Boxing Day - Snow!!!

Our plan was to leave Raleigh early on Sunday (Boxing Day) and head out to see Julia's parents in Tryon, NC. The snow had different plans for us. We enjoyed the day anyway and built Maggie's first official snowman, complete with carrot nose that Maggie was reluctant to give up.

Merry Christmas Y'all

The three of us celebrated Christmas here in Raleigh, but got a chance to video Skype with the other Findleys throughout the day. We all had a great time and were thoroughly exhausted by night, when we went to sleep waiting for the piles of snow that would be waiting for us in the morning.

Brentwood Luminarias

The Brentwood Luminaria project was a success again this year, as it has been for 40+ years here in Raleigh. We were happy to help out, and Maggie enjoyed strolling the streets and looking at the lights.

Welcome Emma Jane Killough!!!

Welcome to the world Emma Jane!!! Arrived 12/4/2010. Everyone doing well. Congrats Beth & Eric! Maggie cannot wait to meet her new cousin!!!

Maggie's first haircut

Rock star in the making w/ attitude!!! So what if the big event happened so I would stop pushing the hair out of my eyes causing mom & dad to freak out over the possible loss of most expensive contacts ever??? I'm free to rock out!!!

Halloween!

We had great hopes for Halloween 2010, complete with two costumes. Maggie's cold made it a very localized event, and only one costume was fully approved by the Magpie. Despite it all, she thoroughly enjoyed trick-or-treating at a few neighbors houses, and will surely be looking forward to next year.

Thanks again Nan for the cow costume!

Outings with Grandparents Findley

Grandpa Ed (Papa) and Grandma Jean came to visit us for a week in Raleigh, and we were luckily enough to have the best weather all year. Most of the fun was centered around Maggie's 2nd birthday, but we also found time to hit the 2010 NC State Fair and the Durham Life and Science Museum. Maggie's babysitter Madaline even came over one night so the 4 of us could have an adult night out on the town. It was a great week and we miss them already!

Happy Birthday Maggie

Thanks to everyone who came to Maggie's 2nd Birthday Party this weekend at Marbles Kids Museum. We all had a great time celebrating with snacks, cake, and ice cream, and then headed out into the museum to really throw down. It was especially great to have all Maggie's grandparents there!

late summer fun

A collection of pics from Labor Day in Tryon, Bugfest in downtown Raleigh, and a day at the park.

Happy Grandparents Day

Happy Grandparents Day from dancin' Maggie! Such a little lady now. Pic taken at Bugfest downtown this weekend.

vision test

Maggie recently took her first vision test. After learning the names of most of the shapes shown below, her eye doctor gave her an official test and the result was amazing. With her contact lenses, they measured her at 20/25! When we first brought Maggie to Dr. Enyedi, she "hoped" that Maggie would be able to drive and perform normal activities someday, but could not promise what the outcome would be because she was effectively blinded by her cataracts at the time. We still have a long way to go, but Dr. Enyedi admitted Maggie's progress is the absolute best case possible and beyond expectations.

Go Maggie!

Naptime

We were all a little skeptical that Mags would easily transition from crib to mat for naptime @ school. Our skepticism was unwarranted as you can see she became one with the floor

car shopping

We like our Honda but went shopping for a "weekend ride". We each have our own taste, but you never know.

actually, we went downtown for a show and ended up in the middle of a classic car fest :)

Maggie & Sadie ... bff's

Chair!

Enjoying a slightly cooler (only 90 degrees) day in the yard with her own special chair.

Beach!

First family beach trip was a success. Mags didn't let us down, she headed straight for the water everyday and only came in to eat and nap. Weather was great all week and we took advantage of the one storm to visit the nearby NC Aquarium which was also a bit hit for Maggie. Thanks big time to grandma KK and grandpa Wally for securing the most awesomely decorated condo anyone has ever seen. Who would though to mix classical columns with 50's diner decor in a living room? Sweeeet. We were right on the beach though, so no amount of strange decorating could take away from the amazing view from our balcony and quick access to the sand.

Enjoy the pics!

Water Table

nothin' beats the heat quite like a giant table of water, right? splash it, drink it, pour it on others! its all good. thanks grandma kk.

summer time... so far

It's been a record-breaking scorcher here on the east coast. Trying to keep an almost 2 year old happy and busy is a challenge, so we've filled our weekend days with (mostly air-conditioned) outings and pool time when we can get it. We're looking forward to a trip to the beach in a few weeks, we'll try to be good and take some photos.

Memorial Day trip to Marbles

Took Maggie back to the Marbles kids museum downtown, old enough to run around and really enjoy it. And she did! When cousin Ellie visited Marbles over Christmas, she took home a pink-eye infection as a souvenir. Not to worry, Maggie was recently diagnosed with a minor ear infection so she is already on antibiotics. Score!

Spring Pics

Collection of random spring pics for your viewing pleasure. First few are from the local TV station's public azalea garden. Enjoy!

farewell to gimma

Maggie's great-grandmother and namesake, Margaret Vollmer aka Gimma, passed away at the age of 92 last weekend. A strong lady who lived a great life... family, friends, and Karen's latest gang of captured kittens came together to bid a fond farewell. Mags helped to lighten everyone's spirits by going crazy in a creek and reminding us all to seize the day.

Here are a few pics of Maggie and Margaret, as well as documentation of Maggie's creek mayhem.

Goodbye Gimma, say hello to Gimpa for us when you see him. We love you.

Pink Piggies

I checked Facebook the other day and lo and behold I saw a post made by Miss Nanny (Mag's Daycare Mom). It was a pic of some cute piggies that had been painted pink. I recognized those piggies and thought they were too cute not to share. Behold Miss Maggie's first pedicure!

Steeplechase!!!!

It's been a few years since we've been able to attend Tryon, NC (Julia's hometown) biggest event but we made it this year! The Blockhouse Steeplechase is a fantastic day of hats, fried chicken, tailgate decorating and...oh yeah, horse races! Maggie's first steeplechase experience was a success with all of the above going as planned. We met up with the regular crowd, parked at the finish line and enjoyed a hot, sweaty day at the races. The tradition will definitely continue for years to come. If any of you want to join us one year just give us a holler and we'll pack a few more beers!

Big girl chair

Maggie has graduated from her high chair to a booster seat at the big
table! Don't be decieved though, she still makes a wicked mess.

kangaroo climber

maggie got her first outdoor play-set last weekend, and got right down to playing as soon as we put it together. it only took her a few minutes to master the climb and slide, which she then repeated continuously until she could hardly stand. do you think she likes it?

Easter

We hope everyone had a great Easter! Our fam' headed downtown with a few friends for the massive, chaotic Raleigh Easter Egg Hunt, then enjoyed Easter Sunday at home with a slightly more relaxed event in the backyard. Maggie loved all the treats, and we all loved getting to spend some time outdoors before it gets crazy hot here in the south.

Owen's birthday 2010

My birthday this year went by much smoother than last year. Instead of spending time in hospitals and nursing Maggie back to health, Julia and I escaped to the Outer Banks for a quick birthday vacation. It was absolutely beautiful, we'll definitely be back again, hopefully soon.

A year ( + a few weeks) later

We're still slackers at updating our blog but a milestone happened a few weeks ago we think is worth mentioning. One year passed since Maggie's first surgery at Duke to begin correcting her eyes after being diagnosed with bilateral cataracts.

It's been a tough year, to say the least, but as you can see from the pics below well worth every minute and tantrum ( not only from Maggie )

March 2009


March 2010 !!

Sunday fun

The weather was near 60 again yesterday, so we headed down to the PR for some outdoor dining. After thoroughly reviewing the menu, Mags picked the grilled cheese with homemade potato chips. She also got a small taste of sweet tea, which is apparently like crack to southern babies. We finally had to ask the waitress to remove the glass from the table because Maggie was obsessed.

After lunch we headed over to our favorite prior neighbors house to hang out, see the progress on their custom self-built house, and chat about babies because they're expecting their first later this year. The house is awesome, and Maggie got to enjoy swinging in the hanging chairs on the back porch.

Swingin' at the Park

The temp almost hit 60 today, so we walked down to the park to enjoy the nice weather.

PO visit

Maggie's recent visit to her PO (pediatric ophthalmologist) was quite a relief for Mom and Dad. Dr. Enyedi thinks Maggie is progressing well and is happy with her eye alignment, which was not great after the surgery in July but has improved over the last several months. Maggie seems to be seeing very well, but unfortunately they weren't able to do a vision test because she's too old for the baby tests (no longer excited by lines on a card) and too young for a real vision test that uses memorized shapes in place of letters.

Dr. Enyedi doesn't anticipate additional surgeries in the next 6-12 months, which is awesome news for all of us! Maggie missed out on spring and most of summer due to 3 surgeries last year, so we're looking forward to enjoying the outdoors this year as soon as it warms up. Almost March and its still 28 degrees this morning... brrr.

We get another 4 month break in between appointments, which is more good news. When Maggie goes back to her PO in June she'll likely get some new prescriptions for distance-vision contact lenses and glasses to wear on top of the contacts that will have a near-vision bifocal. From then on, she'll wear glasses full time but they'll be normal thickness glasses instead of the coke-bottles she has now. She'll still have a pair of coke-bottles that she can wear when her contacts aren't in.

She'll also have to do a EUA (exam under anesthesia) this fall, which means full sedation so the PO can get a good look at all parts of her eyes and measure pressure for glaucoma, etc. We're not looking forward to that, but the recovery will surely be easier for Maggie when there's no surgery involved.

Overall, Maggie is doing great and we're happy that she hasn't had any problems except a recurring cold over the winter. Can't wait for warmer weather here so we can get out and play. Added a couple non-related pics below of Mags caught in the act of mischief just to illustrate that she has no trouble getting into trouble these days.

Snow Day 2010

As the evening news forecast North Carolina got a heaping pile of snow dropped on us last night. Well, some snow and a constant drizzle of sleet to make sure it stays around around for a few days. So far we have kept power (fingers crossed) and have enjoyed a lazy day where you just can't get much done. After a morning of lazing...we ventured out for a little play time in the winter wonderland. Mag's loves it...Sadie & Jasper? Not so much.

a cold day at the park

Despite the cold, we bundled ourselves up and headed out to the park this afternoon. It was a balmy 35 degrees, so we didn't stay too long. Sadie enjoyed having the park to herself because no one else was willing to brave the weather, so she got to run off leash in what is normally a park crowded with kids and other dogs. Meanwhile, the rest of us enjoyed the slide and swings.

Boxing Day 2009

Day after Christmas excursion to downtown Raleigh for lunch with Grandpa Ed and Grandma Jean. After lunch we watched the ice-skaters and played with the interactive fountain at City Plaza.

Christmas 2009

Christmas 2009 pics. After a visit from the SoCal Fins (see previous post) Grandpa and Grandma Findley were joined by Grandma KK, Grandpa Wally, and the triple threat (Woo, Charlie, Baby) to celebrate Christmas in Raleigh. A few pre-Christmas pics included as well for your viewing pleasure.

SoCal Fins visit Kackalackie '09

Christmas kicked into high gear with a visit from Drew, Aarin, and Ellie. They battled snow in VA to make it down to Raleigh, and we were happy to see them. Grandma and Grandpa Findley turned up the next night and we all celebrated pre-Christmas complete with a trip to the local BBQ joint for a lunch. Maggie and Ellie had a great time romping around the house playing, including a naked post-bath Creative Coaster ride that cannot be shown here for obvious reasons.

Brentwood Luminaries

Owen and Ed volunteered on Christmas Eve morning to help with the neighborhood luminary project. We filled bags with sand and candles while others delivered them around the neighborhood from the backs of pickups. The luminaries are a 40+ year old tradition in Brentwood that almost ended this year due to low participation in prior years, so we were glad to volunteer our time (and some $) to help keep it alive.