Sleepy boy

Yesterday afternoon I laid my boys down for their afternoon nap, and instead of falling asleep like they normally do, they kept talking, playing and distracting each other.  3 hours later after repeated threats, consequences and frustration, I gave up and let them just get up.  Elijah is a little boy who NEEDS his sleep so it was no surprise that minutes after I let them get up this was the scene in our living room.

Who doesn't love a good video of a sleepy kid!!!  ENJOY!

Drumming Giraffes

Tonight I pulled out an old costume of Hayden's to see if it would fit Elijah for an upcoming "Dress Up Party."

I'm probably bias...but he's a pretty adorable giraffe!

Elijah ~ 2 1/2 years

What struck me the most about him running around in this cute little outfit was not how adorable he was (and he's cuuuuuuute) but the choice of toy he paired with his ensemble.  In fact, it made me search back through the archives to find this... October 2009.

Hayden ~ 21 months.

 

Yep... these brothers share more than just their dashing good looks, they march to the beat of the same drum!

DO NOT BE FOOLED

Behold the mighty pout

Before your heart begins to melt and you succumb to the power of the Elijah Pout - let me entreat you with all that is within me... DO NOT BE FOOLED!

Sure he "looks" innnocent.
Sure he's adorable.
Sure you just want to pick him up and cuddle him and say "Oh honey... come let me make it better."

But let's just say he's got nothing on the mommy pout... which is what I displayed when I walked into my bathroom to find this...for the third time this week!!!!!

CAUGHT RED-HANDED!!!

Oh do not be fooled.  This boy is quick.  And dangerous.  And into everything!!!  So go ahead and pout that you have been been found out Elijah... I'm onto you!!!

The Month That Got Away!

Hi blog world. I'm back...did you miss me?

Not to make excuses for my absence, but September was the busiest month of my life.  I didn't realize how used to my summer schedule I was until the new school year started and I was launched back into the full-time work day.  Although I had such wonderful intentions to blog... anytime I had a moment where I could have sat at my computer I fell asleep out of sheer exhaustion! 

September also saw a couple pretty big decisions for us as a family.  The biggest one of which was our decision to accept the position of college age pastors at our church.  This launches us fully back into youth ministry and since we're still heading up the worship department and all our other responsibilities too, our plate is beginning to resemble more of a serving tray!  But we are also really excited - we just have to figure out how to balance it all with our family time too!

Rather than try to recap the entire month I'm just picking my three top events of the month to talk about today.

1.  FAMILY CAMP
Our annual trip over Labor Day weekend with approx. 150 people from our church is ALWAYS a blast.  And this year with the beautiful 90+ degree weather every day made this trip one of the best yet. We swam, we played LOTS of games, we hung out with friends just relaxing, and we enjoyed the air conditioning in Dave's mom's tent trailer that we borrowed for the weekend.  Besides the fun of being with my family and close friends ~ Hayden also learned to ride his bike (actually pedaling alone) and Elijah figured out how to walk behind a little push toy which kept him quite occupied the ENTIRE weekend!

2.  WARRIOR DASH
Earlier this year Dave heard about this extreme obstacle race called "The Warrior Dash" and got really excited about participating in something like it...then we found out it was coming to Portland and so he got a small group of friends to register with him and on September 11th he competed and conquered his first Warrior Dash.  It was a 5k race with 10 different obstacles throughout including jumping over logs in waist-deep water, climbing over piles of wrecked cars, climbing cargo nets, running through tires, climbing over walls and then crawling through a mud pit under barbed wire - and Dave did GREAT.  Over 7000 people competed in the event, with heats of 400 racers starting every 30 minutes over the course of two days.  Some people competed for best time.. most competed to say they did it, and the funnest part was seeing all the crazy costumes as groups of people came dressed to impress. 

3.  Baby's First Steps.
I should point out that these three highlights were listed in chronological order, not in order of importance... because I'd put this at the top of the list otherwise!!!
Elijah took his first steps on Wednesday, September 28th at 16 months, 4 days old while in the church nursery with his Auntie Jodi and Grandma.   I thought I'd made it ABUNDANTLY clear to the child that he should let me be present for this milestone... but I missed it by 2 minutes.  But I've definitely got to witness plenty of it since then...so I've decided to forgive him.  I videoed this clip the next day as he showed off his new skill.

 

And that's a wrap people! 

Here's to a slower October...hahaha...who am I kidding?!

Elijah's 1 Year Pics

I am congratulating myself this week on actually getting my child's pictures taken within a month of his birthday!!!  Seeing as I've been about six months behind on the last two shoots of Hayden (sorry firstborn child of mine) this is a major accomplishment.

The amazing Shay of Be Photography did a great mini-session this week for little E but I'm also smiling because I got this great shot of him myself out in our backyard.

This boy melts my heart!

This one just makes me laugh.  I call it his "Yo, yo, what up my homies?" pose

Here's a few of my favorites from Shay... she really is spectacular!!

Of course, I think she had a pretty adorable subject to shoot!

Dearest Elijah,

Please never grow up...ever.

Thank you,

Your mommy!

A Birthday Recap... finally!

This could be a ridiculously long post... but I've got some serious catch up to do!!!

A week ago now we held Elijah's 1st birthday party.  We had planned to hold it in the park here in town, but the weather didn't cooperate, so two hours before the party we had to call everyone and change it to our house.  I'm glad no one in our family is claustrophobic because we were packed in my house like sardines!

Elijah's actual birthday fell on the Tuesday prior to his party however, and I wanted him to have something for his actual big day (Okay, so maybe I just really wanted to test him and make sure he'd like his birthday cake, unlike his older brother who refused to touch his on his 1st birthday).

So Tuesday, May 24th I made a jello poke cake,
a.) Because it's SUPER EASY
b.) it's amazingly delicious

And we let Elijah dig in... and confirmed within seconds of that piece of cake landing on his high chair tray that he is indeed a cake lover!

To say that he loved his cake seems like a gross understatement - he devoured it, and did all but lean down and lick the tray clean at the end... which I'm still not convinced he wouldn't have done but by that point I really needed to get my little cake covered child in the bathtub!

Lessons learned during this:
a.  Bibs are our friends... when you use them!  The white onesie has not recovered...and I'm not sure it will.
b.  Strawberry jello makes a delicious cake, but perhaps pink was not the best color for his first cake.  So sorry son - I'll do better for your actual party!
c.  My family of four can devour a 9x13 jello poke cake in ONE evening.  Oh dear.

FAST FORWARD AGAIN TO SUNDAY:

After watching his enthusiasm towards his first cake I was excited to see how his chocolate cupcake cake went down!

I ordered this cute little thing from Safeway because cupcakes seemed so sensible for the park when you don't have to worry about cutting up cake.  Turns out they're entirely convenient at home too!  And that bright green frosting... oh yes, I was looking forward to the pictures of THAT all over Elijah's face!  It was advertised as an alligator but it looked a lot like a dragon to me.

We had a great turnout for his party... between Dave's family and mine we make up quite an army, but it was sure wonderful having everyone here.  We are so blessed to have so much family all living close and I love that my boys will grow up with their cousins, uncles, aunts and grandparents as a regular part of their lives.

Even with a few family members who couldn't be there... we still had 32 people there!

Elijah got totally spoiled... lots of fun new toys and gifts.  He's one blessed little 1 year old!

He got many wonderful things, but one of the gifts that totally stood out to me was from his cousin Moriah who took $1 from her own piggy bank to give him with a card she made herself.  It was very sweet of her!  We also loved the books from Grandpa & Grandma Sharon, the awesome toys from Uncle Jesse and also from Uncle Scott & Aunt Amy, the soccer ball from Uncle Dom & Aunt Syb and he's getting a lot of use from his new shoes and shorts from Aunt Jodi and Grandma & Papa.

Dave and I got him a fun walking toy with the hopes that one day, this child will indeed be mobile!!

And of course, after all those presents - it was cake time.

The cupcakes were a big hit and so easy to serve and the green frosting...sure we found remnants of it ALL OVER OUR HOUSE, but it made for some great pictures.

So happy birthday Elijah!  This is the year you can have your cake and eat it too!

Birthday Weekend

This weekend we celebrated Elijah's first birthday with a big family party - 32 people in my little house, but what a wonderful time.  We ate cupcakes, and chips, and opened presents, and rejoiced that the rain held off so the kids could play in the backyard... then today we enjoyed not one but two amazing BBQ's for Memorial Day.

As it turns out... I'm now exhausted, so full blog tomorrow, but here's a sneak preview of what is to come...

Oh yes... someone loved their birthday cake!

Happy Birthday Lil' E!

Today is my baby's 1st birthday.  Just 365 days ago he looked like this...

On my way to get induced.

Yep... some of the perks of being induced is taking a leisurely drive to the hospital in the morning (contraction free), walking on in with your latte in hand (thank you Hot Shots), ordering breakfast from room service while you simultaneously get your epidural & pitocin and then having a delightful morning with your family and close friends in the room while you have a baby.  I realize this is not everyone's experience but it really was a dream delivery!!!

Here's a few hours later that same day:

3:36pm ~ 7lbs 7oz and 19.25" of pure perfection!

 

Our new family of four!

This past year has flown by so quickly and Elijah is such a ray of sunshine in our house.  He's cuddly, he's cute, his smile just melts me and he ALWAYS smiles, and my favorite thing - of everyone he knows, I'm still his favorite (by a closing margin... Daddy and Grandma are getting close).  From his first grin in the morning when I go get up from his crib, to the last cuddle and his sleepy smile when I lay him down at night and all the moments inbetween, the boy is pure joy to me.

So happy birthday Elijah - mommy loves you VERY MUCH!!

A QUICK LOOK AT THE LAST YEAR:

Two days old - sleeping on Daddy!

One month old - Father's Day 2010

Two months old

Three months old - on his dedication day

Four months old - Family Camp 2010

5 months old - October 2010

6 months - Thanksgiving 2010

7 months old on Christmas Eve

8 months old - January 2011

9 months old - trying to figure out the crawling thing

10 months old - March 2011

11 months old - April 2011

Two days before he turned one... and the reason we decided it was time to cut his hair!

Day before turning one - new haircut!!

Happy 1st birthday my adorable, lovable, squeezable, kissable baby boy!  Looking forward to the next year with you!

If a picture paints a thousand words...

...this picture would say, "It's time to switch to a sippy cup!"

Excited baby + bottle + shaking wildly = big mess!!

Child of Mine

This child of mine loves bath time.  He loves to stand up next to the tub and watch the water filling up the bath, he gets all excited when I dump his toys in and even though he doesn't talk yet, his little squeals, grunts and body language BEG me to please put him in the water!!

"Put down the camera mom and put me in that water!"

This child of mine, with his beautiful green eyes just like his daddy's - doesn't have much patience for his mother taking photos of him when he could be IN that tub by now.  

This child of mine thinks he's part fish and would spend all night in that tub if I'd let him.  That smile of his just does me in, and I turn to mush and can't help smiling too, and not a little smile, but a big ear-to-ear toothy grin because he makes me that kinda happy!

This child of mine - I LOVE HIM!!

My Baby

Today my baby is 10 months old.

Elijah David ~ AKA my baby!

When did that happen?  Wasn't it just yesterday that he looked just like this?

One week old

I'd really like for him to stop growing... at least for now... too quickly I'm seeing the baby melt off as he embarks into the pre-toddler stage and while it's exciting and they're all milestones for his life - I miss having that tiny little newborn thing who does nothing but sleep in my arms and look adorable.

Oh sure, he's still adorable, but with far more personality now.  It has become quite evident to both Dave and I that he is NOT his brother - in fact I think it's quite possible he'll have a relationship with Hayden that closely mirrors my own sisters and mine... Elijah already thinks he's the boss!

At the same time he's my Mama's boy.  Unlike his older brother who was independent from the get-go... Elijah still loves to cuddle with me.  He lights up when I walk into a room, he loves to give me sloppy baby kisses and at least for the time being... still likes me more than Grandma.  I'm not ready for that stage to end.  I'm just not!

So Elijah... 10 months is it.  We're freezing time now and we'll revisit this whole growing thing later!

 

What I Love Wednesday

Today my post is about my boys. 

I love that they're brothers. 
I love that they can play together.
I love that they have a best friend to grow up with.

Sure, I know as they grow older they'll have their rough patches and their fights - they may even have a time or two when they think they don't like each other much - but they'll always have one another, and that makes me happy.

Last night they were playing in the living room and Dave and I were just enjoying watching the two of them together.  NO ONE can make Elijah laugh harder than Hayden.  He adores his older brother, and Hayden LOVES the attention he gets from his younger brother when he does something Elijah likes...which apparently is everything.  And the laughter is infectious.

So, for your viewing pleasure today... my boys - being brothers!

"How good and pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity!"

Psalm 133:1

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Snow Day

Oregon goes a little crazy about snow. Being a state that doesn't see regular snowfalls, the promise or even possibility of snow is enough to turn it into "emergency news." Consequently, the smallest amount of snow falling and sticking will shut half the State down.  All week long the weatherman have been predicting the "BIG WINTER STORM OF 2011" and the school where I work has been a buzz with students praying fervently for a snow day.

So this morning when I was awakened shortly after 5:00am by the sound of my cell phone ringing, I knew exactly what it meant.

School's canceled.

The weatherman actually got a prediction right, and the long anticipated winter snow finally arrived. Our elaborate staff phone tree got me three text messages and a phone call sharing the happy news all within a matter of minutes - it was glorious.

Snow days are definitely one of the perks of working at a school!

I contemplated briefly jumping out of bed to look at the snowflakes falling and my backyard covered in a sea of white - but instead I rolled over, switched off my alarm clock and fell back into a deep blissful sleep.

That is until 6:30am when my boys woke up.
Sigh.

Hayden checking out the snow fall.

Yep, nothing like a whole 1/4" of snow to shut down half of Oregon!

Hayden was pretty excited to see the snow, but not excited enough to actually want to go play in it.  I suggested he go out after we'd finished with breakfast but he informed me it was too cold, and he needed to play the Wii instead.

And regardless of how sly this tactic may have been on his part - I totally understand the "dislike of cold things" so I obliged him.

Plus he's hilarious to watch playing the Wii.

We got Wii Sports Resort with the purchase of our game system, and it has a sword fighting game that Hayden loves to play.  He has no technique whatsoever, he doesn't block hits or use any of the button actions to enhance his game - but somehow his crazy "shake the remote like crazy while running around the room" approach has sailed him through almost every level!  What's crazier still is sometimes he loses focus and leaves the room, or turns his back to the TV and still manages to win his matches.  He's a Wii-sword-phenomenon!

I captured him in action this morning.  Please excuse the lack of pants - he feels like pants are "optional" around the house.
I blame his father.

Strutting his fencing moves in Sword Showdown - Hayden vs. the Wii world.

He graciously let me take a turn after a while... and I learned that sword fighting is quite a workout.  Luckily there is no photo evidence of my attempts.
I got very sweaty very fast.
And I died...a lot. 

The snow completely melted by 11:00am - and then made a brief return in the afternoon - really nothing to be excited about - but I enjoyed my day at home with the boys.

We played games together.
We took naps together.
We laughed...a lot!
We stayed inside the house ALL.DAY.LONG
and it was lovely.

It might have been the best snow day ever actually!

When Dave got home this evening I had a yummy dinner ready (look for a new recipe post tomorrow!) AND I even had time to update this here blog.  Oh to have more days just like this!

Oh, and Elijah turned 9-months old today.  Happy 3/4 of a year baby boy!!!

Thanks snow... even though you didn't stick around at all - you sure made my day fun!