Out with the girls

On Wednesday, Elijah spent the afternoon with Nana and Grandpa, and I got to spend the afternoon with a couple of old friends. (Well, after looking at some of the pictures of us ten - fifteen years ago, I feel kinda old!) Amanda and Mary Sue and I have been friends since sometime in middle school. I couldn't tell you exactly how and when it happened, but I know it was in orchestra class (cellos rule!). =) It was great to see the girls, and have some time to talk. We were so thankful for babysitters for all of our kids, and for Danny for making the suggestion that we get together without them for once. Not only was it wonderful to get to spend the afternoon with special friends, but it's always great to get to chat with other moms (and realize that I'm not alone in this crazy kid world). What a great day.

Me, Amanda, and Mary Sue. Yes, that is an Applebee's sign behind us. We went back to our old spot and had mozzarella sticks for tradition's sake.
Us, 1996. We're even in the same order!

Exploring

Elijah has been spending a lot of his play time exploring lately. He is ready to go as soon as he gets up in the morning. There is so much to do and see! Places that are hard to get to (like under his crib) are especially interesting. What's going on down there, Elijah?

Funny

Elijah's attempt to get across the wood floor without crawling on it. So funny!

A few more pictures

Here are some more pictures. If you want to see a few more than I posted here, check out the photo album. Thanks to Melissa for some of the pics. We had a wonderful visit with Grandma, and I am thankful that she was able to come. This week reminded me how thankful we are for the support of our families, and for the legacy of faith that has been passed down to us. What a wonderful inheritance we have to share with Elijah. I pray that we will be as faithful to teach him about our amazing God.

Elijah with Nana and Great-Grandma
Reading with Nana
My mom and her brothers
Generations

What a trooper

Here are a few pictures of our little man from the past few days. I know I'm a little biased, but I can't help it - he's such a cute boy! We had such a busy week last week while my grandma was here - Elijah and I were away from home 8 out of 10 days. Normally we are homebodies, mostly so that Elijah can have a regular napping and eating schedule. He loves his schedule, and when we stick to it, he sleeps well and is a happy, easy-going kid. I was very thankful this week that Elijah weathered the disruptions like a champ. It was great to be able to spend a lot of time with Grandma and all of the people who came to see her. Elijah and I are both thankful for a couple of days to just stay home and get back on track, though.

A happy morning baby.

More family pics from Saturday

Elijah and Great-Grandma Jennie
Elijah playing with Melissa and Logan
Four generations

Some family time

On Saturday, we went down to Colorado Springs to Uncle Alan & Aunt Gerry's house and spent more time with my grandma and the rest of the family. The little cousins had a great time playing outside in the woods around the house, and the rest of us enjoyed visiting and eating good food.

Elijah had fun with his cousins.

Grandma and Rick.

Logan wants some of that oxygen, too!

Logan and Elijah were loving their great-Uncle Alan.

More crawling

Elijah is quickly becoming an expert crawler, and is having a great time exploring. There are so many things to get into! I am having a grand time moving things out of his way ...

More cousin pics

Check out more great pictures of cousins and visiting with great-grandma on Piper's blog!

Traditions

Of course, anytime my family gets together (OK, anytime boys get together) there is wrestling.

John used the opportunity of having all the little cousins together to pass down some techniques he perfected over the years ...
Which they (of course) attempted to use on Grandpa Bruce. (They need a little more practice before they'll win that one!)


Nana and Piper watch the lessons. Piper's never seen her daddy beat up on little kids before!

A birthday list ...

For those of you who have asked, I have posted Elijah's wish list (mostly books) on the sidebar, under the blog lists. He really doesn't need many toys right now, but we thought real building blocks would be fun soon (and continue to be fun for a long time!), and books are always great. He is currently wearing size 12 mo. in most of his clothes and size 18 mo. pj's and onesies (and anything else that is one piece).

The boys

Here's a short video of the boys playing.

Visit with Great-Grandma

We are very excited that Elijah's Great-Grandma Jennie is here for a visit. She got to meet three great-grandkids for the first time this trip: Elijah, Logan, and Piper. We have been able to spend a lot of fun time with Grandma, and with aunts and uncles and cousins, for the past few days. What a blessing. Grandma will be here all week, so we are looking forward to more good times as well. Here are a few pictures of our visits so far; more pictures and stories to come ...

Great-Grandma Jennie and baby Piper

Elijah and Logan
Great-Grandma Jennie and Sophie

CRAWLING!

Elijah crawled today! Finally! Nana, Grandpa, and I were very excited. Elijah didn't know why we were so excited. But he had a fun afternoon chasing his toys around the room. (Other than the part when he got stuck out on the wood floor - not so fun.) Hooray, Elijah!

What a mess!

Well, my house was clean, this morning. I was so proud of myself! (It really doesn't happen that often - and usually Patrick's done all the work while I'm sleeping.) But when I realized that we were down to a few cubes of frozen pureed sweet potatoes, I knew that it wouldn't last. During Elijah's afternoon nap, I started cooking. Elijah's baby food is all homemade - except for the occasional jar for travelling. Mostly, I enjoy making his food. It's the cleaning up that really kills me. Anyway, I've been having fun trying new things now that E is chewing more and eating more kinds of food. I have a baby food cookbook called First Meals that I like a lot, and I currently have one from the library called The Well Fed Baby. Today I made black beans and rice, my own version of baby chicken noodle soup, and pureed peaches. Before I go to bed, I'll cook some oatmeal and blend it with rice and fruit for breakfast. Considering that I am now out of ice cube trays (in which I freeze the extra portions of whatever I'm making), the pureed carrots, Elijah's special spaghetti sauce, and the applesauce are going to have to wait until another day. It's a good thing - the dishwasher is full, too. Happy eating, Elijah!

My Favorite Things: Books!

Elijah loves his books. He enjoys when we read to him, and also likes to look at the books by himself. He turns the pages and looks at the pictures (or just flips through as quickly as possible), and then goes through it again from back to front. I am amazed by his attention span!

My Favorite Things: Bath Time!

Elijah loves his evening bath. Why not - there is so much to love! Quality time with Daddy, being naked, splashing, trying to drink the water (or his he attempting to snorkel?), the duck tub and bath toys ... Yes, bath time is a wonderful thing. Getting out of the bath, not so much. But he sure is cute all wrapped up in his hooded towel!

Good morning!

I love waking Elijah up in the morning! I only get to do it on weekends, but it is so much fun to just hang out with him. He doesn't say a whole lot, but he's still a lot of fun!

More laundry

More pictures of the boy and the grand fun of laundry. ("Why is daddy always putting me in this basket?") Elijah has also been using the laundry basket as a walker - pushing it around the living room so he can practice some balance. Too funny.

Hangin' out with Uncle Cam

We have had so much fun spending time with my brother Cameron while he is home on break from the Naval Academy. He has to go back soon for a summer class and football training, but we are having a great time while he's here! Uncle Cam and Elijah have been hangin' out and playing together. Elijah thinks it's cool that Uncle Cam reads to him and throws him around. I think it's so cool that Elijah has such fun aunts and uncles who love him.

Little Sailor Man

Elijah in his super-cute sailor suit.

Laundry

It seems like I'm always doing laundry - maybe it's just that my tiny washing machine doesn't hold much, maybe it's just having a baby, maybe the loads of cloth diapers are putting me over the edge. But anayway - Elijah loves laundry. Well, he loves the washing machine and dryer and the laundry baskets. Recently, Jackie asked why kids love laundry baskets. My theory is it's because when they are babies, their daddies put them in the laundry baskets and tell them it's fun.