.... and mitchell never, ever stops running around and yelling "no" to everything he hears?

Things are fun for sure, though. We celebrated Mitchell's bday last Friday night.

The girls colored pictures for him and we made a cookie cake. you can even see it behind them in the oven.

A friend had given us the light-saber as a hand-me-down, so we made it a bday gift for him. The newest Jedi LOVES his weapon and runs around making 'light saber' noises...

We put him in the high chair to open presents. I don't really know why... we did it last year b/c he couldn't sit still to open gifts. This time, I'm not so sure...sorry, kid.

Ainsley giving him a pep-talk about how to open gifts and eat messy cake. Adorable.
Opening his 'Construction' set from Nana. He LOVES the hammer and tool belt the most.


Then it was BRING ON THE CAKE time...


the candles weren't really that close, i promise. He blew all of them out by himself.

He wasn't sure 'how' to get the first bite, so Ainsley said, "Lick it like a doggie." He did.

After the first few tastes, all manners were gone and a gigantic mess developed.



Family Shot at the end. Mommy looks like a floating head... everyone else is smiling, though, so it's fine...


The next morning, he played with the tball set form Aunt Amanda. GREAT gift!!!


Thanks to the rest of the family for fun stuff, too. I PROMISE he loves all of it, but I just didn't get those pictures all on here...=) THANKS SO MUCH for thinking of him and sending fun stuff along.

...just the beginning...

...of a LONG road of schooling. Day 1 of Kindergarten for Elise was Aug 22nd and she's loved EVERY MINUTE of the last two weeks while in Mrs Russ' class. =)

This was 7:30 a.m. on Day 1.


...my eyes may have been a little bloodshot. shut-up...i'm fine now.


After an hour of 'resting', she couldn't wait to talk to Mimi (my mom) on the phone and tell her all about her day at school...
HILARIOUS pose...I didn't stage this shot at all. We're in trouble in about 10 years.

and she did her hair all by herself while she was resting. cute, I think!


This was Day 2 at 7:30 with Daddy. She was too excited to sit still for a second picture on Day 1, so we go this on Tuesday morning. Adam takes her in the mornings, and she loves the alone-time with him. It's sweet.