Friday, August 8, 2008



It's August already and summer is running out. We have had another busy week with the pool, playgroup, science museum, and a lot of time spent taking down wallpaper and painting. As of Tuesday it is GONE - yippeeeee! It's not one of those fun events but we took on several home projects lately and they have been hanging in the balance. Mike actually took today off and he is painting today. I feel bad that we aren't doing something fun. Landon has been so interested in helping and actually worked for longer than 30 minutes trying to scrape wallpaper. Ella asked him to come and play but he decided he "needed to work". We invited Ella to help as well but she thought dancing sounded better - who would blame her. She has lots of other ways to keep herself entertained. I do want to give a shout out to Nannie. She came down and did a lot of the work, Eli wasn't sure why his Nannie wasn't holding him the whole time but he did get some time to cuddle.

Eli is so mobile now!. He started crawling two Thursdays ago and hasn't stopped. He has a modified crawl where he keeps one leg tucked under but he sure is fast. He is also pulling up on everything so as soon as he crawls across the room he pulls up and tries to cruise somewhere else. The picture shows where he crawled under the table and then stood up. He had a hard time trying to get out without bumping his head but he sure was proud of himself. It is nice for him to have some independence but it definitely adds a new element to keeping up with all three of them.



Hope you all are not taking down wallpaper, sanding or painting right now!

Tuesday, July 29, 2008

It's hot out here! The heat wave has hit and the kids are melting. We are trying to find more and more things that we can do inside. We have had fun with lots of play dates and we are on our second week of Vacation Bible Schools. The kids are having a blast and learning lots. Getting back into a regular schedule has been hard for me but worth it. During the first week I was able to attend a parenting class led by someone whom I consider to be an absolutely great parent. It was educational and if only it handed out patience to go along with the parenting skills I would be on my way. We are trying out some new methods in hopes that by the time my kids are moving out that we don't send them straight into counseling to deal with how they were raised.

Landon's favorite after going to church everyday for 2 weeks would probably be learning and getting to play disc golf (frisbee golf) with his dad. We went with the intentions that both Landon and Ella would play with dad and enjoy the outing but Ella preferred riding in the stroller with Eli, picking up leaves, watching the clouds and talking to Danny. Landon had so much fun and ran every inch of the course. I really think Mike liked it too and it was a lot shorter and cheaper than real golf. I enjoyed being outdoors and watching us all have fun. After golf we strolled over to the playground for a bit before heading to the "Dairy-O" for some good eats.

Ella is growing fast and testing us all of the time. She right now is on a kick of always talking about what she is going to be when she grows up. For some time she has said she is going to be a butterfly and a princess, and the last couple of days she is a ghost and she will be a baby again. She tried to tell me today about when Daddy was a girl or would grow up to be a girl so we had some quick conversations on that topic and she dropped it (or at least she didn't talk to me about it after Bible school).

Eli is growing the fastest (so it seems) and is getting more and more mobile. He is cruising all of the furniture and scooting around on his bottom. His hair is getting so long that I am thinking I will have to get it cut soon. I wanted to wait until he turned a year old, but it is past his eyebrows now and very close to his eyes. He is talking all the time and now does this sweet thing where he sings himself to sleep in the car all of the time so you know exactly when he is falling asleep. It is the sweetest sound and I wish I could video tape it but I am always the one driving so that may be a little hazardous.

Here's a shout out to my little brother - congrats on the new job. I always think of you as my little little brother but you are now in your late twenties and the only "underwater welder" I know of. I am praying for you that things go well and that you enjoy your trade - I can't begin to imagine doing what you do.

Monday, July 13, 2008

We have had a fun week since my last post. After the 4th we headed to my nephew's birthday party before heading to VA for the night. The kids had a blast as usual and then Sunday the had even more fun. We met Delane, Amy, Jackson and Ben for a day at the river. The kids had a blast. Landon stayed in the water almost all day. Ella preferred to be in the water or should I say "above the water" in her Daddy's arms. Eli liked putting his feet in but it was a bit too cold for me let him stay in it. Mike got in on some of the action by taking a ride in Delane's kayak. I think the most amusing part must have been the pre-show in the kayak "skirt" and then Delane pushing him down the hill for the ride. Mike seemed very comfortable with the whole thing and didn't even tip over. We loved hanging out with our friends and wish we could do that more often. I would say that it was nice to enjoy some roasted marshmallows too.

The week has also been big for Eli's milestones. He cut his first two teeth; one on Sunday, July 6th and the other on Monday, July 7th. He kept biting on his tongue and lips since then. I think he is trying to figure out what these foreign bumpy things are in there. He is using them more and more for eating cheerios. He also started saying "ma ma ma ma" which has been a long time coming but it makes my heart fly. He mainly says it when he is mad but I will take it whenever! Just last week he also started cruising the furniture. He takes it really slowly but he is getting around. He is still really trying to crawl but prefers to stand and try to get around that way. AND then tonight he started waving. It is the cutest thing and if I can work it out I will have the video on here to show you. The interaction thrills Landon and Ella as they are always trying to make him laugh and get him to go places.

Last week we didn't go to the pool any due to the rain. It was much needed so we filled our time with playdates, a trip to the science museum, the library, and time at home. With all of this fun - the summer is passing by too quickly. In only month and a half we will be back to school and a schedule packed with places to be. I hope each of you are enjoying your summer and making the most of it.

Friday, July 4, 2008

Happy Independence Day! God bless America!

It has been a fun filled week for us and it just keeps going. As Landon said this week...."I think we must just be the fun family". We have been doing lots of kid friendly activities or at least what we would think would be kid friendly. We have had playgroup, Ella's big haircut, trips to the pool, night out at the baseball game complete with fireworks, a 4th of July neighborhood parade, family cookouts, and to top it all off they are out right now looking at fireworks. Eli and I are hanging at home as it is a bit late for him to be out and although most would think he could sleep through it, he doesn't like to be picked up and transferred during his sleep time. That in itself has caused him only to sleep for 40 minutes today and that's it. So he crashed out at 8:00 with his Nannie strolling him around and then his Pops rocking him.

Last night we tested out taking the kids to a late ballgame thinking that they would enjoy all of it but I don't think they watched even one play. Instead they were more interested in what kind of snacks everyone had, what activities there were and when would the fireworks start. Eli was closing down a little after 8 but did hold out to make it home by 8:45 for bed. The kids raved about it even though it was probably the most work a baseball game has ever been for Mike and I as spectators. I think we will hold out for a couple more seasons before we try that again.

This morning we went to a friend's neighborhood parade. They blocked off a street and let the kids decorate their bikes and ride up and down the street as much as they wanted to. Landon and Ella had a blast. I think Landon raced his big wheel about 100 times up and down and when everyone was done and going for refreshments Landon was still at it. Ella had given up and was "sirsty" so we had to talk Landon into stopping for a while, he was not happy about that even though it was 90 degrees and he was sweating like we were in the rainforest. After the first sip of water he was ready to go back out to the road to ride some more. From there we headed back home for a quick change then off to the pool for festivities. The kids enjoyed the water and Ella and Eli were completely worn out by 3:00. I took Ella and Eli home and Ella fell asleep quickly and Eli woke up after we got home and I tried to put dry clothes on him. He decided the 15 minutes was plenty of rest for him so he stayed up and amused us with all of his attempts at crawling. At 5:00 lots of family came by and we cooked out and played until it was time for fireworks.

I think by next post I will have a little boy with 2 teeth. They are so close to popping through that I just can't stand it. He isn't miserable but he is putting everything in his mouth. Soon enough he is going to be eating everything, he will be mobile and he is already so big that I can't say that I have a baby baby any longer. It makes me a bit sad even though I am thrilled at how well he is growing, I will miss the wee baby stage. I am not saying that I would venture into babyhood again but there is something about holding a little tiny baby sleeping in your arms that takes away all the craziness around you and makes everything peaceful even if for just a moment. OK enough of the sappiness.

I took Ella to get her hair cut off this week. She had gotten to a stage where she just wouldn't let me brush it or fix it. She has never been fond of it but lately I would have to hold her with one hand and brush with the other or she would run away. She would rather be in time out than have her hair brushed. Soooo.........Mike and I agreed that it needed to be cut. I loaded up Landon, Ella and Eli and headed to a quick haircut place. She was very much looking forward to a lollipop and balloon but wasn't much for sitting still for them to cut her hair. She stayed still for maybe a second during the whole process and one side being a little shorter was the price. At first I was a bit overwhelmed by the cut and missed her long hair, until I touched it and she let me!!!! Now, I don't miss it and she never seemed to even be phased by the cut. No big deal for her to lose 6 inches of hair - another great part about being a kid - you just don't worry about stuff like that. I think it is cute as a button and a LOT easier. Hope you enjoy the pictures.

To close for the day, I just want to say that I know my posts are a bit random, but now you have a small window into my mind and how it works or better yet - how it doesn't work:-)

Friday, June 27, 2008

I had written up a post earlier this week but lost it somewhere. That is about par for the course this week as it has been an up and down rollercoaster. We had a great weekend last weekend. Mike made it back into town on Friday evening after being on a business trip to Atlanta since Wednesday. The kids were very excited to see him and sat with him the entire night. We had pizza and movie night and I don't think they moved from his lap except to eat a little popcorn. The rest of the weekend was filled with visits from friends and family. Landon had a slight episode of vomitting on Sunday afternoon but we figured it was just something he ate because he was fine without complaint of any other symptom and no fever. My dad came in for the night and we enjoyed dinner and cake for his birthday.

Monday showed up with VBS for Landon and he enjoyed going back to his "preschool" and seeing many of his friends. Ella headed to the allergist to have a follow up since we found out she is allergic to peanuts several years ago. That was a tough hour and a half. She wanted nothing to do with them running a prick test on her back, she wanted to scratch it the entire 15 minutes as I held a "very tired" Eli and her hands at the same time to keep her from touching her back. I was freaking out because they said if she scratched then we would have to repeat the test - which was basically like saying you are going to have to eat a bowl full of maynnaise (my worst food enemy) and if you drop one teeny teeny little bit on the floor then you will have to eat another bowl. So we struggled through the 15 minutes and then she spit out both tries of giving her an antihistamine that would stop the itchiness. Eli still fussing to go to sleep and I was trying to hear what the doctor was saying about everything she was allergic to. I think what he said was that she is allergic to Oak, Maple, tree mites(sounds weird to me - is there such a thing), eggs, dogs, cats and the peanuts showed very little reaction (praise) but "tree nuts" showed a huge reaction. Due to this they want to take a couple of viles of blood to do some further testing but not necessarily today. Think about allergy shots and come back soon! Arghhhh! A bit overwhelming but we made it through.

Tuesday up and at them earlier than usual due to VBS but Landon is enjoying it. Eli, Ella and I make our way to playgroup and I am not feeling 100% but brush it off to needing more sleep. By noon when I am leaving playgroup to go get Landon I am feeling pretty bad. I call Mike to let him know that I am declining rapidly and really need some help. By the time he makes it home he finds me laying in the garage while Ella and Landon ride their big wheels around and Eli climbs on me for fun. I am nauseas and achy and cold (in 95 degree heat). I crawl into bed and Mike takes over. By 3:00 Mike is starting to feel bad and the kids are waking up from naps. I take my temperature and it is 103.8 and I am freaking out. Mike loads up all of the kids and me to go to the doctor where I wait for 30 minutes to be seen and Mike makes laps around the parking lot to keep the kids entertained. Finally they call me back and check everything all the while Mike is declining rapidly. They all end up in the waiting room (of course one had to go potty) and I hear them from whatever room I am laying down in waiting for some kind of instruction or medicine. I feel for Mike but can't speed up the process. Luckily I don't have west nile virus, salmonella, or rocky mountain spotted fever but just a stomach virus that seems to be going around. Not only did Mike and I catch it from Landon but back in Portland my dad was coming down at the exact same time with it. I am thankful that it wasn't as brutal on Landon as it was on us. By the time we make it home I can barely crawl back to bed and Mike is trying to pack up the kids so his wonderful brother Chuck and sister-in-law Caroline (our heroes) can keep our kids since we are in no way able to take care of them. By the time that all happens Mike comes crawling to bed at 6:30 with a fever, body aches and nausea. Around 1:00 AM I am feeling much better and am up and fixing chicken noodle soup to eat a couple of bites and return to bed. Mike was home the next day recovering most all day.

Wednesday I am up and at them to go and get the kids, weak because I hadn't eaten anything but a few bites of chicken soup in 24 hours but feeling good. Landon went to VBS and the rest of us stayed home and tried to regroup. Later I took Landon for his allergy shots which he is still taking like a champ. He watches each shot and even says he likes them. By the late afternoon I took all of the kids out to buy a sprinkler because I don't have the energy to go to the pool but the kids could use some outside cool entertainment and our yard sure could use some water. I bought what I thought was a cool sprinkler and it broke as we put it on the hose. Back to the standard old sprinkler which is probably where I should have started and Landon had a blast running around and fighting the water. Ella - not so much. I think the clicking of the sprinkler scared her or the speed at which it was coming out and hitting her in the face, not sure which. It was amazing the difference 12 hours can make.

Thursday - this getting up early thing hasn't been so bad, but I still don't mind when my kids choose to sleep until 9. After dropping Landon off (Ella has missed him and has wanted to go to VBS every day as well but luckily I have had things for her to do) we headed out to get Ella's blood drawn. I have been dreading this all week so after we find the place I just tell her that the doctor is going to giver her a pinch and then we will be done. Eli isn't as tired this morning but I forgot the stroller so I am carrying him everywhere. They call Ella back and she has to sit in the big chair and lay her arms out. They inform me that for small kids they usually have them sit in their mother's lap so I offer to set Eli in the floor (yuck - it is a doctor's office) but she refuses and says she doesn't want to sit in my lap. So then I try to keep her attention on me so she doesn't see the needle and blood but instead she insisted on watching them. They tied off one arm with no success of finding any veins so on to the next one. This one they think they have one worth trying. In goes the needle - Ella doesn't even make a sound but she watches intently. Her vein rolled and so they are digging around to try to find it. She says "ow" and then a fleeting expression of fear but not a sound. They hit oil - or blood - she watched as they filled 2 big viles full of her blood and not liking the sight of her blood coming out started to tell her how proud I was of her. I am so amazed at how well she did through this that I could just jump up and down. They put some purple guaze tape on her arm and then give her two stickers. By the time she is done she is loudly proclaiming how beautiful she is and how she is "decorated". As I strap her in the van she tells me "one day when you are a little girl like me mommy, then you can be decorated too". I can't wait! We wrapped up the morning with a trip to the grocery store where Ella got to have her own shopping cart and helped do everything from the picking out, putting in the basket, checking out, bagging and even loading in the van - what a helper. The evening was spent with friends and family.

Everyone out there, keep purel on hand and lots of lysol. I don't know where this bug started but I don't want it to come your way. Here's hoping everyone has a good weekend and stay healthy for a holiday week coming up. Pictures are from late last week and also little Eva Boyte celebrating her 1st birthday - we were thrilled to be a part of that special moment!

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

I hope everyone had a happy father's day last weekend. I have to say that my kids have such a wonderful father and they truly can't wait to see him everyday when he arrives home from work. They love to tackle, climb on, tickle, play video games with, read books with, sing songs with and just talk with their dad. Thanks for being such a good Dad Mike! Due to a busy schedule and an alarm clock that didn't go off we rushed through the beginning of the day so no breakfast or even coffee made for dad. We celebrated with presents in the van on the way to Stuart and a lunch out with friends at a restaurant that was second choice because the first choice was much too busy. Later in the day we visited with Nannie and Pops. I sadly don't have any pictures of Mike with the kids that day but will get one from some friends who took one while we were out to eat.

The week has been good with some cooler temps, fun time at the playground and with Nannie. Today the kids were playing outside in the nice weather and I heard Ella start to cry. This (picture) is what I found, and when I questioned them Landon fully admitted to putting dirt ALL over Ella but didn't seem to see what the problem with that was. I took about 20 wipes to them both and then just put Ella straight into the bathtub. Landon had a timeout and then helped to clean the tub as there was enough dirt in there to plant some pumpkins. I am still trying to understand why Landon would dump dirt on his sister in the amount that he did. Even larger is my lack of understanding of why Ella would sit there and let him dump dirt on her. When I asked him why he did it he said that Ella tried to put some dirt on him and with investigation he couldn't say that she actually put any dirt on him but that she was "going to". I guess kids will just be kids and I am sure my brother and I did some things just as crazy.

Here's to more craziness each day! Hoping for a little less dirt though!

Friday, June 13, 2008

Well what Landon thought was a bad surprise tonight ended up being a lot of fun. We made our way to their first Ringling Brothers circus. Landon has only been to one little traveling circus deal and they had one clown, however, he couldn't stand it. He was very fearful tonight that he wouldn't like the clowns but luckily the clowns weren't the regular full face painted kind and he actually liked them. Ella and Eli had a blast seeing all of the lights and "bigness" of everything. Ella's favorite was the two men that ran around in the circles. It has been many years since I had been to the circus but it brought back many memories of trips to Ringling Brothers and the delight of all of the activity, lights and fancy costumes. I have definitely come to an appreciation of my grandmother always packing candy and popcorn in her purse and trying to keep me from asking to buy something there. After just eating dinner Landon seemed to be starving for popcorn as they paraded the isles with toys, cotton candy, lemonade and popcorn. He couldn't understand why it wasn't a great idea to buy a bag of popcorn for $6.00 instead of eating the fun chocolate teddy grahams mom packed. After the show started that desire seemed to fade and he began cheering, standing up hollering, and clapping his hands above his hands. Ella was content to take it all in from her Daddy's lap and Eli preferred to wave his arms and squeal really really loud in delight. Guess we will be planning more trips to the circus as they come to town.

Earlier this week we also visited the zoo. Landon remembered the trip last year but Ella didn't. I certainly remembered it as I pushed both of them around in the heat while I was 5 months pregnant. We only had time to see one side of the zoo but it was plenty to get the kids excited. Landon was just as excited to see fake tracks imprinted into the cement walkways and Ella to bring home the feather of a Canadian goose that visited our picnic along with 20 - 60 others. Favorites that day were the pink flamingos!

Eli was a little under the weather this week with a 24 hour virus but seems to have perked back up quickly. He is finding more food each day that he can eat without having any teeth and I am a lot more relaxed in trying things than I was with either Landon or Ella. So far if he can express his favorites it would be yogurt and muffins.

Pictures tonight are some random shots taken throughout May. With only 2 posts I couldn't fit them all in so I am including them now. Hope to see you soon and don't be surprised if we ask you what your favorite color, food, activity or just about anything is.