Our Week in Virginia

It had been almost an entire year since I'd been home to Virginia. I've never been that long without a trip, and hope I never have to again! Of course it was for a really good reason that we couldn't travel for so long, and her name is Layla Grace :). Needless to say, we were all anxious to get there and spend a full week with family. We usually go as a family for Christmas, and because of coaching baseball, Dan has had to miss the summer trip in the past. I was so glad to take a trip as a family this summer! Since my mom and Tom had been in Texas for the past two years, Eli wasn't old enough at the time to even remember being at my mom's house. We were staying at my Grandparent's house for trips home during those two years, so that's all he really knew. He was BEYOND excited to finally get to go to his Mimi's house!
Let me just start by saying that the week leading up to our trip was nothing short of a nightmare. On Wednesday morning I started feeling a little 'off,' and by that night I was down and out with a nasty stomach bug. I kept on trucking and just knew that it would be over and done with in 24 hours or less. I spent almost every waking hour praying that no one else would get it. By day 3, Friday, I was on my death bed. It was awful, and no quick moving virus. That morning was the worst of it, and then I turned a major corner. Surprisingly enough, we were in the car and on our way that night! We decided to leave around 6pm. The kids were amazing in the car, and Layla slept all but a few hours. . When we got to my mom's house around 2 am, Eli was charged up and ready to go! He was so excited to be there that he only slept from 3-6am that night. It took a few days for the exhaustion to settle in, but he was running on pure adrenaline, and it didn't seem to affect him much. We were absolutely blown away by him on this trip. It really showed how much he's grown since our last big trip. He was great in the car, and really just went with the flow the entire 9 days we were away from home. There was just so much excitement giong on, and we had to make him stop long enough to re-fuel occasionally.

My mom and Tom were on a week long cruise that ended that Sunday. So we had all day Saturday to just recover from the trip, and for me to continue recovering from being sick. That evening we were able to start seeing everyone. Uncle Patrick and Brittany came over to see us, and meet Layla for the first time!

The kids were just waking up from their naps, and Eli was so tired that he fell back asleep on Danny. This almost NEVER happens with him! Once he woke up, he was so happy to have some new playmates! Pat & Britt were some of his best buddies all week!

Next stop...Grandma's house! There's nothing that I look more forward to than a home cooked meal at her house! They were just tickled to have their two great-grandbabies there with them. Love, love, love this time with them.

There was a constant flow of visitors at my mom's house on Sunday. Aunt Liz got back from Lynchburg that morning and rushed right over to spend the day with us! She hadn't seen Layla since she was 3 days old.

Monday was memorial day, and we enjoyed a big family cookout at my Aunt's house. Lots of good food and lots of baby lovin'!

Tuesday was an EXTRA special day, and really what we planned this trip for, so that deserves an entire post to itself :)...coming soon.

Wednesday was our only nasty weather day, and it worked out great, because we had already been planning to do the children's museum that day. My mom, Liz, Dan and I took the kids and made some of the sweetest memories there! Since we left the museum, Eli has asked religiously, several times each day, if we could go back to the 'newseum' as he calls it. I'd say it was a hit!

 So interactive and so much to get this little guy's imagination going! If you ask him what his favorite part was, it changes everytime. I really think he loved every room we went in just as much as the one before!

Layla was so sweet during our visit, and didn't seem to mind catching her morning nap in the car and backpack. We can't wait to take her back in a few years! That afternoon my mom and I hit several of my favorite shopping spots while the kids napped.

Aunt Liz's boyfriend Blake came into town for a few days on Wednesday. This meant one thing...lots of golf for the guys! We also got a few kid free date nights with them too!

All smiles!

One morning while the guys were golfing and I was off visiting friends, Mimi and Papa Tom took Eli down to the oceanfront with them. I was nervous because he had been up since about 5 am that morning. He caught himself a little snooze in the car on the way there, and then he was good to go! He had so much fun, and I was kind of sad that I missed this outing.

 They have a playground right on the beach, which of course was a huge hit! Another plus was being able to watch the Blue Angels practice show while they ate lunch on the boardwalk!

On Saturday we had VIP tickets to the Blue Angels tent for the Patriotic Fest/Air show. We had originally planned to take Eli with us, but after getting to see the jets all day Tuesday and again on Thursday, we thought it would be easier to let him stay with the sitter we already had lined up for Layla. We're so glad we did, and really enjoyed our kid free day! The weather was perfect and the Blue's put on a spectacular show as always! It was so neat watching the show right on the oceanfront.

 Pat and Britt were able to come for some of the show too!

I finally got to spend some good time with my sweet friend Alicia and her 'new' baby girl on Friday. I'm so glad that she's joined the mommy world, and was so sad to have to wait 9 months to meet miss Lexi! Eli was so sweet and did a great job of entertaining Lexi!

Our final night in town was spent with family at my mom's house. Eli and Patrick absolutely wore.each.other.out! We say that they play so well together, because Uncle Patrick is really a 5 year old stuck in a 27 year olds body ;). We let Eli stay up extra late, and then after he was in bed we stayed up well past midnight just hanging out with Pat and Britt. Sure do wish we were able to do that more often!

So thankful for this time, and for the special memories made. It's always so hard to say goodbye, and the drive is never fun, but it's always SO worth it! Already looking forward to seeing everyone again!

Growing Boy

It's crazy how fast Eli has gone from baby to toddler to big boy. I am loving this age, even with the rough moments that come with 3 year olds. We took him for his 3 year well check yesterday, and I wanted to be sure that I get his stats down somewhere other than on paper :).

Weight: 30lbs (27%)

Height: 39in. (79%)



He's had a huge growth spurt here recently, and that was confirmed yesterday! He's been hungry hungry all day long, and everyone that sees him has commented on how big he's looking all of a sudden. He's always been in the 25-40% range for height, so it was neat to see him make such a big jump in the last year! He was so comfortable during his exam with the doctor, and really showed off for him and the nurses. I left feeling overly blessed to have such a cooperative, talkative, active and healthy 3 year old!

Love this boy!

5 Months!

Layla Grace,You are 5 months old! You've had a fun and busy month. Growing like a weed, sleeping like a champ, and melting the hearts of many!

*You are our little chunker. You love to eat, and you're growing right before our eyes.
*You've mastered eating from a spoon! So far you've had peas, green beans, sweet potatoes, squash, pears and apples. You love oatmeal, as long as it's mixed with pears :). You get one solid feeding in the evening. Your favorite vegetable has been squash, and your favorite fruit-pears.
*You are still nursing 5-6 times per day. You will take a bottle great from anyone.
*You are a great sleeper. Sleeping from about 8pm - 7am at night, and 2-3 naps during the day. You have been back to sleeping a good 2.5-3 hours each afternoon.
*You are a big time drooler and act like you're going to pull those teeth right through yourself. You chew on your fingers all day long.
*You are wearing size 6 month clothes, and size 2 diapers.
*You love your exersaucer, doorway jumper, play mat, and you're really starting to focus and play more!
*You suck your thumb occasionally, and still hate a paci.
*The laughs are starting to become more regular! You laugh, laugh, laugh when we fly you in the air or jump with you in our arms.
*You roll from back to tummy when you want to.
*You went on your first trip this month! You did amazingly well in the car for both 7 hour trips!
*You would spend every waking second in the back pack if mommy's back would permit it :). You haven't spent much time in a stroller since you prefer the baby bjorne.
*For the last week or so, you've been falling asleep during your bath before bed. It's so sweet and cracks us up!

*For some reason you LOVE to sleep in the pac n play.
*Your brother thinks that you understand everything he's telling you. The other day in the car he said, 'Layla Graceeee don't put your feet on me!'
*You met so many new people during our trip to Virginia, and you were all smiles the whole time! You don't know a stranger, and love being passed around. Your big brother was the same way (and still is).

We love, love, love you from the top of your bow adorned head to the tips of your tiny toes.

Squeaky Clean

We threw the kiddos in the bathtub together for the first time tonight. Eli loved it, and Layla has never disliked a bath in all her days, so I'm guessing she enjoyed it too! I'd say that I can't wait for her to be out of the baby bathtub, but I really can, because I don't want her to grow any faster than she already is!

 This is Eli saying, "Ewww sister! Don't pick your nose, you JUST had a bath." He thinks everytime her hand is in her mouth (which is always), that she's picking her nose. Ha!

 My handsome boy got a new summer haircut tonight too!

 It'll take some getting use to that's for sure. We hardly even recognize him without that mop on his head!



I never want to forget how sweet, loving & kind he is to his 'sister girl' as he calls her. I know that they'll have their days, but I hope he will continue to love and protect her always. It's crazy how much becoming a big brother has taught him.

Everyday

I have never been so content just being at home. I've always been one that loves always having something to do or somewhere to go, but not so much here lately. I'm loving my days at home with my two little ones. I'm really just trying to enjoy every single second of Layla's baby days, because I know in the blink of an eye, she'll be older and we'll be back to our crazy schedules. Thankfully, Layla is still really easy to take out places, but I tend to only do big outings when daddy is with us. We went to a festival in Bluffton this weekend, and Layla was perfectly content in the Baby Bjorn for over two hours. She slept some, and then did plenty of people watching :). This has made outings SO much easier, and we've yet to really need a double stroller.

In other news, I'm hesitant to speak the words, but very hopeful that Layla is back to her normal night time sleep again :). Everytime she hits a growth spurt it messes her up for a week or so, and really throws me for a loop! But the past two nights she's slept 11 consecutive hours without waking to eat! She blessed me with this new trend on Mother's Day...sweet sweet girl :).

I want to do a better job of documenting our everyday life here on the blog, and not just special occasions. So here's a little bit of what's been going on...

Lots of jumping! She is so funny in her jumper! Can't wait to see what she's like in a few months in this thing.

 Lots of playing! This is one of her favorite toys! She will start to fuss if her brother leaves long enough for the music and lights to turn off. I'm so glad that they are playing together already!

Lots of eating! Layla got her first taste of cereal this week! It was really more like mommy's milk on a spoon, but she's been getting some practice, and is getting better everyday.

 Love that messy faced girl, and her big blue eyes!

 I try to put Layla in her crib for some playtime at least once per day. She loves her mobile and seems to be happy as can be in there.

 She also LOVES her snuggie! I'm so glad, because Eli never really got attached to his. She loves having something to hold on to, so I'm hoping that she'll get attached early.

 I love finding Eli in his bed like this. He got some new books for his birthday, and he's spent hours reading them! There's nothing better than some voluntary quiet time during the day :).

My sweet sleepy baby! This is her during her last feeding before bed. She sleeps through the entire bottle and burping process. Danny and I get a laugh everynight at what she'll sleep through.

And though this is definitely not an everyday thing, my sweet husband surprised me with flowers last week! It was a sweet Mother's Day/surviving another baseball season bouquet :).

4 Months!

Layla Grace,
 You are 4 months old today! You are getting sweeter by the day, and I already thought you were the sweetest thing ever! You are still a really easy baby. You only fuss when you’re hungry or sleepy, or when mommy makes you ride in the car when you’re one of those two J. You are very easy to read, and just tend to go with the flow.

You had your 4 month well visit today, and here are you stats.
Weight: 12lbs 11oz. 29th%
Height: 23 1/2 in. 23%
We think you are such a little butter ball, but you are certainly still a petite little gal! Those rolls are deceiving :).

*You sleep SO great at night, that I feel bad when I complain about your cat naps during the day. Some days you just prefer to take multiple 45 minute to an hour naps. Other days you cat nap in the morning, and then sleep all afternoon.
*Last night you slept for 12 hours straight without waking to eat!
*You rolled over for the first time yesterday morning in your crib! Your brother and I made such a big deal about it and you thought it was so exciting that we were excited J.
*You still love tummy time. Probably because you have your brother to entertain you the whole time.

*We put you in the doorway jumper this week for the first time, and you LOVE it! I could hear your little feet just going to town on the floor.

*You are taking a bottle of breast milk like a pro now! We give you a bottle before bed every night and it helps to keep you satisfied longer.
*You drool like a crazy woman and have at least one hand in your mouth at all times.

*You wear a size 2 diaper, and size 3-6 month clothes.
*You talk, talk, talk all day long and we love it!
*You are constantly moving. You kick and move your arms out of excitement all the time!
*If we are out and about, you are happiest in the backpack, and usually go right to sleep.

 Your daddy calls you sweet baby ray for a reason. You are our sweet little ray of sunshine, and we just love you to death!

Eli's 3rd Birthday

I love that Eli has a Spring birthday. It always falls at just the perfect time. Baseball season is usually ending, and family always wants to come in town to enjoy the nice weather. This year Mimi and Papa Tom planned their trip to be here for Eli's birthday, and also for Layla's baptism. It worked out great to have everything in one weekend, but it was a little bit crazy at the same time. I couldn't have pulled it all off without the help of my mom.

We started off with a little friend birthday party on Thursday. We did it at lunch time, and tried to keep it simple. The kids had lots of fun. Eli requested a dump truck/construction party months ago. It was nice and easy, and we were able to use his toys for decorations. This was the first year that I didn't go all out for his party, so I had to control myself!

 My favorite part was definitely his dump truck dirt cake! I think Eli would say the same too. So easy, and so fun for the kids!

I don't think I realized how messy this cake would be! It was like his 1st birthday all over again.

We had more family coming in town for the weekend, so we decided to have a little family party on Saturday afternoon. Eli was thrilled to have his cousins Chase, Jacob and Luke here! 

 That morning we gave Eli his present from us...a scooter! All of his neighborhood friends have them, and he was so excited to finally join the club!

 He's done really well on it so far, and hasn't even wiped out yet! I'm thankful that he's somewhat cautious when it comes to things like this.

 We had pizza and cookie cake that night with family.

LOVE watching these sweet cousins together. 

 We were able to spend some time outside after the party. The weather was just perfect all week.

 Layla caught a nap on Aunt Katie for the second time that day. She's got the touch!

We were so glad to have Mimi and Papa Tom here for the week! I think that was one of the best birthday presents to Eli! He got lots of love and made many sweet memories. He sure is one loved little boy!