pink AND blue shower

my cousin, kelli, is having twins...baby boy & baby girl!! she's made it to 31 weeks and is doing remarkably well. we had a baby shower for her today that turned out great. she got lots of wonderful things for the babies and is now just counting the days until she can breathe again..she/they are running out of room!

the pink and blue pretzel bouquets i made since the cookie bouquets were a flop...

bedtime conversation

eli: mom, today trenton's mom had to come pick him up and i saw her. my friend, luke, said she's hot.

me: really? do you know what "hot" means?

eli: yeah, it means you love her and you think she's beautiful.

me: well, sort of. "hot" isn't really the nicest way to say it though. it would be better to say "she's pretty" or "she's beautiful".

eli: mom, i think you're hot.

me: (chuckle) well, thanks baby. that's nice of you to say, but like i said, if you want someone to think that you mean it in a good way, then you should probably should chose a different word besides "hot".

eli: yeah, cuz you don't want them to think you're being mean.

me: yeah.

oh, the wonderful things little boys bring home from school from other little boys. and to think, this is just the beginning!

vitamin D

a little sunshine sure does a body good, even if you're a furry friend.
oliver has found a place on the landing of our stairs where the sun hits during the middle of the day. so this is where he's been hanging out.
he obviously loves it and is wishing for spring just like everyone else.

of course...

this is what it's for, right?!

2nd cousins

the boys love playing with their cousins, but we just don't seem to get a chance to spend near enough time with them! today though, we got to have jerry's cousin, wayne and his family up for the day and the boys were counting down the minutes til they arrived. they all got along so well and had a great time. here is eli, caleb, and abby on their dinosaur hunting adventure. josie and abram became quite the little pals which was so cute! and baby joel enjoyed toys, toys, and more toys!

the proof

lately, caleb and abram are constantly picking on each other...hitting, screaming, taking toys, arguing, etc. it's exhausting. i'm hoping it's just a phase as they learn how to get along, share, love, and accept each other. so this morning when i caught caleb in this random act of kindness, i had to capture it on camera as my proof and reminder that they do really love each other. i heard him telling abram to sit down and "i'll help you" get your shoes on. he fixed his socks and tried very hard to get abram's shoes on his fat little feet. it was a moment to treasure in this life of chaos between them right now :)

dinner dance

this past weekend i had the pleasure of attending the annual dinner dance for sheltering wings. here is a picture of my mom, the ceo, giving her speech thanking everyone for their support of the shelter. they are getting ready to do a major expansion project, so this fundraising event was a great platform to get more supporters on board. for more info about the shelter and the great work God is doing in our community, go to www.shelteringwings.org.

7 y.o. stats

wt: 63 lbs..75%ile
ht: 49 3/4 in...40%ile
he's always been 90%ile or above, so this is different. aside from some allergy/sinus issues though, he's healthy! below is another great piece of work from mr. eli...

one clean rock

found this in the washing machine tonight...it's not the first, nor will it be the last, but it definitely is the biggest one to date!

love about my luvs

1. when jerry makes the boys belly laugh and then ends up belly laughing himself.
2. when eli says "i love you" one more time after he gets out of the van before school and then turns back to give me a big smile and wave.
3. how caleb squeezes with his whole body when he gives hugs.
4. when abram says "rubba my head" when i tuck him in and if i stop he puts my hand back on his head.
i love all of my boys so much :)

7 years ago...

we brought this beautiful baby boy home with us! it seems like i was just sending out these birth announcements yesterday and yet 7 years seem so long ago. i can't remember our lives without him, really. such an incredible blessing!! happy 7th birthday, elijah christopher!!

jump-n-play parTAY!

the big 'almost' 7 year old...

indiana jones cake!

legos, legos, and more legos!
this is what you look like after 2+ hours of jumping...

caleb was red-cheeked and having a blast too!
caleb talked abram into going onto the obstacle course/smaller slide by himself... he LOVED it!!
and kept going back for more!
one worn out, sweaty little boy...

yep...

he knows he's momma's baby boy :) and i LOVE it!!!!!!

oops!

what started out as an innocent airplane ride...
ended with this...
yep, i knocked his tooth out!! my slipper hit his mouth on the way down to "land" and apparently hit it just right...this tooth was loose, but definitely not loose enough to pull out yet. well, i took care of that! i felt so bad, but he said it didn't hurt and of course is now super excited! we couldn't even find the tooth at first so we assumed maybe he swallowed it. it must've been in his shirt and fell out on his way to inspect the damage in the mirror in the bathroom...he found it in the hallway. looks like the tooth fairy will be visiting our house tonight!

1st report card

as a 1st year preschooler, a report card is a little different but is still pretty special. after a positive, encouraging parent teacher conference, ms. trudy confirmed what we already knew...we've got a very smart little 4 year old! caleb can do things that his teacher said he shouldn't really even know or be able to do at this point in his young life :) and now he has his 1st report card to show it all off! another proud moment!

my little writer

eli was encouraged by his 1st grade teacher to illustrate this short story he wrote and write it out in his best handwriting to submit to the principal. in doing that, he is now considered a published author and won a writer's pen! he was very proud, and of course we were too :) i'm actually going to submit it to the young writer's contest through the reading rainbow and wfyi. below his picture i have typed out the story for you to read...of course, the illustrated version really adds to the emotion of the story, but i couldn't figure out how to get it on here :)
my real life legos
by: eli
once upon a time i was in my room and then all of a sudden i heard talking. i looked at my legos and they were alive! i couldn't believe my eyes. it was so amazing! then they all started to do their jobs. the policemen were arresting the robbers. the trucks were going like in real life. the firemen were going to a fire. the police helicopter was really flying! it was amazing! the ambulance was helping people and the mail truck was delivering mail in the mailboxes. the coast guards were saving people too! the coast guard ship was really moving. the lego city was alive! the next morning i ran downstairs to tell my mom my awesome dream! the end