meet the walkers

benjamin button

2011-08-19T12:14:00.000-07:00

what better way to kick off a crap load of recaps, then with a baby announcement! haha no, not me. cassie and josh's littlest one was born saturday august 6, i'll let her fill in all the boring details, but i had a couple pictures so i thought i'd put them up myself since she probably never will. i'll get more of the little peanut and post them up, i feel a photo shoot coming on!

benjamin paul giddings

lunch

2011-04-28T09:37:00.000-07:00

i made this salad the other day and it was deeeelicious. i actually made it for dinner with grilled cheese sandwiches, but had leftovers for lunch everyday for three days. i also found this delicious piece of heaven to have with my salad one day. it's this really good drink from england that we always get loads of whenever anyone goes or comes from there. it comes in a concentrate so it lasts a long time, but i saw this at the store and just had to try it. even if it was a buck fifty.

now for the salad. it is really good and pretty simple, but i will warn you it has a very strong lemon flavor. if you like that then great, mike really liked the lemon. i would advise to just use less lemon, but i'll still post the recipe as it reads. feast your eyes.

Chicken and Arugula Salad with Lemon-Garlic Dressing

1 lb. chicken tenders or skinless boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/2-in strips

3 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice, divided

2 Tbsp. chopped fresh basil leaves, divided

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

1 small clove garlic, crushed or grated

1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper

6 cups lightly packed arugula leaves

1 medium tomato, cored and cut into thin wedges

1/2 small avocado, peeled, pitted, and cut into thin wedges

1/2 cup thin slivers of red onion

1 Tbsp. pitted and chopped Kalamata olives

*heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat until hot enough that a drop of water sizzles. Coat with nonstick cooking spray. Add the chicken and cook, turning, until golden and cooked through, about 2 minutes per side when thawed. Add 1 Tbsp. of the lemon juice (less if you'd prefer) and 1 Tbsp. of the basil. Stir to coat and set aside to cool.

*whisk the remaining lemon juice, the oil, garlic and pepper in a large bowl until blended. Add the arugula, tomatoes, avocado, onions and the remaining 1 Tbsp. of basil and toss to coat evenly.

*divide among four plates and divide the chicken on top of the salads. Sprinkle with the olives.

speaking of bunnies

2011-04-26T16:34:00.001-07:00

the easter bunny dropped a basket at our house on sunday. it was filled with fun toys and candy. eli was so excited for his new stuff, he kept saying "ooohhhh wow!" every time he pulled out something new, and giggling that giddy little laugh kids get when they can't contain their excitement. it was a fun morning with this little one. after we spent the morning with peter rabbit, we went to the park for a bbq and easter egg hunt. it was eli's first easter egg hunt, if you don't count the one he had at his birthday party last year, which i don't. he was one, he didn't know what he was doing. well this year was a different story. well, kind of. he didn't get it at first, he grabbed the first egg he saw, opened it and wanted to eat the candy. i basically walked around pointing eggs out for him to put in his basket. however he got those eggs, the end result is the same. mission accomplished.

he opened every single egg he found before putting it in the basket. just to double check he wasn't getting ripped off, i'm sure.

the kids played together all afternoon. they played in the water fountain, pool and chased bubbles. it was perfect.

funny bunny

2011-04-26T16:28:00.001-07:00

a conversation eli and i just had:

i said to eli "i love you babe"

he said back "i love you babe"

i said "i love you sweetheart"

he said "i love you sweetheart"

i said "i love you pookie"

he said back "i love you poopie"

nice

eli and kaycee

2011-04-21T09:58:00.000-07:00

we were outside playing the other day and i got out my camera. eli and kaycee were playing in the dirt and eating snacks. you'll notice eli's favorite jacket and favorite pair of shoes.

new do and a photoshoot

2011-04-20T20:10:00.000-07:00

eli got a haircut. well, a bowl cut to be more specific. i shoulda known, the woman who cut his hair was an asian who couldn't spell eli's name and thought he was a girl. but it's been about a week now and i think we can live with it. well here are some pictures for everyone to ooh and aahh over how cute this little boy is, even with a bowl cut and a huge welt on his forehead. right when we got outside he did a face plant into the pavement, what's new. he falls big, doesn't hold anything back, sprawled out face down every time. (oh and he INSISTS on wearing his crocs, or "trocsh" as he puts it, with a sean connery lisp to it. yeah, serves me right for getting lime green that i thought would look cute with some things, now he won't wear anything else. when did he start having an opinion?)

here he is showing me how a butterfly flies. mike tried to teach him the arms crossed, backward hand, thumbs linked version. this way is much more 2 year old friendly.

florida happenings

2011-04-20T19:26:00.000-07:00

not much to say about it, here are some pictures of the kiddos playing in florida, and some pics of us at clearwater beach on the gulf. it was beautiful there, and we had so much fun with our friends.

the boys playing in the pool. don't skip over andrew and quinn lurking in the background.

we always make them hug and kiss, brooklynn was playing hard to get.

cute boy in his floaties. those things are the best, i can just stick him in the pool and take a nap in the sun. hehehe joking.

quinn. basking.

aaaannndd the beach. eli loves loves loves the beach. it took him a few trips to warm up to the whole beach atmosphere, but now he can't get enough.

we also made it to animal kingdom at disney world. it was eli's first time at disney and we can't wait to go again! i'll have to prep eli beforehand, he really only knew mickey.

you can see eli's little head peering over in both pictures. i never got a really good picture and this was his favorite ride.

and here he is, happy as can be, with daddy on one side and park ranger mickey on the other.

somebody's two

2011-04-11T12:17:00.000-07:00

i have a two year old. weird. and two he is, he threw a tantrum this morning because he had to leave the hair salon, more on that later. but he is oh so cute, and (for the most part) sweet. he's such a smart boy, sometimes too smart. some facts about this little person.

he talks a lot. sings VERY loud. loves to dance. some of his favorite songs include itsy bitsy spider, abc's, twinkle twinkle little star, i love you, wheels on the bus, happy birthday. he loves to read all books, his favorites are curious george and five little monkeys jumping on the bed. he's starting to like movies, disney mostly, the classics. he loves loves to be outside and take walks. he has this weird new smile he does, as seen in some of the pictures. he reminds me to say a prayer every night when i'm putting him to bed. loves the water, he would stay in the pool all day if we let him, rain or shine. has been to the beach three times, and finally loves the waves. is obsessed with pinching bums, yes that's right. it's my fault really cuz i'm obsessed with pinching his little bubble butt, and now he runs around behind us screeching "pinch pinch pinch" with his chubby little fingers pinching away. likes trains, cars, airplanes, all forms of transportation really, and thanks to his friend quinn, yells 'choo choo all aboard!' whenever he sees a train. loves to take baths with bubbles, hates showers. he's not really eating much these days, or napping very long, not sure what that's all about. he uses my ipod as a "phome" and now i can't find it, cool. he talks and talks to whoever, and when he's done says 'ok bye'. hates to go shopping, clothing stores mostly, as soon as we walk in he asks if we can go. he's a pretty good sport when it comes to grocery shopping, fatty. he likes other kids but doesn't like to play with them. he shares pretty well ONLY when instructed. he misses everybody back home and loves to talk on the phone and skype.

we had a fun party at our place yesterday. we had croissant sandwiches, fruit salad and a delectable cake. i'll admit, it may have been a little too intense for a two year-old's birthday party, but whatever, i needed an excuse to make a good cake.

notice his smile. that's the one.

that's a little less squinty.

some miniature party guests

one of eli's many presents. he loved them all and had so much fun.

this guitar, from mike's friend, was bought after seeing this video. when he belts, that's exactly what eli looks like singing. and that smile? come on, identical. we have high hopes for eli.

aaaaannd after being on my feet all day cooking and prepping, mike took charge and started cleaning and doing dishes right after the last guest left. so very kind. it was such a fun day and eli had so much fun. thanks everyone for coming and celebrating with this little boy!

2011-03-11T14:47:00.000-08:00

reading with eli is one of my favorite things. he is learning so much lately and loves to read books and ask questions. we love reading this book together and eli says the same part every time.

auntie's valentine

2011-03-11T14:45:00.000-08:00

claire wanted me to send her a video of eli. it was valentines day and he was feeling lovey.

2011-03-10T20:29:00.000-08:00

eli learns to say crocodile. it is hilarious how he says certain things.

2011-03-10T20:16:00.000-08:00

he's picked up some new moves here. i've never seen that sweet head move, or the spin. he could teach me a thing or two.

2011-03-10T19:54:00.000-08:00

dancing boy

2011-03-10T19:47:00.000-08:00

stupid blogger is not loading my videos so i don't know how else to post them other than youtube. so there will just be a bunch of one video posts. does anybody else hate blogger? anyway, eli loves to dance and does it any chance he gets. we have daily dance parties and he's picked up some pretty sweet moves. here he is trying to get down in his carseat.

eli counts

2011-03-10T19:31:00.000-08:00

excuse eli's bum and my grumpy mood. is it illegal yet to put your kid's but on the web? he is learning to count, he has some work to do.

state fair

2011-03-10T18:17:00.000-08:00

last week we went to the fair. it was fun, just the three of us. our first goal was to get eli his first taste of cotton candy. it wasn't as exciting as we though it would be. he wasn't interested at first so mike had to take the lead. i'm sure we looked like crazies forcing our child to eat straight sugar in a fun cloud form, so we could laugh and take pictures.

at first he would only eat it if mike fed it to him.

then we finally got him to hold it, but he still needed a little nudge to actually eat it himself.

moment of truth. we got a tiny bite from him. then he would just hold it in his hand and it started melting and getting sticky everywhere. needless to say we just fed him from then on. that stuff is annoyingly sticky.

he loved loved loved the car rides. i was sure he would be scared, but as soon as they started up he was all smiles.

oh i just thought i'd throw this picture in for kicks. let's analyze shall we? my eyes are closed, i'm not even looking in the direction of the camera, eli's attention is directed to something much more interesting, and the shadow covering my whole body. can you guess the photographer? yep, the same genius who took this prize winner. thanks hun.

old macdonald had a farm

2011-03-10T13:47:00.000-08:00

in january eli and i went to a friend's house, who basically live on a farm, and played. they have a horse, a few pigs, tons of chickens, a flock of geese and a little potbelly pig. we had a lot of fun and can't wait to go again!

eli loved the pigs. he fed this one carrots. or he threw them and backed away. whatever.

i couldn't get him close enough to the horse to get a decent picture.

the boys playing/fighting with the cars.

they have a chihuahua who just had puppies and they came out to play with the boys. they were sooo tiny. eli loved them, they just followed everybody around.

that is not poo by the way, it's a leaf. i double checked before i put up the picture. but look at how small the puppies are, barely reaching eli's knee.

here's the potbelly pig. he thinks he's a dog, it's very cute. he runs around wagging his tail, and he's so friendly.

dos anos

2011-03-09T21:04:00.000-08:00

this little girl turned 2 on december 30. violet holds a special place in my heart. i think about her all the time and miss her so much. the other day i cried because i missed her, even though eli was in the other room, but that's beside the point. she is kind and strong. sweet and sassy. timid and brave. eli used to bully her around and she was so tender and unsure of herself. well not anymore, no ma'am. she can stand on her own two feet and hold her own amongst all these boys she's growing up with. she is such a special girl, our little princess. she is so funny, yet super nerdy. and she has this way of making you feel super awkward, like when you're doing something that always makes her laugh, even though you look stupid, yet this time she won't laugh. she'll just look at you like you're so embarrassing, as though she has no idea why you're doing what you're doing. it's great, especially when it happens to cassie. she has the funniest run i've ever seen. she is so ticklish. you're sure to see her cute dimple and hysterical laugh if you tickle up the middle of her back. she loves one on one time. she gets quiet and shy around a lot of people, but she cherishes time she has alone with someone. she is so smart and obedient. from a very young age we could see her conscience kick into gear, and she constantly battled those wall sockets. she just couldn't bring herself to touch them. i love the love that she and eli have. it is one of a kind, they are very dear to each other. she is the sweetest little girl and i love her like my own.

sassy little thing ready to go to disneyland, with her pink aviators.

i was bribing her with candy. she had to say "please auntie" and put her hands on her cheeks.

violet has a special relationship with her food. particularly sweets. she has no shame.

eli and violet had spent everyday together up until about a month ago. they love each other so much. they're best friends.

and sorry mom, but these moments were jus too precious to not document. these two playing with their little hands all over the windows that josh just cleaned for the wedding. my mom has two rules; don't touch the windows, and don't play with the curtains. they were just having so much fun.

wedding bells

2011-03-09T19:03:00.000-08:00

my sweet sister jenny was married on december 27 2010, at my parent's home, at sunset. it was such a special day for jenny and john and i am so happy for them.

pre-ceremony. all of us hanging out, getting ready, and waiting for everything to start.

my sweet baby was a trooper and mike was the best that day.

i don't think violet was really into taking picture that day.

whitney and her beau. he's from spain. his name is gorka. legit.

the flower girl was having a hard time being her usual photogenic self.

the happy couple. they've been together 5 or 6 years and i truly have never seen them as happy as they are now, it's really beautiful. let's keep it up guys!

the man himself. he gave a beautiful toast at dinner, as usual. you would get nothing less from my dad. confession: every once in a while i will get out the raw footage i have of my wedding luncheon, and just watch the toast my dad gave. it was so perfect and fitting and intuitive. my dad is not a man of many words, but when he opens his mouth, people listen. i love that about him.

oh the queen bee. she did not stop that day. actually she was going, going, going, from about a month before to whenever the turkey ran out weeks after the wedding. she prepared like 10 turkeys for the wedding dinner. i hope someone gave her a foot massage that night, i sure as hell wasn't going to do it, but man she deserved it. at one point during clean-up, john's best friend (who is hilarious and my favorite) says "i would offer to stay and help, but i've seen ant colonies work less efficiently than this group". we owe it to my mom and her crazy friends, we all benefit from their generosity and love, and we wouldn't have it any other way!

since whitney lives out of the country she does't get to see the little ones very often, so when she comes she just devours them. it's very special, she bonds with each of them and makes sure she takes them all in. they love her so much. yes whit, they love you more than gorka, even if they did learn to say his name before yours.

we danced the night away and payed no attention to the 30 degree weather.

and then there was cake. delicious cake. cake that i ate much too much of.

jayms and johnny enjoying their dessert. who gave johnny bubbles?

showered

2011-03-09T15:35:00.000-08:00

wow this poor blog has been neglected. since falling off the face of the earth, the biggest thing that went on, along with the holidays, was my sister's wedding. but first, there was a shower. cass hosted, of course, at her beautiful home, and i got a couple of pictures of the set-up.

it was a formal sit down dinner so the dining room was set up. candle lit and a dimmer switch, very intimate.

the drink station. complete with apple cider, hot chocolate and biscotti

hors d'oeuvres. cheese and crackers, bruschetta, and these amazing pear tartlets with cheddar cheese. i know, sounds really weird but try them, they will change your life.

oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, those are miniature dixie cups with a tulip design, set out with the beautiful display of food, as though they belong. cass and i had gone over every detail multiple times, days before the shower. we even made the soups a week in advance and froze them to save time. but as we were setting out the hors d'oeuvres we realized we didn't have any cups for drinks, and there weren't enough of cassie's cups to accommodate everyone, so we had to improvise. alas, my mother's food storage cups. no joke, they were double the size of sacrament cups. we were all taking shots of water the whole night.

the guest of honor with some of the attendees. for dinner we had baked potato soup and clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls.

big shout out to panera bread who accommodated us the morning of, with their fresh bread bowls. if you're ever throwing a dinner party with cassie, and you're sure you should be looking for places that sell bread bowls, and she seems very relaxed and insists that any bakery will have them, don't trust her. just a word of advise.

we decided to go light and easy for dessert. angel food cake with strawberries and cool whip, and cute heart cut-outs of angel food cake to go on top.

cassie went through the taboo cards and picked out the ones related to marriage or romance, and some of us stayed and played after dinner.

these were actually the place settings as well as the thank you's. you can see some of the name cards hanging from the cups. each one hand made including embossed glitter stamp and beading. that's what it's like being related to crafty cassie. nothing she does is easy and it's alway above and beyond, so be careful when offering to help. it was a super fun night and i think jen was happy with it. and surprised! i didn't mention it was a surprise bridal shower.

guess who?

2011-03-03T19:26:00.000-08:00

i'm going through my pictures preparing blog posts, and came across this gem. they're so precious.

park

2010-11-09T21:34:00.000-08:00

we walked down to the park to play and take some pictures. swinging and skateboarding were the activities of choice, we had a lot of fun. i love my sweet little boy, and mike is so good with him. they're buds. here are some of my favorite pictures from our outing.

soccer & park

2010-11-08T14:44:00.000-08:00

a few weeks ago we went to watch jayms at his soccer practice. eli was in heaven. we played at the park across the street for a while afterward. eli was in heaven. it was a good day.

for cassie

2010-11-07T23:48:00.001-08:00

your wish is my command

2010-11-07T21:34:00.000-08:00

...beautiful boy...

minus the techni-colored muscle tee

halloweeeeen

2010-11-05T08:32:00.000-07:00

halloween was a blast! eli was the cutest monkey you've ever seen, all the cousins went trick-or-treating together, and best of all eli was old enough to trick-or-treat but too young to eat the candy, win win for me! here are a few pictures of our night.

please note the hilarious monkey feet. he wasn't too sure about them.

jayms was spiderman of course. i told him to pretend he was flying, not bad.

i got exactly ONE picture of them all looking at me. what's with the identical expressions?

this was hilarious. it is one of a series of pictures in which johnny is tackling eli to the floor and spiderman comes over to save eli, then proceeds to shove johnny to the floor and johnny starts to cry. jayms is VERY protective of his cousins.

then, there was superchub. he was just along for the ride, but oh so cute!

princessgirl was the center of attention all night. so precious.

the night was a success, anything including free candy usually is. i'm already excited for next year!

10.10.10

2010-10-10T20:44:00.001-07:00

my little eli is 18 months old today. we've been looking forward to his first day of nursery for a few weeks, and were excited that it was on the day of his 18 month mark! sad to say we have both been sick, and i couldn't very well take him to nursery snotting on everything and everyone. so now we are anxious for next week to be his first week of nursery. until then!

sidekick

2010-09-17T22:40:00.001-07:00

just helping grandpa in the yard. and a big help he was.

look closely. that is a pooper scooper, not a shovel. he had a long bath with lots of soap before bed.

pump it up

2010-09-17T22:17:00.001-07:00

we take the kids to Pump It Up every once in a while. they love it. okay we "adults" love it so we drag them along. regardless, we all have a blast and they are so cute to watch.

these are 75% of the kiddos, jayms was off on the big slide. you try to get a picture of four kids together playing in a warehouse full of bounce houses.

taking a rest

The Washington Post

2010-09-17T20:45:00.000-07:00

visited mike in washington this past weekend. we had a grand time playing and going to church and seeing the sites.

first things first, waiting to board the plane in long beach...

...and waiting...

...still waiting...

we were just walking around for an hour and a half waiting to board the plane. long beach is the smallest airport i've ever been to, and i've been a couple times before so i know my way around, so i knew i only needed to be there 45 minutes early. my dad, however, insisted that wouldn't be enough time. i learned my lesson, don't listen to your parents.

sunday morning, playing catch in the backyard. yes that is out the back door of their apartment. washington is so beautiful, and during blackberry season the blackberries grow everywhere. mmm.

there was an airplane

playing in the truck after church

sooo this is the only picture with me in it the whole trip. my eyes are closed. annoying tour guide in the back. thanks mike, you really have a knack.

tired boy. touring the city will do that to a one year old.

precious

chatterbox

2010-09-17T20:43:00.000-07:00

eli has become quite the talker. he tells me all sorts of stories and absolutely thinks he's making sense. it is very sweet, he'll usually stand right in front of me looking at me very intently and proceed to tell me whatever is on his mind.

we're leaving on a jet plane

2010-09-11T13:32:00.000-07:00

eli and i are off to washington tonight, and we're oooober excited to hang out with daddy! wish us luck!

hallelujah

2010-09-03T08:38:00.000-07:00

thank you costco. i bought it two days ago and have been waiting for the perfect moment to dive in. sleeping child, clean house, and maybe more than five hours of sleep the night before. i'm so excited! who's with me?

denver zoo

2010-08-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

back in may, mike's parents came to denver for a visit. it was short and sweet, but we did get out to the denver zoo. i just found all the pictures i took from there, yay! we had a great time together, however, i did realize that i HATE zoos. it is so sad that these poor animals are trapped in a cage the size of my dining room. and the lions were the worst. they were huge and in the smallest enclosure i could imagine. needless to say i won't be going to any more zoos in the future, but we all had fun spending the day together regardless. and of course eli was the cutest ever. here are some pics.

eli learned what a lion says that day

ok, out of all the pictures the three of us took together, i don't like any of them. i thought this one was funny because we all happened to blink at the same time

i love this picture

so sweet. eli has so much fun with his daddy

we're standing in front of this island of trees with monkeys swinging all around behind us

question

2010-08-25T21:16:00.000-07:00

why is he so cute?

boys being boys

2010-08-13T00:15:00.000-07:00

we can always count on having fun when grandpa and uncle todd are around. eli loves them and they're always introducing him to fun things!

"reunited and it feels so good"

2010-08-13T00:01:00.000-07:00

violet and eli have finally reunited. cassie and the little ones came home a few weeks ago and the two peas in a pod have been inseparable.

pampered much?

2010-08-12T23:53:00.000-07:00

2010-08-10T14:06:00.000-07:00

hope you're all having a good summer! posts coming soon.

a day in the life

2010-07-21T22:28:00.000-07:00

you can guess what happened next. violet usually gets what she wants.

eli's first attempt at jumping

2010-07-20T23:57:00.000-07:00

somebody misses his daddy

2010-07-20T23:49:00.000-07:00

three stooges

2010-07-02T22:03:00.000-07:00

my mom and i took the boys to the park yesterday. they had so much fun playing by themselves.

i think he's trying to play with veronica

jayms is so good to his little cousins. he's getting the ball for eli, even though eli just keeps throwing it out and demanding people get it for him.

rock climbing

2010-07-02T21:59:00.000-07:00

funny bunny

2010-07-02T21:29:00.000-07:00

we were driving home and i hear eli laughing in the back, this is what i found. don't worry, i was at a stop light. enjoy. p.s. please don't overlook his CRAZY hair, sunscreen+nap=einstein hair

They Miss Each Other

2010-07-02T21:03:00.000-07:00

my sugar cookie

2010-06-23T23:26:00.000-07:00

this is what happens when you try to get a 1 year old to decorate sugar cookies with you...he eats them instead.

Daddy Love

2010-06-23T19:45:00.000-07:00

mike teaching eli how to throw the rocks back in the pile, male bonding.

i love my boys

he's never been in falling snow before, he was just staring out the window at it.

cousin zachary meets the walkers

2010-06-23T13:50:00.000-07:00

eli gets super jealous when i'm holding zac, and he knows it too, he gets a little smirk on his face when he's whining for me to pick him up.

a couple things to note: awkward angle, weird separating bangs...but zachary looks cute :)

yes that little bundle of blanket is zachary. mike loves him, he always loves to hold him, even if he's crying. Such a good daddy, such a natural.

cute eli

2010-06-22T19:07:00.000-07:00

just because he's such a treat to look at...

nordy

2010-06-22T16:26:00.000-07:00

ok lots of random posts, but some cute pictures to make it worth it. first off, we bought eli his first pair of sunglasses. he had to try a few on for size...

we ended up getting the ray-bans, so cute!

oh, and just a little violet and eli moment. v trying her hardest to hold eli's hand, he's not having it!

where's daddy?

2010-05-21T14:24:00.000-07:00

eli waiting for mike to come out of the bathroom. he likes to follow us in, mike doesn't like it as much.

bon appetit

2010-05-21T14:05:00.000-07:00

just thought i'd share a few pictures of eli eating....

yes, he opens his mouth that wide every time he eats!

he's 1!

2010-05-21T09:33:00.000-07:00

ok, he's 13 months now. i'm a little late in announcing my eli's first birthday, but i thought i'd do it anyway. eli turned 1 on april 10, we were leaving from murrieta for denver so we had a small party for him the week before, with family. we got to denver 2 days before his actual birthday so it was sort of overshadowed by moving in and getting settled. but i got him a little cake anyway and we sang to him. he's 1, his expectations aren't very high.

we had an easter egg hunt on his birthday, but he wouldn't walk on the grass. as soon as he got to it he would bend down and start crawling to get the eggs.

here's eli on his birthday, april 10, in denver.

i'll let you in on a few facts about eli:

-he is 25 lbs and 30 in tall

-he finally rides in a front facing toddler car seat (is he really a toddler?!)

-i still feed him baby food. he doesn't like to pick food up with his hands

-he eats almost anything. i do a pretty good job of keeping him away from junk food though.

-drinks organic whole milk

-loves baths, he has one every night.

-walks (has been for 4 months), and has been running for about 1. i'll post a video, it's SO funny!

-blows kisses

-says mama, mom, daddy, dad, teddy, bye, light, dod (dog), woof, moo, raaarrr! (it's what a lion says), ball, wow, balloon, baby.

-he takes to, two hour naps a day, although the last week the second nap hasn't gone so well.

-he goes to bed between 7 and 8 pm, and wakes up between 7 and 8 am. like clockwork.

-loves to play outside, and loves the park.

-he wears size 4 shoe, and 12 month clothes.

-snuggles when he's tired and ready for bed, and waves goodbye to everyone.

-loves his daddy, he thinks mike is so cool and loves spending time with him.

-has a real crush on the gerber baby. it was the first time he said baby, when he noticed it on his baby food.

-he loves to read, and to be read to. his favorite book right now is one of mine when i was a kid. little house on the prairie. i think it's because there's a dog in it......i hope.

-loves to play at violet's house, and is very interested in her new baby brother.

-he does hit, but we're working on that and it's gotten a little better. he still hits claire the same amount.

mike and i really love him more and more everyday. i go in his room every night before i go to bed, and i just watch him for a few minutes. he is so precious and sweet, most of the time, but we love him in every way! happy belated birthday eli!

Happy Mother's Day

2010-05-09T19:17:00.000-07:00

This is why my mother's day was happy. (and maybe it had a little something to do with his wonderful dad, too.)

P.S. I know I need to update, and I will. Let this tie you over in the mean time.

Videos

2010-03-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

i'm about 3 months too late with this first video. yep, you heard it folks. eli started walking at 9 months old! brag much? whatevs, I'm proud of my sweet boy.

this video is eli chastising mike. Can you tell mike points a lot? sorry it's sideways, but this was the best one.

eli loves when his pup barks at him.

2010-03-13T14:58:00.000-08:00

As some of you may know, today is Mike’s birthday, and if you didn’t, he is accepting late gifts. He is 27 years old, so it’s only fitting that I brainstorm and come up with 27 things I love about Mike. So here we go…

my baby daddy

kind hearted

nice badondkadonk

beautiful green eyes

gives THE best massages

good cook

hard worker

very personable

confident

forgiving

helpful

fun

thoughtful

very motivating

great dad

generous

strong

creative

persistant

he’s my topical guide

very inclusive with others

loves his family

loves me enough to love my family

I love how he loves to take care of me

I love that his brother is his best friend

Love that he served a mission

!Love how Mexican he is!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEETIE, I LOVE YOU!

balloon boy

2010-03-11T18:48:00.000-08:00

just give eli a balloon and he'll be entertained for hours. exhibit a.

2009-12-21T16:55:00.000-08:00

eli has just discovered sharing and he loves it! he gets so excited when you ask him to give you whatever he has.

don't mind my hiccups. and those pants, whitney got from guatemala for little e.i., don't hate.

2009-12-20T21:20:00.000-08:00

he kept crawling behind the tree and the branches would scratch him

he wasn't quite sure what to do, so he would just sit there, frozen

he knows he's not supposed to climb up the stairs, but does it anyway

he LOVES the cute little boy he sees when he looks in the mirror

he looks JUST like me, and it shows in this picture

his new cowboy boots from grandma

bff

2009-12-20T21:10:00.000-08:00

violet and eli are the best of friends. we discovered that they have twintuition, they are so cute together. v's mean parents took her away to freezing utah to spend eli and violet's first christmas apart. eli is going to miss his violet while she's away.

2009-12-20T20:59:00.000-08:00

santa clause is coming to town....

eli met santa for the first time, no tears, it went pretty well

eli and zac had fun playing together

i love christmas time!

2009-12-12T23:09:00.000-08:00

we kicked off this holiday season with a christmas carnival. it was so fun! we took the kids (jayms, johnny, and eli) and they did all sorts of fun things. jayms went on the big inflated slide but i didn't get a picture, as soon as he got to the top he just flew right down and wouldn't do it again, he was terrified! johnny loved the animals at the petting zoo, but jay stayed close to grandma and wouldn't go near any of them. eli had a lot of fun in his stroller and on the train ride. i love the holiday activities murrieta always has, they're so much fun, and free!

happy boy

2009-12-05T20:51:00.000-08:00

i went to get eli from his nap the other day. oh i love him.

just hangin' out

2009-12-05T20:49:00.001-08:00

i guess he really likes shrek!

2009-12-05T20:47:00.000-08:00

rub-a-dub-dub

2009-12-05T20:44:00.001-08:00

sharing

2009-12-01T21:37:00.000-08:00

violet is eli's cousin. his only girl cousin. she is a princess and everybody knows it, she makes sure of that. she doesn't like to share. she doesn't like eli to have anything that she's thinking about maybe wanting to play with at some point. i've included a few videos to show you just what i mean. there are four videos, you don't have to watch all of them, they're all pretty funny. enjoy!

2009-10-28T14:39:00.000-07:00

c.r.a.z.y

this post is dedicated to eli, to show all of you how crazy he is. he just doesn't stop, and is fearless.... what have we got ourselves into?

costumes

2009-10-28T13:17:00.000-07:00

eli and i went with my parents and violet to their ward's trunk or treat. cassie and josh were on a cruise so violet was staying with grandma and grandpa. we had fun eating chili and the babies had fun in their cute costumes.

his costume was a little too small to say the least

eeyore and the dinosaur looked very cute

eli kept reaching through to grab v's eeyore ears

i love how extremely chubby this costume makes him look

2009-10-27T23:00:00.000-07:00

pictures pictures pictures

i don't really have much to say about this post, but a picture is worth a thousand words, right? so let's get to it.

violet's name book. who else's 6 month old can read?

how do you think we keep those cheeks so chubby?

eli's first fashion show

ok mom, so maybe i do need that bumper

.5

2009-10-15T22:29:00.000-07:00

my baby turned 6 months on october 10 2009! or as my dad put it, "you turn point five today!" he is so big and SO active. mike and i just adore him and are having so much fun lately. mike is constantly telling me how much he loves being a dad. that's like music to my ears, i love that he loves being a dad, and he's pretty good at it too. so let us all praise eli in all he has accomplished as of his 1/2 year mark....

-crawling like a pro

-sitting up

-sitting to crawling

-pulling up to standing on EVERYTHING

-screaming and yelling. yep, a whiner. big surprise.

-loves being scared or startled, laughs hysterically. don't ask me how we figured that out.

-can't get enough of daddy. loves riding on his shoulders.

-gets the biggest grin and grabs at the phone when i'm talking to mike on speaker. then yells at me when i don't give him the phone.

-has eaten all the vegetables and now on to fruits for the first time

-has taken to caressing my face when i feed or "cradle" him

-pulls my hair

-loves dogs

-has two bottom teeth

-last time i weighed him, about 3 weeks ago, was 16 lbs. 8 oz.

-has a really nerdy laugh. seriously, i'll record it sometime.

-LOVES being outside

-he has started pulling himself forward in his stroller while on walks. he thinks he's really cool.

-loves loves his cousin violet. it is a sight to see when they catch each other's eye after waking up from a nap or just entering a room. oh it is love.

-loves to watch his cousins jayms and johnny from afar. they are a bit crazier than what he's used to, but loves them just the same.

-has a soft spot for his uncle todd

-gives auntie claire the best kisses

-does NOT sleep through the night. wakes up twice wanting to grub. any suggestions?

-is a very light sleeper. my sisters curse me because i'm always shushing them, and i literally tip toe when i walk past his room. it's pathetic.

eli is such a sweetheart and we couldn't ask for more! he is our world, our love, our everything!

5 1/2 months

2009-09-30T15:49:00.000-07:00

eli is now 5 1/2 months, will be 6 months on october 10th, and is a very big boy! he keeps me on my toes all the time and learns new things everyday. he is eating rice cereal and baby food but is not a pro just yet, it's the messiest time of day. he can't keep still and just crawl around everywhere. he imitates his cousin violet, who is 3 months older, and thinks he's so big. he missis his daddy very much and can't wait until next saturday when he gets to see him, great birthday present! let's just keep this short and sweet and get to the pictures of this little guy.

enlarge the picture to see his teeth

he LOVES his teddy bear. when he goes down well, he'll look for his teddy and cuddle with it and fall asleep. very sweet.

can you believe those cheeks!

we've got a climber on our hands

this is gross but pretty funny. he'll reach for anything that puts him in the most awkward position.

this is one of the first few times he crawled

relief

2009-08-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

after a 6 month battle and countless attacks with my friend "the kidney stone", our courtship finally comes to an end. tomorrow morning i go under the knife to get rid of this thing for good. ok not really under the knife, it's actually very minor and the whole thing should only take about 30 minutes, but i am going to be under anesthetics and that makes me nervous. so wish me luck! actually if you could all send your luck to claire as she will be watching eli from 5 o'clock in the morning!