First-Time Hostess

Saturday, I co-hosted a baby shower for my dear and long-time friend, Christy. She and her family will be welcoming a sweet baby girl into the world in the next month or so. I was honored to host the event (and thank my parents for allowing us to have it at their house!)

We can't wait to meet you, Baby Girl Miqueli!

Pumpkin Patch....A Year Later

I decided to look back and find pictures of Eli with the pumpkins last year.

What a difference a year makes. Our little pumpkin has grown up SOOOOO much in this past year. Last year, he wasn't quite walking yet, and this year, he strolled around, picking up pumpkins...trying to pick up the big ones, successfully toting around the smaller ones. The goofball even tried to bite the pumpkins. I got a kick out of listening to him as he tried to count them all. Eli got to pick out his pumpkin. (in Eli-ese, it sounded more like "peeek one.") And Mommy picked one out too.

If it wasn't already obvious, we LOVE watching this kid grow and learn!

If you'd like to see more, you can check out the album by clicking on the photo below.

Pumpkin Patch

Guess Who?

Guess who came to visit this weekend?

Aunt Ann and Uncle Mark!
(and oh yeah, our friend Doug came too!)

They got into Tallahassee Friday afternoon and then we loaded up to head to St. George for a relaxing weekend of fun and sun. Saturday started out hazy, but cleared up enough for us to end up on the beach in our suits, soaking up the sun. Sunday, it cooled off quite a bit...making long sleeves necessary.

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Can't you tell that Eli just adores his Aunt and Uncle? Mark got lots of "practice" and Ann was a great playmate. Wonder when Eli will get a Ward cousin to play with....

Our little man practicing his super cool looks for the camera!

What a stud!!

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This month is just hitting *full-speed ahead!* We've got so much going on in the next couple of weeks. I'm sure I'll be posting again soon.

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Beautiful Lengths, Beautiful Gift

Today, my oldest sister, Kristi and I (along with 4 other girls), donated our hair to an amazing organization, Beautiful Lengths. The American Cancer Society paired up with Pantene Pro-V to make wigs for cancer patients around the nation. It takes six ponytails to make a wig...and we cut six today!
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Before
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During
_Kristi getting interviewed by a local news crew
You can watch the story on the news using this LINK
After

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This is the third donation for both Kristi and me. You have to cut off at least 8 inches of hair, and we each cut off 10!

Inspired to cut your hair? Check out the website. I'll likely be game to donate with you again...in a year or two!

"Imagine a world without cancer"....what a wonderful world it would be.
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Super Healthy Diet???

Oh yeah...eating a plateful of broccoli for dinner!

Just kidding!
But it sure looks like it doesn't it?
The boy does like broccoli, cooked or raw....but not THAT much!
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Victory is Sweet

Yup! The Gators kicking some LSU Tiger tush was truly sweet. GO GATORS!

We spent Saturday with our friends the Miqueli's. The morning began at Waffle House, indulging in a guilty pleasure, and then we headed for the Jr. Museum. It was a great morning to be outdoors, enjoying the animals in their habitats. Jordan and Eli had a great time playing on the train caboose,

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seeing all of the animals,

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_______just a couple of monkeys_______________check out that cow!__________Eli reading up on the Florida Panther's diet

_exploring in the Discovery Room,_____________and then hitting the playground.

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You can bet that Eli conked out on the drive home. We wore the little fella out!

Later that evening, we had the Miqueli's come over (along with the grandparents) to watch the great Gator victory.

It was a delightful day.
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Sweet Baby

Eli and I were lucky to get a quick visit from our friend, Shannon, and her sweet baby boy, Aidan. Shannon used to live here in Tally, but she got married, moved away, and had a baby. Sweet little Aidan is 6 weeks old. Now, I've mentioned in prior posts how much Eli likes babies, right? At first Eli was a little unsure if he was allowed to touch Aidan. He didn't know what to think. Eventually, he warmed up, and decided he needed to hold baby Aidan.

So sweet.

Once he got the hang of it, Eli kept trying to pick Aidan up. He's not so good at supporting a baby's head and neck just yet. We'll work on that for their next visit!

Thanks for stopping by, Shannon and Aidan! We miss you!!!
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Good Night, Gorilla!

Eli's favorites come and go so quickly these days. And it is no different when it comes to his favorite book of the month/week/day/moment. Not that he doesn't still love old favorites such as Brown Bear, Brown Bear, Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom.... But I think we have a new favorite book.

Eli and I read Good Night, Gorilla six times this afternoon. I'm not kidding. Each time at his request. "One more, Mama! One more!" He laughed at the same pages each time; he got excited and surprised at all the right spots. He even started telling me what was happening...or about to happen on the next page. The text is pretty simple...saying "good night" to the animals in the zoo. He pointed to the words on each page and said, "Night!"

Don't you just love it?

And can you guess what book he picked to read before bed tonight? That's right....you guessed it!

Potty Time!

So, I'm totally not potty training Eli yet. He could ABSOLUTELY CARE LESS if his diaper is wet!

But, today, Eli went poopie on the potty! I won't bore you with the details, but we sure are proud of him.
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