Special Delivery(s)

For Father's Day, I signed Matt up for a "Beer of the Month" club. It is a bit pricey, but I have been looking at it for a long time...decided to bite the bullet... and JUST DO IT! And if you know Matt at all, you realize how perfect this gift really is.

Well, today, the first shipment arrived with 12 yummy beers....3 bottles of 4 different beers from two domestic microbreweries. He (actually, we) were VERY EXCITED and split a Brooklyn Pilsner over dinner.

And as you can see, Eli also got a present in the mail today. Eli LOVES babies! He loves real ones and baby dolls. After shedding tears this last week when he had to leave dolls behind at stores and the doctor's office, we decided Eli should have a little, neutral, baby boy of his very own.

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Eli is so sweet to his baby. He pats him, kisses him, hums our lullaby to him, puts him to bed, and, oh yeah, throws him. Poor baby! Eli sometimes thinks he's a "ball." (Eli knows he is only allowed to throw balls, so he'll call other toys a ball after he throws them, hoping to not have to be sent to "time out.") When asked the baby's name, he replied, "Eli!"

Here's to our little nurturer...
_____and our tasty new beers...

CHEERS!!

OUCH!

Eli's latest boo-boo!

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Matt is starting to wonder if Eli likes his boo-boos a little too much. What do you think?

...and it is not as bad as it looks. He was trying to step up onto our patio (at the corner) after swimming in our little pool and lost his balance. He cried for about 2 seconds until I checked him out. He's one tough cookie.
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Approval Rating

Man oh man...all kinds of things have been going on since we last posted.

Eli had his 18 month doctor visit late last week. He has really hit a growth spurt these last few months. He is coming in average in both height and weight. This is a big jump on the growth chart for our previously *short* little man. His noggin is still extra big for his extra big brain! :) I always come away from our appointments feeling like my child is a genius. All of the nurses (and the doctor) tell us how advanced he is and how great he is doing. I am always so proud. Then, Eli had to go and show-off when it came time for his one shot. He did not even FLINCH! No tears, no whimper, nothing! What a stud!!!

Eli has also been enjoying his music classes. We sing, do movement, play instruments, cuddle and more. We had our third class this week, and he has really started to get more involved. We like the small group, and he's *usually* so sweet to the friends he's making in the group. Mama's making friends too! :)

I am proud of me and Matt...we hired a babysitter Saturday night! :) Although we only took baby steps into the world of "going out." Eli was bathed and in bed before the babysitter even got there! We'll work our way up to actually leaving him *awake* with a sitter in the evenings. We had fun celebrating Travis's birthday with him. We enjoyed a nice dinner with friends and some live music on the patio. Eli, as expected, slept through it all and never knew we were gone! We'll have to try that again soon...it was well worth it!

It has been a quiet week so far, but a funny little story to share from this morning. Eli had just finished his blueberry waffle and was asking for more. When I asked him what he would like next, he quite clearly signed and said "ahp all" a.k.a. "apple". After some confusion as to whether or not he really wanted it, I brought it over to the table. I guess he was pleased with this because he said, "good Mama!" I laughed so hard. It is nice to know he approves of me!
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Park n' Pool

Eli and I are taking advantage of our days off this summer. We are making the most of them with adventures and outings as often as possible. Yesterday, we headed to the park to climb, slide, swing, see-saw, and run. We knew it was gonna be hot, so before we left, Mama filled the pool with water so it might be the "just right" temperature when we got home.

Success! After stripping down to his birthday suit, Eli cooled off and splashed in the pool.

Ahhhhh! What a great day!

And today, we have our first music class. We're looking forward to singing, dancing, and playing with new friends.

Silly Monkey!

Eli's toy of choice the past two days is the stroller. He wants Monkey buckled in and then pushes him around the house. I found our little monkey climbing up and over the tray to get in with his pal as you can see above. So silly! And when Monkey's done riding, Eli wants a turn. This morning, he adeptly pulled the stroller from its storage spot in the foyer and came to take my hand...dragging me over saying, "wok" (a.k.a. walk). I knew exactly where we were going, what he meant, and what he wanted.

Happy Father's Day!

Yup, the oh-so-original title says it all! It was a happy day!

We ended up back at the beach so we could celebrate the day with Grandpa too.

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Eli made sure to start it off with his Dada!

After the thunder and lightning subsided, we headed out to enjoy the sand and ocean.

Only once we got down there, it started sprinkling and Eli was winding down; ready for nap. We managed to get in a lot of playing after his nap and before we had to head home. The water was MUCH calmer and warmer than it was Memorial Day weekend. Just right for Eli to get in and splash around in the ocean, not just the surf. He once again, had a blast! A beach baby, for sure.

Eli spent time earlier in the week working hard to get his hand and footprints just right for Dada's present. (The grandfathers got ones similar.) He LOVED the way the paint felt on his hands and wanted to put hand prints everywhere!

Eli is lucky to have a Dada like his to play with, run with, walk with, dig with, swim with, cuddle with, sing with, dance with, be silly with. And I'm lucky to have a husband who does all of these things. Eli is also blessed by his two absolutely outstanding grandpas who spoil him with all the love and attention one could desire.

Happy Father's Day!

Congratulations Fr. Chris!

Eli's Godfather was ordained into the priesthood on Saturday. We were blessed to be a part of Fr. Chris's big weekend.

We missed the Friday night adoration due to Eli's bedtime, but managed to make it to the rest of the weekend's events. Saturday morning was the actual Ordination Mass...both me and Matt's first Ordination...and it was truly a moving experience. (Eli was good for about 40ish minutes and Matt bore the brunt of taking Eli out and keeping him quiet/satisfied/entertained. I am so thankful for my awesome hubby and his willingness to do this as I got to stay for the entire Mass.) But back to the actual Ordination. What a glorious day and occasion!! To see a friend of ours, a true man of God, (and Eli's Godfather...) become a priest was wowing and absolutely awesome...in every sense of the word. I think I already said this, but we feel to blessed and honored to have been a part of the day and to be a part of this man's life!

Saturday night, we were invited to a dinner for friends and family. It was wonderful to meet more members of Fr. Chris's family and hear all the great stories the friends and family had to tell. It was at this dinner that we were surprised with the news that Fr. Chris's first assignment is at our home parish! Again, what a blessing! We are truly excited and can't wait to have him here for the next several years.

And Sunday, Fr. Chris celebrated his first Mass. Again, it was moving and emotional. Chris is now Fr. Chris! How cool!

What a memorable and special weekend. We will never forget it...I will always remember the emotions that overwhelmed me when Fr. Chris turned around with the smile on his face to be greeted with thunderous applause. (The goosebumps are running up and down my arms and legs now...) And I'm sure he won't either. Eli is a lucky kid to have a priest for his Godfather. Talk about good spiritual guidance! And we are lucky to have him as a friend and in our lives. We look forward to his time with us here in Tallahassee.

Congratulations Fr. Chris!!!

JUMP!

Eli is learning how to jump.

In the spirit of Van Halen...JUMP!
(sing to yourself as you watch a quick video!)

Might as well jump. JUMP!
Might as well jump.
Go ahead, jump. JUMP!
Go ahead, jump.

He thinks he is getting much higher off the ground than he is, and he is willing to do it over and over again for the camera or for anyone who requests a jump.

Another One Bites the Dust

Well May truly flew by with 2 family trips to the beach and a weekend adventure for the boys to Dunedin while Mama headed back to the beach with some church members. Hard to believe my little man is almost 18 months old.

Eli is so silly and fun. He's continuing to talk and chatter. He is really starting to use words (as well as signs, facial expressions, and gestures) to express himself or get what he wants. He's also a mover and a shaker...you can find him
____________________________running,
______________________________chasing,
________________________________climbing,
__________________________________exploring,
____________________________________digging,
______________________________________splashing,
________________________________________laughing,
__________________________________________squealing,
____________________________________________dancing,
______________________________________________drumming,
________________________________________________or sometimes just watching.
When he is still, he is often taking something in or trying to figure it out.

This weekend, we made our way out to see the Patas monkeys at the Jr. Museum. It was SO HOT! We quickly made the loop to see the rest of the animals with Eli walking much of the way (wanting to push the empty stroller). He still loves seeing the animals..and this time it was the sheep that were super friendly and would have nibbled his little fingers had we not pulled him back.

We also took Eli to see Horton Hears a Who at the dollar theater thinking if he can't make it through, at least we aren't out a bunch of money. With popcorn and Raisenettes as a super sweet treat, he watched the first 30-45 minutes without too much squirming. The rest of the time, Matt and I took turns taking him to get his wiggles out. He liked the elephant and monkeys on the BIG screen. Don't know when we'll try it again, but on a HOT day like yesterday, it was perfect.

Since this marks the start of June, I guess I'll go ahead and put the link to May's pictures. With all of the weekend trips to sandy places, I didn't actually take as many pictures this month. Enjoy, nevertheless.