Dinner with the Krauses

Tonight we met Andy, Laura & Drew Krause at El Maguey for dinner. They had never been there before, so they were in for a yummy treat. Sunday was Laura's birthday, so we surprised her with the waiters singing "Happy Birthday" and ice cream. Laura was so surprised! She had to wear a sombrero while they sang. Laura let Eli wear the hat, too. Drew also entertained us with his singing of "Life is a Highway", "ABC Song", and " Glorious". Very impressive! We had such a nice evening with our friends. Happy Birthday, Laura!

The Day After Christmas

We met Grandpa & Grandma Joey at Mayberry for breakfast/brunch. The roads were complete ice! We then came back to our house so Grandpa & Grandma Joey could give Eli his Christmas gift...a train table!!! Daddy and Grandpa put the table together while Eli and Grandma Joey played. The men got the table done just in time for Eli to have a little play time before his nap. It was really hard to get him away from the table...had a few melt downs.

After Eli's nap, we headed to Keli & Pablo's house to have our family Christmas. We had a really nice dinner, then opened presents. Keli's boys and Eli had such a great time opening presents and playing with toys. It was so nice to spend time with everyone!

It's Christmas!!!

We had a nice and relaxing Christmas. Eli actually slept in (probably due to going to sleep around 11:00 PM Christmas Eve). When he saw his presents he was so excited...he just said "Wow!" over and over. Eli opened all his gifts, then he had some play time. Scott then made us a yummy Christmas breakfast/brunch.

After his nap, Eli went over to Grandma's house while Scott and I went out for a Chinese dinner and a movie. We saw Marley & Me...loved it! Lots of laughs and lots of tears! (Think I even saw Scott wiping his eyes.) We had such a wonderful Christmas day!

Christmas Eve

On Christmas Eve we went over to PawPaw & Grandma's house. After we ate, Santa came for a visit! Eli was SO excited...he could barely speak! Santa passed out gifts to all, then Eli sat on his lap and told him what he wanted for Christmas, "more cars." After Santa left we opened our gifts from PawPaw & Grandma and Uncle Shawn & Uncle Casey. Eli had such a great time opening gifts. His expressions were hilarious, and after every gift he'd say, "that's a good one." So cute!

When we got home, Eli got to open one gift from his stocking. Then, we left out cookies and milk for Santa. Also, we left an apple and a carrot for Santa's reindeer. Eli was so excited for Santa to come, he didn't want to go to sleep. It was a great Christmas Eve!!!

Night Time Snowy Fun

Last night, it was snowing really hard...I think we got at least 5 inches! Uncle Shawn came over to eat dinner with us. After dinner, Scott went out to snowblow the driveway and Uncle Shawn and Eli went outside to sled. Eli loved it! Shawn pulled Eli all over the slick driveway. Eli was really interested in the snowblower and Scott even allowed him to push it (with Daddy's help). After the snowy fun, everyone came in for some of Mommy's hot chocolate. Yummy!

Our Little Artist

Eli has been really sick this week, so we've been trying to do calm activities. Tonight we got out his new markers and paper. I LOVE these markers! We bought the Mess-Free Color Wonder Markers made by Crayola. It's so nice that he can color on the special paper without making a mess on him or anywhere else. Eli really enjoyed coloring with them, too. He was so proud of the pictures he made. I think we have a little artist on our hands!

Eli Goes to the Library

Today was Eli's first visit to the Dunlap Library. He loved being able to walk around and look at all the books. We ended up checking out 5 books and 2 DVDs. Eli watched "Sesame Street All-Star Alphabet" when we got home, and this weekend we're hoping to watch the other video, "Alvin & the Chipmunks". The library was an enjoyable experience for Eli and I'm hoping to return about once a week.

Playdate with the Good's

Today, Eli & I went over to Lindsay and Cole's house to play. Eli and Cole had lots of fun playing with trains, cars, blocks, etc. It was also nice for the mommy's to get some time to chat. Eli had such a fun time that he didn't want to leave. The whole way home he cried, "Come back to Cole's house." We'll definitely need to get together again soon! Thanks Lindsay & Cole!

Putting Up the Christmas Tree

Tonight we put up our Christmas tree. Eli liked going through our Christmas decorations, but he wasn't too into helping. I loved putting all the new ornaments that had belonged to my Mother on our tree. She had the coolest Santa ornaments. I started collecting Santa's last year, so our tree is now full of very unique Santa ornaments. I love it! We still need a tree topper. I haven't found one yet that I really like, so I'll just have to keep looking. Now that the tree is up and we have all this snow, it's really starting to feel like Christmas!

Thanksgiving with the Blues

This year we had the treat of my aunt & uncle, David & Dana Blue, visiting us during the Thanksgiving holiday. We went to Grandpa & Grandma Joey's house for a wonderful lunch. Eli and his cousins loved playing with all the toys while the adults enjoyed their meal. After lunch, the boys loved playing with Uncle David, jumping all over him and then getting thrown off. Then, the men headed downstairs to play Wii while the ladies talked and went through my Mother's Christmas ornaments. We had such an enjoyable evening together. We were so thankful to spend the time with David & Dana. We love you!

Snowy Day

Eli and Mommy got to play outside in the snow today. After bundling all up we headed out into the snowy weather. We tried the sled, but the snow was just too soft. We tried to build a snowman, but the snow wouldn't stick. Eli enjoyed just walking around in the snow, but wasn't too thrilled with sitting or laying in it. He loved picking up snow and trying to throw it at the dogs. After his mitten fell off he about had enough, so we decided to head inside for some hot chocolate. Yum! With all this snow we're getting this week, I'm sure we'll head out again soon.

The Wheels on the Bus...

Eli had fun playing with Drew on Wednesday. Eli and Drew played with cars, trains, and loved playing with these two school busses. They loved driving them around the coffee table while singing "The Wheels on the Bus Go 'Round and 'Round". Drew's Mommy, Laura, and I had a nice time chatting while the boys were playing. We also got to stay for lunch. Eli had a hard time leaving. After a major melt down we finally were able to get into the car. Eli liked the idea that we will get to come back sometime soon.

Third Day Concert

On Sunday night Scott & I had a fun evening out in South Bend. We started the evening with a yummy dinner at The Vine with my family to celebrate Scott's birthday. Delicious! Then, we headed over to the Morris Civic Theater to see Third Day. First, a band called Revive started the show. They were some younger guys from Australia. It was a very good group. They kind of reminded me of the Jonas Brothers of Christian Rock. Next, the band Needtobreathe came on. They were awesome! I had only heard one of their songs on the radio, but I liked everything they performed. Scott really enjoyed them, too. He downloaded their CD as soon as we got home. Third Day then came out on stage close to 9:00. They were amazing! I love the lead singer's voice...very unique. It was such a fun night. Didn't get home until close to midnight, but it was well worth it.

The video below is Needtobreathe. This is the video of their song "Signature of Divine (Yahweh)".

Our Little Notre Dame Fan

I think these pictures say it all!

Eli at Age 2

Happy Halloween....ROAR!

Eli had so much fun trick-or-treating this year. It was his first real experience. Eli got to be a lion...ROAR! Our friends, Andy & Laura Krause joined us with their son, Drew, who was a monkey. Drew and Eli are best buds! They were so cute going up to the houses to get candy. They usually had to be reminded to say "trick-or-treat" and "thank you." After about an hour of this we went to MeeMaw & Paw Paw's house. MeeMaw had little Halloween gift bags for each of the boys. She also had lots of food to eat. They boys played cars and legos while the adults munched on goodies. To end our evening, we then went to Grandpa & Grandma Joey's house for our last trick-or-treat stop. Eli really enjoyed the night, but I think that he forgot he got lots of candy...has never asked for it. Mommy & Daddy sure haven't forgotten...Yum!

Happy Birthday Uncle Casey!

Thursday was Uncle Casey's birthday. We went to Michael's for an Italian dinner, then returned to our house for yummy strawberry pie made by Grandma. After pie we carved more pumpkins. Eli had lots of fun putting the pieces back into the eyes, nose and mouth after we carved them out. When we were done with the carving we took the pumpkins outside to light the candles. They looked so pretty. It was another fun family night.