The Tyler Family

{Hume Again, Hume Again, Jiggity Jig}

2011-08-17T14:56:00.000-07:00

Ahhh...I love that our adventure with Eli as a newborn has turned into a family tradition. We have gone to Hume Lake for a week every summer now, for five summers! So much fun! It is great to get away from your normal routine, spend time as a family and to be at the true "happiest places on earth"!

This year was slightly different due to our newly moody 4 year old who in years past has wanted to do anything and everything under the sun (at least twice) but this year only wanted to stay in his jammies and play at the cabin! Don't get me wrong, I would not have complained about the down time, however, this year, we also had a little 1 year old who was giving up her morning nap and if we didn't leave the cabin and do something, would fall completely apart by 9am!!! Not the best combination, but we made the most of it.

We did manage to drag Eli to the beach, for a walk, to the playground, to day camp and the pool (all of which he loved once he got there of course) and Naomi even got to be a "day camper" too! This gave Mommy and Daddy two awesome morning dates. We took advantage of that and walked around the lake, got coffee and also went boating!

Hume Lake is such an amazing place and holds such a special place in my heart and spiritual walk that I look forward to spending many more summers up there as a family. I think each time we go, we talk about how it will be for the kids to attend their week long summer camps and how much fun they'll have (even though that is years away!). Oh well, for now we'll just enjoy the mountains, the peace and family time, knowing each fun summer vacation is one closer to our kids experiencing the wonderfulness that is Hume Lake Christian Camps!

Eli the Butterfly Hunter (one day during Naomi's nap, I asked Eli what he wanted to do. He replied, "hunt for butterflies!" Of course, why not! Armed with a bubble wand and walkie talkie we set out)

Success!

Replinishing after the hunt!

I can still see my "little boy" in pictures like this one

Did I mentioned it poured a few afternoons?! Crazy!

Fort time, on acount of the rain

We ate breakfast and lunch at the cabin, but joined the staff for dinners...now that's what I call a vacation!

Anything you can do....

...I can do too!

Big stuff and Little stuff

Macho, macho man

Beach time!

"I'm just a summer girl..."

Eli wanted to build a castle, so we went to work, added a mote and viola!

the finished product.

{Dedication}

2011-08-04T22:21:00.000-07:00

On Father's Day weekend we dedicated Naomi to the Lord in front of family and our church. What a precious gift we've been given to care for, love and to nurture. I pray we do the best we can and trust God with the rest! We love you Naomi Jane!

Not sure if you can tell, but Naomi was "that kid" during the service. Crying, squirming, wanting to walk off the stage...

Trying hard not to smile for Papa

ALL smiles for Uncle Tim!

Our crazy family

The support "staff" (not pictured Joe and Lisa Vaughn)

Warming up to the idea

Our "Bo-mi Monster" back in action

{Party Girl}

2011-08-03T14:56:00.000-07:00

Following the dramatic birthday, we had a small party at the park on Saturday. I can't believe I'm admitting this (being a 2nd child myself) but we definitely downplayed the party for Naomi since "she's only 1, she's not going to remember it!" I know, I know, I never thought I'd do it either! :)

We had a very nice, low-key day, hanging out at the park, eating pizza and watching the kids play. Naomi wanted nothing to do with with super fun caterpillar cake I made or the "eaten" cookies either. I had a sneaky suspicion she might not want them so I had a second "cake" on hand just in case. She managed to stick her finger in the cake but nothing else so we have no great photos of cake mashed in her face! Bummer! She did very much enjoy her layers of blueberries and strawberries however. Naomi definitely has a mind of her own!

Our Very Hungry Caterpillar!

On Monday...

On Tuesday...

"Hmmm, what's this?"

"Yick!"

"This is fun!"

"Now that's more like it!"

Enjoying her "cake"

Everyone else enjoying the real cake

Wheeeee!

Uncle Tim & Auntie Jen

Sandy & James

Kiley, Eli & James...playtime!

(Sweet N' Sassy)

2011-07-10T10:07:00.000-07:00

Naomi is 1! It seems like she's been a part of our family forever, but at the same time it is impossible that she is 1 already! At 12 months she is a busy little girl and desperately tries to keep up with her brother. I have a feeling we'll have the "anything you can do, I can do better" mentality from both sides...how'd we end up with two stubborn, competitive kids? Don't answer that! :)

Naomi is super expressive and her silly, shy, coy, surprised, mad faces crack us up! She is a dancer and shakes her hips and bootie anytime she loves the song. Her current favorite is "Summer Girl" from the movie soundtrack Country Strong. That song will instantly put a smile on her face and make her dance! She is working on several words including 'Da Da', Gaw (dog), Uh-oh, Nana (banana). She is obsessed with dogs and is sure to point out any furry animal with an enthusiastic "GAW, GAW" and smiles. Other tricks include giving kisses, high-fives and waves. She is such a sweet little girl and I love her soft little head and the few cuddles I can sneak in when she slows down enough to give them out!

Unfortunately her birthday was a bit dramatic! We went to a park and Eli held Naomi on his lap while they went down the slide. About half way down, her leg got caught up under her and she started crying and wouldn't put any weight on it the whole morning. I knew she needed to see a doctor but the earliest they could get her in was 3:30pm! So, we ate lunch and carried on with the plan of going to Babies R Us to buy her some birthday shoes with Nana. We figured we could still try shoes on her foot that wasn't hurt and keep her entertained at the same time! It worked and then we headed to the doctor. They took x-rays and said they thought it might be fractured. We got a TINY air cast and made an appointment for two days later at the Peds Fracture Clinic. It was so sad to see her in the cast and not able to walk. She was getting so frustrated. Thankfully, we were given the "all clear" at the clinic and they said it was probably just a sprain and she'd be fine! It took her about two weeks to gain back her full confidence in walking and for her limp to go away. We were so happy it was not broken!

So without further ado, our sweet, cute, funny, adorable (I can say that cause I'm her mom!) and sometimes a bit of a stink pot, little girl!

Eli's handwritten card to Naomi...so sweet!

Naomi loves Eli's blue version of this cup, so we knew exactly what to get her!

Between these photos and the next, were the traumatic events of the day which I didn't capture on film, sorry!

Eli serenading us!

{Lil' Graduate}

2011-07-10T08:14:00.000-07:00

Eli started preschool in January and he loves it! And we love it too! The teachers are awesome and it has a great "old-school" feel, you know, like when we were in preschool! :) On Eli's last day of school, they had a little ceremony with the parents and kids where each student got a special book made up of things they'd done throughout the year and a specially decorated pencil to use for practicing letter writing this summer. Afterwards we took Eli out for a McDonald's lunch. So fun!

{Hurricane Noami}

2011-05-31T21:51:00.001-07:00

Naomi accomplished this before her morning nap! (Eli wasn't even awake yet!)

Our little almost-1-year-old looks so sweet but don't be fooled! She is a mix of sweet and...sassy, mischief, stubbornness, silly and look out cause she LOVES to destroy whatever is in her path! I realize we have some control over this issue, but Naomi is happiest while exploring, pulling out anything and everything she can find from anywhere and everywhere! And at least it is always her stuff or the cupboards which we allow her to be in (minus my wallet of course)! Could be worse right? What a little stinker. I can not believe that next week we celebrate her turning one year old! That doesn't seem possible. Her currant faves include dancing to "Summer Girl", being outside whenever possible, giving kisses and of course Eli still tops her list. She follows him all over the house and has gotten quite quick so he doesn't usually stand a chance. Poor kid, he laughs now but I can just hear it in my future...."MOM, Naomi won't leave me alone!" I'll enjoy the giggles and smiles until then.

Oh and did I mentioned "determined"? She's is definitely that!

{How Time Flies}

2011-04-19T20:25:00.000-07:00

Naomi is 10 months old and up to many new tricks! She's been working hard this past month on several skills that she showcases only to the lucky. Taking steps certainly tops the list. She has taken up to 9 steps in a row on her own but loves to walk with anyone or anything she can grab. She gets very irritable when you won't give her our fingers to walk with (hmmm, that reminds me of another little monkey!). She adores her squeaky shoes and it only makes her want to walk more! One evening we had to take them off because she was exhausted but wouldn't stop walking!!

She has also become very fond of "big people" food and certainly makes her opinions about baby food known. Most meal times are accompanied by lots of tongues sticking out and spitting the food out which does not meet her standards! Give her any chopped up fruit or most carbs and she's a happy girl though. Can a 10 month old survive on bananas and toast with cream cheese?! I guess we'll find out! "Noames" has also been warming up her vocal chords lately. Anytime we sing Itsty Bitsy Spider (one of her favorites) she sings along in her sweet baby babble. She also sings with me while I'm putting her to bed at night which is one of my favorite things. Who wouldn't love a soft, warm, fuzzy, little head on your shoulder cooing while you sing?!

Our sweet little Noami Boami does have her moments. She is definitely opinionated and isn't shy about sharing it! When we first told her "No", she burst into tears but now, however, when we say it, she just scrunches up her face and wrinkles her nose as if she's disgusted and then tries whatever is again. She does listen pretty well though, she just usually gives it a try or two and then moves on to something new! And just this week we've experienced the back arching and whining! Wow, she's got some strength! But as I tell her (and Eli), "you're not gonna win, so just let me know when you're done!"

Sometimes I still can't believe she is ten months old, or that we even have a little girl for that matter! She has the best 7-toothed grin and giggles at Eli all the time. She is still in love with her big brother and we wouldn't want it any other way. She'll be trying to keep up with him for the rest of her life. I love watching them as they play more and more with each other every day. It's especially fun to hear them laughing together! Soon we'll be planning a 1 year birthday party for this little girl so I'm gonna try to just enjoy all the little things along the way, because time goes way too fast!

Our little swinger

cute little crawling buns

sleepy head

the "disgusted" face

And a few action shots of Miss Noames:

{Snow Hotel}

2011-04-11T16:26:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago we had the great opportunity, thanks to some awesome friends, to spend a few days in Tahoe. We hadn't been to North Shore in years and Eli has been begging to go to the snow, so we jumped at the chance! We could not have ordered up a more perfect location, weather, baby (she slept like a gem all snuggled in her pack-n-play in our bathroom!)...etc! Pops was here visiting so it was nice to be able to take him out of Folsom and enjoy the fresh mountain air. We only spent 2.5 days away, but it was so relaxing and fun that it was super refreshing. Here's a few pictures but I warn you, they might make you jealous! :)

Eli was so excited to see snow that he just climbed on and played in it wherever it was, even just the planters outside our room

the accommodations

first order of business: snowball fights!

Eli decided the best defense was to just turn around and stick his bottom out!

But then he got a bit more brave!

The "Snow King"

We came, we slid, we conquered!!!

My handsome man...love those blues!

Grant's version of the ski lift

Not quite as brave but still a ton of fun!

Naomi was not so fond of the snow...

but did let Grant sled with her down a bunny run!

Eli was calling our hotel the "Snow Hotel" because that's what his friends call the place they go when they stay in the snow. As we were leaving I said to Eli, "Say goodbye to the snow hotel!". He looked at me and said, "We're leaving?!" and I replied, "Yea, we're going back home". You could tell he was trying to be brave and keep a straight face but his eyes got all filled up with tears and he whispered, "bye, bye".

{A Happy Happy Day!}

2011-04-11T09:17:00.000-07:00

Eli has been 4 now for 2 weeks and he is very proud of that fact. He somehow manages to work it into most conversations. For example, this weekend we were at a Yard Sale and the lady says she has 4T,5T and 6T clothing for boys if I was intersted. Eli pipes in, "Well....I'm 4, so those would probably fit!" What a silly little guy. He is so full of energy and has a super over-active imagination. We hear endless tales that keep us laughing and guessing; like how he got to pretend to be Jesus and ride a donkey in Sunday school..."a REAL donkey! Actually there were two and they came in all by themselves!" Hmmmm?! For his birthday, Eli chose a rocket theme. I went a little nuts looking at pictures and getting ideas for cakes and goodies. Grant was wondering if it was for Eli or myself...probably a little of both! There's not a whole lot more fun for me, than planning/organzing events, especially a rocket themed 4 year old birthday party for a little boy who totally appreciates details and gets so excited for parties!!!! Here are a few pix. of the fabulous day!

Birthday Crown from school

Rocket cookies that melted in your mouth....YUM!

Happy Birthday my sweet Sunshine. It's hard to believe that you've been a part of our family for four years! It's gone so fast and been super fun! We love you bunches!

{Love}

2011-03-14T15:52:00.000-07:00

Naomi absolutey adores Eli. She is his biggest fan! She loves everything about him including his favorite things, Doggie and Blankie! He can always make her laugh and is great when we need her distracted!

I love their little sleepy eyes, bed heads and jammied bodies!

{Sweet, Sweet "Noami"}

2011-02-16T20:43:00.000-08:00

The other day I realized that I have not taken many pictures between Christmas and now which means that almost two months have passed without photos of our growing little girl. So, like any good, scrapbooking mommy would do, I busted out the camera and took a few hundred photos in two days so that Naomi's "8 month" baby book spread would not be empty! :)

She looks dainty and girly but has such a silly little side to her too. I have a feeling she'll be competing with her brother for the spotlight pretty soon. Her latest talents include growling, smacking her lips, blowing raspberries, rolling on to her tummy while sleeping, she loves standing up at things (with assistance) and also bouncing in her saucer and Jenny-Jump-Up. You'll often see Eli covering his ears because she is bouncing so hard in her saucer which makes quite the raucous! She never stops moving; some part of her body is constantly in motion! How did we end up with two like that?! She is also teething like no other at the moment. Since January 11th, she has cut 3.5 teeth and I have a feeling there are a few more coming in as well. At least we're getting it over with all in one fell swoop right?

Aside from that, I am in love with her baby blues, soft fuzzy hair and edible cheeks, hands, legs, toes...you name it, I want to squeeze it and nibble on it! I am reminded of why this stage is so fun. All baby cuteness and no "parenting" required yet! Makes me miss my little monkey at this age!

{My Silly Valentines!}

2011-02-14T08:53:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day is not often grandly celebrated in the Tyler household, in fact, not usually at all (we both agree its a bit over the top). But this year, I was surprised by a card, candy and romantic chic flick from Grant and it got me in the mood. So, we started off with heart shaped toast for breakfast, joined friends for valentine cupcake decorating with the kids, ate heart shaped sandwiches for lunch and then had plans of grandeur for dinner. Mom and Dad were coming over to join us, I was going to decorate the table with red and white, make homemade calzones in the shape of hearts and have a fun evening with my family...then the dough happened! First off it didn't quite make as much as I thought it would, then I couldn't get it to roll out and I certainly wasn't going to get it into the shape of a heart! So at 6 o'clock, with family hungry, table not set with anything cute and no heart shaped calzones, we sent my dad to Papa Murphy's, lit some candles and opened the Coronas...Happy Valentine's Day!

{They're Done!}

2011-01-28T07:04:00.000-08:00

I am so thankful to our friend Sandy for taking our latest family photos! I was so excited the day we took them and even more so now that I see them all in "print"!!!!!! We wanted new family photos so that we could have some nice ones of the four of us, a few of the kids together and also to capture Naomi's 6 month stage. I think we were sucessful and Sandy even snuck in a few of Eli by himself and of just Grant and I. Thank you! Thank you! I am so thrilled with the way they turned out!

Our little "Noami-Boami"

Big Brother and Little Sis

Our Monkey

Our Family of Four

Just the Two of Us

{...and a few more}

2011-01-18T21:18:00.000-08:00

This a bit "Benjamin Button-ish" I realize (working backwards for those that don't know the story) but I came across these pictures of Christmas Eve and wanted to post them. I figured you wouldn't mind! This Christmas Eve was an extra special day for our family. We spent the morning at my parents' house putting together "goodie" bags that we'd planned to hand out to the homeless on Christmas morning. Eli had a blast running around the living room placing (sometimes throwing) the items into the bags until they were stuffed with food, toiletries, etc. and then we closed them up with a candy cane and message about our Savior. That evening we attended the Christmas Eve service at our church as a family and then had a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party at my parents' house afterwards. What an amazing day!

{What Goes Around Comes Around}

2011-01-15T16:55:00.000-08:00

The doggie bucket "hat" returns! It really is the perfect accessory! I couldn't resist sharing both photos of Eli and Naomi (both around 6.5 months) in their doggie "hat". Naomi is 7 months now and going strong. She just got her first tooth (whew! That was a rough 3 days!) and she is desperate to be on the move and to keep up with Eli but she's got a few tricks to learn yet before that happens. I'm sure it will be soon though! We are seeing more of her personality emerge and I'm afraid she's going to be as animated/dramatic as Eli, and maybe even more! Not sure how we ended up with two....

Here are few more recent photos of our little "Noami-Boami" as we call her! She's been testing our her flexibility lately.

{...And A Happy New Year}

2010-12-31T20:51:00.001-08:00

It is hard not to look back at 2010 without seeing the many, many blessings that we've received! While there were many days when I just wanted to complain, or things weren't going as I had planned, and as hard as those moments seemed right then and there, I can honestly say that God has given us much more than we deserve! Our lives are full and He gets the credit for that! Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone!

Annual "Scrylerb" (that's Scranton + Tyler + Herb) Christmas pj photo

{Long Over Due}

2010-12-21T10:18:00.000-08:00

Naomi turned 6 months at the beginning of this month and we had photos taken of her and also of our "new" family! As I was posting the last picture on the previous post, I realized I never posted the amazing newborn photos of our sweet little girl that Sandy took. So without further ado...

Can't believe she is already 6 months old. We love you little girl!

{Catch Up}

2010-12-14T14:07:00.000-08:00

As 2010 comes furiously to a close, I figured I'd better play catch up and get a few more pictures on the blog! I must admit, I have been slacking and just putting the silly things Eli says on my facebook status, but some days even getting that done is a challenge so I'll say it once, "I'm sorry, please forgive me, and it WILL probably happen again!" :) Enjoy the last few months in photos.

Eli and I went to my friend's pirate themed birthday party...sorry no pix of me!

Eli built a spaceship (Excersaucer) and Naomi was his passenger (prisoner). Note the fuel (yellow and orange Lego's) in the bottom of the spaceship!

"Seriously?!"

Fun at the local pumpkin farm

Me and my girl

Autumn would not be complete without a trip to Apple Hill!

Papa and "Nay-Nay"

Apple tasting...YUM! Now on to the apple donuts!

My Posse

My Dad and Grant beer tasting at the Jack Russell Brewery

Daddy and Eli on their England adventure

All packed up and ready to go

Aunty "Lu Lu", Uncle Matt, cousins Jude and Lois

Bath time fun with the cousins

Thanksgiving weekend - Me, Naomi and Aunty Jen

What the Scranton family does best!

Our gracious hosts Jen & Tim

The feast

Four yummy layers of pumpkin delicousness!

Grandma comes for a visit!

Before...

...almost done...

...and after! They even tasted better than they looked!

Early Christmas celebration with Grandpa and Aunt Randy

We even snuck in a birthday celebration for Aunt Randy

Being silly with Aunty Jen

More silly fun

The annual self taken "Christmas card" photo

Just a sneak peak of the fantastic family photos that our friend Sandy took!

{Theology Of A 3 Year Old}

2010-10-20T09:44:00.000-07:00

In the car on the way home from bible study:

Eli: Jesus is in the sky!

Me: Yep, Jesus and God are in Heaven

Eli: Is Rocket there too? (Rocket is a friend's beloved dog that passed away)

Me: Well, yeah, Rocket is probably with Jesus

Eli: "Is Jesus taking care of Rocket, making him feel better?"

Me: "In heaven, everyone feels better. There are no more ouchies"

Eli: "Will Jesus make him better and then send him back?"

Me: "No, once you are with Jesus you stay with Jesus"

Eli: "I want to see him"

Me: "Who? Rocket?"

Eli: "No, Jesus!"

Me: "Oh, well, we can't see him right now, because we are on earth, but if we love Jesus and believe in God, someday when we die, we will get to see him. But for now we can learn about him and pray to him"

Eli: "Maybe next time I fly on an airplane, after England, I will fly up to see Jesus. But then I'll come back!"

{Little Cutie Pie}

2010-10-10T09:32:00.000-07:00

Each day I marvel at Naomi's sweet disposition! She is such a happy little camper and gives us the biggest smiles when we stop and chat with her. She has started giggling and is very ticklish under her chin and on her rib cage. She has started demanding attention now, and letting us know when we've been ignoring her too long. She doesn't realize she's competing with Eli! :) I'm not sure she's gonna win that one.

"Look Ma, no hands!"

"What up?"

{Mr. Meeting}

2010-10-08T14:20:00.000-07:00

I guess I've been going to a lot of meetings lately. I didn't realize it, but Eli has obviously noticed because for the last three rest times, he has been busy packing his backpack for his meetings. He only packs the essentials of course: Computer (aka Winnie the Pooh book), Bible, doggie, tennis shoes and socks, jean shorts and of course blankie. He is also careful not to forget to wear his hat, "in case the sun gets on my hair!"

He is so stinkin' cute all packed up, hat on head, backpack on shoulders! Yesterday he told me he was going to take his money "because it takes a lot of money to go to a meeting in England!" Yes it does, Eli, yes it does! Without further ado, here he is all packed up and ready to go.

He takes his meetings seriously! Doesn't he look so grown up?

{"Watch At This!"}

2010-09-22T15:24:00.000-07:00

This is a phrase that we hear many, many times a day! It must be a combination of Watch me and look at this. Eli is definitely an entertainer and we are hoping that some day Naomi will be a sufficient audience for him! :)

The latest and greatest entertainment really is quite exciting though...Eli got his first two wheel bike! The neighbors were going to sell it and so we snatched it up. Of course then we had to buy a helmet and he is now ready to ride! The pedal breaks are a new one for him, but he is getting the hang of them quite quickly which is good since we live on a hill! Check out our super cute little biker! He's growing up way too fast!

Little Miss Naomi is also growing quite fast. Much faster then Eli did at her age, I'm sure! It is hard to get the camera out often enough these days to catch all her new silly faces and tricks. She is smiling and talking like crazy. She will have no problem competing with her brother with the lungs she has. And is starting to roll over from side to side. No more unsupervised lounging on the couch for this young lady! We were blessed with a super sweet little girl (and thankfully slightly more mellow than Eli) and I can't wait to get to know her better as her personality emerges more everyday.

{What's a girl to do?}

2010-09-07T15:54:00.000-07:00

You may notice that Naomi has quite the little Mohawk going on in most of her photos! Unfortunately, I think she also has the same cowlick that Eli had, sticky up hair at the crown of her head! Not sure what sort of hair style a stylist would recommend to camouflage those two issues! Here's our little one's latest photos:

{Discovery Kingdom}

2010-09-04T08:39:00.000-07:00

I had been wanting to visit Six Flags Discovery Kingdom ever since our pediatrician let us in on the secret that they have a "ThomasTown" section! I knew Eli would love it, so as part of Grant's last hurrah on paternity leave, we packed our snacks, loaded up the kids, dragged Nana and Papa along for the ride and headed to Vallejo. We got there when the gates opened and were greeted with cold, breezy, foggy weather. Not exactly what we'd pictured, but it ended up being perfect for walking around the park, riding rides, and eventually the sun came out just in time for us to ride White Water Safari where we, of course, got soaked!!! Beautiful weather, an un-packed theme park, Eli in a good mood, Naomi was a trooper...What a day!

{A bunch of Stuff}

2010-08-11T21:33:00.000-07:00

I have been trying to be a good Mommy and take as many pictures of Naomi as we did of Eli, but I have already failed! Its just so hard to remember...sorry little one! I did manage to capture a few cute ones that show off her new smile. She has become quite the little talker, cooing and experimenting with her vocal chords and gives us big grins when we talk to her. She can be grumping and fussing and as soon as you sit and start talking to her, she just smiles away. What a little stinker. Apparently we have two kids that need our constant attention/interaction. When will they be able to entertain each other?! These pictures are of Naomi talking to Daddy!

Our little monkey continues to make us laugh. He's a great big brother with a huge imagination! We are surprised daily by what he comes up with. Today he decided to give Naomi's play mat a try. Without even a word or glance at us, he climbs under the arch and starts playing away with the toys...although he wanted more of a challenge so used his hands and feet at the same time!

Another funny Eli story: Eli likes to pray before dinner. Usually his prayer consists of:

"Dear Jesus, thank you for this day, thank you for this food, we love you Amen!"

A week or so ago, he said he wanted to pray and ever since then we've had some variation of this:

"Dear Jesus, thank you for this day, thank you for this food, please keep the kids in Africa safe while they cross the road from the police man...Amen"

Not exactly sure what that last part means, but we are guessing they prayed for the kids in Africa in one of his Sunday School classes. Regardless of the exact wording, it definitely melts my heart to hear him praying for the kids in Africa!

{Hume Lake or Bust!}

2010-07-26T08:21:00.000-07:00

We just got back from a fabulous, refreshing, clean air, blue sky, perfect weather vacation at Hume Lake! Jealous?! Seriously, it was not a perfect vacation (picture getting no sleep due to a 6 week old and then having to entertain a 3 year old during the day, who did sleep all night long!), but it was so nice to be up in God's creation and spending time together as a family, learning to be a family of four. Boat rides, beach fun, walks, mastering driving a golf cart with two kids on board, swimming, disk golf, reading and of course, ice cream!

Our vacation was even more special because our friend's Hiro and Becky, who were here from Japan visiting family, drove up to Hume just to see us! It was really special having them up there and we had a great time! Wish it could have been a longer visit, but feel blessed that we've been able to see them on a regular basis, while living on two different continents!

There are a ton of photos from our trip, but I'll try to narrow it down! On second thought, with two kids now and a digital camera...just sit back and enjoy!

I love how Eli is twiddling Naomi's hair and she's oblivious!

Poolside

Facepainting at Huckleberry House Day camp

Our brave little diver:

New best friend

Pure Bliss...it fell on the ground about 30 seconds after this photo was taken! Don't worry, we got another, just not so big!

{Precious}

2010-07-08T18:17:00.001-07:00

I meant to post these photos before we left on vacation for two weeks, but forgot! Whoops! Wonder how that happened?! Anyways, our little Naomi sporting her Costco summer deal and some super, duper, adorable little shoes from Auntie Lis! Can't wait to start putting her in shoes. She has quite the collection already!

{Super Daddy}

2010-07-01T07:54:00.000-07:00

For the past 3 1/2 weeks Grant and I have been stumbling over the words "the kids"! It feels incredibly strange to say and also to hear. We have two kids...how did that happen?! Well, my wonderful hubby has done a fantastic job in the role of Daddy, as we navigate these new waters, and he continues to amaze me more and more. Whether its playing with Eli, burping/changing Naomi, doing laundry or dishes or just making me laugh in these crazy, sleep deprived days...it's nice to have such a great teammate! So, this post is only a few weeks overdue, but Happy Father's Day Babe! I love you!

{Take Two}

2010-06-21T15:07:00.000-07:00

As the days continue, I've noticed more and more differences between Eli and Naomi. Of course I realize that their personalities could be polar opposites (although I find that hard to believe) or be very much alike but regardless, their are definitely similarities in their looks! Neither of these photos were posed...like brother, like sister!

Eli - 6 days old

Naomi - 14 days old

A few weeks back...

2010-06-17T14:38:00.000-07:00

One of my "pre-Naomi" to do items, was to display her name on the wall like I had done for Eli. Since Eli's name is in wood letters with painted squares behind, I thought I'd do the same
for Naomi but with circles. The project has been complete for a few weeks now but just the other day during Eli's rest time the following took place:

Eli - "Mommy! Mommy!"

Me -"yes Eli" as I open his door

Eli - "look!" smiling proudly looking around his room

Me - "what am I supposed to be looking at?"

Eli - "look" pointing to his name

Me - realizing that the wooden letters weren't quite how I'd left them before nap time I say, "wow, Eli that's very clever, but how did you do that?"

Eli - "I just climbed on my bunk bed and took my 'A' and then climbed on my kitchen and got Naomi's 'A' and then climbed back and switched them!"

What a little monkey! I couldn't believe that he'd been able to get to Naomi's 'A' at all let alone switch them and get them hung back up as well. He has since insisted on leaving them that way!

Family Resemblance

2010-06-13T16:47:00.000-07:00

We are now a family of four! That's a little scary to see in print! Most of you know Naomi Jane made her grand entrance on June 7th at 8:14pm. And in true "2nd child" fashion it has already been a week and I am just now getting around to posting photos. From sleeping habits (she does, he didn't) to flexibility (he was always rigid, she hardly ever comes out of a ball) they are already proving to be quite different, however there are a few similarities that can't be ignored...

Same nose, same mouth and same head of dark hair!

And a few more photos cause I couldn't resist. Isn't our little peanut so cute and her big brother?:

EN...GA...LAND!

2010-05-15T16:48:00.000-07:00

One of Grant's biggest fans is Eli. He always wants to do what Daddy is doing especially when it comes to football! Eli got an England kit for his birthday and tried it out while Pops is visiting. He looked ridiculously cute and I'm glad Pops had his camera to capture the debut of England's next big footy star! :)

Gettin' It Done!

2010-04-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

At the beginning of March, Grant declared the month "Get it done" month. We've had a list of projects that we've been wanting to do but just hadn't found the time to organize it or accomplish it ourselves. But with Spring (and a new baby) approaching, tax returns in the bank, we set off on our mission. Most of my things included decorating projects that hadn't been completed while Grant's revolved around home construction projects. A few of the items had to spill over into April (I will never understand contractors!) but they are finally done!

I bought these cardboard letters almost a year ago and just now covered them using scrapbook paper and Mod Podge. love the way they turned out! Worth the wait!

The completed mantel makeover!

Ever since Grant saw our neighbor's house that had cabinets built into this half wall, its been on our list. Well...they are finally done and we love them! Hooray for extra storage!!!!

And just because I couldn't resist...how cute is our little snuggle bug?!

Other items accomplished:

- New backyard fence

- New door put in from garage to backyard

- Painted letters for Naomi to add to bedroom wall

- I'm up to 10 months in Eli's babybook!!!!!

- Purchased fabric to make bedskirt (still have to sew it though!)

Accident Free Zone

2010-03-31T19:20:00.000-07:00

The Tyler household has been

an accident free zone for:

1 day!

Yes, we are on the "potty train" again (2nd times a charm?!), but this time we are going to make it to our final destination! We had been talking to Eli about wearing "big boy underwear" after he turned 3 and when we found out his friend Isaiah started the process, we jumped on the train hoping to use the enthusiasm and keep it going. And so far, so good. It has officially been 4.5 days with minimal accidents, but the best part is, he tells us every time that he needs to go (both pee and poo, sorry if that's too many details for some!). Hooray!!!!!! We've even ventured out of the house a few times and we're getting braver by the day. Costco, Target, Winco, Old Navy....the world is our oyster (as long as it has restrooms!). And because our bathroom has become a candy store/cheering section...a picture of our official "potty station":

It's Official!

2010-03-28T20:15:00.000-07:00

We have a 3 year old! We've been celebrating Eli's birthday now for about a week but I think it's finally over. We celebrated at Chuck E. Cheese, at home, at McDonald's and at Nana and Papa's house. This year, Eli was definitely excited about his big day! He even made a birthday wish list a few weeks prior to his birthday with all the Disney Cars characters and Thomas characters he didn't already have. He also recited this list to us, almost on a daily basis, until his birthday arrived! He's a kid who knows what he wants! Here a few pictures that highlight our festivities:

Mr. Speed Racer himself

Ski Ball Champs!

Isaiah and Eli braving the "roller coaster"

My birthday boy

Eli chose McDonald's for lunch on his actual birthday...

and invited his friend Haylie to join us! They had a blast!

Sunshine, Tulips and Snakes!

2010-03-19T14:50:00.000-07:00

Grandma is visiting and we lucked out with beautiful weather while she's been here! Much better than the chilly temps in England at the moment! We've been trying to soak up as much sun as possible this week so Eli and Grandma have gone to the park, we went to the zoo and this morning Eli and Grandma had a field trip to Fairytale Town while Grant and I got to go on a date! Double Bonus!!!

Here are a few photos from the zoo. Eli was excited about seeing the animals but got sidetracked by the train the second we went through the gate. After our train tour, his first choice was the reptile house (probably my least favorite part of the zoo). We also saw "snack time" for the Chimps which was very amusing and kept Eli (and me) entertained for quite a while! They also had an amazing planter filled with Tulips and I couldn't stop taking photos!

Just a little extra story....the zoo is not the only place that snakes have been lately. I was putting Eli to bed on Monday evening while Grant went to pick up his Mum. I walked into the kitchen to get Eli some milk and didn't turn the light on. I noticed a shape in the center of the kitchen floor and assumed it was something of Eli's. Thankfully I paused long enough to realize that it was not a toy, but in fact, a snake!!!!!! My heart jumped into my chest and I caught my breath!

I carefully walked around the snake to get Eli's milk and then decided that I was a big girl and could get it out myself. I tried using a big stick to get it wrapped on so I could fling it out the door but that didn't work and the snake started wiggling a bit so I moved on to option two. I put a Tupperware over it and called Grant to warn him that he'd have to remove a snake from the kitchen when he got home! Now that I think of it, I should have taken a picture to include in this blog, but I was a bit too preoccupied to think that far ahead!

"McQueen-isms"

2010-02-13T09:00:00.000-08:00

Move over Curious George, Lightning McQueen has come to town. Eli is becoming quite obsessed with the Disney Cars movie and loves to pretend race, talk, eat, sleep, etc. with his toy cars. He knows most of their names and often (almost every day) manages to tell us the long list of cars that "I wish I could have...." and that maybe "we could just go to Walmart and get them!". Scary!

He loves quoting different parts of the movie but doesn't always get it quite right. This makes it even more humorous for us! :) Yesterday he was racing his bike around the backyard saying...

"Ride like a cowboy, stingin' like a beaver"
(the actual saying is "Float like a Cadillac, sting like a Beamer")

And then yesterday morning as we (yes me, on my hands and knees being six months pregnant) were racing our cars around the couch we noticed that one of the cars, Shiny Wax, has a very small mustache. Eli announced that due to that fact, Shiny Wax could now say "Ca-chigga" along with Chick Hicks, who also has a mustache.

"Ca-chow" (originally said by McQueen, but now reserved for all non-mustache people)
"Ca-Chigga" (only allowed by mustache sporting individuals)

Daddy must say Ca-chigga, but mommy and Eli have to say Ca-chow! I don't care who his favorite character is at the moment, he is still a monkey!!!

"Pink Naomi"

2010-02-10T20:25:00.000-08:00

Eli's latest nickname for his baby sister is "pink Naomi"...at least it includes her name this time!!! So tonight as I was folding and sorting through a ton of baby girl clothes passed on to me by my bible study circle, Eli says, "Are these clothes for Naomi?" I said, "yes, how could you tell, because they were pink?" and he replies, "no, because they are so little!"

He is starting to see the benefit of having a "little" sister. It means he gets to be the "Big" brother! I think he'll wear that badge proudly.

And this is only the 0-3 months size. Naomi is well stocked already!

P.S. Eli is very verbal (no surprise there!) but he has been cracking me up with his elaborate sentences lately. Tonight he was talking about going to see Daddy play indoor football next week and says, "Do you think they will have Starburst there? I like them a whole many much!" I'd say he likes Starburst, what do you think?

Ole`

2010-01-21T14:57:00.000-08:00

Eli keeps Grant and I laughing most days and it makes me sad to think that I have probably already forgotten some of the funny stories. I know I won't be able to write them all down, but here are the latest few:

Eli is a singing fool and loves to sing real songs as well as made up ones. Lately he loves to sing a football chant (which of course requires us to join in). I wish you could hear it, but it basically involves singing "Ole" over and over again very loudly while clapping! When the mood strikes him he just starts singing and makes sure we aren't left out. I'm sure we've made many passing cars laugh as we all sing and clap as loudly as we can.

I was eating some mixed nuts in the car and Eli wanted to try one. He hasn't liked nuts in the past, so I explained he could try it but might not like it. I gave him a peanut and his response was, "Mommy, it has peanut butter inside!"

Almost nightly after Eli has gone to bed he calls out for water. We should learn our lesson, I suppose, and just send him to bed with a cup of water but we don't. Lately, however, he has been asking for water, but not for himself. He makes sure that doggie has water every night, "but not with ice, cause doggie doesn't like ice."

As most of you know, Eli has affectionately named our little girl "Baby Shruggit". The other day we were asking him to repeat a few girl names back to us. After he said each name he would say, "what? what is it?" and we told him they were names we were thinking of naming our new baby girl. He responded, "Ohhhhh, no, my baby sister's name is Shruggit!" as if we had completely forgotten that the name had already been decided.

2010...Ready Or Not, Here We Come!!!

2010-01-04T19:52:00.000-08:00

I have been feeling the Blogger blues as of late. Don't know why, just doesn't feel like there's much to say. However, our life has been going full steam ahead with fun times, silly things and lots of Holiday festivities to keep us busy so I'm not sure where the lull is coming from. Maybe I'm just tired! :)

We had a fantastically mellow Christmas with my family and Eli was definitely in the Christmas spirit this year and loved every minute of it. Today he told me he wished he could have another advent calendar! I'm sure it had more to do with the fact that he got to eat chocolate every morning for 24 days in December, than anything else! The "Scrylerbs" as we affectionately call my immediate family now (Scrantons, Tylers, Herbs...established in that order) had a second year of matching "cozies". I'm wondering if there's a tradition forming...Dad?! Eli thinks this is great, of course, and requests (or rather requires) all of us to have them on at the the same time!

And on to the new year....

We have lots to look forward to this year. Eli will be 3 in March and will become a big brother in June! We have been talking to him more and more about this new baby that will be a part of our family and I'm not sure he's convinced. A few weeks ago I asked him if he was excited to have a new baby soon and he said, "I don't want a baby! I want a little boy that can run around!" I fear we'll have lots of disappointment on our hands when the baby is born...a baby! Tonight we asked him if he'd like a baby brother or baby sister. After assuring us he'd rather have a "boy that can run around" than a baby, he says, "a baby boy...cause that's the rules!" And his choice for names? Shrugget! He often uses this name when he's playing but we're pretty sure that one will get vetoed!

Christmas excitement

Testing out his new wheels

Breeaking in his New Year's Eve dancing shoes!

26.2 !!!!!

2009-12-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

Success!!! I guess I can't really say I'm surprised (Grant is extremely competitive in case you didn't know) but I can say that I am super PROUD of my hubby and our friend Rob for not only completing the California International Marathon, but for doing so with great times and finishing strong! My parents, Eli and myself bundled up (was anyone outside this morning...it was FREEZING! When Grant left with Rob the temp was 32 degrees but "felt like 25 degrees" according to weather.com) and met Danielle, Isaiah, Hannah and Rob's parents at the 14 mile marker to cheer them on. They looked awesome and continued on strong even with the icy wind blowing at them head on. With frozen noses, cheeks and fingers we loaded back in the car to make our way to the finish line. It was a bit tricky with all the road closures, but we gathered once again with the rest of the crowd to cheer them to a great finish. It was hard not to feel the buzz and excitement as we watched several runners complete an impressive 26.2 miles! What a feat! I am pretty sure I'll never know what that accomplishment feels like for myself, but my pride swells for Grant and Rob and makes me realize just how amazing these guys are!

6am departure

All Bundled Up

Staying cozy waiting for the Daddies

14 mile mark

Waiting anxiously at the finish

Grant rounding the last corner. Finishing time: 3 hours, 26 min. 30 sec.

26.2 miles and still smiling!

One Little Monkey Jumping on the Bed...

2009-12-04T09:30:00.000-08:00

A few months ago, I decided that Eli needed a nice, cozy blanket to sleep with now that he's in a toddler bed (with no real bedding). I finally found the fabric, came up with a design and began sewing. I made the mistake of telling Eli the day we got the fabric (Veteren's Day) what I was doing. He asked about it several times that next week and then gave up I think. Well, its finally done and it turned out sooooooo cute. He was very excited and rubbed his face all over it when I gave it to him this afternoon!

My Life According to George

2009-12-03T10:24:00.000-08:00

Someday, either Eli or I will write our memoirs with this title! It is amazing how many times a day I am able to reference Curious George or apply a lesson from Curious George to Eli's little 2.5 year old world. Some might say that's just a result of watching too much George, but really, when it comes right down to it, Curious George just about sums up Eli's personality. He's way too curious for his own good, silly, always wants to be a part of the action and means well most of the time. Here is the perfect example:

Today during nap time - It was very quiet right away (unusual) so I went to listen at his door after about 20 minutes. I could hear rustling and then heard the clank of his mini blinds. I opened the door to find quite the "nap time" scene! He was standing at his window trying to peak out. This was only possible because he had moved his table (its not light) along with the mini Christmas tree on top of it, over to the other side of the room, taken out his night light so he could plug in the Christmas tree lights, placed his night light in the outlet that his tree used to be plugged into and was then trying to look out the window! If I could have taken a photo without undermining my parenting I certainly would have. I had a hard enough time keeping myself from laughing. What a monkey!!!!

Shhhh...Don't Tell Daddy

2009-12-02T12:50:00.000-08:00

This morning after Grant went into the office, Eli and I were getting ready for the day. I heard him in his room talking away. When I peaked in, he had taken the ornaments off the Christmas tree in his room, lined them up on the table and said he was doing his "scrapbookin". He's definitely my kid!!!

So Much!

2009-11-29T19:44:00.000-08:00

If I began to list the things that I am thankful for, the list would go on and on. But this year as my Mom, Sister and I were planning the meal and looking forward to hanging out, I realized that I am most thankful for my wonderful family! God has blessed me with amazingly supportive and loving parents as well as a sister that I couldn't live without. Throw in a pretty awesome brother-in-law, a handsome best friend for my husband and a super silly little boy and that's my family! I am truly blessed!!!

Choo....Choo....

2009-11-16T18:15:00.000-08:00

Last Sunday we ventured out to the Model Rail Faire in Roseville. My Dad and Eli were most excited, and the rest of us just enjoyed the weather and the yummy lunch at The Habit afterwards!!! It was pretty amazing to see all the intricate little (sometimes huge) train sets with all the trimmings. Eli was most fascinated by the real working mini steam engines, riding the train below and getting to drive a model train all by himself. My Dad was dreaming of where and how he could set up a permanent working model train at their house and Grant and I were laughing at the fact that 90% of the people there were men over the age of 75!!!

Eli "Chuggin'" with his right arm

Before the train left the station

It's the Simple Things

2009-11-13T17:37:00.000-08:00

After a few months of trying to avoid the peeling "non-stick" substance that was practically jumping off our wok and a few weeks of worrying what it might do to us if we ingest too much, I put my foot down (well, it didn't really take that much convincing) and headed out for a new pan. We lucked out and found this lovely 5.5 qt pan at Costco for only $21.99. I just have to say I LOVE it! Makes me feel like I'm a co-host on Rachel Ray.

P.S After we sat down for dinner tonight (spaghetti bolognese), Eli spears a lone onion on his fork and takes his first bite. His response? "Awe Yuck!!!" What every mother longs to hear in regards to her home cooked meal. :)

Then & Now

2009-11-09T09:47:00.000-08:00

The other day I was raking leaves in our backyard and getting a little frustrated that Eli was undoing my work as fast as I could do it when I had de-ja-vu! Pile of leaves, blue shirt, cheeky little boy...I traded my rake for the camera and started snapping away. When I compared them later I was amazed at how much Eli has grown in two years but how much he still has the same expressions! I hope the sparkle in his eye never goes away!

While the Cat's Away....

2009-11-05T11:12:00.000-08:00

Two weeks ago, while Daddy was off pretending to be 15 at the Men's retreat (see guest blog below) Eli and I had some great hang out time. With four days to fill, some of us lone Mommies decided that we might need an outing to keep our sanity so we headed to the pumpkin farm. What an adventure. There was more to see, do, hear and eat than we could have ever taken in, but the kids had a blast, the Mommies got some adult conversation and hang out time and everyone was exhausted....mission accomplished!

Eli feeding the "soft ones"

Choo Chooooooo.......

Hold on tight!

The rest of the gang

Swedish Fish, Gummy Bears, and Gatorade...

2009-10-26T12:54:00.000-07:00

This is a guest blog so I apologize if you were expecting a fun post from Jaime about Eli, but I thought I should let you know about the weekend away I had with 4 close friends (Rob, Micah, Matt, and Brad), to a Men's Conference at Hume Lake.

The weekend started Thursday afternoon when we all piled into a small SUV with all our gear as we headed down 99 on the 5 hour trip. Hume Lake is a place where Jaime and I like to visit a couple of times a year, and I was really looking forward to sharing the blessing with the guys, who for the most part haven’t been there since high school days (vivid memories flooded back the entire weekend).

We checked in late Friday night, which entailed getting our name badges, and then headed for the evening snack and possible sign up for optional activities (paintballing, high adventure, mountain biking, etc). Once we were all in the queue to sign up for all these extra activities, we all came to the same conclusion that we could probably just make do with all the ‘free’ activities, which we didn’t quite realize at the time but was a decision that we were going to be thankful for during the next two days!

Over the next two days, our schedule was set with Breakfast, Morning Meeting, Lunch, Dinner, Evening Meeting, and Evening Activity (Comedian/A cappella Group). The only thing left to do was work out how we could cram as many ‘free’ activities as possible into the other open slots. Did I mention we are 5 guys, averaging 30 years old and are still as competitive as when we were 18!

Friday and Saturday saw the following take place:

Two games of Kajabe Can-Can
Four rounds of Disc Golf
Basketball Tournament (1st place)
Horseshoe Tournament (2nd place)
Dodge ball Tournament (1st place)
A hike around the lake
Four games of Volleyball

Thankfully no-one got injured but we were all hurting on the ride home Sunday afternoon, but needless to say the only thing that kept us going throughout the weekend was...

Swedish Fish, Gummy Bears and Gatorade!!!

As for the actual conference itself, I think we all took something away from the speakers and saw our friendships grow – what a blessing it is when you can compete and make fun of each other on the Disc Golf Course, and then later that day have you arm around them worshipping God together!

Guest Writer (Grant)

What's Missing From This Picture???

2009-10-22T14:27:00.000-07:00

Eli had his first visit with the Dentist today! He was super brave and the dentist was awesome. There were even video games in the lobby, what kid wouldn't love that?! Aside from the fact that he is 2.5 and probably should see a dentist anyways, he also had a little accident while we were away celebrating our anniversary and therefore the need became greater. Take a look at the photo below and see what's missing? (here's a hint: look closely at his front teeth!)

To be honest, when you take a little boy with as much energy as Eli has, as much spirit and "gusto", and then put 35 pounds of body weight behind that...I'm surprised this is the first major incident we've had and I'm pretty sure it won't be the last. Gotta love those boys!!!!

Can You Tell Me Where the Nearest Starbucks Is?

2009-10-14T15:38:00.000-07:00

Grant and I were able to escape for a few days and explore the home of Starbucks...Seattle! We wanted to visit somewhere new this year to celebrate our 7th anniversary and Seattle was on both of our lists, so that was that! Nana and Papa picked up Eli on Friday for a fun filled weekend and we flew out that afternoon. There was a ton to see and do and our downtown hotel was the perfect base. We could walk everywhere and used the buses when we wanted to go a bit further out.

We had to hit the Space Needle of course, the original Starbucks, we took the Underground tour (interesting and hilarious by the way), walked the waterfront, mosied through Pikes Place Market more than once, watched glass blowing in progress and went to an improv comedy (super funny!). We had a jammed pack weekend but because we could do things on our own time (no naps, bedtimes and meal times to contend with) it was amazingly relaxing! Grant even managed to fit in an 18 mile run (I know, he's crazy, but I got to sleep in). Grant and I both decided that while it was certainly special to be celebrating our 7th wedding anniversary, it was more fun just to be hanging out with your best friend and enjoying the company.

I could have taken a bazillion photos but Grant promised he wouldn't wait for me (after about 20 shots of the fresh flowers, three steps into our walk, at the market) so here are my favorite that highlight the trip:

Some special treats from sneaky friends!

These flowers were amazing and only $5 for a good sized boquet! I informed Grant if we lived there he'd have to bring me flowers more often

Views from the top

Visiting the Seattle Glassblowing Factory. I loved the curly glass "vines" on the pumpkins!

Seattle by night

The original Starbucks (I don't know if you can see, but the original logo was brown and the swirling hair was not providing any covering for the ladies top half! Ah-hem!

Side notes:
While I realize that Seattle is the home of Starbucks, I was still shocked that you could pretty much see one at all times. There was only one occasion that we walked two blocks and couldn't see one, we were worried the world was ending! :)

Favorite Quote:
Across from the market place was an old scraggly looking man with two cats wearing sweaters. As we walked past, I overheard him telling a woman, "...and I AM qualified to tell you that cats like to wear sweaters!"

Things I Learned:

2009-10-02T08:15:00.000-07:00

Last week we were able to watch our friends' two children, so they would be able to celebrate their 10th anniversary. We had a great time, are totally exhausted and feel really bad for anyone that has triplets and starts with three right off the bat. But other than that, here are a few very important things I discovered:

1. Meal time, bath time, play time...pretty much everything is messier in 3's!

2. Eli & Haylie CAN love each other a little too much! By the end of the week they couldn't stand to be apart, but couldn't really handle being together either!

3. A never ending trail of sippy cups is inevitable.

4. It is exhausting repeating instructions three times for everything.

5. Sometimes its OK to serve Mac n' Cheese and green beans twice in one week and call them balanced meals.

6. I can handle anything as long as I get "nap time" every day.

7. Costco is perfect for larger families. Huge carts to contain children and samples; what more could you need on a LONG Sunday afternoon?

8. Chaos always feels better while drinking Diet Coke and eating gummi candy

9. Anytime an adult jumps around, acts silly or plays in the sprinklers it lifts every one's spirits!!!

10. While I am so thankful for the 1 on 1 time I get with Eli every day, I think we could handle a few more...as long as they come one at a time!

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie...

2009-09-30T12:30:00.000-07:00

Not sure if everyone is familiar with that children's book, but I have often said that that is my mom's and my life theme. Well, it must be catching because two weeks ago Grant decided to make a list. It all started with me repainting the table and chair set for Eli's room (see post below). I like to think I must have inspired him because he then set out to accomplish all those annoying things that you think about doing, but just never do, or projects that were started but not finished. One task led to another and the following list got completed:

~ paint Eli's table and chairs
~ find place to store Eli's crib
~ buy plywood to place under mattress for more support
~ get rid of king box springs on Craigslist
~ clean out garage
~ buy/install cabinet for above toilet
**while looking at cabinets at Lowe's, Grant says how nice the white cabinet would look against painted walls**
~ paint bathroom walls (my job, by the way!)
~ shop for/purchase night stands and dresser

Just about the only thing we would have liked to have done but didn't get to, was sand and repaint our ledge between the living room and the dining room. I guess we'll put that on the next list..."If you give a moose a muffin"

I'm Not Sure I'm Ok With This!

2009-09-28T14:32:00.000-07:00

I mentioned that I would post photos of the table and chairs that I refinished for Eli's room and here it is finally! I painted them to match the kitchen hutch that I refinished for him at Christmas time (see photo below). The whole set was built by my Great Grandpa for my Aunt, then passed down to me, and now gives Eli tons of fun!

I also took a few more photos so you could see his new "big boy room" although I am hesitant to call it that, cause I'm just not sure that I'm ready to accept that he is turning into one! It is hard to miss (size 9 shoes, talking my ear off, hearing "no, I do it!" all day long) but still sad just the same. The only consolation is the snuggly morning and pre-bed times that I get that remind me that he still needs me!

Mail Call

2009-09-17T20:53:00.000-07:00

Eli has been surprised twice in the last week by special deliveries from Grandma! The first package was full of Mr. Men/Little Miss books and Eli loved them. We had to sit right down and read them all of course. His favorite is Mr. Chatterbox...wonder why?!!!!!

Then a few days later he got another package. We could barely get in the door before he started ripping it open. Thomas cupcakes!!!!! It was about 20 minutes until dinner, but of course we had to make them right then and there. The packet included everything we needed to make the cakes and fun decorations as well. I managed to convince him that we'd bake them, eat dinner, and then eat the cupcakes (in that order). He complied and got to work as soon as he'd finished his last bite of food. Thanks Grandma for the yummy treat and the fun we had making them!!!

A leftover decoration we couldn't let go to waste!

You Do The Math

2009-09-09T14:45:00.000-07:00

Big boy underwear + Stickers + Skittles = Sleeping in toddler bed?????

Not sure exactly what happened, but we set out to potty train and instead accomplished switching from crib to toddler bed! Now you have to understand that Eli LOVES his crib! He would request to get in there just to hang out and play during the day. His safe haven I guess! But the Monday we started potty training, he sat on his bunk bed for stories and didn't protest when I laid him down for nap there. In the past, he adamantly requested his crib and refused to sleep in his bunk bed (which has been in his room for almost a year now), but on Monday all that changed. Each sleep time I held my breath waiting for him to request his crib, but he didn't. On Saturday, Grant took it down and there wasn't much concern about it! Now we have a fun table and chair set in there to play with along with his bunk bed. I'll post pictures of his new "big boy room" once I've repainted the table and chairs.

Update on the potty training - we are back in diapers. I'm not too worried. It was a valiant effort and Eli did great, he just doesn't know when he needs to go, so we are going to take a break until he's a bit more ready. Also, after filling up his whole potty chart in just 3 days (remember the skittles motivation?) we realized it was going to be quite expensive if he got a new train engine every time he filled up a chart! Who knew Gordon cost $21!!!!!!

Camp Potty

2009-09-01T15:05:00.000-07:00

Day 1 & 2:
After putting it off all summer (for very good reasons of course) we jumped onto the potty wagon! I had been trying to hype it up for Eli telling him all the exciting things we'd get like Thomas underwear, stickers for a chart and a special treat for when he went. He seemed to be on board but then once at the store to purchase these items, he was more interested in everything else and didn't really seem to care who was on his underwear. A few executive decisions and $30 worth of potty training supplies later, we were headed home!

Yesterday, right out of the starting gate, Eli says he wants to pee. As soon as he sits down, he does, and then proceeds to ask for his special treat. We cheered and put a sticker on the chart. Then in the next five minutes, we repeated it all again...twice! He was bound and determined to get those skittles, even if he had to force it out. As Grant said, "hopefully he doesn't get a hemorrhoid!" Thankfully it slowed down a bit after that and we spent the rest of the day outside (less clean up)! Eli loved playing in his underwear and only had two accidents!!!

Today Eli was just as determined to get skittles and has had only one accident so far. He seemed to be getting a little tired of me interrupting his play every 30 min., but he still complied. Hopefully things continue in this direction! I have had to rethink my rewards system though. I initially thought I would give him a bigger treat (an engine from the Thomas collection) after he filled up a row with stickers. I didn't anticipate him squeezing out every last drop just for skittles though, so now he has to fill up the whole chart!

Also, this might be pure coincidence but he has also slept in his big boy bed three times now starting yesterday at nap (which he has previously refused to sleep in)! Maybe all this "big boy" talk has sunk in!

Couldn't resist these cute little shots!

Where it all happens

Can He Fix It?

2009-08-20T09:02:00.000-07:00

Last week I was able to sneak down to the central valley for a few days to visit with friends. It is always so much fun and a special treat to spend time with good friends that I don't get to see very often.

The Metropolitan Museum in Fresno was holding a "Bob the Builder" kids exhibit so we packed up the four children, plenty of snacks and headed out for the morning. There was so much to see and do, that even after 2 hours the kids were still going strong. Everything was hands on, exploring and "building" so it was perfect for our gang. Eli especially loved the tools and one exhibit where you put a golf ball in a shoot that sucked it up and spit it out at the top, all to watch it ping-pong its way down through a maze of nuts and bolts!

Another Week

2009-08-14T13:40:00.000-07:00

I can't seem to type fast enough these days to keep everyone up to date on the little crazy boy running around our house. Here are just a few highlights from last week:

Nana and I returned to the Jack and Jillybean Salon for Eli's second hair cut there. I was curious if the first time was a fluke, but I guess he really does like this place! He chose the police car and the end result was a great haircut and a pretty cool little mohawk!

"Big Brown Truck" ~ Ever since the UPS delivered Eli's cowboy hat, he has often used that experience to problem solve current ones. When the store is out of something, or more importantly, when we couldn't find him an orange hockey puck (to complete his Guitar Man show) Eli offered this advice..."maybe the big brown truck bring one?!"

"ABC remix" ~ Eli's love for the ABC's is going strong and in honor of his favorite letter 'O' he has created his own version. It goes something like this: a,b,c,d,e,f,g,h,i,j,k,O,O,O, nother O,p,q,r,s,t,u,v,w,x,y,z!

Bits & Pieces

2009-08-10T11:30:00.000-07:00

Last week there were a ton of little things that I kept thinking, "I should blog about this", but they weren't related at all. So here are all the bits from last week:

~ "Ah fooey" - Eli's new phrase (compliments of ???) to use when something doesn't turn out quite right.

~ Nicks - The name of Eli's new imaginary friend whom he only talks to via his cell phone. So far, we have discovered that Nicks lives at Home Depot, he often "doesn't know", and he was a girl on Sunday, but today is a boy again. Should we be concerned?

~ The week of peppers - Last week we tried several new recipes and they all seemed to use red peppers. We figured out we used a total of 7 in one week! Turkey burgers stuffed with roasted red peppers and mozzarella cheese (super yummy!) and Penne with sausage and roasted red peppers were the best. Click here for the recipes!

~ Third Times a Charm!!! - Grant and I got a king size bed (hallelujah) a few months ago but have not had a frame. We had ordered two frames previously on-line but when they arrived they were damaged. The third one came last week and was in perfect condition! We love it. The only problem is that it is meant to be a platform bed so you wouldn't need to use box springs, but since we had them already, our bed is currently very tall. We are still deciding which way we like it better. Here's a picture. Isn't it pretty? We don't have the right size duvet yet or a bed skirt, so excuse the mismatched bedding.

~ Safety First - Always remember to wear your "safety helmet" while delivering mail (see photo). Nana and Papa provided this super fun cardboard house. We put it together last weekend and Eli loves peaking out of the windows and most of all, delivering mail, "just like on Bob & Larry!"

A Night of Twilight

2009-08-07T13:31:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, I joined this awesome group of ladies to celebrate our friend Megan's birthday...Twilight style! It was one of the most fun nights I've had since my days of junior high sleep overs. Due to our most recent obsession (uh, I mean, interest) the entire evening was based on a Twilight theme. We have all read the books (all 4!) and loved them. The cake, the tank tops (yes, we actually made them ahead of time) and of course the movie (including ALL the bonus features!). We talked too loud over dinner, probably making the restaurant staff blush, giggled, ate junk food and stayed up way too late. All the things that girls do best!

Can't wait until the second movie comes out in November...another girls night perhaps???

The cake

My tank top

The Hat

2009-08-04T20:32:00.000-07:00

In light of Eli's recent obsession, I went online and found the perfect hat (he specifically requested a black guitar hat) to complete the ensemble. When Eli woke up from his nap today you would have thought it was Christmas! The "big brown truck" had dropped off a special package just for Eli. He was so excited, he was shaking as he tried to get the box open.

After a few tries, he found a fit he liked!

Doing his first performance with the hat...I think we might have created a monster!!!

Warning:

2009-07-31T07:30:00.001-07:00

Do not attempt to arrange alphabet cards on less than 6 hours of sleep!!! Every so often I'd glance up and realize that the letters were not quite in the right order (even though they came in a stack that was in order). That certainly might hinder Eli's ability to learn the alphabet!

Anyways, if you happened to be up early this morning (or have google reader) I posted about this earlier, but then the post reminded me of these adorable alphabet cards I purchased at Michael's months ago with the intent of hanging them on Eli's wall, so here is my updated post:

"The Letter of the Week"

The ABC song has been on Eli's mind lately (when he's not singing "Guitar Man", that is!) and he has become very observant and loves to point out whenever he sees letters. That is quite often, as he seems to notice the letters on every single sign, picture, book, etc. that we come across. The first letter he can recognize and knows by name is the letter 'O'. He gets sooooo excited when he sees an 'O' and immediately shouts "oh, I see 'O'"! or "oh, oh, there's an 'O'"! like he's just won the lottery or something. And usually the discovery is then followed by "what those letters say mama?" I just continue to be in awe of how his little mind works and I wonder what triggers these obsessions?! :)

So, when I remembered about the alphabet cards, I hung them up a wall in his bedroom while he was playing and so he didn't know they were there. Later I was changing his diaper and he stopped mid sentence and said, "oh, those letters right there! I go check it out!!!" He hopped down and was so excited about these new letters that just magically appeared on his wall that he was doing a little dance (spin around, plop down, repeat). And wouldn't you know it? The first letter he points out is 'O'! After looking at all the pictures, singing the ABC song and pointing out all the O's he could find it was time for us to go. As we left his room he waved at the alphabet and said, "Good-bye cards. Good-bye 'O'. See you later 'O'!"

Lofty Prayers

2009-07-29T09:02:00.000-07:00

Lately Eli has been volunteering to be the one to pray for dinner. His prayers are always very sweet and obviously from his heart but sometimes I have to bite my lip to keep from giggling. One prayer went like this:

"Thank you for this burger. Thank you for this burger. I love you. AMEN!"

I know, I know...

2009-07-28T08:13:00.000-07:00

its only a TV show! But, I just have to say a few things! (All you Bachelorette fans will understand). After watching the finale last night (and last season for that matter), I must admit that I am actually getting tired of the twists and surprise endings! One twist if fine but this many? Really?! I just want to watch two people meet and fall in love (on national television, in just 8 weeks...I realize this is far fetched but just let me enjoy my alternate reality will ya?!)

I was definitely a Reid fan and was super sad when she let him go two weeks ago (even if he reminded us all of Chandler), I thought he was the cutest, most genuine guy on there, but then Ed began to grow on me and so when she let Kypton go (meaning she was choosing Ed) I was actually excited for them. And then...

That red taxi pulls up. I knew right away it was someone coming back but who? Reid? Yeah! But as soon as I realized Jillian was still going to choose Ed I couldn't help but feel even more sorry for Reid who has now had his heart broken twice in front of millions and who obviously was head over heals for this girl! So sad, so sad. I have a feeling he'll be scarred for life over this one!

Ok, that's all I'm gonna say about that. Thanks for indulging me in this fantasy world of mine. Or at least if you chose not to read this, I don't mind, I can't tell who you are anyways! :) And last night I thought to myself, "I'm done with this show, but this morning I find myself mildly curious...who will be the next bachelor?!" ;)

Typical Days

2009-07-28T08:10:00.000-07:00

On any given day, you can find Eli using his imagination. He loves to pretend and use his sense of humor to make us laugh. Sometimes he is playing so intently that I get to just sneak up and watch as his little brain is in overdrive. Unfortunately as soon as he notices us (or the camera) the show is usually over, but here are a few pictures that we've manage to capture.

"Just like Aunty Jen", Eli declared after he got the shower cap on!

Eli's weekly ritual of gearing up for "his" football games

A little pre-game warm up

I have been trying to capture this on video for weeks and this is the best I can do for now. If you are ever here in person, please request that Eli sing with Cowboy Man...you won't regret it!!!! (his performance has been progressing. He now includes most of the words, a few gestures, a big "Yee Haw" at the appropriate time of course, and his latest is the dramatic ending where he hangs his head and walks out of the living room and down the hall for effect. What a ham. I promise if I get a better video, I'll post about it again!)

Mighty To Save

2009-07-26T20:04:00.001-07:00

I don't typically use our blog as a place to share super personal feelings. Not for any particular reason, (other than I have an extremely hard time posting anything without a silly picture!) I just haven't. But yesterday in church we sang a song that just hit me right at the core. So if you've ever had a period in your day, week, month or life that you've thought, "why me?" or "where is my life headed?" read through these words. It just made me realize that although my own struggles seem huge to me, my God is far greater than anything that I feel I have to overcome.

Savior, He can the mountains,
My God is mighty to save,
He is mighty to save.

Forever, author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.

So take me as You find me,
all my fears and failures,
fill my life again.

I give my life to follow,
everything I believe in,
now I surrender.

(If you want to hear this song, click on the link)

hillsong- mighty to save.mp3 - Adventist Ark Audio track - Connecting adventists from around the world.

Compliments to the Chef!

2009-07-21T10:02:00.000-07:00

Almost round

Conquering the dough

Not quite a sprinkle but more like a mound of cheese

Eli had been waiting the whole process to use the "tool"! What a boy!

Mmmmm...the sweet taste of success!

One more thing

2009-07-19T09:23:00.000-07:00

Nana & Grandma

While Grandma and Trevor were here visiting we celebrated Trevor's birthday. We were getting ready to go out to eat and Grandma came into the living room with a black and white polk-a-dot dress on. Without missing a beat, Eli comments, "fire dog!"

We all started cracking up! Eli just recently started noticing the Dalmatians in all his fire truck books and got to see one in person up at Hume, so his natural conclusion of Grandma's dress could of course only be one thing...a fire dog!

It's Been A Long Time...

2009-07-16T15:16:00.000-07:00

It feels like lately we've been moving at a much quicker pace than is healthy, but I have managed to capture a little bit of it on film (or ummm, digital memory? )

Eli is even more energetic and has turned into quite a dare-devil who exerts his independence regularly (or as one might say...stubborn)! We spent last week up at Hume Lake with Grandma and Trevor (visiting from England) and then Nana and Papa joined us towards the end of our stay. Eli is obsessed with all things sport/games and insists on learning them all! He has developed such a silly sense of humor and never ceases to amaze me!

Eli learning ping pong w/ Nana

Practicing his swing

taking a break from sports to honk his nose

first ride on the motor cycle

touring Historic Folsom w/ Grandma & Trevor

beating the heat with ice cream

"Gee-tar" man lives on and continues to evolve (hat and make-shift guitar; real one was at home)

A Few Eli-isms:

~ One day last week I fixed my hair (blow dried, straightened) which doesn't happen a whole lot and Grant was calling me "hot mama" around Eli because he knew that eventually Eli would repeat it and he thought that would be funny. So Eli did finally catch on and this is how it went:

Eli: "Mama, no hot Mama"
Me: "I'm not a hot Mama?"
Eli: "No Mama not hot Mama...Mama regular Mama!"

Apparently I only fall in the "regular" category as far as 2 year olds are concerned!

~ Eli repeats practically everything we say and has even picked up a few words from Grandma while she's been here. This afternoon I noticed he was using a new word: 'actually'. Quite the word for a two year old! Here's an example of how he used it in a sentence -

"...actually, Eli have some lemonade."

What Was I Thinking?

2009-06-17T12:20:00.000-07:00

So, here I sit thinking, "I should blog, but I don't have anything to blog about" when all of a sudden, I realized that I totally forgot to post some of the best pictures ever! How could I do that? We had family photos and Eli's 2 year photos taken about 2 months ago (http://www.sandyrunner.com/)and I have been so excited to use them to create a new mantel display and also a new wall display that I completely forgot to blog them! So, without further ado:

True personality captured!

Sweet moment with Daddy

Our little "Gee-tar" Man

Thanks Sandy for these amazing shots and for giving me so much to work with in my attempt at redecorating!!

My How Our Garden Grows...and Eli too!

2009-06-12T16:39:00.000-07:00

I know, I know, I haven't posted in ages! Sorry. With the weather being so beautiful, I just don't want to sit on the computer and blog! :)

We have, however, been spending a ton of time in our yard and sprucing up the place with foliage, flowers and our vegetable garden! I love the planning part! I love planting things! And most of all, I love watching things grow!

I discovered this spring that our back yard gets very little sun so finding flowering plants was a challenge, but well worth it in the end. We took the one spot that does get a decent amount of sun and created a 4 x 4 garden box and are attempting to grow veggies and fruit! Here are a few pictures of our "landscaping" with containers.

Thanks for the Hostas Jana, its my favorite pot with the pink Impatient accents!

These pots are recovering after we sorted out the drip fiasco

Early stages

Taking over

Lemon Larrys (aka cucumbers)

I love how these little arms reach out and curl around anything!

And of course Eli has been growing like a weed! It seems that he is pretty much a little kid now (baby phase is over for sure, and not much toddler phase left either, I'm afraid). He would spend all his waking hours outside if he could. He often requests to eat lunch and dinner outside which we are happy to oblige, given this amazing "coastal" weather we've been having. He rides his tricycle, loves kicking balls, plays ice hockey (with a baseball bat and ball, of course), creates play dough masterpieces and chases the dogs and bubbles. I never thought I'd love our backyard or having it full of toys, but it all just reminds me of what a happy, silly, loving little boy we have, and that makes it perfect!

Did someone hear angels?

2009-05-29T15:05:00.000-07:00

Before I tell you a story from today, let me fill you in on previous haircut attempts. Yes, I did say attempts because we usually leave the place with part of his hair un-cut. The last three times we have tried to get Eli's hair cut it hasn't been pretty. It always starts with him freaking out because of the smock and then getting even more upset when he is "icky" (itchy) due to the fact that he won't wear the smock. It usually progresses to crying, snot, hair stuck to the tears and snot as he wipes it across his face, clawing me, trying to climb out of the seat, shaking his head side to side to keep his hair from getting cut, turning his face away from the hair dresser and finally me giving in and paying for half a hair cut just to stop the "torture"! I even tried a lollipop, chocolate milk, Jamba juice and cupcake (all on different occasions) to distract him but the hair just sticks to the lollipop and cupcake making him more upset, while the Jamba juice drips down his face as he cries. I wish I had pictures to show but I'm pretty sure I would be reported if caught taking pictures of my child in this state!

Well today, my friends, was a totally different story! I thought that I might have heard angels singing as Eli was getting his hair cut. I decided to try a children's salon called Jack n Jillybean when another mom sympathized with my horror stories and told me her secret. This place is amazing!!!! I've been prepping Eli for a few weeks now so he was definitely ready. It was like psyching him up for a big game or something. This is what our "pep talk" would entail:

Me: Eli, guess what?
Eli: Ohhhhh!
Me: You're going to get a hair cut soon! And what happens when you get a hair cut?
Eli: Drive race car
Me: That's right, and what else?
Eli: Watch cartoon
Me: That's right, and what do you get at the very end of your hair cut?
Eli: LOLLIPOP!
Me: Yeah!!!!!!

And that's pretty much exactly how it went! He drove a firetruck, watched cartoons and got a fabulous hair cut! There was only one moment when a flicker of concern flashed in his eyes but a ring of the fire engine bell was all he needed to be distracted. They even have a great play area with a train table and other toys for the kids to play with (Mom's can get their hair cut too while kids play!). One purple lollipop later, Eli was a happy camper with a super cute, summer do!

Happy Mother's Day to You....

2009-05-12T13:43:00.000-07:00

A pre-Mother's Day conversation:

Grant: Eli, what should we get mommy for Mother's Day?
Eli: cupcake
Grant: You want to get mommy a cupcake for Mother's Day?
Eli: Cupcake...and..."happy birthday to you"...whew (pretending to blow out candles)
Grant: I don't think Mommy will make herself cupcakes...

We did end up having cupcakes in honor of Mother's Day (yes I baked them), but we also had a wonderful morning starting with breakfast out, a tour of the Amador Flower Farm (apparently with all the cool weather, the lilies weren't in bloom yet, but we had a great time anyways), a stop off at Sobon Winery to do some tasting and purchasing and then we were supposed to have a picnic, but we were too stuffed from breakfast. We opted for some "Nemo" viewing instead and then headed home to put Eli down for a nap while we had our postponed picnic in our own backyard. It was such a beautiful day and being outdoors was the perfect way to spend it. Thanks Eli and Grant for a day of pampering and fun!

A Mom, a Mama & a Monkey

Eli moving a large rock

Nana and Eli watching the "Nemos" swimming

Nana & Papa

Two For One

2009-04-28T21:16:00.000-07:00

I have been wanting to post about Easter but after this morning's conversation with Eli I couldn't resist, so here is your 2 for 1 special!!!

Conversation on the way to bible study ~

Eli: Nana Papa Honey

Me: Oh, Nana is Papa's Honey?

Eli: Yes

Me: Who is Nana's Honey?

Eli: Papa!

Me: Who is Mama's Honey?

Eli: Eli!

Me: Oh really? And who is Daddy's Honey?

Eli: Eli!

Me: I see, and who is Eli's Honey?

Eli: Mama!!!

(I'm sure that won't last for long but I'll cherish while I can)

Now on to Easter...

This year we started with Eli's Easter basket at our house and web cam with Grandma, Trevor, Aunty Lulu, Uncle Matt and cousins Jude and Lois. Then went over to my parents' house for lunch and hanging out. My Grandpa and Aunt made the drive which is always special and it is so fun to see Eli with his Great Grandpa. We did manage to squeeze in some egg dying and hunting before the day was done. Eli really got in to the "hunting" part this year and even wanted to hide them again for a second round! He didn't say, but I'm pretty sure he enjoyed the Easter candy too.

2009-04-28T21:15:00.001-07:00

Rock Star

2009-04-16T08:04:00.000-07:00

Eli has been fine-tuning his musical talents lately and with the addition of a guitar, tambourine and maracas for his birthday, he is well on his way to being in a one man band! Notice the way he has to hold his head back while he sings... don't know where that's from. Not sure what the first song is but the second is Happy Birthday complete with "tasting" some imaginary cake.

Keepin' It Real

2009-04-10T20:31:00.000-07:00

Thanks a lot Daniella! :) I have been tagged to play this lovely little game where you take a picture of yourself at this exact moment with no primping allowed. So, for all you out there that happen to read this post, tag...YOU'RE IT!

I am currently sitting at our desk, bath and bedtime just complete, listening to the peace and quiet, waiting for Grant to come home so we can watch some shows, wondering if I can get the next book tomorrow after just finishing Twilight (which I couldn't put down by the way).

Culinary Delights

2009-04-10T13:32:00.001-07:00

Sorry if this grosses anyone out but I have been holding back my laughter (and gag reflex) all during lunch so I had to share it with someone!!!

I made Eli's lunch today (a sandwich and some applesauce) and decided that since his current love for Bob & Larry also includes eating them at meals, that I would make him a little salad. I cut up Bobs (tomatoes) and Larrys (cucumbers) and put a little bit of ranch dressing on them in a bowl. He happily munched on his "friends" and then moved on to the sandwich. I thought he was about done (the antsy seat dance occurring) when he suddenly took his bowl of salad and dumped it into his applesauce. I watched as the ranch dressing and tomato juices ran together with the applesauce and waited for a face as he took the first bite. I'm not sure what my face looked like but he was quite delighted with his new concoction and ate the entire bowl of mixed up yuck, even throwing in a few pickles at the end to finish it off!!! At least he got his fruits and veggies right?!

2...5...2

2009-04-07T14:02:00.000-07:00

It is incredibly hard to believe that our little boy just turned 2!!! Or as he would say when asked how old he is "...2...5...2!" (his favorite number sequence as of late?!)

Eli's birthday fell on a Wednesday this year so we spent the day celebrating; Jamba Juice with Daddy, playgroup with friends and then presents and cake with Nana, Papa and our friend Heidi. He really got it this year, that the day was for him, which made it so much fun! He had been practicing his rendition of Happy Birthday the week prior so he was ready when the time came.

Waiting Not-so patiently for our birthday Jamba

How many kids can you cram in one box?

The next rock star?

Still celebrating...

Although we originally said we wouldn't have a party for him until he was old enough to really know what was going on, we quickly realized that he does know and love his friends and certainly likes to party so we invited his friends (and ours) from our bible study and hung out at Chuck E. Cheese on the Saturday following. We made the mistake of telling him we were going there and that we'd have "George" (monkey) cupcakes earlier in the week so of course he kept asking about it all week long. When the time finally came Eli was so excited that he wouldn't even eat lunch. He played games and ran around until we called him over for cupcakes. He wanted to dive right in but as soon as we started singing he joined the chorus and sang to himself before blowing out the candle and devouring the cupcake. What a silly little monkey. And for all you concerned parents and grandparents...we did finally get him to eat a piece of pizza in the car on the way home. That was after two cupcakes and two lolly pops, however!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY MONKEY!!!

Ping Pong toss

Ski Ball tournament with Eli & Abby

Eli's all time favorite game..."push, broom hockey" (aka air hockey)

Mama's culinary creation "George cu-cakes"

Yum...I've been waiting all week!

None of the kids were shy

Best Buds...chocolate faces and all!

Adios Japan...I mean Sayonara!

2009-04-02T13:39:00.000-07:00

Part III

After just feeling like we were getting to know our way around Kyoto, we headed off to a "new home" (as Eli called it) in Hiroshima. Much to our surprise, we found our hotel room to be much more spacious and very nicely located at the edge of the Peace Memorial Park! Since Eli had napped on the train we headed out for the afternoon to explore the park and visit the museum. To be honest it felt a bit strange to me, initially, to be a tourist in a place that my country had so harshly destroyed not that long ago. It was pretty amazing to see it all first hand and to learn more about the city. There were several memorials throughout the park including the Children's Memorial, the Eternal Flame and the remains of one building that had survived the bomb. We took turns touring the museum while the other entertained Eli but it was well worth it.

Children's Memorial (the colorful little "huts" you see are filled with 1000's of paper cranes on strings)

The Arch frames the Eternal Flame and remains known as the A-bomb Dome

The A-bomb Dome - after much deliberation, it was decided that it should not be torn down, but left as a memorial to what the city had endured

The next day we took a much needed "break" day and spent a lazy morning wandering through the city, stopping off at a playground for Eli to run of some energy, looking back at our photos to date, eating some super yummy cookies (discovered them in a convenience store!) and just relaxing. That evening we did the same, stopping off at an Italian restaurant for some pizza and then on to another park. As we said goodbye to Hiroshima the next morning we looked forward to returning to Tokyo to spend our last five days with Hiro and Becky.

With the end of our trip in sight, we wanted to make sure there wasn't anything that was left out. We had a great Indian lunch on Saturday (ask Grant about the all you can eat rice and Naan) and then the guys went to a Public Bath (no photos, sorry). Sunday we all got to go to the zoo. Eli loved all the animals, running around and most of all the "tiny mouse" from the nocturnal animal exhibit. Not sure why that was his favorite but I think it might of had something to do with the fact that it was running around crazily which he found very silly! That evening we took these crazy "photo booth" pictures (way more sophisticated than our Fair booths), played at an arcade, and then ate at a noodle place.

Grant (Gorilla), Hiro (little Gorilla) & Eli (look closely it looks like he has three legs)

Happy noodle eaters

The beloved "Hiwo & Beby"

Monday evening Hiro and Becky graciously offered to stay in while Grant and I went out after Eli was in bed so we got to experience a little of Tokyo's night life. We walked the streets took in all the crazy lights, sounds, colors, etc. and had a drink. We are pretty sure everyone in the bar was making fun of us (not sure why) but you know when you just get that feeling with people speaking in different languages, looking at you and then at each other...
We spent our last full day in Tokyo doing our last sightseeing at Asakusa and then taking a boat ride. Eli loved being on the water and seeing all the other boats. That evening we met Hiro at a toy store near where he works in Shibuya and Eli was in a world of his own! Then we met up with Becky and had one last hurrah at TGIFridays for dinner. Good drinks, good food and great company!

Eli in Choo Choo heaven

Becky & I (bottom right) by one of the busiest street crossings. Its only a Tuesday night, look at all the people!!!

Our trip was amazing. Far better than we could have ever expected. We got to experience so many new things, learn about a new culture and best of all visit with good friends we hadn't seen in almost two years! Can't wait for you guys to come visit next, "Hiwo & Bepy"...We miss you already.

One tired, worn out little world traveler quite happy to be sitting in his own car seat eating Subway and chips heading home

Land of Temples, Shrines...and did you say Monkeys?!

2009-03-27T15:32:00.000-07:00

Part II

Three days after we arrived in Japan, we braved the rail systems ourselves and headed south of Tokyo (about 2.5 hours) to Kyoto; a smaller city with a subway system and street names!!! We spent three amazing days touring the city, taking in all the shrines and temples we could and trekking up the mountain to the Monkey Park! Kyoto was by far one of our favorite places to visit. It was such an incredible experience to just walk around in a culture so drastically different from your own. Grant mastered the transportation while I did all the sightseeing planning. Eli was the best little monkey of all and enjoyed every bit of the hustle and bustle. He loved riding the trains and buses. Together we were quite a successful team...as long as we were all fed!

Speaking of food (and then on to the pictures, I promise) that was our biggest challenge while being on our own. We learned very quickly that we needed to start scoping out places to eat about 2 hours before meal time instead of right at noon or 5ish, when we were all starving. Most restaurants have picture menus or plastic replicas of their food dishes in their windows however, everything looked very similar and it is very hard to distinguish between meats when seen in their plastic form! To our credit we set out every meal time and did actually try local cuisines and different restaurants but then, depending on the portion size or our satisfaction with what we decided on in the end, we would supplement with McDonald's! I know this sounds crazy, but we discovered the Shaka Shaka (breaded chicken breast) on their dollar menu and since it got two thumbs up from Eli, that sealed the deal. At least we always had a fall back in case we couldn't find something to eat. And since there were always lots of Japanese people in McDonald's as well I never felt that bad for eating there.

Good 'ole Macky D's

Nijo Castle

Monkey Park - tons and tons of cute monkeys to feed and watch!

Kiyomizu-dera Temple Grounds & Spring blossoms

Kinkakuji Temple (Golden Pavillion) - One of the most impressive sights of Kyoto

Stay Tuned for Hiroshima and our return to Tokyo...

Shuttles, Planes, Buses and a Taxi

2009-03-25T14:00:00.000-07:00

...and that was just the first day of our trip!

Summarizing our trip (so you'll actually want to read about it) in one blog seemed too overwhelming so here's the first of three installments.

Part I:

Last year we decided to take a trip to Japan to visit our friends Hiro and Becky. Based on air mileage availability and Eli's age (had to fly before he was 2 so he was still free) we decided to go in March of this year. It was a bit nerve wracking planning to visit a country that we knew very little about, but our adventure in Japan far exceeded our expectations and we had an amazing time.

Our journey started with an overnight stay at an airport hotel (the bathroom was perfect for Eli's pack-n-play) and then a 9:30am flight to Tokyo, connecting through L.A. The flight was far better than we could have imagined with a 2 year old. For starters we had an entire row of seats to ourselves...that's right, 5 seats!!! The individual seat entertainment systems and their remotes were the best "babysitters" around and Eli was having a blast pushing all the buttons, visiting with other passengers and climbing on the seats between us. Lots of snacks, meals and a few naps later, we arrived in Tokyo. We were instantly in awe of the feeling of calm we felt walking through the airport. Everything was extremely efficient and clean! We caught our "airport limo" (aka bus) and headed towards Shibuya to meet Hiro at a hotel in order to then take a taxi to their house.

The first three days we stayed with "Hi-wo & Bepy" (as Eli affectionately named them) and had the best time catching up and seeing the sights of Tokyo. Friday we were on our own and decided to check out the local area. We set out at 9:30am and wandered through the unnamed, non-grid street system (ask us about that sometime!) only to find that shops rarely open before 11am and walking in the rain with a stroller is no fun. So back home we went to thaw out and settled for a morning of hot cocoa and Veggie Tales. That night however, we went to a Korean BBQ restaurant where you BBQ your own food at your table and had a great time. We let Hiro and Becky do the ordering and also let them be our tour guides on the way home. A much better way to go!

Saturday, our first day experiencing Tokyo's rail system, Hiro and Becky took us through the two busiest train stations in the world! Shinjuku - 3.64 million people per day and Ikebukuro - 2.7 million per day. We learned two things that day about Tokyo; it's massive and we had our work cut out for us learning to navigate it! That night we ventured out on the town with our sights set on doing some Karaoke (in our own private room!). It was hilarious!

From the top of the Metropolitan Government Tower (this was just out one of the windows!)

Uncle Hi-wo and Eli performing a big cultural "no no" on the train

Eli playing back up for Daddy a.k.a. Bon Jovi performing "Living on a Prayer"

Sunday we toured the gardens of the Imperial Palace. That afternoon we re-packed our stuff and tried to mentally prepare for spending five days on our own in a new country that uses symbols instead of letters, has super busy train stations and where restaurant menus are a bit difficult to decipher...all with a toddler!

Stay tuned....

Wordless Wednesday

2009-02-25T14:55:00.000-08:00

A few of my fellow bloggers participate in Wordless Wednesday. They post fun photos every Wednesday that require no explanation. A picture is worth a 1000 words right? Well, forgive me, but this picture needs a bit of background so that you can fully appreciate my morning!

It started out with tons of fun at the Fish Hatchery with our playgroup. All the kiddos fed the trout, watched them jump and wiggle and thoroughly enjoyed the sunshine. We decided to continue the fun with a Jamba Juice for lunch. Throw the kids in the car, buckle up and we were off...

As I was making a left hand turn onto a major road the truck next to me was honking and pointing. I kept saying "What?" and shrugging my shoulders, trying to figure out what he was getting all crazy about. Thankfully he was persistent, because out of the corner of my eye I notice a lump behind us in the road. My purse!!!!!! In all the excitement I had left my purse on the back of the car (unzipped of course) and there it was now laying in the middle of a very busy road. My first thought was to call a friend who had still been in the parking lot to see if she could pull over and pick it up before anyone ran over it, but as I reached for my phone I realized...it was in my purse! Ahhhh!

So I quickly got to the next light, made an illegal u-turn and headed back to see what I could salvage (remember I mentioned my purse was unzipped at the time it went flying off my car?). Its a very sad thing to be sitting at a red light, personal belongings spilled out in the middle of the road, only 20 feet away from you, and helplessly watching as vehicles zoom over everything without even slowing down! The light finally turned green, I made another u-turn (legal this time), pulled over hitting the hazard lights as I jumped out of the car, reassuring Eli that mommy would be right back and then started darting out into traffic to retrieve what was left of the wreckage.

Thankfully I was able to collect my wallet, cell phone , make-up bag, check book, medical and debit cards, pictures, receipts, etc. all intact. The only casualties? Eli's travel cup (shattered all over the road...that's why everything is wet and sticky!), a diaper, baggie full of dried fruit and my poor, poor purse! I really did love that purse!

Note: Eli, clearly understanding the excitement of the situation, helped me relive the moments all the way to Jamba Juice...

"Oh no, pursh!" "And car.........mash!!!! (clapping his hands together for emphasis).

"No, No...ELI!!!"

2009-02-20T22:36:00.000-08:00

It's started! I believe we are heading into the terrible 2's! For the record, Eli has been stubborn from day one. Let's be honest, he didn't really have a chance with parents like us! But up until now, it has been fairly manageable and mostly cute.

Over the last few days, however, I have begun to realize, that while he is still incredibly cute (its just the truth, folks), his stubbornness is coming on us like a steam engine without breaks! From climbing onto the couch to getting into his car seat everything is "No, No...Eli!" He does not want help with anything and insists on doing things himself as we painfully watch from the sidelines. While this is, for the most part, insanely frustrating for a "do-er" like me (things to do, people to see) it has also become quite comical.

My favorite version of our new little do-it-yourselfer is when we have been playing a game, the same game for the last 20 minutes mind you, and then all of a sudden Eli starts stamping his feet saying, "no, no, no, no". Unbeknownst to us, the rules of the game have changed and we are no longer playing correctly or to his satisfaction! We then have to stop, ask him how he would like us to play and through charades and broken "Eli" English we get the new set of rules. What a muppet! Hopefully we can continue to find the humor in this new independent phase of toddler-hood.

Safety First!

2009-02-18T13:37:00.000-08:00

Eli's self-appointed bike helmet

(Yes that is bubble wrap, but don't worry, he was never left unattended with it!)

Friday Fun Continued...

2009-02-13T15:45:00.000-08:00

I do not usually condone stealing, but I had to "barrow" this idea from my friend Daniella's blog...it cracked me up. Nothing like a little Junior High humor!

1. Your REAL NAME: Jaime

2. YOUR GANGSTA NAME: (first 3 letters of real name plus izzle..) Jaiizzle

3. YOUR DETECTIVE NAME: (favorite color & favorite animal) Green Monkey

4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME: (your middle name and street you live on/or neighborhood if it's a number) Beth Larkin (sounds like the girl next door character)

5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME: (the first 3 letters of your last name, first 2 letters of your first name) Tylja

6. SUPER HERO/CRIMINAL NAME: (second favorite color and favorite drink) Plum Java

7. YOUR WITNESS PROTECTION NAME: (parents middle names). Wayne Quigley (Not too bad!)

8. YOUR GOTH NAME: (black, and the name of one of your pets). Black Raisin

9. YOUR HOOD NAME: (first 3 letters of your first name and add -iqua) Jaiiqua (not sure that is even pronounceable!)

Making Grandma Proud

2009-02-13T15:23:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we were out doing errands and Grant had a secret stop he wanted to make on our route (he even insisted on taking the camera...as any good scrapbooker/blogger's husband would do). While out for his run earlier that day he had seen something he thought Eli would love.

And right he was. Eli loves cars and trucks and anything that goes "vroom vroom". And who wouldn't love being up this close and personal?! Here's a few pictures for Grandma (an avid Formula 1 fan)

Eli & Daddy posing with Michael Schumacher's ride

A "geen" Indicar racer

Whew...What A Day!!!

2009-02-07T21:35:00.000-08:00

Pizza! Games! Lights! Colors! A big giant mouse...what could be better? Yesterday Eli and I joined a few other brave playgroup mommies and entered into an alternate universe...Chuck E. Cheese. The last memory I have of that place is from a friend's 21st birthday party in college (ok, go ahead and say it...I was a dork!). To say Eli had a blast would be an understatement. He could hardly contain himself as he ran from machine to machine scoping it out. I probably could have even gotten away without buying any tokens and just let him sit in the seats, but that wouldn't be any fun. He rode the carousel several times, drove cars/trucks and then discovered the air hockey table. We even had our picture sketched by Chuck!

Eli could have stayed all day but when Mommy had had just about all she could handle, we packed up and headed for home. I naively assumed he would fall asleep in the car since he'd played hard and it was way past his nap time but no...I got to relive the day (we'd just had) as Eli told me about all the things he'd done. His favorite story went as follows:

Eli - ball and push!

Me - oh, you pushed the ball? (referring to the air hockey puck)

Eli: uh huh, and Haylie?

Me - yea, you pushed it to Haylie

Eli - and then hole...Yeah!!!!! (clapping)

Me - yes, the ball went in the hole and then you cheered!

Eli - the hole, and all done

Me - yeah, you pushed the ball in the hole and then it was all done

Eli - more?

Me - yes, and then mommy put in another token, huh?

(repeat above conversation for last 20 minutes of the drive home)

Bob & Larry

2009-02-03T13:42:00.000-08:00

This morning Eli, an avid fan of Veggie Tales, and I were reading books and he chose the Colorful World book. The first page is red and we were naming all the pictures he knew and then he points to the tomato and says, "Bob". At first I thought he was labeling it incorrectly but then I realized he knew exactly who it was...his good friend Bob the tomato.

This afternoon, we were reading the same book before nap time (he likes repetition) and we get to the green page. Usually his favorite thing on this page is the pair of green rain boots just like his, but today he kept pointing at the picture of a slice of cucumber and saying "oh no". I was bewildered at first and kept asking, "what's oh no?" and then he finally said, "Larry" while pointing to the cucumber slice and smiling! I have no idea how he knows that A) Larry is a cucumber and B) what the inside of a cucumber looks like but we was definitely concerned for his friend Larry who was not his usual self!

Never In A Million Years

2009-02-01T22:02:00.000-08:00

On any given day, if someone overheard my conversations they might think I'm a bit strange, or borderline crazy...until they saw who I was talking to; my almost two year old son! So here is the first list, I'm guessing of many, of things I never thought I'd hear myself say:

4. "Oh Eli, we don't jump on kitties, we pet them!"
3. "The toilet is for pee pee, not our blankies"
2. "Can you go find Daddy's bottom?" (I was using this tactic of distraction so that I could finish up in the bathroom without Eli who was determined to find my bottom!)
1. "Eli, your feet do not come off, they have to stay on" (this said while driving as Eli is furiously trying to "pull" his feet off in the back seat)

Merry "Martin Luther King" Day

2009-01-20T15:14:00.000-08:00

Just kidding! We did not intentionally get together as a family and open presents just to celebrate Martin Luther King, Jr., but we did get to celebrate a belated Christmas up at Hume Lake with my family. We used the nice long weekend to hang out in the snow, sled, play games, watch movies (including a sing/dance-a-long to Mama Mia) and eat yummy treats...when do those New Year's resolutions start?! :)

Dad decided that (due to the amazing after Christmas sales) we all needed matching jammies for the weekend. I don't think he realized just how much they would get used. There was rarely a moment in those four days that at least one pair of red pants was not on display!

Eli got to see, feel, taste snow for the first time and had mixed emotions. He liked to eat it, but didn't really want to touch it and was very concerned if it got on him or anyone else! Crazy little monkey! We only managed to get him on one sled ride but he liked watching all of us sled...until we spun out or crashed at the end. He was very concerned by this! I tried to smile really big and convince him it was all for fun, but he wasn't buying it. Maybe next year!

First and only saucer ride

Eli walking "on the line" with Aunty Jen and Nana

Our little model...not quite sure what look he's going for!

Relax, Rejuvinate...Retreat!

2009-01-12T14:35:00.000-08:00

We just got back from a retreat weekend with our Bible study in Bodega Bay. It was the most beautiful weather and it was so great to spend time hanging out, playing games, spending way too long on puzzles and catching up with friends. The guys got to golf and play tennis and us girls had a day out shopping and having lunch. Although the location has changed, our retreat tradition has been going now for 5 years! Crazy! I also got to practice a bit more with my new camera and get a few lessons from our resident photographers as well.

Practicing his "Cheese!"

Eli and his buddy Isaiah

Follow the leader

Yippppeeeeeeeee!

2009-01-05T20:44:00.000-08:00

It came today!!!! My birthday and Christmas wish lists included the Cannon Rebel xsi camera and it arrived today. As fast as I could read the basic instructions and get the camera out of the box, I began taking photos. It was so exciting just to see the difference on the auto setting! Amazing! Not that I have dreams of becoming a photographer, I'll leave that to Sandy and Megan, but it is definitely going to improve our family memories, scrapbooks and blog! So while Eli was napping, I used the few subjects that I had on hand. Check out my first photos with a "grown up" camera...

I love this setting that makes the background blurry

Sleepy Raisin

My handsome hubby

...And to All a Good Night

2009-01-01T20:38:00.000-08:00

December is one of my favorite months. Along with my birthday, I enjoy the exciting buzz of the Christmas countdown, decorating, getting our tree, unwrapping the ornaments and laughing at the stories behind each of them, hanging lights, shopping for loved ones and the anticipation of surprises. But more than any of those things I love the feeling when you are with your family on Christmas morning (jammies all around) and just hanging out! We did it with my parents on Christmas morning and we get to do it again (belated Christmas with my sister) in two weeks!

This year we also instituted a new "tradition" which was really special. On Christmas Eve we attended the service at our church with my parents and then had a "Happy Birthday Jesus" party after dinner with balloons, cake and singing of course. It was especially meaningful because not only we were able to take our eyes off ourselves and focus on the true meaning of Christmas, but Eli also understood that we were celebrating Jesus! During the day we kept telling him we were going to have a birthday party for Jesus (Eli is a huge fan of birthdays...balloons, cupcakes and singing all rate very high on his list of favorites!) and that evening on our way to church Grant asked him, "Eli, whose birthday is it?" and Eli's reply was, "Jesus!". Of course he doesn't understand that Jesus' birth was an integral part of God's plan for our salvation, but he'll get that eventually. For now I'm just happy that he enjoys singing to Jesus and blowing out his birthday candles.

Christmas Eve (before assembling all the toys!)

Christmas morning at our house

Eli with his new train at Papa and Nana's house

Ginger Bread Boys

2008-12-21T11:02:00.000-08:00

Eli's friend Isaiah came over to play yesterday and they had a blast. There was lots of running, screaming, ball kicking, tossing and of course the occasional squabble over the cars and trucks. After lunch I decided to let the boys try their hands at decorating two giant ginger bread men. I think they spent less time decorating and more time un-decorating and eating the eyes, buttons, shoes...you name it. It was so cute to see their chubby little fingers placing the candies on the icing and then licking it off. When all was said and done, we had two undressed ginger bread men and two happy boys covered in frosting!

Spreading the Cheer

2008-12-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

Just in case you need a little more cheer or a smile this Christmas season, check out Eli's latest rendition of "Jingle Bells" with Papa singing back up! (the video is from my phone so the quality is not great, but I don't think that makes this any less special!)