New Year's Eve/LSU Bowl Game

Wednesday night, the Welch's, invited us over to their house for a New Year's Eve/LSU bowl game party. Being the big LSU fans that we are, we made our way over there that night. Belinda had gone all out on the decorations. Her house looked so festive! You could definitely tell which team we were going for :)

Since the game was the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl, Belinda had everyone bring a dish that either had chicken or peaches in it. We had so many choices! I made chicken quesadillas and Nicki made these chicken bacon appetizer roll-ups that were divine...definitely going to have to get the recipe on that one. Eli was sleeping when we got there, but woke up when he smelled all that yummy food. Too bad for him though, no teeth means no people food :) That didn't keep him from checking out the buffet though....here's to wishful thinking!

Nicki and I attempted to get a picture of Jonah and Eli next to each other at the bar, but once again were futile in our efforts. It's so hard to take good pictures of a baby and toddler together. It really makes me appreciate photographers who do that for a living. It takes a lot of patience!

After he was born, some friends of Josh's got him this precious LSU jersey onesie. It's a 3-6 month, but it must run small because it fit him perfectly! We knew that he wouldn't get another opportunity to wear it this year so we dressed him in all his LSU gear. My brother, Caleb, bought him all kinds of LSU attire that we'll be able to use for every month of the first year of his life. He had his personalized jersey, LSU blanket, and LSU pacifier. He was ready to root the Tigers on to a win!

My friend Nicki's little boy, Jonah, is kind of like an older brother to Eli in the sense that he has "named" all of our friends that we spend time with on a regular basis. It's kind of cute because now Eli gets to use these same names for them. Tim Welch is "MeMaw" to Jonah, so he's "MeMaw" to Eli now. If you want to read about how he got this great title from Jonah, click here. MeMaw Tim couldn't wait to get his hands on Eli. He had tried several times before this, but Eli was always sleeping or eating. He finally found the perfect opportunity to spend some time with him.

Here's the back of Eli's jersey. I hate that he won't be able to wear it next year during their regular season games. I guess we'll just have to get him another one. Maybe we need to put an order in with Uncle Caleb.


It wasn't long after we arrived at the Welch's that Eli needed a diaper change. Zue-Zue took him to the back to change him and Jonah wanted to help. Eli was a little nervous about that.

It turned out he had no need to worry, Jonah was a GREAT helper. He got the wipes out for Zue-Zue and was there on stand-by in case she needed anything else.

After his diaper change, Belinda ("B"), gave him a bottle. Once he had a full belly, my little man turned into quite a charmer. He flirted big time with Taylor. I guess we're going to have to watch him when he gets older :)




However, no girl quite compares to Mommy right now :) I'm thinking I might have a Mommy's boy on my hands. I love making him smile and laugh. He melts my heart every time I see one of those gummy smiles!

Spending time with Aunt B

Tammy "Mammy" was ready for this picture, but Eli decided
to be cute and stick his tongue out :)

Jonah LOVES taking pictures. It may have something to do with the fact that he has had a camera in front of him since birth. Eli is probably going to be the same way :) Jonah got a camera for Christmas, but loves using other people's cameras to take pictures. Here are some pictures Jonah and I took together at the party.

Jonah and Manna

Nicky and "B"

All the fun, food, and excitement wore my little man out and he decided to catch some zzz's on Zue-Zue. He needed some rest so he could stay up to ring in the New Year later on that night.

While Eli napped, the men decided to light some fireworks. Here's Dan holding all the fireworks.
His wife affectionately referred to him as a geek. He looks like a little kid that can't wait to play with fire!

Josh and Clare joined in on the fun, too. Josh is holding the plastic baseball bat that they used to hold the bottle rockets. I was a little nervous about this, but it turned out okay.


It was really cold, so Nicki and Jonah decided to stay inside and watch the fireworks from the window. Smart choice! It was freezing out there!


How many men does it take to light a fuse? LOL! I guess three! One to hold the bat, one to light the match, and one to oversee the entire process. Way to go, boys! I wish I had gotten a picture of the fireworks, but they were really pretty. Happy New Year to you all!