Summer Time!

And we have been SO busy!  Too busy to keep up with ourselves, much less keep others up.  It's just been a whirlwind of activity and I'm not even sure I can remember it all.

We kicked off the summer with a week long trip to the beach.  Atlantic Beach as usual, only this time we decided to stay somewhere different for a change.  It rained most of the week, something Eli and I were not happy about to say the least.  But fortunately we had a couple of beautiful days at the end, and were joined by some friends for extra fun.  We also got a nice surprise visit from Aunt Ashley! 

Michael decided it was time for Eli to go fishing a few weeks ago.  Needless to say it didn't really go well.  2 year olds just don't mix well with poles with strings attached to them, especially when there are things to swing at with the rod.  Who cares about the fish?

And then there was Girl's Weekend.  That's right, girl's weekend.  We went to the cutest little place up in the mountains called Lakeview at Fontana.  It was so unique, and so relaxing.  Yoga, massages, and french press coffee were just a few of the things we enjoyed.  And of course great company!  This will defintely become an annual event.

Do you feel caught up yet?  Probably not.  Throw in a few birthday parties and a baby shower or two, and you're getting there.  And of course Mother's Day and Father's Day, both of which were very nice, yet uneventful days.  In between all that we try to visit family and friends the best we can, which pretty much means a weekend at home is a rare thing for us.  But we wouldn't have it any other way! 

And then there was Easter

Easter was fairly uneventful this year. One of Michael's friends/coworkers got married on Good Friday in Charlotte. It was a beautiful outdoor wedding on Lake Norman. Congratulations Andy & Lauren!

Saturday we spent the day at Tanglewood Park to support Lillie's Friends. It's a wonderful organization to support families dealing with pediatric neuroblastoma, and they had a fundraiser/5K that day. We were in good company with Jennifer & Andrew, Jessica, Jonathan & Coen. It was packed, and the boys had a blast! Definitely something we will try to do every year from now on. Other than that, just a basket full of goodies on Sunday morning!

What Blog?

Did you think I forgot about you? Oh no, I haven't forgotten at all. As a matter of fact, 'update blog' has been on my list of things to do for over a month now. So here I am, with 2 months worth of stuff to tell you!

First of all, Michael has had both his shoulder surgeries, and both went well. Thanks for all the thoughts and prayers during that time. He had his first one done March 17th, and the other one done April 28th. Assuming all goes well, he plans on going back to work June 1st. So far so good, he's right where he should be with recovery. It's just sad because he can't pick Eli up right now, and the poor little guy just doesn't quite understand. It won't be long though.

We found out last month that Eli is no longer allergic to soy, yay! Honestly, it wasn't the worst food allergy to deal with. But it was still something, and we're so excited to not have to worry about it anymore, and also one less doctor to see. :)

About a month ago we went to the Transportation Museum in Spencer with some friends. Eli LOVES trains and had a blast. It's a really neat place, and it's free! So if you live close by and haven't been you must check it out. Here are a few pics from that day:

Language Explosion

So, I've always heard about the infamous language explosions kids have, but I never really understood it until now. Eli has always been pretty advanced with his speech, so we're used to hearing people say how well he speaks for his age, and have never had any concerns in that dept. Therefore, I'm seldom surprised to hear anything new come out of his mouth. But in the past couple of weeks it has just gotten crazy! I guess it has alot to do with his move up to the 2 year class at daycare. Everyday he amazes me with his words and songs. He's speaking in complete sentences now, and has a nice collection of little songs he can sing. I have tried to get some of them on video, but apparently my son is vain and is more interested in watching himself on film rather than taking it. I did manage to get a decent video of him singing his ABC's to share. I apologize for the lighting and you may have to turn it up.

Early Bird

Is it Karma that my child likes to get up with the sun?  Or before the sun?  I don't know what is going on, but Eli has not slept past 6:30 in weeks, some days getting up as early as 5 or 5:30.  It has completely ruined my previous morning routine, that has worked so well for so long.  I could get myself completely ready to go, breakfast eaten, dogs fed, and coffee brewing before Eli got up.  Now, he's the one getting me up. 

So I guess it's time to learn to work with it.  He's really good, he doesn't get out of bed when he wakes.  He sits there and not-so-patiently yells for me to come get him.  "Mommy!  Mommy!  MOMMY!"  This morning when I heard his beautiful song at 5:30, I decided to wait and see if he would lay back down.  He did not.  He got more and more persistant, and eventually got down in the floor and sat there calling me.  "Mommy, come get me!"  "Mommy, get up!  Walk!"  It was actually quite humorous, and I couldn't help but smile as I went up to get him.  So then starts the new morning routine of me getting ready WITH toddler in tow.  Not so bad really.  The hardest part is keeping him and the dogs separated, because he wants to be able to go back and forth between rooms.  And I was nervous about my shower, because I haven't showered with Eli up and about by myself in a long, long time.  And we have a standup shower, so really nothing keeping him from coming in with me.  But he did good, and just kept *checking* on me. :)

All in all, we survived.  We got out the door about our normal time (about 10 mins late).  Both properly dressed, with lunch and coffee.  So I guess I should relish the extra hour or two I'll be getting with my little guy in the morning right?  We'll see.  But an earlier bedtime is definitely on the menu for me and Daddy now.

Oh, and I should give proper credit to a few of the things that helped get me through this morning, and I'm sure will be a staple for every morning from now on.  Lord help us if the cable goes out.

And he must have this to play along with his favorite songs

Fun at Grammy's

Eli spent the weekend at Grammy's for Valentine's Day so we could enjoy a weekend doing adult things.  Friday we had a nice quiet dinner out, and Saturday we went to see our friend's band play.  It was a relaxing, much needed, child-free weekend.  Eli has been full of himself the last few weeks, and I was at my wit's end.  It must be his 2 year molars.  The constant whining is enough to make me want to jump off a bridge, and the constant neediness exhausts me.  Hopefully this ends sooner rather than later.  But it was all worth it on Sunday when I got an unsolicited "I missed you Mommy" when he came home!  Now that's my sweet boy. 

Here are some pics from his time at Grammy's

Say Super Cheers!

Finally I have some pics downloaded from Eli's birthday party a few weeks ago.  Hopefully I'll get some more once I get pics that others have on their cameras.  The weather really tried to stop this party from happening, but we stood our ground and had it anyway.  Unfortunately there were some that couldn't make it, understandably.  But we still had a good turnout of family and friends and Eli had a great time!  We *almost* didn't have any food either, but got that all worked out in the nick of time.  Overall everything went really well, and Eli is enjoying his presents.  Thanks to everyone who braved the roads and came out to celebrate Eli's birthday!


Of course we had a Mickey Mouse theme

Birthday cake that I made!

Better shot of the cake

Eli loves Chuck the Talking Dump Truck!

More trucks

Playing the piano with his friends:  Coen, Andrew and Carleigh

Andrew had a good time!

Coen helping Eli open presents