Santa Claus

This morning we took the boys to see Santa at Friendly Center. Eli was so excited to watch all the other children sitting on Santa's lap. He kept saying, "ho, ho, ho". But, when it was his turn to join Santa he had a total meltdown...Knox on the other hand smiled and smiled. It will be interesting to see what next year's picture looks like. We only have evidence of the before and after, along with the picture they snapped...they politely asked that you not take pictures of the man in red with your own camera. We are such law-abiding citizens...

Winter Wonderland

We had a lot of fun in the snow this past week! Jerrold took Eli out on several walks and we went sledding at my Mom and Dad's. Funny...it was completely my Dad's idea to take Eli out sledding. He did all the preparation, wrapped his feet up in plastic baggies so he wouldn't get wet. As soon as he started sledding, Eli wanted to sled with "Gigi". My Dad noted that in the 40 years he has known my Mom (he met her when she was only 8 years old) he has never seen her sledding. Eli loved every minute of it!

Happy Birthday Jesus party

Eli was lucky enough to attend the school-age Happy Birthday Jesus party. He was such an entertainer for all the kids. I was shocked at how he jumped up in a seat and waited patiently for a cupcake along with all the others. Preschool has really taught him a lot of manners, but he was much messier than the 5-12 year olds!

Busy, Busy, Boys

We are having so much fun with the boys during this Christmas season. Eli is really curious about all the business that surrounds this holiday. He loves our tree, and has even picked out some favorite ornaments. His new favorite thing is to talk on the phone, especially to my Mom. He calls her Gigi, and now whenever anyone is on the phone it is, "hey, Gigi", "bye, Gigi". He is so funny, he even takes his own phone calls to his room and closes the door.

Busy has a new meaning in our house with Knox crawling and getting into everything. He is pulling up and cruising around the furniture too. Wow-what a change in pace for us! I am so surprised at how much damage two mobile boys can do, compared to one. So far, the Christmas tree has survived. I think we are all surprised...

Christmas Pictures

I completely agree with my good friend Becky that Christmas pictures are torture. We randomly decided to try to catch a good one of our crew on Sunday evening before church. As Jerrold and I looked them over we noticed that the common theme in every picture was Knox sticking his tongue out...Just some heads up before you get your card!

Double Trouble

Eli's buddy turned two this week! These little boys had a blast jumping in Eli's crib, especially since it was both their bedtimes...Somehow we ended up with matching pajamas, so we shared one with Mac!

My Sweet Boys

Not too much going on around here, just getting ready for the holidays. Eli is starting to talk a lot, most of which we can understand very well. He is so loving, blowing kisses goodbye to nearly everyone. His Daddy is certainly his hero! Knox shocked us all tonight and pulled up on a toy chest! Wow-can't believe my baby is big enough to stand up! He still has my entire heart!

Superman to the 2nd power

Sweet little Blakely was Tinkerbell. Such a cutie!

This is Knox's new smile. Most of the time he grins so wide that his eyes completely close.
He is a mess!

Checking out the dum dum's in the basket. Evidently Papa let him try one...

Eli kept consistent inventory of his loot

We had such a fun Halloween this year! Eli was very into asking people for "treats". We tried to make a few traditional "trick or treat" stops and then headed over to our church for Trunk or Treat. I found both of these Superman costumes at a consignment sale in March. I only paid
$1 each! They were quite the combo.

Pumpkin Patch

Cousin Blakely will be one year old in just a few weeks! She is such a sweet little girl...We had a good time at the pumpkin patch. It is so hard to get three children under two to smile at you at the same time. We had fun trying!

Eli-20 Months

It is hard to believe that our baby is now 20 months old! He still seems like a baby in some regards, but for the most part he is definitely a little boy. Eli now weighs 30 pounds and is really getting tall and lean. He is talking quite a bit more than a few months ago, but still not using any word combinations. I have learned that he can say what he wants to say very well so I don't fret over his speech too much. He is so independent and determined. He will play very well on his own and is really a very content child. He has really enjoyed going to preschool this year too. I do think it has helped his speech a lot. His new favorite game is to hide from us. The picture above is him hiding under Knox's crib. Poor boy will be so disappointed when we lower it in a few weeks.

These boys couldn't be any different in their personalities. I am amazed at how they can even have the same genes. They are both very laid back and easy going, but there is a distinct difference in them too. Knox literally smiles all the time, and has since he was very young. Eli has always been more of the observing, cautious type. He is definitely friendly, but with parameters.

Many of you know how much it used to drive me crazy when people would say to me, "you've got your hands full." Well, they were right, and I didn't know what was coming. Wow-these little boys are wearing us out. I feel like we keep things running pretty smoothly around here but it is a fine science that we have worked hard to perfect. Now when those people look at me sympathetically in public I just nod and say, "yes, you're right, we do have our hands full-i'm not sure what we were thinking." Sometimes I even go so far as to add, "you know, maybe we weren't thinking." Then I ask them to hold both doors open for me so I can fit my double stroller through...

Knox-7 Months Old

We can't believe that Knox is 7 months old! He is growing up way too fast! (not fast enough for us to be ready for another one) He weighs 20 pounds and is very tall! He has three teeth and one on the way! We are having so much fun raising two little boys. Knox is crawling everywhere and working hard on sitting up by himself. He reaches up for you now too, which is so sweet. He still sleeps really well, but not quite like Eli. I have found Knox to be much more dramatic, if he sees an opportunity for attention he grabs it! I guess he's getting tired of being overshadowed by Eli. What a sweet, sweet boy! We all love him so much!

Wedding Bells

We had such a great weekend at my brother's wedding. Eli and Knox officially have two Aunt Lindsey's now! The wedding was beautiful! Eli was full of himself! He had such a good time before and after the wedding...Knox was a little cutie too! We think he and Blakely favor a lot!

The Wooly Worm Adventure

Eli and I had a great Wooly Worm Adventure today. We found a wooly worm out in our yard that absolutely amazed Eli. He was so proud of our wooly worm that he showed it to alll the men tearing up the street in front of our house. Needless to say the wooly worm was likely traumatized...I tried explaining that a wooly worm was not a snake but Eli continually hissed at the worm...

Daddy's Shadow

Eli is definitely a Daddy's boy these days. He follows him around like a little shadow all around the house and yard. This past weekend we were doing a lot of yard work and I noticed Eli going right behind J respreading all the pine needles. It was such a reminder that they are mirror images of us and we have to constantly strive to be the best examples we can be...