New outfit

Daddy bought Eli this new Nike outfit. He was so exicited to put him in it. Doesn't he look cute? He's so grown up!

Busy Easter Day

We had a very busy Easter day! We spent the afternoon with Daddy's family. Grandma made a yummy Easter lunch, then Eli got to open his Easter basket. He especially liked the car toothbrush and the car book. (If you can't tell, he's REALLY into cars right now). Eli enjoyed playing with his uncles and playing with the Matchbox cars.

That evening we spent time with Mommy's family. We went to Aunt Keli & Uncle Pablo's house. Eli and his cousins had an Easter egg hunt.....Eli and Vincent were not into it at all. Next, the older boys had a scavenger hunt. We had a delicious Easter dinner, then all the boys opened Easter gifts from Grandpa and Grandma. Eli really liked the Bob the Builder video! (He's REALLY into Bob right now, too).

We got home kind of late that evening and had such a busy day, so Eli had to wait and open his Easter basket from us the next day. It was nice to get to spend time with our families on this special day. Thank you for your thoughtfulness.

Birthday Fun with Friends

Saturday was my birthday.....we won't say how old I am now. Grandma watched Eli overnight for us so we could go out. Scott took me to one of my favorite restaurants, Stirred, for sushi and martinis. Yum! We then went to Mishawaka to meet up with Kidders and another couple, Mike and Lauren. We went to the Pheonix to watch the band Red Alert. We had such a great time dancing and hanging out with friends! It was a fun night!

What a day!!!

We had a very exciting, yet stressful day yesterday. I was so happy because Keli and the boys were coming over to spend the day with Eli and me. Leo and Diego had fun playing the WII while Vincent and Eli played with all the toys. Marcel is getting so big! Basically he just ate and slept. Eli began to get fussy, so I put him down for a nap. We had lunch, then decided to go outside so we wouldn't disturb Eli, and it was such a beautiful day! Think it got to 50 degrees! We were having a nice time talking and playing outside when the neighbor's dog got out of their fence and came over to our house. It was outside our fence, but it was antagonizing our dogs. I even tried to shoo the dog away, but it wouldn't leave my dogs alone. After about 30 minutes of this excitement our dog, Riley, had a seizure!!! Keli and the boys decided to leave so I could call the vet immediately. Grandma came over to watch Eli and we were off to the vet. Both the dogs are okay, but we've got to watch Riley in case she has another one, and Murphy is limping from the day's activities. Poor babies! What a day!

Michael Jordan #2

This week we purchased Eli a basketball hoop. Daddy was so excited to give it to him. Eli loved it! We set it at 3 feet so Eli could dunk. I think we have a basketball player in our future!

Play time with Taryn

On Monday, Eli and I had the opportunity to visit my friend, Erin, and her daughter, Taryn. (Erin and I were good high school friends, then actually lived together for a year after college. Erin married another one of my closest friends, Phil. They just moved to Goshen because Phil is now the Assist. Principal at Northridge High School.) Taryn and Eli played while Mommy and Erin got to catch-up. Eli loved riding in Taryn's car and sliding down the slide. They had lots of fun together, and we can't wait to spend more time with them again.

Ft. Lauderdale Trip

Scott had a boat show to go to in Miami, so we decided to make a vacation out of it. We left on Wed. the 13th and stayed in Ft. Lauderdale through Monday the 18th. Both of Eli's uncles, Casey and Shawn, were able to join us. Eli loved getting to spend time with them! We had a wonderful time playing in the pool, seeing all the sights, and eating delicious food. Yum! Eli's favorite was definitely the pool. He just can't get enough of playing in the water. It was SO hard to return from 80 degree weather to the freezing temperatures of Elkhart. Hope Spring comes soon!

Independence!!!

Well, it has been an interesting couple of weeks. Eli has decided that he wants his independence and he is no longer a baby. Oh, this is SO hard for Mommy to deal with. He no longer wants to take naps, drink from a bottle (which actually was a plus), or let Mommy rock him before bed. When he doesn't get his way, we've been dealing with hitting and head-butting. It's been a real challenge before naps. It's been really hard, but I've had to learn to just let him cry, which usually does end up in him falling asleep. Our little boy is growing up!

Favorite Packers Fan

It was a rough weekend here because Eli has been sick. Poor little boy has been coughing, congested, had fevers, and has even gotten sick a few times. Seems like he just got over a cold. Don't think the weird weather changes help either. Plus, he's teething again...don't know if that has anything to do with it.

Well, Scott got to go to the Packers vs. Seahawks game this weekend. He went with his friend, Nate, who is a BIG Packers fan. We, of course, are Bears and Colts fans, but Scott was still excited to get to go. Mommy and Eli spent some time with Grandpa and Grandma Joey. They left for a 5 week trip to Florida on Saturday. Lucky! We will miss them!

On Saturday we stayed in. Eli really wasn't feeling well, so Grandma came over to help me for a little bit. She held Eli as he slept.....precious. Saturday night was really rough. Eli struggled going to sleep. He was coughing a lot. Mommy had Eli in bed with her for awhile, then finally was able to get him to sleep in his own bed around midnight.

Today Eli seems to be a little better. He took a good nap and hasn't been coughing as much. Scott is home now to help, too. Eli is happy to have his Daddy home, as is Mommy.

Happy Holidays!

Sorry it's been so long since we've posted. We've been so busy with family and friends over the holidays.

We had such a wonderful Christmas! On Christmas morning Eli actually slept in. Daddy and I finished wrapping gifts and put together Eli's Christmas gifts so he could play with them when he woke up. He loved playing with his new toys! We then got ready and went to Grandma and Paw Paw's for lunch and presents. Grandma made a huge meal for everyone, and then we headed to the living room to open the gifts. Eli had a blast opening the gifts and playing with the toys. He sure got spoiled!

The next day we had Christmas with Mommy's family. We headed over the Grandpa and Grandma Joey's house for lunch and gifts. We had another yummy meal and Eli played with his cousins. Eli even got to meet his new cousin, Marcel, for the first time. We then headed to the basement to open all the gifts. Grandma Joey has been working the past year and a half on a quilt for Mommy and Daddy which turned out beautiful. She's so talented. She then surprised us with a quilt she made for Eli, too. Eli again got spoiled with gifts!

We had such a wonderful holiday! It was fun watching Eli enjoy the holiday this year since last year he was too young.

Our New Year this year was low key. Uncle Casey came over and watched Eli so Daddy and Mommy could go out to a nice dinner. We then came home and spent the evening relaxing. Eli was in bed by 9:00, and Mommy and Daddy rang in the new year watching all the snow fall.

Hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season!