A Day in the Country

Saturday morning we all woke up a little late, well, if you call 7:30 late that is. This is yet another sign that I'm slowly turning into an old person; if I sleep past 6:30, I begin to think half my day has been wasted. It's not a perfect Saturday without Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, so that was our first priority of the day.

Pop had to go to work for a conference call, and Eli gave him a huge hug before he left. Eli and Pop are pretty tight :) I love being able to watch a bond form between them. I'm so thankful that Eli has such wonderful grandparents on BOTH sides in his little life...all the more people to love and care for him!


Grammy and I had hair appointments, so we really didn't anything around the house until we left for our appointments. Eli did discover his favorite red boots though and promptly put those on. He stomped around the house in those boots until we left.


After our haircuts and lunch with Pop, we came home and Eli and Pop tried out the new bubble maker Pop bought Eli. Blowing bubbles with Pop is one of Eli's favorite activities. It really became fun though when we all discovered that Amos, one of Grammy and Pop's dogs, liked to run and try to eat all the bubbles. Talk about a show!



When you live out in the country like Grammy and Pop, it's always fun to go for walks in the woods. Eli especially loved being able to roam free and getting to explore anything he wanted.

The only thing that could make a walk in the woods even more fun is if that walk turns into a game of hide-and-go-seek. Eli had quite a knack for picking the absolute skinniest trees to hide behind. Luckily for him, Pop was a good sport and played along ;)

On our way back to the house, Eli discovered a mud puddle that warranted him stripping down to just his shirt so he could play in it. I love watching him get to be just a boy.


When we got back to the house, Eli surprised us all and decided to go on the potty and take care of some business, if you know what I mean. Until this day, he'd been only doing this particular function in his diaper and was scared to go on the big potty. I have no clue why either. Regardless, we were SO HAPPY and SO PROUD of him! Grammy gave him this CARS container as a treat to hold all his cars, and Eli thought that was just grand! I hope this is something he continues to do for us when he gets home!

Fun Time with Grammy and Pop

As a conclusion to our spring break, Eli and I traveled to see Grammy and Pop Friday morning. We made great time and even had a change to stop by my favorite store...Target. In honor of this wonderful store, here's a poem :)

Oh, Target, how I miss thee.
I wish thou were closer to me.

It's probably for the bestest (yes, I know that's not a word)
Even with all your cute dresses

Because I'd spend all my money
And upset my dear, sweet honey.

I found some cute things (could have found TONS more), and then we went to Newk's for lunch with Grammy and Pop. Newk's is my favorite restaurant to go to for lunch when we visit Grammy and Pop. Their lobster and crab bisque is SOOOO good!

After our lunch, Grammy, Eli and I went to a new place that just opened in their area called Geauxsicles. The owner, Erin Johnson, and I were childhood friends. We went to school together from about 3rd grade through 12th grade but parted ways after high school. Her younger brother, Drew, and I recently found each other via Facebook, and I discovered that their family had opened this gourmet popsicle store. Erin is the creative genius behind the idea, but their entire family has had some part in making it successful. If you're in the Shreveport/Bossier area, go stop by and see them! They have flavors like Cookie Mac-ster, Parisian Pink, Java Pop, and so many more. Drew was there when we stopped by, and he and I had a great time catching up on each other's lives. I had hoped to see Erin, but she wasn't there. This is definitely going to be one of my favorite places to go now when we come visit, so hopefully we'll see her next time. Eli really enjoyed his pop-pop, but he enjoyed running back and forth across the store even more. Thanks to Drew for letting him do that :)

We made a quick stop by Old Navy, and then finally headed home. Eli actually fell asleep on Grammy's shoulder in Old Navy and stayed asleep until we were almost home. Luckily in an area like this getting home takes about 45 minutes, so he actually was able to get a good nap in. We made it to Grammy and Pop's house and Eli was ready to go exploring!

The first thing he and Grammy did, before they even went into the house, was catch a butterfly! We bought this net in the dollar section at Target and he tried to catch butterflies in the store making all the employees and shoppers smile and laugh. I'm glad he was actually able to catch a REAL butterfly with Grammy!

We went exploring outside with Grammy, and Eli got to just be a boy. He ran, jumped, got dirty, laughed, and had so much fun being outside. Momma's allergies (love spring, hate pollen) forced everyone inside, but Eli and Grammy were able to find more fun stuff to do. They played with Play-doh and had fun cutting out different shapes with cookie cutters.

Pop came home from work and brought Eli a surprise...a bubble maker! Eli and Pop had fun blowing bubbles, especially at Amos. He liked to catch the bubbles in his mouth...silly dog. We all ate a yummy chicken pot pie, and then it was time for Eli's bath. Pop gave Eli his bath and all you could hear coming from the bathroom were silly noises and Eli's cackling laugh. It was music to my ears. I love that my little boy LOVES his Grammy and Pop.

After this busy day, sleep was not a problem for any of us. We all crashed ready for some more fun the next day!

No Such Thing as TOO Big

While walking in the neighborhood the other day, I had to snap a picture of my little blog star. He seems to prefer my sunglasses to his. He makes me laugh so much!

The Wilson's Build Their Dream House Update

Things are moving along very quickly on our new house. We love going out there every few days to see all the changes. Last Thursday, they poured all the dirt to get it ready for the slab.

On Monday the plumber came out and started the plumbing. That afternoon Eli and I took a walk to go see the progress. I get excited every time we go out there and see something new. I still can't believe we're building our dream house!



The rain this week has set us back a little bit. They were supposed to pour the foundation Thursday or Friday, but I don't know if they'll be able to do that or not. Josh is doing SO WELL managing this project so far. I seriously do not know what I would do without that man! We went to a local plumbing store this week and picked out lots of stuff for the house-faucets, sinks, showers, tubs, and so much more. It was really a lot of fun. I guess it helps that I'm not that picky and Josh is great at making decisions. The guy at the store even remarked how easy it was for us to pick out all our items. I laughed and told him that the sad part was that Josh could basically just build the house for me and I'd walk in and say, "Oooo! Thanks, honey!" Josh tells me I'm not a typical girl, and I guess I'm not, but it seems to work for us :)

I'll keep the updates coming!

28 Months Old

Dear Eli,

You are growing up so quickly right before our very eyes. Every day with you is a treasure; one I cherish with all my heart. I love watching you grow and learn and become more of a little boy each and every day. I am so excited that I get a front row seat to watch you grow and become the man God wants you to be one day. Lately, you have had boundless energy. Where does that come from?! You are so much fun, sweetie! Your Daddy and I love spending time with you, playing with you, and talking to you. Each month just keeps getting better and better!

Physically: You're still a lightweight compared to some of your friends, but you're starting to get so tall. I haven't measured you, but all your pants are high-waters now, which means it's time to go shopping :) We weighed you the other day and you weighed around 27 lbs. You're such a skinny minny! You need 24 month or 2T pants and shirts now. You still wear a size 7 shoe. You're little face doesn't have much baby fat left on it making you look more and more like a little boy. Jumping is your favorite activity these days. You jump from any height, great or small. You're also a really good climber. In the new house, I have to keep a step ladder handy because some of the shelves are too high for your 5'5" Momma to reach. I have to make sure that I put the ladder away every time because you're definitely not against climbing it by yourself. We think you're definitely going to be right handed. Those dreams your Daddy had of you getting a full paid college scholarship for being a left-handed pitcher are gone but now more dreams and aspirations have taken their place.

Verbally: You are a chatterbox! I love listening to you talk, and conversations with you these days are so much fun. Every day I pick you up from Mrs. G's house and ask you about what you did there or what you ate, your answer is always the same. You always have great days and you always eat beans at her house, at least that's what you tell me :) "My do it myself!" and "Let my do it!" are common phrases these days around our house. You are Mr. Independent! You love to assert yourself, which is frustrating sometimes now, but it's a quality we are going to love when you get older. You still have trouble producing the correct sounds for some of your letters, but we're working on it.

Potty Training Update: You do very well for us at home and when you are at Mrs. G's house, but for some reason you are TERRIFIED of going on the potty at school. We wonder if it's because it's a teeny tiny toilet and you're used to going on the normal sized one. Let's hope you get over this fear of teeny tiny toilets though because your classroom next year has one as well. We started off giving you jellybeans as a reward for when you used the potty, then moved on to M&M's, and now we're currently using stickers. You seem to really enjoy the stickers so we'll probably keep that up. I bought some big boy underwear for you and you really enjoy wearing them. I've only put you in them 3 days so far and 2 of the 3 days you stayed dry and without an accident. I planned on using my spring break to do some intense potty training, but you and I did not have coinciding breaks this year. We still have 5 1/2 months before school starts, so I'm hoping that this summer will be the breakthrough for you.

Eating: No change. You still have good days and bad days. You are the only 2 year old I know though that loves hummus and guacamole. You spit out mac-n-cheese, but scrap your bowl clean when I serve you hummus or guacamole...go figure.

Sleeping: When we moved into the rent house, we only put your toddler bed in your room. We figured new house, new room...might as well have a new bed as well. You have done SO well with this. You are even taking naps in it! You still manage to wake up around 3-4 in the morning and make your way to our bed, but we enjoy the cuddles. You're not going to be little forever, so I'm going to enjoy these moments to their fullest! We have realized recently that you talk in your sleep. The other night you were talking about eating pizza. Your Daddy got a kick out of that one!

Games/Activities/Toys/Movies: You love painting with Momma. You can now ride your tricycle. You've actually been able to do this for awhile now, but I haven't posted any of the videos or pictures I've taken yet. You still love all sports-baseball, football, soccer, basketball, and golf. You've got a MEAN swing. Your Daddy is going to have so much fun playing with you this summer. You enjoy puzzles and you love the Shapes and Colors Quiz app I have on my iPhone. You are really adept at finding that app, too. You can work my phone better than some adults I know! You love your Toy Story friends and you sleep with Bullseye every night. You also love Curious George, The Little Einsteins, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse at this moment. You'll sit down and watch any of those shows completely entranced.

Activities We're Looking Forward to:
-Grant and Addi's first birthday parties
-SUMMER!
-Swimming lessons
-Visiting Grammy, Pop, and Uncle Caleb
-Visiting Grandpa E
-Going to the zoo!
-Watching our NEW HOUSE be built!!

The Wilson's Build Their Dream House Update

Josh and the builder flagged the lot last Friday to get it ready for the foundation to be poured. We went by the lot this afternoon and were so excited to see the progress that had already been made. Josh met with the builder again today and they are going to start pouring the foundation next Friday. We're so excited!!

Left side of the house

Right side

Looking from the back

Hopefully, in 4-6 months this is what the finished product will look like :) We can't wait!

A Move in the Right Direction

Well, we did it. It took a full weekend working from the time the sun came up until the sun went down every night, but we finally moved everything to one of three places: the rent house, our storage room, or the street. Whew! It felt good to purge some stuff that we'd been holding onto for many years. Josh and I are so thankful for all the family and friends that helped us move. We couldn't have made this transition without you! You guys helped us out SO much!

Josh, Beaux, and Brian. We couldn't have moved without these guys!

We've been in our rent house for about a week now and we've settled into a new normal. I'm still attempting to find a place for all the stuff we didn't put in long term storage, but other than that life is still the same. We are so thankful that God found us this house, even though it's tiny, to rent while we watch our dream house being built. We just hope we don't kill each other before it's all over...just kidding! Although, Josh did refer to the house as "The Nightmare on Elm Street" at the moment. HA HA! He kills me :)