Our Weekend

We finally had a free weekend this weekend.  It seems we always have something going on or I'm working on most weekends.  We took advantage of this free weekend and drove to Little Rock to see my Dad.  He's finally home from the hospital, again!!  He came home briefly a couple of weeks ago but was readmitted after only a few days at home for another staph infection.  He's slowly getting stronger everyday! 

I took a few pictures of our visit with Dad but these are the only pictures I took all weekend!

They have a digital picture frame we gave them for Christmas one year loaded with pictures of Eli from when he was a baby until about 1 year old.  He went over to the picture frame and asked to see the "baby"!

How cute is this picture?  Eli loves his "Papaw"!  He thought it was pretty fun to sit in "Papaw's chair"!

Yesterday evening we just wanted to hang out at the house and enjoy our evening at home.  I picked up a pizza from our local take and bake place.  We sat outside and watched Eli play while we ate our pizza.  What a perfect ending to the day?!

This morning I heard Chad putting on his shoes.  I sat straight up in a bed and thought "oh no, I'm late for work.  It's 7:30 and my alarm didn't go off!"  Then I remembered it was Sunday and I wasn't working today!  I hate when I do that!  I quickly fell back asleep while he went for a morning run.  I wish I had his motivation to exercise!  Eli woke me up at 8:00 and he got in my bed and watched cartoons while I dozed off and on.  Chad was soon back from his run and we cooked breakfast, read the paper and drank coffee while Eli watched cartoons and played.  It was the perfect Sunday morning!  We made a trip to Sam's, drove to Rogers for lime juice (long story) and made it back home just in time for Eli's nap at 1:00. 

This afternoon we hung out outside while Eli played in the sprinkler.  We wanted to recreate our meal from Brian and Sue's last weekend.... grilled chicken quesadillas, homemade guacamole and homemade margaritas (reason for the lime juice).  I must say, we did a pretty good job!  It was all yummy!  And those margaritas.... they have quickly become my favorite margarita!  I don't know that I will ever be able to drink another one (okay that may be stretching it.  I doubt I will find one I like as well though)!  They are soooooo yummy!  Maybe I will post the recipe for them later.  It's too good not to share!

We were gonna go get shave ice (snow cones) tonight after dinner but we were stuffed.  I've been wanting one so badly!  We haven't been this summer to get shave ice and I think Eli needs to be introduced to them!  Maybe another night this week we will finally get one.

So that's our weekend.  It was perfect in every way!

I'm With Miller

Eli's cousin, Grant, had the coolest work bench and Eli was so jealous!  He spent a lot of time playing with Grant's tools while we were in Connecticut.  We decided to buy Eli his own "tools" when we got back from our trip on Monday.  He was so excited!

Also, I have some prayer requests I wanted to put out there.  I have a friend from college who is going through a difficult time.  Her newborn son was diagnosed at 3 weeks of age with spinal muscular atrophy.  She has been amazingly strong and I can't get her family and sweet son off my mind.  I know they have many people saying prayers for them but I know more won't hurt!  Please go here to read her blog.  I just can't imagine the heartache she and her family are going through right now and my heart has been so heavy for them.

Meredith, if you ever read this.... "I'M WITH MILLER"!!!

Cousins

This past weekend we flew up to Connecticut for 4 days to visit Chad's brother (Brian) and sister-in-law (Sue) and their kiddos (Grant and Lily).  Grant and Lily are 18 months apart and Eli is smack dab in the middle of them, being 9 months apart from both of them!  (Bet you couldn't have done that math!)  Ha!  The close age makes for fun playmates!  This was the first time I had ever met Lily and I haven't seen Grant in about a year.  Eli was too young to remember Grant the last time he visited. 

The kids had nonstop fun the entire trip!  They got along very well and played together like they had always been friends.  We had a great time just watching them interact.  It was great seeing Brian and Sue too!  We ate a lot of wonderful food and drank maragaritas (which by the way were the best ones I had ever had)!  Sue made homemade chocolate blueberry ice cream (yum!) and a chocolate cake that tasted like heaven!  Seriously, I could have eaten the entire cake!

It made us sad to leave them yesterday.  We all were wishing we lived closer so the kids could grow up together and we could all hang out more.  Maybe one day?

The last time Eli flew on a plane he was 6 months old.  He did fabulous back then!  I was a little worried how he would do this time.  Planes are loud and kinda scary if you don't know what to expect.  He's pretty scared of anything loud so I tried to prepare him.  Well he wasn't scared a bit but he was very excited!  He was interested in pushing every button and wanted nothing to do with sitting in his seat and fastening the seatbelt.  The trip there wasn't the best and we were so glad to finally be off the plane.  He had quite a few breakdowns and fits.  One particular older woman was obviously bothered by the way Eli was acting... huffing, shaking her head and rolling her eyes.  Chad wanted so badly to say something to her but I wouldn't let him.  Who cares if she's annoyed?!  She will get over it!  Hey lady!  HE'S TWO!!!!!

Here are a couple of pictures from the plane ride there.

What a set up?!  He wasn't impressed though.

The Hartford, CT airport has the neatest interactive wall ever!  Eli thoroughly enjoyed it!  It's an ad for Traveler's Insurance (which is a great company and who we use by the way!).  I should have gotten paid for that.  Anyway, the red umbrellas are projected on the wall.  As you walk by and hit at them the little tiny umbrellas scatter and move around!  I think Eli could have stayed here all day!

Now on to the fun pictures of the kids!

The boys hard at work at the tool bench.

Showing Chad how it works

I think the boys could have done this all day!  They loved jumping from the ottaman to the couch.

Cousin love :)

Imagine a high-pitched squeal coming from his mouth

Funny faces!

Two little booties up in the air.  We saw this view a lot!

Eli and Lily swinging at the park

Enjoying lunch and a book after a fun time at the park

One of the cutest girls ever, Lily!  Don't you love those pigtails?!

 Can you see Lily trying to be in the picture!  Poor Lily, I almost cut her out!

Having fun in the car

We went to a really neat park on the beach.  They had the coolest sand digging toys!  Eli wasn't quite big enough but he still loved them!

Who doesn't love a see saw?!

Picnic in the kitchen!

Remember that yummy cake I told you about?  This is it!  Such a terrible picture I took.  Sue took much better pictures.  Maybe I will steal one later and show you again.  That cake is worth blogging about again!  Eli enjoyed it!

Of course we had to put them all in the tub and take pictures!  What kind of parents would we be without taking the naked tub pictures?

I have to say, they are some of the funniest pictures from the weekend.  I still laugh when I look at them!  We have some funny kids for sure!

Poor Lily was such a sport!  She got water dumped on her head multiple times!  Love that cute little face!

Sunday was Father's Day (as I'm sure everyone reading this was aware of).  Brian and Chad spent the day fishing and having some brotherly time together.  Eli was so excited when we met them at the boat after they got back.

Afterwards we went to eat dinner at a little place and I can't remember the name of it.  Chad and I were wanting to have a lobster roll.  If you've never experienced a lobster roll I'm sorry.  It's so yummy!  Think steamed lobster drenched in butter and piled high on a buttery roll.  Is your mouth watering yet?  Mine is just from typing that!  They are so yummy!  I took a picture of it and uploaded it to blogger but for some reason it's sideways.  I'm too tired to figure out how to fix it.  You get the point though, right?

We were really dreading the plane ride home because of how Eli acted on the way there.  I have to say, he was much better on the way back.  Yes, he had his moments of crying and screaming but not near as many as the trip up!  We bribed him with Sprite and ice.  At this point I would have given him pretty much anything to keep him quiet!

Getting a little roudy!

Benadryl worked wonders too :)  He fell asleep sitting up and looking out of the window as we were landing in Atlanta.  Why couldn't he have fallen asleep when the plane was taking off?

We will definitely have to make a trip up to CT more often than once every couple of years!  The kids have a great time together and we have a wonderful time hanging out with Brian and Sue!  Hopefully we will see them again soon!

Eli's First Dentist Visit

I've been putting off Eli's first dentist visit because I knew it would be horrible.  His pediatrician told us to start taking him to the dentist at his 2 year well check.  I told him he was crazy and there's no way Eli would let them look at his teeth much less clean them! 

There's this really cool pediatric dental group in our area and I've heard people rave about how great they are with the kids.  So I gave in and made him an appointment.  They were booking into August for new patients but happen to have a cancellation and could get him in the next day!  I decided to do it!

I probably should have listened to my instinct and waited until he was a little older.  It went exactly as I predicted!  The only pictures I was able to get was in the waiting room before being called back.  After that I was fighting him and holding him down!  He didn't want his xrays taken and refused to lay down to let them LOOK at his teeth.  It took two of us to hold him down for the dentist to look in his mouth.  Eli just wasn't buying all the cute kid things they had to take his mind off being there!  And to make things worse.... he still has 4 molars left to come in!

It can only get better from here, right? 



Eli pointing out Nemo and Dory

Eli refusing to look at the camera.  I wish I would have taken more pictures of the office.  They really out did themselves decorating this office!  It's awesome!  Video games, movies, games in the waiting area.  TVs above the dental chairs with headphones and cool sunglasses to wear.  Eli didn't want any part of the movies, headphones and glasses.

He did get a good check up though!  He's officially in the "Cavity free club"!

Yay!  Way to go Eli!

White Water

A couple of weekends ago we went to White Water in Branson.  The weather was perfect...... hot and sunny!  Chad's parents came up and went with us.  It was nice having Mimi and Papaw to help out with Eli.  Chad and I were actually able to ride some slides!  Eli had a GREAT time and has asked MANY times to go to the "lalow arc" (water park)!  I have a feeling we will be back as soon as we have a chance!

Eli was the perfect size for these slides in the kids area!  He went down all by himself and loved it!  Such a big boy!

All smiles!

Wanting to go again!

I was playing with my camera setting and have no clue what I did here.  It would have been a cute picture if it wasn't so bright!  I need to take a photography class to learn more about my camera.

What's a trip to the water park without an ice cream cone?

Love this face!

We were sharing this cone but he took it away and wouldn't give it back.  I will gladly give my ice cream to this face!

He finally got to the cone and discovered it's the best part!

Messy but yummy!

Washing off the ice cream mess



Eli The Artist

Eli's first time to watercolor paint!

He loved it!

First Trip to the Lake

Last weekend we finally got the boat out of storage for the first time this year!  We went to the lake maybe twice last summer because it was just too hard with Eli.  I think (or hope) we are able to go out more this year!  I think he's really going to enjoy it!

Rocking the sunglasses but refusing to smile :)

Checking out the water

The water's not too bad!