1st HAIRCUT, FINALLY

I finally gave in and got him a haircut. It was way past due - he was starting to grow a mullet.
He did great. He stayed totally focused on the comb in his mouth and didn't really care what us happening around him. He looks so cute and grown up now. Good Job Elliot! You're so brave!
Before
During
During
After...SO HANDSOME

HE CAN WALK!

It's official! Elliot is walking!

He's been taking a few steps here and there, but usually only when he's encouraged by me, but today he finally just took off! I'm so excited! It will make both our lives so much better! No more hanging on my leg crying...we'll see about that one :)

Congratulations Elliot, you're getting too BIG!

Babbling down the stairs

I love this video! He loves going up and down the stairs, but this is cute because he talks the whole way down. Sometimes we have full conversations talking back a forth. It's fun when he talks and then waits for me to respond then talks again usually mimicking my inflection! What a sweet boy - I am in love!

Logan's Bday Party

Logan celebrated his 1st bday and was so nice to let Elliot help with the unwraping and toy playing! (I think Elliot thought is was his bday) It was such a fun party and Logan made a haul. Not surprising we played at his house for the next several days!
Logan is such and sweet heart. I love that Elliot has a friend so close to his age!

Elliot and friends

Elliot has made some very good friends out here. He loves being with other kids. He usually tackles them or uses them to stand up...funny! Out of all his best buddies his dad is still top of the list! So many cute kids! I love being part of the mommy club!
Sam 2yrs - Noah 8 mo - Elliot 11 mo (at the zoo)
Elliot - Logan 1yr (at Logan's bday party)
Elliot and DADDY! (playing with Logan's bday toys :)

Our Sunday afternoon adventures!

There is an elementary school just a few blocks away from our house that has a really nice playground and sand box. We love going there on the weekends and with today being so nice and warm we headed out!
I love this pic cuz you can see his bottom two teeth. (he has two on top too, but their harder to see)
Teeter-totter time!
Just going diggin'
Hummm...this stuff is really neat.....
I'll have to give it a taste! (funny though, he didn't seem to mind it. I was the one freaking out trying to wash his mouth out.)

Boys and their dirty feet!
The dirtier the better!

So sweet

Nice, calm swing with mom...
a wild ride with dad
I'm not so sure he was enjoying it either
Boys will be boys
On the way home we heard him start humming and we knew....he was on his way out. What a fun day in the sun!

ps: I always feel like it is such a treat when J.R. gets to come with us. It's nice to have the weekends with him.

Caught Red Handed!

Elliot has a new favorite play area. Every time he hears the fridge open he crawls as fast as he can to get to it before it closes. This time he made it...and pulled everything off the bottom shelf. For some reason the ketchup bottle was his favorite? When I finally pulled him away kicking and crying his little hands and feet were freezing. It's awesome what interests little kids. His little mind is growing so fast!

SCRAPBOOK MANIA

The scrapbook expo was definitly a highlight on my trip to Utah. Joann and Marli invited me along to the expo in SLC. I had so much fun! I spent way too much money and only got 5 pages done in the 12 hours I was there, but it was a blast! There is something therapeutic about scrapbooking to me. J.R. knows it too...if he wants a happier wife, just give me a few peaceful hours of scrapbooking and I come back a new woman! Hooray for Hobbies!
Thanks Jo and Mar....when is the next one? I'll be there!!

While the wife was away

Say hello to Andy's bball team that played in the National Intramural Basketball Championship right here in Columbus, OHIO! All these boys stayed in our little house for 5 days while Elliot and I were in Utah. Unfortunatly I took the camera so J.R. didn't get any pics of their sleeping arrangments, but i guess they had about 4 twin blow up matterasses across the living room and into the kitchen then 1 in our office and 1 in Elliot's room. They pretty much slept in a big heap. I'm sure it was a funny site to see! J.R. had a blast with them here. It was nice for him to have some good "Man time" He probably felt like a bachelor again. They were so nice to J.R. too, they let him be their "coach" and sit on the bench with them for their games. I wish I could have been here to see it...well, maybe not :)
As for the tournament - they won the first 3 games then lost to Florida on Saturday. Bummer! I hope they had a good time and am so happy they got to stay at our place. We love visitors!

Just Goofing Off

Just being bored on a rainy day! He is such a silly baby!
(I think he wants to be a wiseman in the next nativity scene...he's ready for more then just baby Jesus)

General Conference Weekend

It was finally a sunny day so we headed to the park. Elliot got to experience grass for the first time and turns out he loves it...eating it mostly, but still loves it. The swings are always a highlight and the smell of baby sunscreen just makes my heart leap.....SPRING IS FINALLY HERE!!
We were also dog sitting our friends puppy Kuma. He is the best dog ever! He was great with Elliot and it was so nice to have something else to keep Elliot entertained!
It was a great weekend- Spiritually and physically uplifted!
(ps: notice he is wearing his pajama top...we're a bit lazy on conference sunday)

Lemon anyone?

Torture or play time....call it what you want, either way it is pretty funny!

more digital pages

(Yeah, these are old pics. I'm just now getting to elliot's blessing day. That's just how slow I am)

My first Digital Scrapbook page!!!

I did it! I've crossed over to the other side. But don't worry, I am still doing regular scraping. Digital just moves me a long a little quicker.
If you're thinking about trying it out.....DO IT! It's fun to learn something new and nice to be able to just take you computer with you to the park and do some pages while you're kids play. It's not as hard as it seems. You just need a fast computer with lots of free space.

I'm just not sure how to print the pages? Anyone know?? How do I get the 12x12 size? Where do I print them?

More to come....
ps: Erin, have you had that baby yet??? I'm dying here!

OFF TO UTAH

YIPEE! Elliot and I are headed to Utah. It is my siblings spring break and it's lots cheaper to fly me home then to fly everyone to me, so we're packing our things and heading out. I'm a bit nervous to fly with all the craziness happening, but I haven't heard bad things about Delta so hopefully we make it there safe. If any Utah buddies want to stop by and say HELLO, I'd love it. I'll be at my moms for the next 10 days so feel free to drop in. (it's so hard to visit all our friends every time I come home so I just have to ask them to come to me....sorry, kinda lazy, I know)
I'm excited for the fam to see Elliot. Last time we were home he was 17 lbs, was just learning to sit by himself and was barely eating rice cereal. NOW he is 23 lbs, is walking along furniture and chowing down "big boy" food like a champ. (wouldn't that be awesome if it was cool for me to gain 6 lbs in 3 months? Alas, my weight woes continue)
Anyway....looking forward to seeing the people I love the most and miss like crazy! See ya'll in less then 24 hrs!
ps: someone please keep an eye on J.R. while I'm gone. He might need someone to remind him to eat. I'm sure he won't miss us too much, our house is turning into a bachelor pad while I'm gone- his friend from Snow is coming to visit as well as Andy and his bball team. He'll be playing for nationals in Columbus and it just happens to be while I'm in Utah. I'm so bummed! GOOD LUCK Drew, we'll be cheering you on!

Blogging Drought

Sorry all. It's been a while since I've posted anything new. Life is crazy chasing a 10 month old. He doesn't let me get on the computer. Every time I pull up the lap top he just wants to pound on the keys. He already broke the letter N so that is the end of my blogging days while he is awake. I decided to stay up till 1am just to get caught up on our life. Enjoy the pics and keep scrolling down, there's a lot!
Happy Blogging!

Rough Day

Another rough day with dad. I only work 1-2 days a week, but when I do work I usually don't get home till midnight. Which means dad is on night time duty. I think J.R. is still trying to learn Elliot's cues, but learned quickly when he put him in his chair to eat dinner and he fell asleep with his sippy cup before J.R. could even warm up the sweet potatoes. Sweet boy, it's exhausting being little. Elliot is such a good sleeper. He's wants to go down at 7pm no matter if he misses dinner or not. He sleeps till 7 or 8 the next morning without waking up at all....how did I get so lucky? Heavenly Father must have known I am not functional without my sleep because he has blessed me with the best sleeper ever!! What a sweet boy!

Happy Easter

These are lame Easter pics, I know. But it was a crazy morning. J.R. is the choir director in our ward and we did a long easter contata for sacrament meeting. It was beautiful, btw....J.R. is seriously amazing - it's so fun being in his choir. He is so easy to follow. I've never been the ward choir type, but I'm hooked now. J.R. has serious skills and knows how to make average singers sound great together!
All in all, easter was fun. Just a relaxing, average Sunday with a bit more chocolate. I am definitly taking Kylene's idea and having Easter the day before with a special Easter FHE. Easter will be a bit funner too when Elliot can actually walk and look for eggs. He did get a cute frog puppet that ribbetts when you squeeze its mouth. So cute. He still loves it. Giggles every time it ribbetts! Sweet sound to a mommy's ear!

Like Father Like Son

After a bit of coaxing I finally got these boys to do a little house work. What handsome boys! I just love this picture...Did I already say I love my boys? Well, I DO!!

Eggs, Paws and Claws

More fun over spring break.
We made a quick trip to the zoo for their Easter party. It was still pretty cold so we walked quickly from one place to the next, but it was still fun just to be together and get out. I got a year membership so I'm looking forward to many more warmer days at the zoo.



This was the best part. The Gorilla was licking the glass and when I sat Elliot down he kissed the gorilla back through the glass. (not so sanitary I know, but still cute as can be) The pic and video are hard to see cuz of the glare, but you can still get the idea.

Mommy and Me

Just me and my sweetie pie! I'm amazed how exciting motherhood is. It's so fun to watch him learn and explore. I can just see his little mind expanding. It breaks my heart as I watch him pass through one stage and cruise straight into another one knowing we'll never be able to go back and it's all just memories now. (which is not good because I have the WORST memory- just ask J.R.) Sometimes I think about what it will be like to put him on a school bus and then to see him go on a date with a cute girl, then go on a mission and finally get married and have a little one just like he was. It blows my mind! Does life really go that quickly? I'm just trying to soak in the memories now and enjoy each stage as we come to it...even when that stage is teething and he cries more then he smiles. (poor baby) Here's to motherhood!! :)