Where's My Baby?

Saturday morning I took Eli to get his 3rd haircut!!! WOW! His hair grows so fast. He was so so good while we were there. I used my emergency Dum-Dum lollipop to keep him still while his hair was being cut and it worked like a charm! He didn't fuss, cry, or even whine and the lady even used the clippers on him. I have to give her credit though because she was really good with him. She kept telling him the clippers were going to tickle him and that did it for him! He would smile and chuckle every time she put them on his head. It was so sweet! Look at how big he looks now! He really and truly looks like a little boy now :)




He got home and after seeing the reactions his haircut got from us (Mommy and Daddy) he decided to call some other people so they could see it. You just can't pass up cuteness like this!



After telling everyone about his new "do", he found a handsome looking baby in the mirror. He must have thought that baby in the mirror was pretty cute, too, becuase he kept smiling at him and laughing at him. How sweet!

Hannah and Eli

Eli and Hannah got to spend lots of time together over the weekend. Friday morning, Diane called and asked about someone keeping Hannah. I had already taken the morning off to be with our family, so I told her to just bring Hannah over to the house and she could play with Eli until Marlie got out of school, which would be around noon. Eli and Hannah haven't seen each other in awhile, but here are some past shots of these two. Look at how much they have both grown and changed!

Josh, Diane's husband, dropped Hannah off around 8:30 and she and Eli immediately started playing with blocks and watching Praise Baby. They were having a great time together! Not too long after Hannah got there, Belinda stopped by and said that she would watch Eli and Hannah for me so I could go be with family at Mawmaw Chandler's house. I was so thankful because I hadn't seen Josh since 5:00 that morning.

I came back about an hour and a half later and Eli and Hannah were still playing. Eli was so tired, but I knew he wouldn't take a nap with Hannah there. He just wanted to play with her. Eli decided to impress Hannah with his mad cleaning skills and got out both of the Swiffers to play with. They both cleaned and mopped my floors and had the best time! Hannah is such the little cheeser now when she sees a camera. I love all her big grins!









After the floors were to their liking, they found Eli's big box that his beanbag came in and played peek-a-boo with each other in the box. It was so cute to watch these two! All too soon, Hannah's daddy, Josh, came to pick, her up. It was sad to see her go, but we were privileged to get a double dose of Hannah over the weekend :)



Saturday night, Josh and Diane offered to watch Eli so Josh and I could go to his uncle's visitation and not have to worry about chasing a 14 month old around the funeral home. A HUGE THANK YOU GOES TO JOSH AND DIANE!!! I left my camera hoping Diane would find it and take pictures for me while I was gone, and she did! I was so excited when I went to get Eli and she told me that she'd found the camera and had taken some pictures. From the pictures, it looks like Hannah, Eli, and Marlie (Hannah's older sister) had a great time playing together. We're going to have to do some more play dates in the future!

Eli's daddy really appreciated all these baby stroller pictures.
Thanks, Diane! :)

What a Rocker!!!

Gone, But Not Forgotten

This morning, Josh and I got a call around 4:30 letting us know that his uncle, Tommy, had passed away from a heart attack. All day long, my heart has just been numb. It's so hard to process news like this when you first hear it. It's so hard to wrap your mind around the fact that someone you spoke to and saw just days before is suddenly no longer here on this earth.

Our family is hurting and it's going to be a long time before that hurt is gone. Tommy was so much more than just an uncle to Josh and me. The word "uncle" doesn't even begin to fully describe the relationship that was there-friend, older brother, dad-those words seems more appropriate. Tommy was such a wonderful man...the best dad to his kids, Brian, Sara, and Jessie; a loving son to his mom and dad; a caring brother to Reggie, Lisa, and Sue; and a dear friend to so many people; and last but not least, a future Poppa, to Jessie's sweet little baby that's due this spring.

Even though we know that Tommy is rejoicing right now with Jesus in heaven our hearts are still burdened with his absence. Tommy was the one who took me for my very first motorcycle ride on a Harley. He loved riding his motorcycle. He always made sure everyone in the family was supplied with Gevalia coffee. He loved classic rock music. He enjoyed traveling. He loved photography and took some amazing photographs. He always went barefoot as much as he could when he was home because he hated shoes (ditto!). He always drank his sweet tea without ice when he brought it from home. He loved his kids. He was always up for sitting around and talking. He loved saying, "Oh, well!" He gave Eli presents and gifts even when he knew that he wouldn't be able to be there for his special moments. He donated his time and service every Sunday morning at church to help with running the sound when he was in town. He was one of the sweetest souls and he will be greatly missed.

We love you, Tommy! I can't wait to see you again someday very soon when we join you up there!

Way Back WHENsday

Eli's first time in the nursery on a Wednesday night. He was so excited to see his godfather, Mr. Jon Betts, there that night!

January 2009

A Rare Moment of Stillness

About the only time that Eli ever gets still is when he watches Praise Baby. Lately, Praise Baby has been one of his favorite things to do. I seriously think he could watch it over and over and over and over...well, you get the point. We don't let him do that, of course, but he does watch it about once a day. Those of you that follow the blog know how much he has always loved Praise Baby. Now though he actually requests to watch it and it is the cutest thing in the world. It usually happens something like this...we walk into the living room. He immediately runs up to the TV, points to it, and then while looking back at us, says, "Baby?", and then grins from ear to ear. We tell him to go get his chair (his beanbag) and he pulls it onto the rug and tries to climb into it. We help him nestle in, give him a sippy cup of milk, a blanket, and he is set. When those first notes begin to play, the expression on his face is simply precious! Nicki recommended Praise Baby to us before Eli was born and just like her I recommend it for anyone with a baby. It's definitely been a blessing for us!

Good to the Last Drop

What do you do when you're eating pears and you run out? Drink the juice, of course!