Eli had his 9 month check up last week. He weighed in at 20lbs 9oz and was 30" long. He is at the 95% percentile for his height and 50-75% for his weight. My big boy is wearing 18 month clothes now! I cannot believe that. He is doing so good. Crawling like crazy, pulling up on everything and "talking" up a storm. We just had to drop Eli's crib recently because he was pulling up in it and could easily fall out if he leaned over too far. He's such a fun baby and getting quite the personality too. He yells a lot - and sometimes for no reason. He laughs like crazy at the silliest things too. He sleeps all night and wakes up looking for his bottle. Daycare is great with him and he rarely stays in his classroom - he ends up crawling over to see friends in the room next door! He's still as blonde as he can be and his eyes are very blue. I love it!!
Kevin tagged along for Eli's appointment! His friend at school ended up with strep last week and sure enough on Friday Kevin started complaining of a sore throat and had no energy. Come to find out - he had strep too! Poor kid was miserable but bounced back very fast.
We are in the process of planning Kevin's 4th birthday party! It's going to be a Texas Ranger party the park. He's super excited!
Pretty quiet in our house lately - well not really "quiet" but drama free at least. Our house is enjoying the ALCS games this week and rooting for the Rangers to win!!
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tuesday, September 27, 2011
Family Vacation 2011
Oh so much has gone on the past few weeks! First…Eli is crawling everywhere now. He also just learned how to clap and anytime you say “yeah” he smiles and starts clapping – it’s truly so cute.
We just returned from our first family vacation! We took the boys to Sea World on September 14th. They had an absolute blast….and so did we! I want to do a day by day recap of our vacation – mainly so I don’t forget anything.
Day 1: September 14 – Departure Day
We left our house after church around 9:30. Ben stayed home to get our stuff packed up and also to allow Eli to go to sleep on time. We were all packed up and hit the road right on time! Rewind 48 hours…. Ben woke up Monday morning with a stomach bug – he was home sick all day Monday. I left work early on Tuesday with the same stomach bug and was home all day Tuesday and Wednesday! We were praying hard the boys stayed well for the trip. Eli was fast asleep all the way there and Kevin fell asleep around 10:30. Both boys woke up when we pulled into the hotel around 1:30am on Thursday. Eli had just learned to crawl the weekend before our trip so the minute you put him down he’s everywhere. Kevin fell in love with the hotel room! He walked into every room admiring the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. They both finally crashed around 3:30am!
Day 2: September 15 – Zoo Day
After our long drive and little sleep, Eli was wide awake at 7:00 Thursday morning! We were so excited to be on vacation – little sleep didn’t stop any of us from getting up and ready for breakfast. The breakfast at the hotel was very nice. Kevin enjoyed the pastries and waffles and Eli loved the yogurt. We finished up breakfast and headed to the San Antonio Zoo. It was amazing. Our favorite parts were the butterfly exhibit where lots of butterflies flew all around us and landed on the trees for us to see. We also enjoyed feeding the birds. A bunch of birds landed on Ben and one landed on Kevin’s head! It was so funny. Ben found a monkey friend too that was jumping up and down at the window “playing” with Ben. Kevin loved that!
We rested Thursday evening, ate dinner by the pool and did a little swimming. Although the day temps were in the 90s the water was still pretty cool in the evenings so only Kevin and Ben swam – too cold for the mama and Eli.
Day 3: September 16 – Sea World Day!
On Friday we spent the entire day at Sea World. We arrived at 10am, received free parking because the credit cards machines were down and made our way to the most memorable day! Our first stop were the dolphins. We got to feed them and pet them – that was the coolest thing ever! Kevin rode his first roller coaster – the Shamu kid coaster. He loved it and when it ended he immediately asked to ride it again. We saw the dolphin show and that was pretty cool. Of course the best was the Shamu show, Kevin loved getting soaked when Shamu splashed our section. I don’t think he knew what to think about it when it happened so he just laughed. There was a great little splash park that we got to enjoy – even Eli got out and splashed for a while. Kevin rode 2 more kid rides all by himself (his request, not ours!) and was such a big boy. We fed the dolphins two more times before we left (so mommy could feed them too and not just take pictures). It was a great day and something I know we’ll never forget. Our boys did amazing. No melt downs, no crying, no arguing….just a perfect day! I am so proud of them both. It was rough for little Eli being in the stroller all day and not taking his normal nap but he did great.
Day 4: September 17 – Alamo and museum day
On Saturday we decided it would be best to steer clear of Sea World (we originally purchased 2 day passes) because they were having a BMX day and hundreds of people on skateboards would be flooding the park. NO THANK YOU! So we visited the Alamo and did some other site seeing. We took Kevin to the Rain Forest Café on the Riverwalk for lunch – that was a cool experience! Lunch was great and again the boys did great. It rained off and on on Saturday so we decided to leave and visit a local museum that had a children’s museum. It allowed us to be in the air conditioning for a few hours and a baby area for Eli to stretch his legs! As soon as we were leaving it started to rain….hard! We made it back to the hotel in time for naps and relaxing. We didn’t do much that evening – got our bags packed and things in order. The boys crashed pretty early that night too.
Day 5: September 18 – Heading home
We left San Antonio around 10:00 Sunday morning and after a few stops, lunch, feed Eli, etc – we finally made it home around 3:30! It was great to be home! Kevin immediately picked up his Wii remote and played some baseball and Eli crawled all over the house! Loads of laundry awaited us but being home and in our own beds and routines was wonderful.
My most memorable moment was Kevin calling the hotel (Homewood Suite) the “chicken wait”. For a few days we would tell him we were heading back to the hotel and he would say “to the chicken wait?” We could not figure out what in the world he was talking about. Finally it hit me! The night we arrived at the hotel Ben took Kevin in to check in. I asked him what he told the guy at the hotel when he walked in. Ben’s response… “we’re here to CHECK IN LATE”. Kevin thought the name of the hotel was “the check in late” (chicken wait). We laughed so hard!!! He’s such a funny kid. I also enjoyed watching the boys play together in the hotel room and Kevin sharing his toys with Eli – most of the time – and Eli being adventurous crawling all over the hotel! I love my little family and this was a great vacation together. I look forward to many more in the years to come.
Pictures coming soon…..
We just returned from our first family vacation! We took the boys to Sea World on September 14th. They had an absolute blast….and so did we! I want to do a day by day recap of our vacation – mainly so I don’t forget anything.
Day 1: September 14 – Departure Day
We left our house after church around 9:30. Ben stayed home to get our stuff packed up and also to allow Eli to go to sleep on time. We were all packed up and hit the road right on time! Rewind 48 hours…. Ben woke up Monday morning with a stomach bug – he was home sick all day Monday. I left work early on Tuesday with the same stomach bug and was home all day Tuesday and Wednesday! We were praying hard the boys stayed well for the trip. Eli was fast asleep all the way there and Kevin fell asleep around 10:30. Both boys woke up when we pulled into the hotel around 1:30am on Thursday. Eli had just learned to crawl the weekend before our trip so the minute you put him down he’s everywhere. Kevin fell in love with the hotel room! He walked into every room admiring the kitchen, bedroom and bathroom. They both finally crashed around 3:30am!
Day 2: September 15 – Zoo Day
After our long drive and little sleep, Eli was wide awake at 7:00 Thursday morning! We were so excited to be on vacation – little sleep didn’t stop any of us from getting up and ready for breakfast. The breakfast at the hotel was very nice. Kevin enjoyed the pastries and waffles and Eli loved the yogurt. We finished up breakfast and headed to the San Antonio Zoo. It was amazing. Our favorite parts were the butterfly exhibit where lots of butterflies flew all around us and landed on the trees for us to see. We also enjoyed feeding the birds. A bunch of birds landed on Ben and one landed on Kevin’s head! It was so funny. Ben found a monkey friend too that was jumping up and down at the window “playing” with Ben. Kevin loved that!
We rested Thursday evening, ate dinner by the pool and did a little swimming. Although the day temps were in the 90s the water was still pretty cool in the evenings so only Kevin and Ben swam – too cold for the mama and Eli.
Day 3: September 16 – Sea World Day!
On Friday we spent the entire day at Sea World. We arrived at 10am, received free parking because the credit cards machines were down and made our way to the most memorable day! Our first stop were the dolphins. We got to feed them and pet them – that was the coolest thing ever! Kevin rode his first roller coaster – the Shamu kid coaster. He loved it and when it ended he immediately asked to ride it again. We saw the dolphin show and that was pretty cool. Of course the best was the Shamu show, Kevin loved getting soaked when Shamu splashed our section. I don’t think he knew what to think about it when it happened so he just laughed. There was a great little splash park that we got to enjoy – even Eli got out and splashed for a while. Kevin rode 2 more kid rides all by himself (his request, not ours!) and was such a big boy. We fed the dolphins two more times before we left (so mommy could feed them too and not just take pictures). It was a great day and something I know we’ll never forget. Our boys did amazing. No melt downs, no crying, no arguing….just a perfect day! I am so proud of them both. It was rough for little Eli being in the stroller all day and not taking his normal nap but he did great.
Day 4: September 17 – Alamo and museum day
On Saturday we decided it would be best to steer clear of Sea World (we originally purchased 2 day passes) because they were having a BMX day and hundreds of people on skateboards would be flooding the park. NO THANK YOU! So we visited the Alamo and did some other site seeing. We took Kevin to the Rain Forest Café on the Riverwalk for lunch – that was a cool experience! Lunch was great and again the boys did great. It rained off and on on Saturday so we decided to leave and visit a local museum that had a children’s museum. It allowed us to be in the air conditioning for a few hours and a baby area for Eli to stretch his legs! As soon as we were leaving it started to rain….hard! We made it back to the hotel in time for naps and relaxing. We didn’t do much that evening – got our bags packed and things in order. The boys crashed pretty early that night too.
Day 5: September 18 – Heading home
We left San Antonio around 10:00 Sunday morning and after a few stops, lunch, feed Eli, etc – we finally made it home around 3:30! It was great to be home! Kevin immediately picked up his Wii remote and played some baseball and Eli crawled all over the house! Loads of laundry awaited us but being home and in our own beds and routines was wonderful.
My most memorable moment was Kevin calling the hotel (Homewood Suite) the “chicken wait”. For a few days we would tell him we were heading back to the hotel and he would say “to the chicken wait?” We could not figure out what in the world he was talking about. Finally it hit me! The night we arrived at the hotel Ben took Kevin in to check in. I asked him what he told the guy at the hotel when he walked in. Ben’s response… “we’re here to CHECK IN LATE”. Kevin thought the name of the hotel was “the check in late” (chicken wait). We laughed so hard!!! He’s such a funny kid. I also enjoyed watching the boys play together in the hotel room and Kevin sharing his toys with Eli – most of the time – and Eli being adventurous crawling all over the hotel! I love my little family and this was a great vacation together. I look forward to many more in the years to come.
Pictures coming soon…..
Monday, September 12, 2011
Wednesday, August 24, 2011
Ben surprised me yesterday and brought Kevin to my work to have lunch! We ate at our new cafeteria at the hospital (yummy Chick Fil A) and also visited build a bear. Kevin made a cute shaggy dog who he proudly named Texas Ranger! We also made a monkey for our little monkey….and Eli loves it.
Eli is so close to crawling it’s not even funny. He can get up on his knees and then rocks back and forth. Eventually he sits back up or flops on his tummy like he’s confused on where to go. It’s very cute. He is cutting more teeth too. One so far up top I can feel and possibly a new one on the bottom. He’s getting so big.
Kevin is learning so much in school now. He is talking like crazy and says funny little phrases that throw me off from time to time. His new expression yesterday was “mommy when I talk to you please pay the tension to me okay”. It was too cute. He’s learning his letters like crazy too. It amazes me how much he knows already. He’ll be starting Pre-K in January, then hopefully kindergarten in the Fall at Kids’ Place. After he turns 5 he’ll do public school kindergarten also. Think it’ll be good for him and hopefully he’ll mature a little bit too….hopefully!!!
Ben and I are going to the Ranger game tomorrow evening. I’m super excited. In just a few short weeks we’ll be leaving for San Antonio. Lots of planning still to do but we are very ready. Traveling with Eli should be interesting but we hope leaving in the evening time will keep him asleep in the car until we arrive at the hotel!
Exciting month ahead of us and we are looking forward to the adventure!
Eli is so close to crawling it’s not even funny. He can get up on his knees and then rocks back and forth. Eventually he sits back up or flops on his tummy like he’s confused on where to go. It’s very cute. He is cutting more teeth too. One so far up top I can feel and possibly a new one on the bottom. He’s getting so big.
Kevin is learning so much in school now. He is talking like crazy and says funny little phrases that throw me off from time to time. His new expression yesterday was “mommy when I talk to you please pay the tension to me okay”. It was too cute. He’s learning his letters like crazy too. It amazes me how much he knows already. He’ll be starting Pre-K in January, then hopefully kindergarten in the Fall at Kids’ Place. After he turns 5 he’ll do public school kindergarten also. Think it’ll be good for him and hopefully he’ll mature a little bit too….hopefully!!!
Ben and I are going to the Ranger game tomorrow evening. I’m super excited. In just a few short weeks we’ll be leaving for San Antonio. Lots of planning still to do but we are very ready. Traveling with Eli should be interesting but we hope leaving in the evening time will keep him asleep in the car until we arrive at the hotel!
Exciting month ahead of us and we are looking forward to the adventure!
Saturday, August 20, 2011
Thursday, August 11, 2011
7 months, 10 years and 2 teeth
I have to combine a few milestones into one entry...because I'm a lazy blogger! Let's see - Eli turned 7 months last Sunday. He's wearing 12 month clothes and weighs about 19 pounds. He's eating like crazy and just started yogurt this last week which is another favorite of his. Eli also has 2 teeth. Yes 2! He cut the first one last Friday and the second one today. They are so small and you can just see the tips of them but they sure look cute when he smiles!! He has a great schedule right now. Eats dinner around 6:30 or 7 and is asleep by 8:00. He usually sleeps all night and doesn't take his morning bottle until we get to school. That has been great with my morning schedule! I actually get to sleep in. I'm finishing up the last of the frozen breast milk then he's all formula. I think he's ready and I'm so happy he got breast milk for more than 7 months!
And I can't forget our little man. Our new phrase of the week is "don't give me attitude mommy" and being obsessed with the rangers. His favorite player is Josh Hamilton and he says his is "his baborite pwayer in the whole high world". That cracks me up!
And last...we are celebrating our 10 year anniversary today. I cannot believe it's been 10 years. It truly has gone by so fast. I remember waking up 10 years ago and hearing the announcer on the Today show announce "today is Saturday August 11, 2001" and I left the room to puke! I couldn't believe the day was finally here! I was so nervous yet so excited to get married and begin my life with Ben. He has been a wonderful, loving, loyal and patient husband. He became a daddy 6 years after we got married and I have loved watching him with Kevin and now Eli. Parents to 2 precious boys and 10 years later and it's still hard to believe this is my life!
And I can't forget our little man. Our new phrase of the week is "don't give me attitude mommy" and being obsessed with the rangers. His favorite player is Josh Hamilton and he says his is "his baborite pwayer in the whole high world". That cracks me up!
And last...we are celebrating our 10 year anniversary today. I cannot believe it's been 10 years. It truly has gone by so fast. I remember waking up 10 years ago and hearing the announcer on the Today show announce "today is Saturday August 11, 2001" and I left the room to puke! I couldn't believe the day was finally here! I was so nervous yet so excited to get married and begin my life with Ben. He has been a wonderful, loving, loyal and patient husband. He became a daddy 6 years after we got married and I have loved watching him with Kevin and now Eli. Parents to 2 precious boys and 10 years later and it's still hard to believe this is my life!
Monday, August 1, 2011
You gotta have friends!
So you know the scene in Shrek (yes, that’s what my world has come to - kids movies!) where donkey is singing slow and deep “I’m all alone….” and the end of the song he gets upbeat and finishes with “but you gotta have friends”. Isn’t that so true? You gotta have friends…not just acquaintances, not just people you smile at and say hello in passing – true friends. It’s been a challenge since Ben and I got married to build relationships. He’s always working crazy hours and days which leaves very little time for us, let alone other people. Don’t get me wrong, we have couples that we’ve been friends with for years – Chad and Ashley are the first couple that come to mind. We were friends before we had kids and living a little ways away from each other has been a challenge but we’re still friends. They are a couple that I know if we needed anything I could call them and they’d be right there in a heartbeat. They are dear enough friends that when we got the call almost 7 years ago that George was not doing well and we needed to get to the hospital quickly, they actually beat us there and were waiting with open arms to support us. We love them dearly!
In my crazy life now I work 40 hours a week, spend my nights feeding 2 kids, giving baths x2, night night x2 and maybe I have enough time to read before bed. And because I spend most of my waking life at work – friendship at work is important too. And did the Lord ever know that I needed a friend just like Elizabeth! Who would have thought 5 years ago when I interviewed Elizabeth that we’d become such close friends. We also met before we had kids and we both experienced the struggle of trying to get pregnant. The day I returned from maternity leave she found out she was pregnant! 9 months after Kevin was born she gave birth to the sweetest baby boy! She was the first person (after Ben and my mom) that I told I was pregnant with Eli. I actually couldn’t hold it in when I walked into the office that day. I was scared as all get out – excited but scared – and I think she about fell over when I told her! We laugh together, cry together and share so much of lives together. She’s the person I know I can call and say “hey, just pray for me!” and that’s all I need to say. She truly is a gift from God. I could not have survived 2 pregnancies, 2 births and now raising 2 kids without her. She’s such an encouragement to me – probably more than she knows!
Sometimes I get discouraged because my circle of friends is limited – mainly because I’m limited on my time and availability. I try not to let it bother me but I’m only human and sometimes it hurts not to be included in the events of other people’s lives. But I am blessed beyond belief with my job, house, dependable vehicles, healthy kids and a great daycare for my kids because of my job! But most of all I am blessed with friends, people who love me and pray for me and people I can depend on in any situation.
In my crazy life now I work 40 hours a week, spend my nights feeding 2 kids, giving baths x2, night night x2 and maybe I have enough time to read before bed. And because I spend most of my waking life at work – friendship at work is important too. And did the Lord ever know that I needed a friend just like Elizabeth! Who would have thought 5 years ago when I interviewed Elizabeth that we’d become such close friends. We also met before we had kids and we both experienced the struggle of trying to get pregnant. The day I returned from maternity leave she found out she was pregnant! 9 months after Kevin was born she gave birth to the sweetest baby boy! She was the first person (after Ben and my mom) that I told I was pregnant with Eli. I actually couldn’t hold it in when I walked into the office that day. I was scared as all get out – excited but scared – and I think she about fell over when I told her! We laugh together, cry together and share so much of lives together. She’s the person I know I can call and say “hey, just pray for me!” and that’s all I need to say. She truly is a gift from God. I could not have survived 2 pregnancies, 2 births and now raising 2 kids without her. She’s such an encouragement to me – probably more than she knows!
Sometimes I get discouraged because my circle of friends is limited – mainly because I’m limited on my time and availability. I try not to let it bother me but I’m only human and sometimes it hurts not to be included in the events of other people’s lives. But I am blessed beyond belief with my job, house, dependable vehicles, healthy kids and a great daycare for my kids because of my job! But most of all I am blessed with friends, people who love me and pray for me and people I can depend on in any situation.
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