Franklin Park Conservatory

During J.R.'s spring break we stayed around Columbus and did a bunch of Columbus things we've been meaning to do since we moved here. One was the Conservatory. It was a fun little place to walk around and look at plants and flowers, but the best part was the area with all the butterflies! It was fun to see Elliot look at them. He has never seen one before so HOORAY for another 1st! What a cute little boy! He's so fun to have around! What did we do without him?

My own sweet butterfly!
Just after this picture he attacks the flower and pulls off a petal....sshhhh, don't tell - get rid of the evidence!
They have plants and flowers from all different parts of the world. I think this is Russia.
This is Tikal! Yeah, I've been there!! I climbed a bunch of temples just like this one! Much cooler in real life. Everyone should see it. Amazing!

Accident Prone

This happened while we were snowed in all weekend. Turns out Elliot got bored and started exploring things that were breakable. He thinks he can pull himself up on anything...luckily he didn't get hurt. You think I'd learn my lesson, but a few weeks after this he pulled the lamp in his bedroom over and it broke too. GREAT! I've tried to put them far back in a corner I think he can't get too, but I am mistaken. He can move and loves to climb over things. He gets more determined the harder it is to get to. Don't worry, we have no more lamps in our house and we just put up a gate on our stairs. I feel like all I do all day everyday is just chase Elliot around trying to keep him safe from himself. It's exhausting!! It would be nice if I could just sit and blog or scrapbook without keeping him entertained and scratch free. Hummm...that will be the day!

I wanna be a ROCK STAR!

Guitar Hero just wasn't enough. J.R and I finally broke down and bought this guitar. We have been wanting to learn to play for a long time and now we finally can! I've always wanted to be the kind of parent that can whip out the guitar and let the kids dance and sing along. Plus I need to get back into singing more and this will help me do that.
I've already learned several chords and have really gained a new appreciation for those that are awesome guitar players. T.J. and Derek, I never knew you were so talented. It just looked so easy!! :) ROCK ON!

Utah weather in Columbus Ohio

One word: INSANE!

I feel like we are in Utah again. Unfortunatly Ohio doesn't have the plow power Utah does so we are stuck. Delaware county (the county we live in) is on a level 3 snow emergency, meaning it is illegal for anyone to be on the roads. So...I guess I don't have to go into work today. Another fun day at home. I need to start getting creative to keep Elliot busy! "Let it snow!"

Giggly pants and a crazy dad

This just makes me laugh. It's so funny the random things that make Elliot laugh so hard. There's nothing that warms my heart more then hearing Elliot laugh! What a sweet boy!

A Boo Boo Day

Early yesterday Elliot was standing and holding on to his exersauser when he must have lost balance or slipped and he scraped his face down the side of it. OUCH! I'm sure the girls in the kids club at my gym probably think I'm abusive. It looked pretty nasty earlier - in this picture it's eased up a bit. Later that day he snuck up behind me and I accidently stepped on his fingers. Then to top it all off he was playing on his car seat and it rocked forward and smacked his head. Oh poor baby. Needless to say it was a rough day yesterday. I guess all the new gross motor skills also bring many bumps and bruises. Elliot is tough though and we're proud to say we survived another day!

Sticky Finger

Elliot got a poke in his finger to check his Iron and after got a bandaid. He just couldn't figure out how to get that darn thing off. It bugged him for a while then he just learned to deal with it. What an adaptable child. :0)

MD apt turns into a GREAT time!

This is Elliots' pediatrician. She is great. We just love her!

Patiently waiting to go back to the room
"What, you didn't tell me about the shots!" "I'm out of here!"
"This guy is so fun. He talks back and does the exact same things I do. Very Cool!"
" WOW, he even gives kisses like mommy. Pretty good kisser!"
I'm pretty sure the place was totally destroyed before we left. Oh well, Elliot had a good time (minus the little shot and finger poke)

This is Elliot at his 9 month MD apt. There is a wall size mirror next to the exam table and he loved it. It was so cute watching him kiss himself in the mirror. I guess I need to get a mirror down to his level. Fun for hours!

Food Glorious Food!

We went on a family date to lunch last weekend and I discovered Elliot loves "real" food. I ordered a cup of tortilla soup and Elliot ended up eating the entire thing. He loved it! Wow, he's gettting so big! He's still a sweet potato addict, but now I know we're ready to venture into "real" big boy food!

Happy 9 Month Birthday my son! I love you!!

Direct from the Philippines

I LOVE MONDAYS! You may ask how in the world can anyone love Mondays. Nothing good ever comes from the first day of a long, busy, sometimes monotonous week....BUT I beg to differ! Mondays are the days I get a letter from my little brother who is serving a mission in the Philippines. He always makes me feel so good!
I've been thinking a lot about missionary work and have been reading from the Preach My Gospel book. It seems like I'm really challenging my spirit to truely KNOW the gospel is true. I've always grown up believing what I've been taught and have had the feelings of the spirit confirming the truth, but I have found that it's so different putting those feelings into words and learning how to explain them to others. I've come to have a real appreciation for missionary work and the dedication it deserves.
I've discovered that it's not just about teaching the gospel, but it is truely desiring ETERNAL HAPPINESS for the other person. Regardless of any pride that comes from teaching...it's about your love for your friend and your concern for their eternal well being.
Ironically after my scripture study this morning I read Derek's letter and this was in it.

(He is talking about a family he had just baptised and what it really means)

"We just helped that family take the first step to eternal happiness. Now, if they choose, they are able to recreive all of the blessings of eternity. Before or without baptism they didnt even have the choice. In reality we are helping people open the doors to the celetial kingdom, the greatest gift anyone could give or recieve. "

I love my little bro. Baptism is an eternal commitment that puts us on that path to eternal life. I am so blessed!!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Story time.

Exploring time.

Chubby legs.

Just being a cute

big boy!

Bath Time Extravaganza!

This is Elliot headed to the tub! He's wild when it comes to bath time. I love seeing him crawl. He's getting way too big!

Ohio Snow Day

Christmas in February?

Elliot got a new toy this week. Funny, but I think I was the one getting sick of his old toys. This one is fun. You can ride it or walk with it. He loves it! What a cutie pie!

My cuddly bugs

Elliot is such a cuddler! He loves just sitting on our lap and hanging out. This is J.R's tactic to putting Elliot to sleep. It works, but not the best habit.
I'm so lucky to have such a snuggly baby. J.R. is a pretty good snuggler too, I must say!
Here's to my cute boys!!

Memories....sweet memories

I've just been having one of those days today so to make it worse I dug up some old Pickleville photos. Sometimes a girl just needs to feel lonely I guess.

It's funny how life doesn't always turn out the way you had planned as a little girl. Sometimes I look too much to the future and forget to live today. I need to be taking opportunities as they come now and not waiting for "a better time," there is no better time. Life just gets more complicated as you go. I wish my mind and my emotions were not so difficult to understand. I need to be a bit more laid back and just go with the flow. Make a decision and stick to it - quit second guessing..........WOW, that was a whole lot of nothing. Sorry to all who just read that.

Lesson for the day - humm? not sure....maybe by tonight I'll figure it out and let you know.

ps: Hooray for IDOL tonight.

My Valentines

The two people I love most!
J.R. surprised me by not scheduling a patient this morning so we could spend some time together. He made b-fast and gave me pretty flowers. Such a sweetie. He knows exactly what makes my day - time as a family. I spent the morning making cookies for our cookie swap! Yummy!
I got J.R. an Edible Arrangement bouquet. (Every man needs flowers sometimes, I just got ones that were edible) It was made of chocolate covered strawberries. It was really pretty to look at and even yummier to eat. (you can see all the cookies I got from the swap too.) Next time you see me I'll be 5 lbs heavier. THANK YOU St. Valentine! :0(

"I'm done already!!!"

This is Elliot's new "I'm done" face! It cracks me up every time. I purposly try to over feed him just to get this face. I'm so happy I caught it on film. He's starting to show a personality! I better watch out!

Thank You J.R!!!!
He finally showed me how to post videos....Watch out world, here we come!!

Oh how precious!

Dad does a great job of feeding and putting to bed Elliot...now he just has to figure out how to do them both at the correct times. We promise not to allow him to actually sleep like this...can't have those baby-bottle caries!

Chelsea shreads up this Black Diamond in Ohio! Can I hear a woot-woot?

Chelsea shows off her awesome skills...give it up for the camera guy who did all this with one hand while snowboarding down the hill. Geez.

Ski Ohio!!! Check out Chelsea's awesome moves on this killer Double-Black Diamond!

This video rocks!!! Let's hear it for this awesome angel!

Ski in Ohio? I didn't know there were any mountains

We didn't quite know what to expect, but weren't too surprised when the "mountain" was even smaller then the Little Beaver run. The snow was crappy, due to warm weather, but the terrain park was a blast. We hit jumps all day and even tried the rales. We're nuts, but it was a blast. Thanks Glenn and Sarah for the tickets! We're happy to say we SNOWBOARDED IN OHIO!!!

J.R. and I headed to the top. It only took about 10 minutes to ride to the top and get back down (just to give you an idea of the size)

J.R. and Glenn

Yeah, the jumps love me!

Too bad I can't take pictures or you'd get to see all the air J.R. actually got. Sorry babe.

Most Difficult. Black diamond. (I could probably teach Elliot to ski on this run)

Danger! Experts Only! This is the sign on your way to the terrain park. (funny)

Bathing Buddies!

We got to babysit Landon and McKay last night and I couldn't resist putting Elliot and McKay's pizza covered face in the tub. They both love baths so it was fun to watch them play! I hope you enjoyed some alone time Ben and Emily, cuz we sure enjoyed having your kids over!

Guitar Freaks!

Yeah, we're addicted. Guitar Hero is so awesome! We love it and the Hillstroms are so fun to play with! Rock on James and Kristina!! YOU ROCK!

My first Best Friend!

This is Logan. He and Elliot have become best buddies. They are just a couple weeks apart in age and love playing together. I love hanging out with Logan's mom, Sarah so it makes a great combination!

My Love bug

Hurray! Bath Time!
My little Mozart in the making!
A messy face only a mother can love