Chomp Chomps

That is what Eli calls the Gators.

Eli went to his first Gator game in the Swamp this weekend. We had him practicing the Gator chants and songs all week long.

He was extremely excited when he woke up Saturday morning, and Daddy asked him where we were going. "Chomp Chomps!" he said.

Initially, he was completely overwhelmed by all the sights and sounds. Once the pregame hoopla was in full swing, he got a little scared by the (totally AWESOME) flyover and all the yelling and cheering as the Gators took the field. He quickly warmed up and lasted almost the entire game (thanks to spectacular seats!)...and all without a nap.

Can you tell how tired he was....

After the game, we made sure to get some cute pictures of him at some campus hot spots.

It was a perfect day...complete with lunch at Burrito Brothers and a quick stop in our old neighborhood to see some friends before hitting the road. We only wish we had more time to show Eli all around Gainesville. I'm sure we'll be back soon. Eli truly LOVED it!

(*And by the way....this Gator team is really amazing. If you can believe it, they're faster in real life!!! *)

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This and That

I don't know what happened to this month. This month was supposed to be an easy month, but instead it has been a month of too much on my mind and being scatterbrained. Not a good combination. Believe me, I know...

Matt and I were considering a move into a house we have had our eye on since we moved to Tallahassee...we concluded that the time is not right and things are different now. We are staying put.

School has been hectic and different. Too much, really.

Eli has the sniffles...pretty much a full-blown cold at this point. He isn't sleeping or napping well. This means nobody's sleeping well. When baby ain't sleeping...ain't nobody sleeping.

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Birthday season is almost here! (Eli's bday is 12/20, Matt's bday is 12/23 and Jesus's *celebrated* birthday is 12/25) EEK! I need to get on the ball, but I really wanted to enjoy this month...and the coming season. Presents to buy, parties to plan, cards to make and send out. SIGH!

I'll leave you with a peek into our week so far...

Eli wrote on the wall for the first, and what I had hoped, LAST time...but he did it again last night.

Look closely and you can see a red mark on the wall above his hand.

We've had a cold spell here this week. Eli and I bundled up and went to watch our school's soccer team play. THEY WON!!! Eli loved playing with other spectators, young and old. He didn't really spend much time watching the game.

He did almost get hit by a ricocheting ball. That was exciting. Too exciting for Mommy's taste.

And finally...Eli learned his last name this week.

Isn't he just too cute?

We're headed for Gainesville this weekend. If luck is on our side, we'll manage to scrounge up some UF vs Citadel tickets and take Eli to his first Gator game. We're pumped!

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Play Date Mates

Eli and I have had the opportunity and privilege of regular play dates with our friends (little) Lexie Kate and (mommy) Sallie this fall. The kids have become fast friends.

I don't think Eli could be more happy or proud to have made such a sweet friend!

They are just precious together...playing with one another...watching and observing; teaching and learning.

And of course, us mommies love the time to "play" too.
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You Should See the Other Guy!

So Eli got into a little fight...

...too bad it was with a bench!!



I am amazed by how quickly kids heal and bounce back. The first picture is the day it happened, and the others are 3 days later.
(I'm also convinced had this been my eye...it would be a horrendous black eye, but just another wee bump for our "bruiser.")

In other fun and exciting news: Eli decided he was ready for a...

....DRUM ROLL PLEASE!....

BIG BOY BED!!

He loves it and has YET to try and get out. I was extremely nervous about switching the crib front out for the toddler bed attachment as Eli sleeps upstairs. I was worried sick that he would try to come out of his room when he woke up or if he didn't feel like napping. Instead, he has stayed in bed singing songs such as Twinkle Twinkle, Happy Birthday, and Blue's Clues, playing, and talking to his Doggie (and self) about all kinds of stuff. This morning as he woke up, we heard, "Big boy bed!" through the monitor. He is just so happy to be in his new bed.
(And Mommy put a so-far-Eli-proof door knob protector on the inside of his room to keep him safely in his room until we get him up...but he hasn't even gotten out of bed yet...I know, I know...YET!!)

Funny side note: While waiting for sleep to overtake him during nap time yesterday, I heard, "Diaper off" on the monitor. I knew I should have gone up to check...but I was afraid he'd never go to sleep. When I went up to rescue him after his nap, I found him diaper-less! And not a drop of pee pee to be found. Maybe we're closer to potty training than I thought! :)
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Bubbles and ZOINKS!

I think Eli would choose to play with bubbles everyday if he could.

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We have been loving the fall weather...at least Florida's version of fall. Beautiful days, not too hot, not too cold. Just right! Eli and I spend a good part of each day enjoying the weather.

Unfortunately, it rained Friday night while we were sleeping, so the parks wouldn't be dry enough to play at Saturday morning. We took the opportunity to try out ZOINKS...an indoor playground with lots of bounce houses and slides.

Eli wasn't to sure of them at first...and decided he'd rather try his hand at some of the games. (We'll likely regret that in the future...)

We didn't have any singles, so we ended up with more tokens than we intended and played more games than we should have. Eli didn't mind ONE BIT! He loved watching the tickets pour out and tearing them off. We redeemed them for this cowboy. Junk, but lovable!

Once we realized we could help him in the bouncers (and the bazillion big kids there were in rooms celebrating birthdays and eating cake...i think there were at least 3 parties going on...), we tried the bouncies again.

I think he likes them now!
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Catching Up

I'm finally getting around to uploading October's pictures. It was a really busy month, and I'm happy to say that we survived. We had something going each week and weekend. I think the blog entries speak for themselves this month.

Can you believe that Eli will be 2 next month? I am in shock and denial...all at the same time. Hard to fathom how fast this year has flown by. We are loving this age (when he's not throwing a fit). He is talking all the time and getting easier to understand everyday. We are starting to capture some of his cute little voice and phrases on video and audio recording. We don't want to forget this sweet age. This month, we taught him the sign of the cross and bedtime prayers. Talk about melting your heart! He's been working on his colors and days of the week lately. He's still counting...going higher and higher each time and singing his ABC's. He knows the letters in his name by sight and he can spell it too. His other favorite letters are S, O, and X. He is quick to recall simple stories, books, and songs. I feel like everyday he says a new word, phrase, animal, sings a new song, or something that I'm wowed by. Thinking: When did you learn that one? We are head over heels in love with this kid.

Potty training is still off in the distant future, but Eli does like the idea of going on the potty when he remembers to tell me. This is 1-2 times a week...especially when he's in the tub. We're thankful for the latter! :)

Eli remembers names and faces pretty well too. When Grandma and Grandpap Carson came to visit this weekend, he perked up from his nap as soon as he heard "May Maw's" voice. It was so sweet. They were his favorite playmates this weekend.

Thanks for coming, May Maw and Pap Pap! We loved having you to trick-or-treat with us, watch the Gators kick some Bulldog butt with us, sample another batch of competition chili with us, and most of all play and talk with us. It was a great weekend. Come again soon!

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Bonus video
Eli shooting hoops...his first successful baskets!
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God Bless the USA

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I actually voted last week. Eli came with...we waited in line for about an hour in chilly weather to cast our ballot. Eli entertained those around us with his dancing and "reading." (Thank goodness I brought along our library books to return!)

All I can do now is pray for our country.

_____Grant our country the wisdom to proclaim
_____that God’s law is the foundation on which this nation was founded, and that
_____He alone is the True Source of our cherished rights to life, liberty and the ____ -____
_____pursuit of happiness.
__________________________________Amen

I sure wish my anxious stomach would find the peace this prayer brings to my heart and mind.
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Happy Halloween!

Back when October began, I would ask Eli what he wanted to be for Halloween. Not understanding what it really meant, I would then start listing options for him: "Do you want to be a penguin? A dog? A horse? A monkey? Blue? A fireman?" Over and over, I got the same response: "No. No. No. No. No. YES!" After listing his favorite animals and games to play, he repeatedly told me that he wanted to be a fireman. Eli quickly learned how to answer the question, "And what are you going to be for Halloween?" And from there, I set my sights on creating the cutest little fireman that I possibly could.

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The day started at school. Eli wore his costume all morning (minus the hat and later the boots). I was SURE he would end up in just the pants and the undershirt. I brought a change of shoes due to his boots being a little too big and heavy. (Each time he would try to take a step, his foot would start to slide out of the boot...)

From there we went to Daddy's office to show off a bit...and then out to lunch. This is where Eli had his first candy bar, a Twix. He LOVED it, of course...we had created a monster...a candy monster, that is.

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He crashed in the car before we could make it to Grandpa's office to show off once again. So we headed home for a nap, instead. When Eli woke up, Grandma and Grandpap Carson had arrived for a weekend visit! What fun! As soon as Daddy got home from work, we put the costume back on and headed to Grandma and Grandpa Snyder's house. After snapping several pics in the backyard...it was off to trick-or-treat with Eli's buddies: Kent and Mabry.

We found a terrific street to take the kids down. We were a BIG group...3 families of 3, 2 sets of grandparents, and 1 aunt. Off we went, pulling the kids and their candy in the wagons. It didn't take long before we realized we should have fed them first...once they got into the candy, it was hard to stop them. "More, more, more please!"

Eli was zonked by the end of the evening. It was so much fun, and I hope we have begun a trick-or-treating tradition.



Happy Halloween!

Halloween pictures

The Ugliest Pumpkin

I'm a huge fan of pumpkin carving, but for whatever reason....this year I wasn't in the mood. (or i didn't have time...something like that!) Last Halloween, Eli got to help carve by digging out the guts, but I couldn't see him having a long enough attention span to get very far this year. Instead, I opted for finger painting his pumpkin.

Too bad, it turned out the be one of the ugliest darn pumpkins you've ever seen.

I guess the paint wasn't quite right...

_______ _I am thinking that maybe Eli isn't as into crafty projects as I am...

_____________ __ ______________________I don't think Eli is an artist just yet...

Maybe I was just expecting too much. All I know is that I was way more into the project than he was, and for the second craft project in a row, it was more of a headache than fun. At least Eli was satisfied and proud of the finished product.

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I have to remind myself that the pictures and the memories we created made it all worthwhile.
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(remember, this is me saying that in hindsight...one week later. you should have heard me that evening: i am NEVER doing another craft project with him again!! time sure helps you forget the bad and focus on the good/fun)
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A Cousin for Eli!

That's right! My sister, Theresa and her hubby, Ricky are expecting!!!

We couldn't be happier for them, and Eli is super excited about having a cousin.
(too bad they live so far away...)

We'll be welcoming the lil' Lotspeich in early May.

YIPPEE!