Warm-ups

Elijah was chillin' in his Denver Nuggets warm-ups yesterday. So sporty! Not only was he super cute, he was also very entertaining. The slick fabric made his attempts at crawling difficult, but he had a great time scooting around with the extra help of his clothes. Too bad I couldn't catch it on video! Thanks for the great outfit, Bobbi!

Flag Cake

This weekend we went to two picnics and celebrated two bithdays and Memorial Day. There was a lot of celebration and fun, so we went all out and made a fun new dessert - Festive Flag Cake. I substituted strawberries for the raspberries since raspberries are gross and it is strawberry season. It turned out to be a much bigger project than I anticipated, but WOW! What a great cake! I baked and assembled the cake and Patrick put it together for me (and stayed home while Elijah finished his nap so I could go to the picnic on time - what a great husband!) and once again, our tag-team baking was (eventually) a success. If anyone tries the recipe - I think the recipe for the sheet cake actually is enough for both layers - not the single that the recipe says. It is way too much batter for one layer! Anyway, people loved it, so maybe we will make it again, and hopefully it will be easier and less of a mess the second time.

Happy Birthday Stuart and Eric, and welcome home Cameron!

Memorial Day

I've been thinking this week about Memorial Day and what it is we're celebrating. I think most of my life I've celebrated Memorial Day as the beginning of summer and a day off from work or school (both things well worth celebrating, in my opinion!). Then a few years ago, my youngest brother, Cameron, was serving in the Marine Corps in Iraq and just happened to be in the middle of a major operation on Memorial Day. We spent that day praying for his safety rather than focusing on the sunshine, and it was an experience that changed my perception of this holiday. There is a lot of sacrifice, by the men and women serving and by their loved ones, that goes along with being in the armed forces especially during a time of war. I am thankful that this year Cameron is safe at home (he is currently attending the US Naval Academy), but many military families are not so blessed. So, while I am whole-heartedly enjoying the sunshine and the beginning of summer, and going to a couple of picnics, I am also trying to remember to honor the reason for the day - the service and sacrifice of the men and women, past and present, of our military and the freedoms that we enjoy because of them. Cameron, we are so proud of you!

My brother Cameron (2002)

Here is a link to a couple of entries from my cousin's blog archive about Cameron's last tour in Iraq (2005).

Beautiful Day!

Today was a beautiful day, the kind of beautiful day that reminds me of my wedding day. I remember thinking that morning that it was my perception of the day that made it so beautiful, but when I talked to other people (who were there, but less loopy at the time) afterwards they all said it was a perfect, almost surreal, beautiful day. I guess I was more in my right mind than I gave myself credit for! It was like that again today - warm, sunny, and the sky so perfectly blue, trees and grass intensely green, the clouds glowing white - everything so bright it almost seemed fake. Now, the day is fading into a beautiful sunset. Perfect.

My Favorite Things: Cheerios!

Cheerios are Elijah's favorite food right now. He has finally really mastered picking them up and feeding himself. He's even passing them from one hand to the other and picking up O's that he drops in his lap. When he has a little trouble but finally gets one in his mouth, he claps. It's so empowering to be able to do it all by himself!

Such a big boy.

Hooray, Elijah!

E's first introduction to Cheerios - love at first sight! (February)

My Favorite Things: Blocks!

Elijah is a big fan of his blocks. When we got back from our trip, he was so excited to see them again! Mostly, he just claps them together and knocks them around, but he also loves to knock down towers (if someone will build them for him). And how great that they come with a handy bucket to fill up and dump out again!

Trip to PA

Bobbi with grandkids Maiah, Elijah, Evan, and Zoie

Aunt Julie with Rylee Erin

Papa and Bobbi with the boys

We really enjoyed spending some time with the Tanners. It was really special that we got to meet baby Rylee, and that we got to have the whole family together. We weren't even expecting to be able to see her, but she apparently wanted to meet Elijah, so she decided to come 4 and a half weeks early. Check out our Picasa site for lots more pictures. It was so amazing to see how tiny Rylee looks next to Elijah and Evan. And Evan - the boy is just puffy everywhere! He is 4 months younger than Elijah, but is already heavier than Elijah!

My sister let me borrow her new Honda minivan. It is a sad commentary on my life, but that is my current dream car. We hope to have some sort of similar mode of transport in the next year or so. Ours won't be as new, but a guy can dream, right? There wasn't too much driving around, or doing anything 'special,' but the there was a lot of time with all sorts of Tanners, and that proved to be pretty exciting. Maiah, who is five, was very good with Elijah. Her 3 year old sister, Zoie, however, was like a bull in a China shop - her only speed is overdrive. That doesn't quite work so well with a little man who is less than a year old. Nonetheless, a good time was had by all. It is always great when Elijah can spend time with his cousins.

Speaking of which, he will be spending less time with his cousin Piper. Sadly, John and Linde and Piper are moving to Grand Junction. GJ is about 4.5 hours west, very close to Utah. Linde grew up there and has family there. John met Linde as they both attended Mesa State College in Grand Junction. They are both going to join Linde's parents in the new family business - real estate! While they are transitioning into that, John has taken a role at Mesa State working with the alumni group and doing some fundraising. We are sad to see them go, but will just have to work harder to get out there to hang out with them...they are less than two minutes from the only winery that I have been to, which coincidentally, makes an amazing port and also a reisling that is tasty! We wish them all the best as they embark on this new chapter in their lives.

So, I have to add one last picture from our trip to PA...

It just cracks me up. Elijah is of course on the left, then Rylee, then Evan. Evan is still 4 months younger than Elijah, but weighs more. Elijah is taller though. To me, it looks like Rylee has been photoshopped into this picture - she is so tiny she almost looks fake. The good news is that she has gained slightly more than a pound in the week that she has been home from the hospital. Hooray! And it just cool to see the most recent creations from me and each of my siblings :)

Home again!

We're back from a fun visit to PA to see Patrick's family. It was a good trip - good to see everyone and so fun to get to meet little Rylee. I am so glad that Elijah got to spend some time with his grandparents and his cousins. The little man travelled very well again, despite having to get up at 4 am to leave for the airport both going out and coming back. I was thankful that he adjusted well to the time change and slept very well for the most part while we were there. He had one difficult night when he ended up sleeping with me until his 4 am feeding (therefore, I was awake until his 4 am feeding), but otherwise he took all the craziness like a champ. He was good on the airplane both ways, too. Today he had a hard time - he was exhausted by the time we got to back to Denver. A couple of little naps along the way helped, but weren't enough. He was awfully cute sleeping in his daddy's arms on the bus though. It was a long morning of travelling and a long afternoon of just being completely out of whack. Tonight he woke up only a little while after going to bed and we had a long couple of hours of crying, but then he actually let me hold him and comfort him - and snuggled in and fell asleep on my shoulder! (Who is this kid? It can't be my baby!) We'll write and post more pictures about our trip soon. It's good to be home!

A rare glimpse of the sleeping baby - totally content in Maiah & Zoie's closet.

Tryin'

This crawling thing is tough. Elijah has been working on it for a while now, and though he's made some progress (maybe only a parent would notice), he's not getting anywhere on his hands and knees yet. I'm sure he'll get it down eventually, but for now there's practice and some frustration.

working on it

this is hard!

sometimes you just have to roll over and take a break

Welcome, Rylee!

Here are a couple of pictures of our new neice, Rylee. (We're aunts again!) Congratulations, Diane and Bill! We are so excited to meet her.

More fun with the family...

Well, it has been an amazing week. Cameron has been home, and that has been a blast. Also, my sister had her baby today - almost 5 weeks early. Everything is swell though, Mommy and baby are happy and healthy. Rylee Erin Ma was born today at 12.03 in the afternoon. She is 5 pounds, 5 ounces, and 19 inches long. The biggest bonus for us is that we were already planning to go to PA next week, thinking that we would see a very pregnant Diane. Instead, we get to see a really cute little girl!

So, here are some videos of our Friday evening with the family...a night filled with steak, family, and fun via story-time with Cameron and John.

Mostly Piper...


Cameron and E...


More of Cameron and the boy...


John teaching Elijah how to stand up for himself (sorry about the angle)...

Family Fun!

Uncle Cameron with Piper.

Cameron has been home for a short visit this week and we've had so much fun spending time with him! On Wednesday, we got to hang out with Uncle John, Aunt Linde and baby Piper, too. It was a great day. You can see more fun pics on Piper's blog.

Elijah eating lunch with his uncles.

Grass

It's been a good week, and we've been enjoying beautiful sunny weather. One of the fun things that happened yesterday was that Elijah got to play outside in the grass for the first time. What an adventure!

Dancing again.

Swaddling Update

The conclusion - Elijah is officially sleeping with his arms free! He transitioned fairly easily to sleeping with one arm out, and once he was used to that, getting both out was no problem. He still sleeps with the blanket wrapped around his middle, but doesn't wake when he gets out of it anymore. Now he just has to have multiple pacifiers around - one in the mouth, one in each hand, and a spare or two in case one goes overboard.

E likes to stand up in his crib in the morning and after naps. The rails are perfect for balance practice.

Little reader

Elijah loves to read books. He will sit and read book after book (I think 12 in a row is our current record) and fusses when we stop. He is learning to turn the pages as we read, and laughes at some parts ("I am not your mother. I am a dog," said the dog.) His favorite books right now are Are You My Mother?, But Not The Hippopotamus, The Very Lonely Firefly, Goodnight Moon, and I LoveYou, Goodnight.

A day in the mountains

After a crazy week, we spent Saturday in the mountains. It was nice to get away and do something fun together. Elijah was very interested in the water and had a great day, even if his schedule got all messed up. We went to Granby and Grand Lake - a new spot for Patrick and one I haven't been to since I was very little. It was a beautiful drive and we loved Grand Lake!