Christmas in Iowa

Just as our trip to Florida was uncertain, so was our trip to Iowa. We decided that Florida wouldn't be such a bad place to be stranded for a couple of days. :-) Of course, we were anxious to see the rest of our family as well. Well, it all worked out again and we arrived in Iowa on time on the 23rd of December. The trip from Des Moines to Cedar Falls was a longggg one, but we made it! Elijah got another gold star for being an outstanding traveller.

We stayed at my sister's house this trip. It worked out well because one of us wasn't always having to leave early to get a little one to bed. This time we got to hang out after the kiddos went to bed! We grilled steaks on Christmas Eve (which is what we did last year when they all came to NC) and then went to mom and dad's for Christmas Day. Luckily we got to eat turkey dinner even though the roaster wasn't on for a good bit of time due to a blown fuse. :-) Enjoy our family pictures and memories...

Night #1 - Uncle Matt reading to Lauren and Elijah

Morning #1 - EJ and his cousin, Avery -- Which do you suppose he is trying to get? The ball or her pacifier?

You guys just wait until next year when we are both WALKING! :-)

At least Lauren and Anne got to enjoy the carousel. The mean old man aka the grinch wouldn't allow Elijah to ride because he didn't have on shoes. Seriously!

Christmas morning! Santa did come! BUT I think this was in Lauren's stocking... Aunt Anne completely spoiled everyone! He loves this thing, by the way!

The grandkids at Gram & Papa Bailey's

Merry Christmas my blue-eyed boy!

What? Santa actually came to grandma's house too?

Anne, Lauren (with her new water dispenser), and Auntie Emily

These "jingle" bells were a hit!

Miss Avery playing her new drums

Elijah had such a good time with his cousins!

Brrr...we definitely had a WHITE Christmas!

Christmas Eve (actually on the 27th due to weather) at Oakleaf with the Petersens..

1st cousins (once removed) Elijah, Reed Beenken, and Taylor Petersen

There were LOTS of little ones roaming around!

Six of the seven Petersen siblings with Grandpa.

And the grandkids (minus 2, I think)

I didn't get the great grandkids so if anyone reading this did, would you please send me a copy!

The Baileys, Boyers, and Wheelers

Family Portrait

I have some videos to post but they just don't seem to be cooperating so I shall post without them and perhaps try to add them later!

Christmas Vacation - Orlando

We headed to Greensboro via a rented on car about 2:00 pm on Saturday, Dec. 19th.  With the weather threatening to postpone our trip, we were a bit nervous but luckily had no problems getting to Greensboro or flying out to Orlando-Sanford.  Elijah was a good traveller as he's always been. 

Here's a shot of him as we are waiting to board our plane...

We arrived in Florida with Grandpa and Grandma Wheeler waiting to pick us up at the airport.  We headed to The Villages, got Elijah to bed, and stayed up very late snacking, chatting, and sharing our news that Elijah would be a big brother.  We didn't even have to tell Grandpa Jim...he figured it out rather quickly when I wouldn't have a sip of the Raspberry drink he made for all of us to toast. :-)  Little did he know, we really had lots to toast about!

Grandpa and Grandma were so graciously prepared for a an almost one year old to visit...this was a favorite!  Although his face doesn't express it, Elijah was quite upset if you ran out of energy pushing him around on this car which used to be his daddy's.

A happy boy!  Very glad to see his grandparents!

Matt and I hit one of the many golf courses with the Hinkhouses.  Even though the weather was not all that Florida-like, we enjoyed many outdoor activities.

The Villages were like nothing Matt nor I had seen or experienced before.  Jim and Meg have a beautiful new home and a wonderful place to stay active.  There are so many things to do that I can't begin to list them!

Hello Sunshine!

Matt and I road bikes to the pickle ball courts for some friendly competition.  I won't lie, he won 2 out of 3.  It was so much fun!  I miss being active and competitive!

What a great shot of Elijah with his grandparents.  We were so happy that it worked out for us to visit them and say many thanks for the hospitality, great times, and love while we were there!  We miss you and love you and can't wait to visit again! 

December 2009

Well, I'm wayyyyy behind on blogging so I'm attempting a quick catch up for the month of December.  What a busy time of year!  Elijah turned 11 months on the 16th of December.  Here are some shots from throughout the month before we left for our BIG Christmas trip!

Elijah LOVES books.  This was one of his favorites for awhile...

Here we are at Mrs. Martha's house for the NCWC Christmas party.

Awww, what a smile!  And as I've said plenty of times before, those beautiful blue eyes!

Very proud of himself walking behind his toy.

A Christmas present that Gram Bailey left when she visited at Thanksgiving!  An absolute hit!

Cute pjs from Miss Holy and Mrs. Janet.

One of my many fun activities when I'm in the kitchen...

Definitely loves this present!

He knows how to comb his hair already!

Such a precious moment!  We were trying to get a picture of EJ and Belle for the Christmas card...I guess it worked out quite nicely (on accident).

Elijah's first ornament -- who else but ELMO!

Elijah LOVED Christmas trees.  In the morning, we went and turned on the lights and talked about the tree, the lights, the STAR, and Elmo!

Thanksgiving with Grandma Bailey

We were so excited to have my mom visit for a couple of days at Thanksgiving.  It was a short visit but we had a wonderful time and got lots accomplished!  We cooked up a yummy Thanksgiving dinner which Elijah especially enjoyed!  On Friday, mom and I got to do some shopping and she helped me decorate for Christmas.  What a great task to have help with and get accomplished on the day after Thanksgiving!  We loved having her here and look forward to her coming again soon!

I think Elijah was trying to bite grandma in this picture...that's really just his way of showing affection.

I had to include this one for my sister...we always take a picture of Matt's plate at holiday dinners.

Elijah enjoying his first Thanksgiving turkey...

Reading books with Gram.  EJ absolutely loves books.

A rare and treasured photo!  Love ya, mom!

I'm Going to Be....

a BIG BROTHER!  Yup, that's what his shirt says!  We are so happy to announce that we are expecting another little bundle of joy in July!  July 11th to be exact (well probably not but you know what I mean).  We've known since mid-November but have just recently "gone public" with our news.  I'm 14 weeks and feeling well!  I definitely was VERY tired in the first trimester (which is why I haven't blogged for 2 months) but I seem to be able to stay awake past EJ's bedtime (7:30ish) as of late.  I wonder how tired I'll be next fall with 3 and 21 month old babies right in the middle of football season? Hmmm!  It will be interesting, but I can't wait!  We are truly blessed...

Hello? Hello? Are you there?

Yes, the Wheeler family is still here and plans to continue in the land of blogging.  My computer has been at the bottom of the priority list for the last couple of months...it still is, but I finally seem to have the energy (and in turn the time due to the fact that I'm not sound asleep) to actually get on the computer tonight.  There is LOTS to catch up on and since I like to keep things in chronological order, you'll have to wait for the Christmas photos and stories!


After reading the end of my last post, I thought I should record the end of the ear infection drama...the amoxicillin didn't take care of the ear infection.  We ended up at the doctor again after about 10 days.  This time we got cephalex which is also in the penicillin family.  This did cause Elijah to break out in hives (nothing serious, they kind of came and went).  So we went back to the doctor AGAIN...this time a z-pak was prescribed (not in the penicillin family).  This seemed to help and caused no adverse reactions.  Whew!  Elijah was finally himself again!


On a more postive and exciting note, the NCWC Battling Bishops won their next two games and became CONFERENCE CHAMPS!  They headed to Wesley for the first round of the DIII playoffs and lost a tough game (mostly they lost the 2nd half but I guess both halves count).  It truly was a great season and Matt (and the rest of the guys) have lots to be proud of!  I can't believe another season has come and gone.  As much as we love football season, it sure has been nice to have Matt around a little bit more!


The photos that follow are from mid-November (just before EJ's 10 month bday).  Belle definitely is the BEST dog in the whole world.  She is so good with Elijah and has adjusted well to someone else getting all the attention in the house.  Elijah adores her and I just know they will be best of friends in the years to come!

Stay tuned for the next post...we have LOTS more to share and some really exciting news!

Our Little Elelphant

Isn't he cute! This was actually the day we bought the costume...

Halloween was a busy day! EJ and I headed to Smithfield, NC to do a little shopping at the outlet mall and then continued to the Bishops game vs. Methodist in Fayetteville, NC. The Bishops got another W! Elijah is such a trooper on these trips! He zonked the entire 90 minute ride home.

When we got back to Rocky Mount we stopped by Renae's house to "trick-or-treat" and partake in some wonderful food! Elijah was excited to see Chloe, Noah, and Andrew -- his new friends, as well as Miss Janet, Mr. David, and Holly.

Holly and EJ! She's such a great big "sister"!

Noah, Chloe, Andrew, Holly, and EJ -- posing for a picture!

We didn't leave the costume on for long....Elijah could not wait to play with Chloe (she's a month older than him).

What a LONG day but we still played before bed....actually, can you guess what he was doing in this picture? Don't you just love his BAT pjs?

Nighty, night! Those eyes just get me everytime!

Do you think it is already almost time for a haircut?

Little did I know that EJ's runny nose over the weekend was actually the first sign of a double ear infection. We had ROUGH Sunday and Monday nights -- poor Elijah (and poor mommy (& daddy too)). I stayed home with him on Monday morning...he seemed okay during the day other than a snotty nose that had turned to green rather than clear. I was pretty sure that it was an ear infection mainly because he did not want me sticking the thermometer in his ear to take his temperature. Tuesday morning we saw Dr. Brantley and it definitely was an ear infection in BOTH ears. We got some amoxicillin and it seemed to kick in immediately! Thank goodness. I was very nervous about giving him this since I am allergic. The only side effects have been loose stools and a nasty rash on his hiney -- either from the loose stools or yeast from the antibiotic. He seems to be doing much better although his nose is still running. His appetite has returned somewhat and the nights have been quieter.

Last night we went to see Holly perform in a musical. She did so awesome and the whole thing was very entertaining and very well done! Elijah loved the music and people! Some how he managed to fall asleep near the end despite the very loud music, clapping, and screaming.

Today was another successful day for the Bishops! A 38-28 win over Shenandoah on senior day. One more conference game at Averett...this one will be for all of the marbles!