Count Down (up) to Take 2

Inadvertently added the wrong video- so here is some counting before the next itsty bitsy!

Itsy Bitsy Spider Take 1

Stay tuned for take 2- it went a little better!

Ravioli Girl

Mint Chip Deliciousness

Pants-free morning activities

Looking pensive and wondering what "don't pee" means.


Up and off down the hall.
(mommy edited out the bottom of the picture for teenage Eli's sake)



Heading into his room to look for mischief. Do you love those cheeks?

Heading into the closet for further mischief.

Asking nicely to play with his potty.

Pretty sure he has no idea what to do with it.

Big Belly Boy

Scary Video- In honor of Halloween

So, you were probably expecting an Eli video! But, here is a touch of nature as seen through my eyes. I found it horrifying.

My Foodie

Long ago, Dylan and I decided we wanted to raise a little 'foodie'. Weren't we silly to think we could have any impact at all on what our child would eat and what he would view as subtle attempts to poison him? Since he was around 9 months old, most of what we presented to him as edible he questioned mightily. He'd occasionally take the minutest taste which was usually followed with him throwing his arms in front of his mouth as if he was totally offended that we would even THINK to offer him such a thing. So, I'd given up. His diet since then revolved around a small number of things I knew he'd eat. The list included grilled cheese, macaroni & cheese, green beans, baby food fruit (he found real fruit to be especially toxic), anything sweet, and milk. He'd occasionally venture into a little chef boyardee, maybe some cheeseburger, and an occasional pea. That was it, really. My husband has been inwardly devastated (I think).....

But, I'm happy to report the tide has turned! I was initially hesitant to blog about it, as if drawing any attention to it (albeit attention Eli would be unaware of as he is not a frequent reader of my blog) would bring us right back to the bland food strike he's been on for a greater part of his life. It's been a few weeks now and he's venturing into undiscovered food territory on a regular basis. Just yesterday he delighted in a chicken quesadilla (with big chunks of pepper) and guacamole. That's right, my little buddy loves guacamole! A child after my own heart! He's also delving into the world of real fruit, instead of the goo he's been eating for months. Blueberries, raspberries, maybe a little melon have all been added to his list of 'will eat' foods. Amazing!

You may wonder why this matters to me. After all, he's obviously a healthy child, on track with the growth chart, hair and nails that get girlishly long seemingly overnight. Well, we moms have a built in guilt-o-meter and this has been one of the things that I occasionally stress about. If you've ever hung out with me during a meal when Eli is chowing on something that isn't beige I'm sure you've heard me say how happy it makes me when he eats fruits/veggies. I feel like I've accomplished something great when he has ingested a healthy, well-balanced meal. Seems silly, but isn't life all about the little accomplishments?

So, we are going to be on a mission to bring in more things for him to try during this food exploration phase, and I call it a phase because I'm well aware the tomorrow he may turn up his nose at anything except potato chips (kids are fickle like that). But do be on alert for a distraught post if that happens because this mom has been riding high on that 'good mom' feeling and coming down from that can be brutal!

Wordless Wednesday Take 2

Wordless Wednesday

Motherhood is.......

.....blowing bubbles until you hyperventilate because it makes your baby laugh and say "pop!"

.....finding a spot on your pants to wipe snot that you know your shirt will cover- thanks goodness long t-shirts are 'in'!

.....being okay with your little one eating old cheerios off the floor because if you weren't you'd be constantly sweeping and who has time for that?

.....squeezing your hips down park slides, water slides, into swings because your baby isn't quite old enough to do it alone but he loves it all!

.....putting buckets on your head and 'sneezing' them off 92 times because he thinks it's hilarious.

.....still checking for breathing well past the stated SIDS risk age during long naps.

.....counting ketchup on fries as a vegetable for at least one meal a week.

.....kissing your baby on the lips whenever he offers them up for one despite the ever-present snot that inevitably strings between you as you pull away.

.....being delighted when your little love learns how to pull his own shirt up to wipe off aforementioned snot.

.....packing no less than 25 different snack options for long road trips and emptying no less than 24 of them out of his car seat at our destination.

.....loving every day and stage more than the last one!

A day in the life....

So, I'm stealing another quick blog post idea from my dearest friend Pam and am going to let you all in on one of my typical-ish Tuesdays. Yes, I know Tuesday was yesterday, but today was rather un-typical and not as exciting so just hush up and read on if you're interested :)

6am- Up with Eli, give him milk to drink so that I can doze on the couch instead of mustering up the energy to actually feed him. Tell myself he probably doesn't really want to eat that early in the morning anyway...
Between 6:30 & 7:30- Put Eli in highchair, feed him cereal/fruit/more milk. Clean him up. Change diaper/clothes. Do hair(mine)/face/teeth(both). Get myself dressed. Load car with stuff/baby. On the road to Pam's by 8am to allow time for a mocha and yes, a mocha was a must that day....
Mornings with CJ/Eli/Eva- These involve feedings the boys, greeting Eva at 9am when she arrives, playing amongst the children, changing 2 diapers, laying down Eli, laying down Eva, laying down CJ, taking deep breath, and giving thanks that all three are down at the same time! Can just feel the crowd's amazement....
Lunch- Sister and brother-in-law came for lunch and brought delicious DQ. Must have forgotten to let the kids know so they all woke up 20 minutes before she got there and appeared to be starving- thus the scene when Cammie arrived was Eli and CJ in their seats and Eva on a hip with a large bowl of Chef Boyardee, one spoon, and three orange faces. Lunch is a success and then on to the next big endeavor- the pool!
12:45 to 2:30- Babies are sun screened, undressed, redressed, and wrestled to the pool. Once there, everyone is a fan of the water despite 2-year-old bullies, manic 3-year-olds, and 30-year-olds who clearly could care less what their manic bullying children are up to. After playing, snacking, and playing more, the undressing, redressing, and wrestling 3 greasy kids back home commences.
3pm- Two boys go down for an awesome nap. Eva decided against the nap and headed to the store with her mama- then on to her own bed.
4:45- Boys are up, still greasy, and seem ready for the next adventure. filled diapers are changed and unfilled cups are replenished then on the road to Mahomet.
5:15- Dinner with Dylan and the boys. The pork tenderloin was a hit, the green beans were not. Eli flipped his chair backwards and this necessitated holding him for the next 30-87 minutes as well as doing dishes with him in tow. Hence the back pain....
7:15- Bath time, play time, diaper time, pajama time, milk time to the second power.
7:45- Pam arrives for her little guy, chatting around whining (mine) and crying (still mine). She heads out with hers and mine gets into bed about 8:15pm.
8:30 to 10:30- Work on school, doze off repeatedly during my editing, decide this might mean that there isn't really any learning occurring....
10:30- Clean up house, pack back for tomorrow.
11:00- Read my book, hate myself for staying up so late, lights off at 11:30 anyway......

So there is my fun-filled day with my boys! You needn't tell me if you dozed off during this post, I have re-read it, and in my sleep-deprived state think it is utterly interesting so let's go with that! :)

My Friend Eva

Eli wants to tell everyone what he loves about his girl. Here are some of his favorite things....

My friend Eva can fit in small spaces!

My friend Eva really gets into her chocolate!

My friend Eva rocks the sunglasses!

My friend Eva always has awesome hair!

My friend Eva can ride a pony with the best of 'em!

My friend Eva plays in the rocks with me!

And best of all, my friend Eva loves to snuggle! (Eli's mommy likes this one best too!)

My Friend CJ

Eli wanted me to post some pictures of his good friend CJ. He says to tell you all that he has had a great time hanging out with his buddy so much lately, they get to swing and play with the busy ball popper and eat snacks and crawl/scoot/walk around and take walks and eat out and all sorts of fun stuff!

A Post for Cammie

So, my sister's computer is on the fritz and has been for about 2 weeks! In it's absence, I thought I would download some of the hilarious photos she took this weekend at her house. Eli and I practically lived there while Dylan was away in WI fishing with his dad. As I reflect back, I realize that out of the 12 meals I had while he was gone, I ate not a single one alone! I would like to put down in writing that we will never NEVER move! Being this close to my sister is too much of a gift to both me and my son. Thanks for everything this weekend Cammie!

Playing nicely together.

Playing and chowing on some snacks!

Eli in his homemade cape (a rag). He obviously loved it!

Miss Eva at her very silliest and very cutest!

The Walkers!

As a follow-up to the dancing video, we have a super exciting walking video! We can both finally say "Yes, my child IS walking"! They are getting braver by the day- what a change to see them both toddling around :) Thanks so much Cammie for downloading these fun videos on my computer!

The Dancers!

Our babies decided to do some dancin' in Cammie's new baby's crib- just testing it out for the mommies who put it together with their extremely helpful little hands!

Wordless Wednesday: 5/2008

As Promised

As promised, here is the 'before' picture.....

And here are the 'after' shots. We were just hanging on the deck, brushing off all the hair. Tell me how much you are loving the low-ride shorts. Cute, right? That's our boy, always rockin' the current style!

One Good Walk

So, I've just started training for the MS Walk in September. It's rather involved- you walk 50 miles over the course of 3 days. I'm doing it with my mom and dad and (hopefully) with our cousin Susie :) This past week, which was week 1 of my training, I managed to get 8.2 miles in. This was squeezed around Eli's surgery, being on call and working, getting stuff for school done, and just keeping the family homestead together. I got an awesome treadmill from my friend Vanessa which will be a big help as I can walk when Eli is sleeping in the morning. But this morning, after my dear child got up at 5:15 and decided it was time to start the day, we had plenty of time for a morning walk before his nap.

The first reason I named this 'One Good Walk' is because not only does it give me a sense of accomplishment to wrangle my slightly sick (cold/cough) toddler into socks, jacket, blanket, and finally stroller accompanied by milk, goldfish, and minkie, but I walked my long town walk today- that's about 2.6 miles. Not bad! The second reason this blog is so named is that while we were walking, it started to rain. Not a deluge but definitely wet. With my fleece draped over the stroller front, Eli remained warm, dry, and happy for the duration of the rain. I, on the other hand, must have looked like a drowned rat because not one but TWO people stopped in their cars to ask if I needed a ride! Isn't that amazing? One nice lady even turned onto my street, going out of her way to see if I needed help. It's things like this that really revive your faith in humanity!

So, that's why Eli and I really did have a good walk, no, make that a great walk this morning. Now, he's down for a nap and I better get showered and get rid of the soaked clothes!

PS- My next blog is going to be pictures of Dylan and I's first attempt at cutting Eli's hair. Funny, right?

My Little Photographer

Eli coming to get my camera while I take pictures of him from the floor...

Eli getting up close and personal with my lens. Thanks for the finger prints buddy...

Eli playing with my flash (it flips up and down in a fascinating way)...

Eli playing with his own camera- it's an old one that takes film- probably never going to use it again anyway...

With a look at that hair you can understand why the pre-op tech called him a girl...

Looking angelic for the camera!

One Day Post-Op....

.....and feeling fine!

Wordless Wednesday- My Babies!

Belated Weekend Video Pick

Eli's new favorite place to play is our deck- he loves hanging out and eating any naturey things he can get his fingers on!

Flashback Friday

This morning, Dylan said, "Isn't Eli crying more than ever these days?" So I decided for Flashback Fridays to post some pictures of his very first cries. So cute!