Branching Out

Eli seems to be broadening his taste for toys that go in his mouth. So long circles...bring on the squares!

Christmas Snow!

While we were in Virginia visiting family, there was an awesome storm that dumped almost 15 inches of snow beginning Christmas night. This was the first significant snowfall we'd experienced since Eli's 1st time last January at 4-months-old. (Yes, that was the snow that he absolutely hated, as seen in the video I posted last year.) Now that he was a little older, Eli seemed to like snow a little more. We didn't have any boots for him, so plastic baggies wrapped around his shoes with rubber bands were the next best thing.

At first, Eli was really curious about the white stuff on the ground. Mark put him down but the snow was so deep that he couldn't really move. That ended Eli's desire to walk in the snow!




It was also really cold, windy, and still snowing when we took him out, so Eli's desire to be outside didn't last very long. We attempted to "sled" along the streets but poor Eli's pants kept hiking up and snow got into every piece of his clothing. Ultimately, he ended up being most happy sitting on Daddy's shoulders, safe from the cold and wet snow. Go figure! Nevertheless, memories were made and we had fun in Eli's first Christmas snow!

Our frozen Banana!

Christmas Day Fun!

Christmas Day was very busy for us. We spent Christmas morning and most of the day with Mark's family. Eli was definitely a lot more interested in everything this year, but I was surprised that he didn't get into opening presents a little more. I'm sure that will change in the years to come!

Getting ready to open his presents from Santa!




Mark and I gave Eli his first set of Duplo Legos. They were a big hit!



Opening his stocking with Daddy. Eli was all about eating the food he found inside!



Yummy brunch!




Eli was obsessed with these little flashlights the entire time we were visiting with Mark's family. So random!



Reading with GG


Tried to get a good pic with my boy...so hard these days...but I still think he's pretty darn cute!


"Like my new Lego, Mom?"


Hanging with Grandpa


Getting into trouble with Aunt Margaret



That evening, we made the short drive to spend some time with my parents and extended family for gifts and desserts. Since Eli was the youngest child there, he had to blow out the candle on Jesus's Birthday Cake. We've had this tradition forever, so it was kind of wild to me to realize that it was my son's turn to do it!



So blessed to have these two wonderful women in my life!



We ended up driving back to Mark's parent's house in the snow that evening and finally had our very own White Christmas! (More on that to come soon!)

Our Little Nut

Eli has developed quite the personality over the last couple months and he always seems to be doing something silly. Mark and I are quite entertained these days and we are loving this stage. I'll let the pictures do the talking...







Love our little family!

30 years...

Where has the time gone? We celebrated my 30th birthday back on December 7th and it was definitely made extra-special by my sweet husband. We didn't do too much on the actual day, except Mark did make me a delicious dinner from scratch. Since I'm still able to stay at home with Eli, I'm the one who usually cooks, so the break from cooking was awesome! Eli joined us for dinner and cake too!





Mark also ordered me a yummy cake, which I was so excited about. Buttercream icing is a definite vice of mine! However, my excitement soon turned to sadness, when Mark decided to cover the cake with 30 trick candles (which I've hated since I was a little girl) and they proceeded to melt all over my precious icing. We managed to salvage some of the cake, but it was a definite mess!

Before


During



After


Once we extiguished the cake, Mark gave me an envelope filled with sheets of paper documenting my itinerary for the next day. He set up my first ever spa day, a romantic dinner at Melting Pot, and front row seats to a local production of "A Christmas Carol" in Raleigh. I was blown away by the surprises he had set up just for me!

Wednesday turned out to be very relaxing and I enjoyed my day "off." My most favorite part was how much time Mark and I got to spend together, just the two of us. That is such a rare thing these days, so I was soaking up every minute of our time together. Looks like my 30's are going to be even better than my 20's!

Thanksgiving Festivities

Last month, we packed-up and headed to Virginia to spend Thanksgiving with our families. We left a little earlier in the week so we could hang-out with Eli's Uncle Ben (Mark's brother), who was only in town for a few days before Thanksgiving and unable to make it back to VA for Christmas. On Tuesday, we spent the day in Smithfield with Mark's family and Grandmother to eat our 1st of 2 Thanksgiving dinners. Eli loved eating a little bit of everything we were eating. No surprise there!

Sunset on the James River down the road from Mark's parent's house.




On Wednesday, Mark hung out some more with his family and Eli and I ran errands with Grandma (my mom). One of the errands was to Mom's storage unit to pick-up a huge stuffed Clifford she had packed-up with her lower-grade stuff. (Eli is currently OBSESSED with Clifford...he loves to watch it on PBS kids.) When mom handed him the Clifford he was so excited! It even barks when you press its paw, which makes him giggle. Since that day, Eli and Clifford have been the best of friends and you can find Eli cuddling with him on a regular basis. It's so sweet!



Thursday was an early start for me, as I was signed-up to run a 5K for Toys for Tots with my older brother Rick and younger sister Erin. It was VERY cold that morning but we had fun. What made it even better was seeing all of the rest of my family cheering for us at the finish-line. We just may have started a new family tradition!

Eli waiting for Mommy, Uncle Rick, and Aunt Erin!





Thankfully, the race ended early enough that we were able to get home just in time to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade. Eli caught the beginning of it but quickly let us know that he was ready for his morning nap.

That evening, we ate our 2nd Thanksgiving meal with my family. It was so nice to catch up with everyone and Eli loved begging for all of the food off of his Great-Grandma's plate! (And you know she gave it to him too!)

On Friday, the girls went off to do some shopping for the day while the guys watched the kiddos. Mark took Eli to the Virginia Living Museum for the first time and they had a blast. Eli loved getting to hang-out with his cousins and Granddaddy too!

Psyched to go to the Living Museum! Mark texted me this picture while I was shopping and my heart just melted!



Look, Dad! I found animal tracks!




Excited about his new Otter Magnet from the gift store...he loves magnets! (His daddy also helped him pick a dinosaur that grows in water too)



Cousins Pic!



The rest of the weekend was pretty low-key, which was nice. We headed back home Sunday evening and were so thankful to miss most of the traffic. Eli and I loved hanging out with Mark for the week and can't wait for him to be off for Christmas and New Years!

Dedication

Last Sunday (the 14th), Mark and I were finally able to dedicate Eli in front of our church congregation. Both sets of parents, Mark's sister, and his grandmother were able to join us for this special day too. Eli was pretty well behaved, for a 14-month-old who had to wait about 30 minutes before the dedication "ceremony" took place. He did try to grab the microphone to say a few words when Mark was introducing us, but that was it. We were so thankful to have the opportunity to publicly present our son to our church family and profess our desire to raise him in a Christian home. It was a very special day for our little family.

Eli attempting to say a few words to the congregation...



Wearing his special outfit from Grandma




Tried to get a family pic...someone was a little tired by this point



Checking things out...



Mark's Family



My Family