It's All About M.E.

Eli turns 2 today!!!

2010-01-16T10:12:00.003-05:00

Practical and prudent, ambitious and disciplined, Patient and careful, Humorous and reserved...

Traits of a Capricorn...

hmmmm.....as I look back at past entries, I realize it has been since Mac's birthday that I last posted!!! So, it seems fitting that TODAY of all days, I should get back in the saddle and start blogging once more...ELI'S BIRTHDAY!!!

So far today, he has blessed us by sleeping in until 8am! That is a true feat for him, as he is usually like clockwork, waking around 6:45 every morning. He also "blessed" me this morning by starting a new bad habit...sucking his thumb!!! He couldn't find his "ba ba" (pacifier), so he found the next best thing, and BONUS...it is attached to him, so he can never lose it! And right this very moment he is "blessing" me by screaming bloody murder in my ear and grabbing my hands as I try to eek out this posting. Crying and screaming is, unfortunately, a trait of our Eli. He can cry for hours. :)And I can almost hear him thinking..."and there is nothing you can do about it Mom!" But, I do count even those stressful crying fits as a blessing because I have him here to be a crying, fit throwing baby! There are so many people today suffering in Haiti after the earthquake who lost there two year olds. I have mine. And I am so lucky that he is a happy, healthy, fitting-throwing TWO year old!

Nathan decided that we are going to continue with our tradition of trying to scare the bejeebiz out of our birthday boys by going to a Hibatchi grill for their 2nd birthday! Why not I say. Let's see just what he's made of. We already scared him to death last weekend by going to Disney and meeting the characters Mickey and Minnie. Oh Boy! ...Mac has become used to them, even hugging Mr. Incredible. But Eli...oh my...he is terrified still. WHat a great start the birthday scare!

So...now I must attack the house, get it picked up because MeMe and Poppy are coming today, and we are having...you guessed it...a Mickey Mouse birthday party for Eli! Oh, and did I mention he has had a fever for the last 3 days! Happy birthday, son!

Mac is 4 today!!!

2009-08-28T09:08:00.002-04:00

My big boy just got bigger today! Nathan went into his room this morning and said "Happy Birthday Mac. You are 4 today!" Mac shot straight up out of bed like he had just missed Santa Claus. He has been anticipating this day for over a week. Last night, he told Nathan that he couldn't wait to be 4 so he could run faster than Evi. This morning after he walked out into the kitchen, he was holding his night night and sucking his fingers (as usual) and suddenly said to himself, "Let me see..." Then he took off running through the house, into the office, back into the kitchen. "Yep. I'm 4." I said, "How do you know you're 4?" "Because I am faster Mommy." I love the logic! Tonight we have a big pool party planned at the clubhouse with 70 of our closest friends and neighbors to celebrate with Mac! YIKES!

He started his pre-K school this week on Monday, and being the youngest in his class, his nerves got the best of him. The first 2 days were pretty rough. Sunday night, I told him he could have any breakfast that he wanted on Monday morning. After I steered him away from his first choice of McDonalds (In the restaurant), he picked pancakes. At 4:30am, Monday morning, Mac was standing beside my bed. "Mom, can we make pancakes now?" "Uh...No. It is still the middle of the night. Let's wait a few more hours." Then when he did wake up at the right time, he helped me make the pancakes which then sat on his plate untouched. I noticed him walk quietly into his room. When I went in to check on him, he was lying in his bed very pensive. I asked him what was wrong, and he said he didn't want to go to school. We had had a few tears about it the night before, but I was hoping the pancakes would smooth things over. Not so much. More tears. When we finally got to school, it started again. I had to have the teacher's aid physically take him from me. OY! Rip my heart out. But, when I got back to school at 11:00am, he was playing cheerfully outside with his buddies Evi and Elle.

Tuesday, was similar to Monday. Lots of tears. "I don't want to go." Actually, that was the day he came out of his room and said "Mom, I already went to school today." ; ) Tricky little guy. Then when I said, "No you haven't." He said, "Mom, I think I will skip school today." Huh??!! "Where did you hear 'skip school'?" "Papaw told me that if I didn't want to go to school, I could just skip it." "Really?" Papaw has sinced denied this conversation, but stated that it sounded like the advise he would have rendered had he been asked about what to do if you didn't want to go to school. Thanks Papaw!

Wednesday, Mac woke up and said "Mom, I'm not going to cry at school today." "OK" I said. "Sounds good to me." And Vois la, NO TEARS!!! The teacher, Miss Rachael, came and wisked him away and got him occupied with some blocks. Then yesterday, we were a little early and his teacher wasn't in the class room yet, but the aid was. Mac said, "Where's the other teacher?" I think he loves Miss Rachael!!!

Today, school drop off was a breeze! Birthday boys get lots of special attention in Miss Rachael's class! Plus, he loves having his friends in his class and making new friends like Lily (another Lily!) and Nicholas.

Time to get ready for the big party tonight!

Growing Up With A Village

2009-07-25T15:57:00.002-04:00

I have vivid memories of growing up with a "Village" of family members throughout our town. My parents' friends and their kids were a vital part of my upbringing. I am sure my sisters feel the same way. I liked having older and "other" siblings in my extended family. I hoped that when we moved to our new home that we would be able to provide that for our boys. After last night, I saw that we had.

I have previously commented about how great our neighbors and their kids are. We are so fortunate to have such a warm and friendly neighborhood. My boys don't feel the slightest bit shy about walking right into our neighbors garage and punching the punching bags or knocking on their door to see if they are home to solicit a special snack. Mac even has a secret hiding place in their pantry for his own treats!!! And Eli...I have to really watch him so that he doesn't just walk right across the street to our other neighbor's house when they come outside with their girls.

Last night, during our weekly "Aloha Friday" festivities, we headed to the pool for a cookout. It was a great and new experience, because there were new friends there who aren't normally here on Friday evenings. What is so great about having these get-togethers is, it seems like their are always new people there, and everyone brings with them their own "flavor." The kids, subsequently, get new friends to get to know.

Well...as I watched the kids swimming in the pool, I see Eli playing with Ella, Mac on Drew's shoulders playing a game of Chicken with some other boys. The girls are getting to know each other and prancing around the pool. Suddenly, a group of kids run over to the pond to check out the gator. And then it hit me...This is how I grew up. All different ages of kids hanging out. The older ones leading the way, the younger ones trying to vy for the attention of the older ones. It was great! I had flashbacks of vacations to Kentucky Lake, Fourth of July parties, Halloween gatherings in our basement, and Caroling parties at the Dwyers'. And this neighborhood is reminding me of my neighborhood growing up.

How blessed are we to have such a wonderful group of friends. In fact, tonight, I am heading out with all the ladies of last night, plus another 10 or so from another street for a Girls' Night Out, while the boys hang out here at our house for a Fish Fry.

Too FUN!!!

"The Golfball Show"

2009-06-25T08:10:00.002-04:00

Of course it would make sense to a 3.5 year old that if you have "basketBALL" and "footBALL" and "baseBALL", that you would have "golfBALL" too.

Nathan came home from work last night and asked Mac if he wanted to go use his putter at the golf course. On the way over, Mac asked Nathan, "Daddy, when are you going to be on the golfball show?"
N: "What do you mean Mac?"
M: "You know. The one with Tiger Woods. When are you going to be on that show?" (Meaning tournaments like the Open and the Players' Championship."
N: "Oh....well...It will take Daddy a while to get on that show. I would need to practice a lot more to be on it."
M: "Oh."
N: "...but if YOU start practicing now, and you play golf a whole bunch, then you could be on the golfball show like Tiger."

I fear the Earl Woods Complex.

Last week, Larry's family was here celebrating Grandma's 80th birthday! So much fun!! Lots of beach and pool time. Found my first shark's tooth. It was blazing hot, but by the ocean, if felt great! One evening we were at dinner and Mac was trying to say something to or about Laura, Larry's niece. Now Laura is in her early 20's, not yet married and enjoying single life. That said, while Mac was trying to figure out what to call her, because he clearly had forgotten her name, he referred to her as the "Mom in the blue shirt." I cracked up!!! So Laura, for the rest of the trip, and possible for the rest of her single life, was the referred to as the "Mom in the blue shirt." I wonder if that is anything like the "Devil with the blue dress, blue dress on. Devil with the blue dress on." (Laura, you may be too young for that musical reference."

Christmas is May

2009-05-26T09:25:00.001-04:00

It is May and Mac woke up this morning and said he wanted to watch "Rudolph, the Red Nosed ReinMoose." :)

"...it's soup corn..."

2009-05-22T13:14:00.002-04:00

At lunch time today, I put the boys at the table with their food and went around putting away laundry. I heard Mac say "Do you want some? It's soup-corn (creamed corn). Do you yike it? You do. I'll give you more."
Eli has started using a spoon. He is having fun trying to figure out how to keep the food on it! ;)
He is also getting really funny with his facial expressions and communication. I swear he yelled "hi" to our neighbor when he saw her, and I think he said 'hi' to the checkout girl at Publix today after she said "hi" to him.

Mac is riding his bike with training wheels and still climbing to unknown heights around the house. (YIKES) Pictures to come. There was a red paint incident! He is also very much looking forward to going back to IN in a few days. He really wanted to go the airport and get on a plane this past Tues. There were tears involved.

Eli's allergies

2009-05-13T08:43:00.002-04:00

About a month ago, Eli broke out in a full body rash. His eyes were pink and swollen and he was covered in hives. I had had his 15 months shots recently and lots of things were blooming. So I was worried that he had a reaction to the vaccines, but I was hoping it was an environmental allergy. After a round of Prednilosone and a return of the hives, we went in for a blood draw to test for food and environmental allergies. We found that he is allergic to egg whites, peanuts, shrimp and cockroaches. (Good thing I have my friend Victor from Bug Out!) :) The egg and peanut allergy is mild-moderate. But the shrimp allergy is considered High (Only by a few points though.) I am hoping he will outgrow these, but we are being cautious until he does.

creepy crawlies!

2009-05-13T08:36:00.003-04:00

Well our new home is not immune to crawling things, like our apartment. I went outside 2 nights ago and found a suspicious looking spider (Black with a red dot on it) in a sticky web. I called our pest control company (You have to have one on contract here in FL b/c bugs are crazy around here.) My friend Victor came over, and after he saw the web and I described it, he immediately said "Black Widow." YIKES!!!! What!!!!! With my babies around...I don't think so! Spray, spray, spray!!! He then told me that his spray only works on spiders when it hits them directly. Walking over it will do NOTHING to them! So next time I see ol' Charlotte, she's gonna meet the bottom of my shoe!

Did I mention that after I saw her, I looked up on top of our outside fridge and saw dozens and dozens of babies crawling over our bubble refill container. ICK.

Oh yeah, AND, I showed Victor my recycling container which had some of the silky, sticky web on it. He was a little...concerned. "Yeah....I would really be careful when you're picking those up to take them out. I would check underneath the handle before I grabbed there." HOLY COW!

2009-04-10T18:32:00.004-04:00

Eli's first deliberate steps.

More steps.

Mac's "chapstick"

Mac'isms

2009-04-09T20:08:00.003-04:00

A few funny things Mac has been saying lately:

He has made up a new conjunction. Instead of saying "I'm not." He says "I amn't" Am + Not = amn't.

When Nathan is in charge of putting him to bed, sometimes he'll cop out and say "I'll make you a deal. One more show, but no books." or something like that. The other night, Mac was on the verge of a fit, Nathan was in charge, and Mac (hysterically) yells out, "Can you make a deal?"

Instead of saying "actually" Mac will use the word "exactly." i.e. "Exactly, I want the red one."

He seems to be carrying a lot of things, pretend of course, in his back pocket. "Oh, I have a screwdriver in my back pocket." This morning, Mac had a newspaper and a lasso in his back pocket.

His imaginary friends are "Frankie" and "Anchor." ? ? ?

He negotiates and explains things very dramatically. Imagine him bobbing him head up and down and holding his hands out in front of him saying, "Well, (lip smack -l.s.), you see, (l.s.) you could just give me a treat now and then, (l.s.) I would just..." "But Mac I am offering you some Cheezits." "But Mommy (l.s.), Cheezits are not a treat." "Why aren't they a treat Mac." "Because, (l.s.) Mommy treats have sugar in them. So, I need a treat. OK?"

"member"...Mac will say, "Mom, Mom. I want to watch Scooby Doo. The one Daddy let me watch last night. ...member, the one Daddy let me watch. Member, Mom?" Member = remember.

There are more, I just can't remember them right now.

Eli's-a-walkin'

2009-04-09T19:02:00.003-04:00

On Sunday, April 5th, 2009, Eli started walking. Of course it was AFTER GhiGhi and Papaw left! Oh sure, he has taken a few "lucky" steps before, but these were deliberate and intentional steps! I am trying to upload video but having no luck. I will keep trying.

A few pictures from the last few months

2009-03-25T10:24:00.003-04:00

Eli with the "buck-teeth" pacifier.

Freezing at Disney in Feb.

Playing in a box!

With MeMe and Poppy at the Fort in St. Augustine.

Watching the shuttle launch in March

....when we're Team Headley

2009-03-25T10:04:00.002-04:00

This morning, I told Mac that when Eli woke up, we would go to the Alligator Farm and to the park with the carousel. He was SO excited then he said, "we do lots of things when we're Team Headley." I LOVE THAT! I say to him all the time, that we are a Team and we have to take care of each other like teammates do. So...no hitting, being respectful, etc. It might be sinking in.

A week ago, when I was in the pick-up line at Mac's school, his pre-school teacher's asst. brought him to the truck. She said that Mac "bloomed" today. He was playing with all the other kids, and he had SO much to say! She said theat he had a "Great Day!" I felt proud as a peacock, or pea-hen I guess! :) My Mom always says that parents are the most vulnerable through their kids. I suppose that a parent is also most proud and fulfilled through their kids too. Something must have devolopmentally "clicked" with him, because 2 weeks ago, he couldn't stop talking about his friend Brady and nearly demanded that I call his Mom and set up a playdate! So I DID! Then, we had another playdate with a neighbor boy this past Saturday. He was great at both of them. It's not that Mac misbehaved or was mean with other kids, he was the opposite. He was aloof and stand offish and only played by himself. Seems like things are different now. I am not sure if it is the big boys in the neighborhood or the fact that I have kind of forced him to join and/or try some new things like karate and soccer. Whatever it is, it is different.

Eli is on the verge of walking. He has taking a few unbalanced steps from a chair to a coffee table but not much more. And, he is babbling A LOT. I think when he starts walking, words will start flying out of his mouth! He is devoloping lots of opinions and he wants what he WANTS!!! And, he will tell me about it! In his frustration now, he will bang his head a few times...just to get his point across!

"Can you yaff about it?"

2009-02-19T20:35:00.002-05:00

I walked into Mac's room after he was supposed to have been asleep for his PM nap (It seems I start a lot of entries this way), and gasped at what I saw...an EMPTY marshmallow bag!!! Then Mac said "Mom, Mom...Can you yaff about it?"

OF COURSE I CAN. That was freakin' hysterical.

BTW, he had saved a baseball sized clump of marshmallows in his bed "for yater."

The Blue Icee at 10:20pm

2009-02-16T22:21:00.002-05:00

I was in brushing my teeth, while Nathan lay in bed watching TV. Then I heard it. A loud thump. I leaned back to look at Nathan and he was leaning forward to look at me. "What was that?" We sat in silence for a few seconds, then Nathan said, "The icee." Rewind to earlier this afternoon at the playground in our neighborhood. Our friend Hudson came to the playground with an Icee his Mom got for him at the local convenient store. Mac had a sip (or ten) of it and was hooked! I told him, if he took a good nap, we would go get him one when we woke up. I had it...my leverage for the day! Everything revolved around the Icee. Sure enough, when Mac woke up, the first thing his groggy little voice said was "Icee." I obliged. He didn't drink the entire thing, so we put it in the freezer for tomorrow...lasting leverage. Love it! However, it became a bit of a nuciance as bed time drew nearer. Even after brushing teeth, Mac wanted a sip of the now frozen Icee. Mac was put to bed around 8pm, and at 10pm, he was still awake. Now it was time for Nathan and me to go to bed too. Lights out throughout the entire house. I can just hear Mac's mind working when he realized all the lights were out. "Now's my chance. They'll never know I went for the Icee." Back to the present time...we hear the thump, realize what it is, then sneak to Mac's room. He is poking his finger as far down into the cup as he can to try to break up the now-frozen Icee, then trying to suck it through the straw. He isn't having much luck. So, now is our time to "break up this little charade." Nathan walks in and says "Whatcha doin' Mac?" Mac jumped about 4 feet off the floor with a start. Then he feverishly started sucking on the straw to get out any of the Icee he can, because he knows that he has been caught and the Icee is a goner. I haven't laughed that hard since...well I guess since he covered himself in toothpaste! He is a sneaky little dude!!

What a day!!!

2009-02-04T16:30:00.005-05:00

I became a Great Aunt today! Hadlee McClarren was born today to my niece Courtney. She was 8#10oz. And...1.5 weeks EARLY!!! Thank God she came early! I truly wish I were there with her and the family, but I know she is in Good Hands (no pun intended.) :) Her last name is Hand.

We also got a package today from Gr'ma and Gr'pa Carpenter. And the boys were loving the IU footballs and especially the chocolate/marshmallow hearts.

I have lots of pix to upload from MeMe and Poppy's visit. I will post them soon!

A letter to Aunt Karen (9 days ago)

2009-01-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

Hi Karen,
We are all doing great. The boys are changing so fast. Mac is really getting funny. He says some of the most hysterical things. He slays me most days. We are STILL working on potty training. Today was a big break- through though. He pooped twice on the potty. HUGE!!! Of course, he then immediately wants candy for his acocmplishment. Ugh! He loves school, and his teacher is very complementary of him. I sometimes wonder if she is really talking about Mac. ;) Oh..I joke...but I do think he acts differently around other adults than he does around me. Right now, we are working on riding a two wheeled bike. THe problem is, he is scared of the training wheels. Nathan let him fall a few times, and now he wants nothing to do with them. \We actually have had 2 bikes given to us. One with training wheels, and one without. He prefers the one without. So that means, Mommy is breaking her back to keep a hold of him as he tries to ride up and down the sidewalk. I can't wait for him to "get it" so he can ride along side of me while I run.
Eli is getting so big. Tonight he was in the bathtub and stretched his body out while lying on his belly. He almost took up the entire tub! I couldn't believe it. My baby! He is doing a little sign language. Very little at this point, but he really knows "more". :) He also did "duck" tonight too. I thought that was pretty cool. When we were at Larry and Cindy's over T"giving, Cindy has this musical toy that plays the "Chicken Dance" song. So now EVERY time he hears any song, he starts flapping his wings. It is really funny. He is not walking yet. Actually, he is not even standing on his own yet, but he does like to push around this little "walk and ride" toy he has. He looks like he is pushing a walker!! I guess we start with a walker and then end with a walker (as life goes). Right now, we don't have a big birthday party planned for him. If we were in Indiana, we'd probably do something...more so that family could get together, but here...it just isn't necessary. We'll have a cake, and if it is warm, we might grill out and see if neighbors stop by, but I don't plan on planning anything big. Poor kid. :)
We had a really nice New Year's Eve dinner here at our house with our neighbors and Larry and Cindy. THere were 10 of us for dinner and 4 kiddos running around. We invited 14 adults. Everyone brought something. We actually had TOO much food. We had appetizers, Lobster bisque, mushroom lasagna, beef tenderloin, a turkey, stuffing, rice, black eyed peas, sweet potatoes and dessert. It was insane. There was plenty of food to go around and enough for sandwiches the next day, and for people to take home a little bit of left overs. We had fun with the Wii and laughing at funny videos on YouTube! Then we watched the ball drop.
I should go. Part of my New Year's Resolution is to get to bed at descent times. If I start now (9pm) I might make it to sleep by 11. :)

hmm...I just went back and re-read this letter. It is a pretty good "blog entry". I think I will cut and paste it into the blog. So you will see it again! :)
Em

Eli - 1 year old

2009-01-15T22:50:00.005-05:00

From now to then...
Looking into the future.

Playing in my new sand/water table.

A Halloween monkey

High Five!

I have lost most of my hair, but now it is growing back.

In Ponte Vedra Beach at our interview. 7weeks old

Little Toad (in b'ton)

All are happy and healthy

His first moments

My baby boy is one year old! This time last year, I was lying in my bed in Bloomington, IN trying to go to sleep. I was anxious, because my second son was to be born the next morning. We planned a c-section, and I think I was more nervous about the epideral than the actual surgery. I always seem to do fine during the actual procedure, but I did dread the needle. As usual, it was no big deal. My anesthesiologist and my OB were golfing buddies, so I knew the atmosphere would be light. I told them "Don't let Nathan see ANYTHING! and distract with golf talk." I did not want him passing out because he caught a glimpse of the surgery. After the epi., they started the surgery before Nathan actually was in the room, so he had to walk right by my feet to get to my head! YIKES! He did great as usual. The pillar of strength with a few nervous banners waving from it. He always keeps it together under pressure. I hope Eli will be like him in that regard. Eli was born with a FULL head of blonde hair. I, of course, ordered Nathan (yes, I still boss him around even when pumped full of drugs - "who's married to the demanding wife" - inside joke)...I ordered him to start taking pictures, as we didn't have the doula like we did with Mac. He was beautiful and still is. He was a pretty good nurser from the start, even though I am not the best supply. He stuck by me the whole way. In fact, I nursed him for 10.5 months. He's a faithful little guy. A mama's boy, for sure. Like Mac, is was and is perfect in every way (even though he JUST started sleeping through the night last month!) :) How blessed I am to have such a warm, yet fiesty little guy. He is always good for a hug and a bright smile. And when he twinkles those baby blues at me...forget about it! When he was born, it wasn't even a remote possibility that we would be moving to FL. But now, an entire year later, here we are. We arrived here when he was just 2.5 months old. Hard to believe he was so young. I think it was difficult for him to adjust to his new surroundings at first, and that is why he became so attached to me. There was no family around to sweep him away and love on him, no neighbors to dote over him and babysit for him. He just had me. I am tickled pink to be his "one and only." At least for now, anyway. He learned to sit up, crawl and cruise here. He got his first tooth and said his first word here. He first giggled and coo'd here. And I was here to see it all first hand. How blessed am I?

My bed is a little "crunchy"

2009-01-15T14:37:00.003-05:00

Mac has been a little devil lately while he is supposed to be sleeping. The day before this video was shot, I caught him red-handed climbing the shelves in the pantry for some crackers/cookies. This particular day, I thought he was asleep, so I went outside to do some work while both boys were asleep. I was talking to my neighbor and telling her how just the day before he had climbed the shelves for the "goods". After the conversation, I went in to check on them and found this...

Hesaid in the beginning that he wad trying to be Swiper the Fox! Like on Dora.

So let's review:

1st we have The Grren Goblin aka toothpaste boy

2nd we have Spiderman, the pantry shelf scaler

Now we have Swiper the Fox!

"Fighting" for your kid

2009-01-15T14:23:00.002-05:00

One day, I hope Mac will thank me for the "fighting" I am doing for him right now. It feels like a fight anyway. I am in the middle of trying to figure out what is the best way for Mac to move along his educational path. I am very determined that he should wait to start kindergarten until he is 6. Not because I think he won't be able to handle it academically or socially, but because, simply put, I don't want him to be the very youngest kid in his class!!!! I would much rather him be the oldest. I will figure out, later, how to handle the stress of him being the first one driving in his class and the first one to turn 21. I just don't want him to have to go through the stigma of being the last one to get his license or turn 21. God forbid, he be the youngest in his group of friends who turns 21, and he gets a fake ID. God forbid he get caught and/or arrested for it. That would be on his record forever!.........I realize I am making a big leap from kindergarten to the sports bar, but I HAVE to start thinking of these things now. Why? Because I am trying to figure out how to "sequence" his educaiton. Should I hold him in his 3's class which is only 2 or 3 days a week; put him in the Pre-K class which is 5 days a week and then hold him back and repeat it another year; or put him in Pre-K then on to Kindergarten ( Where I just learned per a conversation with the St. Johns County Public Schools that it is not up to ME as his Mom if he should repeat Kindergarten, rather it will be a Team decision.) OY! Knowing Mac, he will pass K'garten with flying colors and then be sent onto 1st as the youngest in his class!! Then all my worry and toil will be for naught. I am leaning toward the "repeat Pre-K" option and just pay the difference. (I won't get into the financials. It is a big cluster-bleep) ...Now, if I can just figure out how to convince Nathan that he should wait until he is 6 for K'garten...That will be the next fight! :) Thank God we had Eli in January. I don't have to have this inner-turmoil again! BTW, Happy B'day Eli (tomorrow). Love you both!

A new Christmas Tradition

2009-01-02T19:45:00.003-05:00

When I was a little girl, every year my sisters and I would add links to an aluminum foil chain we used as our Christmas tree garland. It was cool to see the differences in each other's links in the chain. Mine were usually fat and big because that's how my hands worked. (I was little.) Heather's were pain-stakingly perfect, and Anita's were always smaller than mine from what I can remember. When we got older and moved out, Mom gave us each a section from the chain. Mine definitely was from the links that I made, big and fat. Well, I decided that this year, Mac was old enough to crush aluminum foil into long strands and link it into a chain. So we started his garland this year, and it hung on his Christmas tree that he had up in his room. (I will try to get pictures and post them.)

Christmas 2008 Memories

2008-12-27T20:58:00.004-05:00

In my Christmas Jammies

Two ferocious dinosaurs

CHEEEEEEEEESE!

Santa's newest reindeer recruits. (With Evi after making S'mores at the clubhouse)

A precious gift under the tree!

You take it...

...No, you take it!
In these difficult economic times, I have so many wonderful memories of a very "rich" Christmas! It is not how many packages under the tree that matters. It is the time we spent with one another that counts.

Leprechaun or Incredible Hulk...You decide!

2008-12-27T20:22:00.004-05:00

Mac was supposed to be napping this afternoon when I started hearing noises like he was up on a counter. I slowly came out of my room and saw him come into the kitchen and sing "I'm sticky, sticky, sticky!" Holy Cow, You're Green! - Rewind to about 3 hours earlier. I went to the store and bought Mac a new, electric SpiderMan toothbrush. He was ecstatic. He dry brushed his teeth for about an hour! Very exciting, especially for me, the dental hygienist. - OK, now fastforward to nap time. I guess the excitement of having a new "toy" was just too much for the Macster, and you can see the result! There was toothpaste EVERYWHERE! It was all over the bathroom wall, floor, and counter. And his room! All over the carpet and on his "thinking chair." It is ruined. But, I did get a good laugh out of the whole thing. :) Did I mention that earlier in the day, Mac had pooped/pee'd in his underwear and dropped dingleberries everywhere?! Yeah, I had that too clean up first. Then shortly after, Eli had a blow out. Then when I finally got Mac into the tub, his pull up was full of poo AGAIN! I can't wait to not have to deal with poop on a daily basis!

Good times!

A game of pretend

2008-12-24T08:58:00.002-05:00

Too cute...I was following Mac upstairs with Eli so we could have a little play session, and he turns around and says "I'm Mrs. Stovall and you be my friend." (Mrs. Stovall is his teacher)Then he proceeded to walk backward while I followed him. He said "You keep your eyes on me and hands behind your back." I was cracking up. Then, as we get half way up the stairs he sits down and pretends to be asleep. I said to Eli "I think Mrs. Stovall fell asleep. Let's go upstairs and play quietly until she wakes up." After a few minutes he came bounding up the stairs and said, "I am Sportacus! I needed my sleep so I could have energy!" (That's what Sportacus says on LazyTown, a show Mac watches.) His imagination never ceases to amaze me. Right now he making a castle.

Mac at the range

2008-12-21T09:19:00.002-05:00

Nathan took Mac to the driving range yesterday to hit balls. To me, this looks like a promising little swing: head down, weight shifted to the front foot, and most importantly, the ball is off the tee! Mac's favorite part of this little outing, according to him, was going into the "house" and eating a hot dog. ;)

Eli's first professional hair cut

2008-12-20T23:38:00.003-05:00

This was Eli's first time in a professional salon. Now, I must admit that Daddy actually cut his first a few months ago, then I trimmed a bit here and there. But for his first visit, he did AWESOME! Mac was a big helper too!

December update

2008-12-20T23:18:00.003-05:00

Eli is getting so big! It cracks me up to see them wrestle around like this already. I can only imagine what it will be like as they get older. I hope that the wrestling will always be this "happy." I am sure that it won't though.

We are getting ourselves ready for our first Christmas away from our extended family. As much as I will miss the traditions we have with them, I think it will be fun to start some new ones here in our new home. Nathan already said he wants to start a tradition for Christmas afternoon where the family plays golf together. Hmmmmm. Is that tradition for the good of us all or for the older boys? :) Seriously, I don't mind. I think it will be fun. Nathan and Mac did go out today and hit golf balls at the range. When Mac concentrates, he can really whack the ball!

Eli now has 6 teeth and will very soon have 8. He is eating pretty much everything Mac eats. It's so funny to me, b/c I have given him foods much earlier than when I gave them to Mac. I was so afraid I would kill Mac. With Eli, I am like..."Eggs are good enough for Mac for breakfast, then they are good enough for Eli. They are soft and not that much of a choking hazard." :)

Eli really is "communicating" much more distintly than even 3 weeks ago. He really went through a transformation while we were in Indiana for T'giving. He became so much more aware of others and trying to communicate with them through his eyes. He is more expressive with his face. And, after a rough first 3 days or so, he really took to going to other people much more readily than when we first got there. (Thanks to Aunt Holly and Nonnee for "sticking it out" with him and not taking it personally when he cried for me!)

He also laughs so much at Mac. Just tonight, I was chasing Mac around our kitchen and Eli was just cracking up. There truly is nothing better than a baby laugh. He was sitting in his booster seat, and you could see how much he wanted to be down and in the mix with us.

Eli is finally sleeping through the night now! He wakes around 5:30 or 6am, but goes right back to sleep for another hour or so after a bottle. It's Mac who is now getting up in the middle of the night! Just last night, he was up at 2:30am. OY!!!!

I keep telling Mac that Santa is watching for his good behavior and really wants him to stay in bed at night. His response when he has less than perfect behavior is..."I won't do that again. Santa will bring me presents anyway." How can he know that already!? So savvy!

Wheels turning

2008-11-20T22:09:00.002-05:00

I was reminded just now as I read another friends blog about watching his son trying to figure out how to catch a stream of water with his fingers. (That is a crazy sentence. Could you follow it?) Anyway, a few nights ago, I was showing Eli how a stream of water could turn the "water wheel". He was mesmerized by the stream of water coming out of the cup. I watched him look at the water, then at the wheel, then the water again. And then he did. He reached up his little pincher fingers and tried to pinch the water. "Hmmph. Try again. and again. Maybe if I grab it with my whole hand." Then he looked at me like "what's with this?" and then he moved on to the water drum.

Progress Report

2008-11-20T21:21:00.002-05:00

Mac got his first progress report from his preschool today. He is a freakin' genious! For example, he received positive marks for "separates easily from parents," "shows concern for others," and "walks in class line quietly." He is great at playing with puzzles, blocks and Play-Doh, but we need to work on staying in the lines when coloring. He can't be perfect at everything. He would make the other kids feel bad if he were perfect at everything! So humble.

Speaking of perfect children...Eli now has 2 teeth on the bottom and 2 teeth on the top. He is trying to say "uh oh." ...so cute, he perses his little lips. He is also quite the musician. Definitely loves his drum and his xylophone (at tub time.)

I say it all the time, but how lucky am I!?

Oh...did I forget to mention that Eli had a diaper blow out this morning and Mac crapped his pants twice today? (in big boy underwear, no less.) Perfection!!!

Audition

2008-11-09T21:40:00.002-05:00

Well, I had my first audition here in Jacksonville at the church we've been attending. It is called SUPERHEROES and was written and directed by a member of the church. My friend Amy, who teaches our fitness classes here in the neighborhood already has a part in the show as SuperGirl! Fitting for her. She has lost 80 pounds in 2 years and is ripped! I digress. I just read an email from the director saying I didn't get a part. I am pretty bummed about it even though they were only casting the remaining 4 parts, 3 of which were female parts. There were probably 10 females auditioning. I am disappointed mostly because I was looking forward to rehearsals and hanging out with Amy more. She says that there is a possibility that someone will start the show and then drop out, so who knows, maybe I can slip in later. If not, it was fun to get up and audition again.

Mac and Eli go to a carnival

2008-11-07T22:50:00.002-05:00

Tonight, our neighbor's church, had a big carnival. It was not that much smaller than the Daviess County fair. It was pretty big for a church. Anyway, we decided to have dinner there, and I went with very low expectations. But I must say, I had the best chicken strips that I have EVER, and I mean EVER had! Tast-eee. Mac devoured his hot dog, which was a pretty big deal for me since he hasn't been eating all that well lately.
Clearly, the night was mainly for Mac, but I think Eli enjoyed the people watching. He fell asleep in the baby Bjorn as we were walking out at 8:30 and slept through the transition all the into his bed. I couldn't believe it.
Mac was amazing. He jumped right on the carousel, which didn't surprise me that much. But when he willingly got on a Nemo ride that was pretty fast and jerky, I thought for sure he would melt down and scream to get off, but he didn't . I need to have more faith in him and worry less! But the biggest shocker to me was when he and Nathan got on a roller coaster. HE LOVED IT! He immediately wanted to get on it again, so they did. My baby is getting so big.

Just Because it Makes Me Smile

2008-11-03T20:31:00.002-05:00

At PaBob's

2008-11-03T20:14:00.002-05:00

"I'm takin' over PaBob's chair, and there ain't nothin' you can do 'bout it!"

Let's shake on it.

Who me? I am innocent.

Ok...now that tickles!

OK. This isn't PaBob's house, but Mac put this helmet on Eli and said..."You look like PaBob."

Presenting...SUPERMAC

2008-11-03T19:56:00.003-05:00

Costume courtesy of my friend Kate.

Kate's visit a few months ago...

2008-11-03T19:27:00.003-05:00

Kate is Mac's friend from his pre-school in Indiana. They have a unique friendship and bond. They still do to this day, even though they live hundreds of miles apart. I am so grateful that Mac has such a special friend so early in life.

Playing one last game before Kate has to go.

...and this is my friend Kate. I love her...

...a lot!

Opening Mac's birthday gift.

A final kiss goodbye. BooHoo!!!

Eli's-a-growin'.......

2008-11-03T19:13:00.003-05:00

Eli and Grandma Headley

Today I noticed how much more pronounced Eli's personality has become. He is really reacting to things more strongly and be proactive in "creating mischief." For example, tonight, I took Eli upstairs to check on Mac while he was in the playroom. The next thing I know, Eli is trying to "steal" Mac's Teefball NightNight. ...and doing it with a distinctly sly smile. It just seems like he is trying to communicate more with people. It is especially noticeable in his eyes.

...like right now, I swear he just looked at me and tried to blow me a kiss. Now he is doing "rasberries" to get my attention because I looked away to type. (Nathan is supposed to be feeding him before bedtime, but Eli gets distracted so easily. Nate just said, "let's go Eli. We're going to your room to finish this." Smart guy.)

He is also cruising around coffee tables and couches more quickly. I am also noticing that he trying to stand alone. It is very early in this "process", but Nathan and both said tonight that once he reaches that milestone, he is "outtahere". :)

Halloween '08

2008-11-01T20:04:00.004-04:00

The "FireGator".

Mac and Evi

Where's the Fire?

Mmmmm...good 'nana.

I was pleasantly surprised that it was at least "chilly" for Halloween this year. I was afraid my kids would actually be hot in their costumes this year. But...there was a nice chill in the air. There were scads of kids all up and down our street! So fun. I took Mac with his friends Evi and Max, while the Dads and Uncle Brett stayed back and got the grill going. Mac went to about 5 houses and then started walking home. I asked him if he wanted to go to the next house, and he ignored me and kept walking home. Guess he was finished. So, the silver lining is we don't have TONS of candy in his bucket!!! I did, however, make the mistake of taking him into a haunted house that my neighbor made in her garage. She assured me that other little ones had gone through and been fine. Well, as soon as we got in there, amidst the fog made by the fog machine, we approached Dracula's coffin, and he SAT UP!!! Mac looked at me like, "Get me the hell out of here!!!!" So I did. As we were standing outside the garage, Dracula came walking out, b/c we were the only ones going through. Mac freaked again. "Let's go Mommy, let's go!!!"

Smooth move Mommy! Again...the silver lining...They gave out FULL sized candy bars!

BTW, I am now on Facebook as many of may already know. But if not, check it out.

Revelation

2008-10-30T21:14:00.003-04:00

I have known this for sometime now, but it was just confirmed to me...just how different my 2 sons' sleeping patterns are. I just put some clothes away in Mac's room, sneaking in like a stealth bomber as he slept. I, ever so gracefully, tripped over a golf set (Thanks PaBob) and made the loudest commotion. He didn't even change his breathing rhythm. Out like a light. Now, Eli, on the other hand...if I even so much as touch his door knob, he sits up in bed. In fact, he is probably standing up right now because he heard me in Mac's room.
That's all I have time for tonight. I am just now eating dinner (at 9:24pm). A mother's work is never done...
:)
PS, ...and how fortunate am I to have such a demanding job! I love it even when I am asleep standing up!

I'm Baaaaaaaaack!

2008-10-26T22:16:00.003-04:00

Ok, now I know it has been a while, but 2 months, no way! Where did the time go? So much has happened in that time period. Eli got his first tooth on Sept 29th, he is cruising a little bit. He tries to "walk" around the coffee table. His personality is getting more "pronounced." He definitely loves his Mama. I went for a run tonight with my neighbor Pam. I was pushing Eli in our jogger, and Mac ran after us screaming "I wanna go!!!" twice. So we went to the neighbors, borrowed their double jogger and off we went. Well, Eli had not napped all day (I'll explain later) and he started to wail!!! I told Pam "Oh, don't worry. He'll stop once we get going." Uh...NO! He cried for 10 minutes. We just ran on back home! Oh well. As soon as I picked him up, Silence! A bit of coo'ing and then a giggle! Oy!
So he didn't get a nap because we went to the breakfast at 9am so we could make 11am church (Great sermon, BTW), then Nathan told Mac we would go to the Air show at the Naval Air Station. The Blue Angels were in town. Mac didn't really know what that meant, but Dad was excited and had asked him to go, so you could see in Mac's face that "OK, I need to be excited about this too." So Eli missed his morning nap due to breakfast/church. He slept in the car a bit, but it just isn't the same! Then we got to the NAS, after sitting on the Buckman bridge for an HOUR!!! Kid you not. The traffic was killer, but we could see the airshow over the river, so it wasn't all that bad. When we finally got there, I put Eli in the Baby Bjorn, a baby carrier worn like a backpack, but on your front. And Mac got to ride in the stroller. By the time we got to the airfield from our parking spot, Mac was out! Totally asleep. We couldn't believe it. We thought surely the noise of the jets would wake him, but NO. Funny sidebar---I got to breastfeed Eli sitting up against a building in an alley with the male smokers sitting around me. mmm, privacy. Gotta love it!. I was there first, but they didn't seem to mind, and anyone who knows me knows I don't care, but ComeOn! Give a Mama some space. ---So now it is time for the Blue Angels...Eli is awake this entire time BTW. All five jets are flying around over our heads and Mac is sawin' logs. ZZZZZZZZZZZZ. Nathan suggested we bag it and head back to the car to beat the crowd. So after we walked for miles back our spot, with the BA's still zoomin' over our heads, Mac finally wakes up...as we are getting ready to put him in his carseat. Luckily, he didn't seem too disappointed that he had missed the whole thing. And I can say that I have now seen the Blue Angels. I must admit...I enjoyed it. I was a bit skeptical at first that I would. But I did.
Being on the base also gave me a jolt of patriotism. Thoughts of our military flooded my mind as we were there. I even had a "vision" of our boys 20-22 years from now, possibly in a flight suit. You never know.
Now...I promise to write more about what has happened in the last 2 months. I have tons of great pix and videos of Kate's visit and more bathroom concerts and being home. I just have to get them loaded onto the computer.
Off to bed.
PS, it's good to be back.

Back to School Time

2008-09-01T19:27:00.002-04:00

Mac starts his first day of Pre-school tomorrow morning. It won't be like the "Diggers and Puppies Academy" he attended in Indiana, but it will do. We had a packet of stuff that we had to fill out before tomorrow, and I wanted to share some of his answers with you all.

My name is Mac.
I am 37.5 inches tall and weigh 35 pounds.
These are my favorites:
Book: Peter and the Wolf
Color: Green (That news to me. He usually says Red)
Animal: Polar Bear
Food: Cookies
Show: Football
Song: ABC Song
I like to cuddle with my family.

We had a great weekend with GhiGhi and Papaw. I will get pix up soon.

A view of Mac's Birthday

2008-08-29T19:32:00.008-04:00

Just found his new scooter!!
Eating Miso soup at Japanese/Korean Steakhouse. We took him to a hibachi grill for his 2nd birthday too. Scared him to death, so we thought it would be a good idea to do it again. :)
A true sportsman. (New soccer ball)
Riding the scooter

Dad on Mac's scooter and friends playing.

Eli's Milestones

2008-08-27T20:52:00.003-04:00

So after I wrote the previous post, Eli started amazing me! We hit 3 milestones all today.
1. He started using his pinchers. (pointer finger to thumb motion)
2. He sat up from laying down position
3. Stood up in his crib.
The standing trick didn't make him happy. Why? you ask. Well, Mac and I had gone outside to see if we could actually melt from the heat and humidity (we came close.) I had put Eli to bed for a catnap before dinner. I left his room and he was crying. I came back in the house about 15 minutes later to check on him, and all was quiet. Then about 30 minutes later, we came back in because we were turning into molten humans, and Eli was screaming! I went into his room, and there he was, standing in the corner of his bed. Kind of wedged in there between the railing and a lullaby toy hanging on the end. His eyes told me the story. He was ticked off, scared, exhausted...I felt horrible. I scooped him up, and he buried his head in my shoulder. Then, he took my face in his hands, pulled his head back so he could look at me (to make sure it was really me, I think.) Then he buried his head again. He did that a few times. I felt like dirt. But, the bright side is, he is fine and now can pull himself up! Thankfully, I had lifted the gate on his railing today. I hadn't done that before! That was God working, or else he would have fallen right out of his bed! But, as I said, all is well. :)

3 years ago today...

2008-08-27T14:26:00.007-04:00

I was an hour into some pretty hard contractions induced by Pitocin. They were steady and strong, and I was feeling EVERY SINGLE ONE! Today was supposed to be Mac's birthday, but he came just after 3am tomorrow morning. I can't believe I am the Mother of a 3 year old.

Today was orientation for his new preschool, Sharing Tree. He'll be attending every Tuesday and Thursday from 9am-noon. He seemed pretty OK with everything today. We met his teacher, Mrs. Stovall, and she had him seated next to a little boy named Eli. How appropriate. There is an Elijah in his class too. I found out his name is Elijah Joseph, just like our little Eli.

After the orientation, we had to go out and buy a new bigboy backpack. Why is it they only have a few options for boys, and a million for girls? We could choose from SpongeBob (uh, no.), Cars and Spiderman. Of course Mac picked out SpongeBob. After I directed him to his 2 other choices, he proceeded to go to the other rack with the pink backpacks and said, "I want this one." Now, I am all about letting boys wear pink and play with dolls if they want, but I figured his Dad would not appreciate me bringing home a brand new, pink backpack for him to carry everyday to school. So I told him it was WAY TOO expensive, and he could choose from Spidey or Speed. We came home with Spidey, to my surprise. ( I just knew it was going to be Speed. What do I know?)

For your viewing pleasure:

Mac and Eli in the morning.

Mac at his new preschool.mac

Singin' in the rain...

2008-08-21T20:54:00.003-04:00

TS Fay has been a thorn in our side for over a day now with no end in sight. This storm is moving at a blistering pace of 5mph!!! So that means the 50-60mph wind gusts keep coming. So far, we have no damage, and we have had some breaks in the rain (as you can see from the video.) One strange thing that I noticed tonight as Mac was brushing his teeth was our toilet water was swaying back and forth. It was happening in all toilets, so I called my neighbor and their's was doing it too. Wierd.

Truly, the storm hasn't been all that bad. No tornadoes (yet), no thunder and lightening (yet), no damaging wind (yet.) Now, we still have the backside of the cyclone to come through, so all that could change.

There was a fatality at Neptune beach today. A couple from Indiana and their friend from Jaxville decided to swim in the torrential ocean today. The guys made it out, but she didn't. The news said the men were so exhausted that even though they knew she was in trouble, they didn't have the strength or energy to go save her. They reported the waves were 15 feet high today. They haven't released her name yet or exactly where she is from, so stay tuned.

On a lighter note, Mac did enjoy playing out in the rain today. He rode his big wheel and did belly flops in the wet grass. He is all boy! I've been trying to upload a video of him for two days of him playing in the rain, but "no go." I'll keep trying.

Today, Friday, has been the heaviest rain and wind so far. But we are surviving. :)

Storm update

2008-08-20T14:18:00.007-04:00

Well, now Fay is changing her mind. She doesn't want to become a Hurricane, rather a nasty Tropical Storm. The storm is creeping up the coast at 3mph and Not going out into the ocean as once projected. So that could be good and bad for us. Good in that we won't have a hurricane hit us, but bad in that the storm is going to turn quicker and have the front, right quadrant hit us (more than likely). That is bad because that is where the tornadoes and strongest winds are. So, we really are in a "wait and see" position until we know exactly where and when she makes her turn westard.

Trying to beat the rains, PaBob and I decided to take a quick trip to "sight-see". So here you go.

The boys and me at Lost BeachPaBob and Eli @ Lost BeachPaBob and the Boys @ Lost Beach

Hurricane Fay

2008-08-20T03:00:00.002-04:00

When we interviewed for the job here in Jax, Nathan's new boss said, and I quote, "Jacksonville is great, and we haven't had a hurricane since 1964." Well, lucky us! We get to make history (maybe.) They are forcasting that sometime early Thursday morning, Fay will hit the "First Coast" as a historically unusual storm. Fay actually STRENGTHENED over land yesterday. That is NOT supposed to happen. And, she keeps dodging and weaving all around the state. Bizarre. Anyway, we feel like we are ready for her. Even though I didn't really take too seriously (until about a week ago) the suggestions of the meteorologists on TV that we needed a hurricane "kit," (You know, water, canned food, dog food, flash lights, batteries, weather radio, candles, etc.) it was in the back of mind that I probably should get some of these things together. Well, my neighbor Tara and her husband Jeremy, who have lived in FL their entire lives, gave me the "real deal" if you will. And I learned that yes, in fact, I should get some supplies. So we are now ready. Luckily we have a gas stove, so if we do lose power, we can always cook. :) I am kind of looking forward to the "hurricane parties" that I have heard so much about. :)
Did I mention that Mac and Eli's grandpa, PaBob (Nathan's Dad), drove down yesterday to visit. He came down on his Harley over a 2 day trip. Perfect timing. ;) So no beach trips for ol' PaBob, but maybe we can sneak in a trip to the pool in the morning.

Future Olympian

2008-08-12T13:56:00.002-04:00

Playing Memory together.
A view of our neighborhood slide and pool. That's Mac swimming!!!
Mac, again, swimming ALL BY HIMSELF!
On your mark, Get set, GO!

When we moved here, Mac was afraid to get into the water and would not let go of Nathan. Now he a little fish swimming all over the place and even diving in. The girl pictured with him is Maggie, his instructor. She will be off to college in a few weeks, and I know he will miss her terribly.

Eli hastarted to scoot around more. I caught him rocking back and forth on his knees the other day, and since then he has really become resourceful in his mobility. He isn't quite army crawling yet, but it will be happening soon. Oy! Get out the baby gates!

The Secret is...

2008-08-07T23:11:00.003-04:00

I just finished watching The Secret with my friend (and neighbor) Tara and a new friend (and neighbor) Illusion. It has been years since I have watched it, and I am amazed at what I remembered, what I had forgotten, what I have implemented and what I haven't. Basically, it says "What you think about, you bring about." So stop saying "I don't want to be late." Because, you will BE LATE. Instead, think "I want to be On Time." And so it will be.
Besides the movie, we had a good time just chatting. I feel like The Secret is at work with Tara and me...that we were brought together somehow by the Law of Attraction. She reminds me so much of several people from home. She just manifests so many traits of so many different people I know in Indiana that I feel like I am talking to all of them when I am talking with her. It is a little freaky.

Now, on to the Boys, Mac is swimming like a fish all around the pool. He has had 3 formal lessons, and he now swims all the way across the pool with no floatie. He is doing this with his face in the water and coming up for air. I am amazed. I think he is love with his instructor Maggie. He talks about her A LOT!
Eli is now eating blueberries. We added that to his menu. They are pureed of course. :) I took him with me over to Tara's to watch the movie, and she has a baby who is 10 months old. It is so cute to watch him watching her. He really is soaking in all of her movements.

I felt like a kid again last night. Why? you ask. Well, I'll tell you. At our fitness class, we were lying on the ground for an ab workout and I was looking up at the Florida sky. I found myself getting lost in the cloud shapes. And then I saw it, the first star of the night sky. I made a wish on it...of course. :)

Feast or Famine

2008-08-02T09:32:00.009-04:00

Chillin' with my homie. :)

See. I can sit up.

Howdy-do!

He actually sips out of the cup! A view of our messy L'room.

A view of our kitchen.

So Feast or Famine...I hope that is not how my blog posts are going to be entered, but that seems to be my pattern. Enjoy the Feast (while it lasts.) :)

PS: Mac was drawing with sidewalk chalk last night with a neighbor friend, and he drew a face for the first time. He explained it as he drew it. "These are your eyes, here is your nose and now your mouth." I could really make out all of those features. He is SO advanced! ;)

Grilling with neighbors

2008-08-01T23:02:00.002-04:00

Nathan has found a neighbor who likes ethnic food as much, or more, than he does. We have a new friend, Jeffrey, who has Korean in-laws. They came to visit last week and brought a bucket of a Korean "salad" called Kimchi, which is fermented cabbage and peppers. It has a pickled yet really spicy flavor. Believe it or not, Nathan and I both really liked it. We grilled salmon on a cedar plank and also made a rib eye. It was a yummy and healthy meal. I was so proud of us until I counted how many beers and margaritas we had. Kinda canceled out the healthiness of the food.
Mac had his first swim lesson today. He was very apprehensive at first, partly because the lesson was scheduled at 11:30am, which is really close to lunch/nap time. He has been getting tired around 11am, so I was a bit nervous about the timing. Anywho, walking up to the lesson, he got his 3rd bloody nose of the morning (on an antihistamine that is drying him out!), then he didn't want me to leave. I ended up just doing the old "stop, drop, and run" routine, and went to the other side of the pool. Next thing I know, he is throwing dinosaurs into the pool and swimming after them. He had a great time. So great, in fact, that he wore himself out completely. Maggie, the instructor, walked him over to me, and he was crying out of pure exhaustion. He actually said, "I wanna go home." Needless to say, we changed our lesson time. :) So tonight, during prayers, we were going through the "God Bless's..." and he turned to me and said, "...and what's her name...oh yeah, Maggie too."
Right now, Dutchie is transfixed on a frog just outside our patio door and she is pacing back and forth following its every move! So she is now a "frog dog" instead of a "Bird dog."

Drumroll, please...

2008-08-01T22:17:00.014-04:00

At the roach-y apartment.

Yes, that's a potty seat.

Gene Simmon's love child.

Safety first (visiting B'ton)

Aunt Heather, Eli & Cousin Libby

Silly string at Bogg's Creek

Look at them holding hands!

Vacationing in Hilton Head.

MeMe and Poppy @ Paris Landing

Brothers in arms

Making cookies for neighbors.

Long overdue. Hope you enjoy them as much as I do! I am the luckiest Mom ever. I know you all say that, but sorry, I AM!!!

Eli stats

2008-07-31T21:33:00.003-04:00

age: 6 mos.
weight: 16.1 #'s

Eli is sitting up!!!! He falls over a little still, but he is getting steadier everyday.
He is eating cereal, carrots, sweet potatoes, peas, apples sauce, and bananas. He doesn't really like the bananas. He's his Mother's son!!! I am going to push them on him though, because they are so easy to travel with!! (Ended a sentence with a preposition! Hate that!) I need to get some of Dan's homemade babyfood recipes!
He is sleeping better...almost all the way through the night.
He is very interested in everything around him. He grabs for toys, finds his pacifier, and loves to pull Mommy's hair.
I find him propped up on his knees in his bed most mornings, so I think crawling wont be far behind.

Our Neighbors....

2008-07-30T20:55:00.002-04:00

....are great!!! We are really enjoying our neighbors and our neighborhood. Right next door to us is a family that moved in two weeks after we did. They came from Cincinnati and have 3 boys who are awesome!! They are 7, 13 and 14 and are SO WELL mannered. They have really taken Mac (and Dutchie) under their wing. I can pretty much count on a serious play session every night. (In fact, they just knocked on our door. :) ) OK, I am back. That was their Dad coming over to check out a feature on our house. (They have the exact same house as we do.) Nathan and I have really enjoyed getting to know Pam and Dan (Mom and Dad). Our driveways seem to be "party central". The neighborhood usually ends up in one of our two driveways either playing baseball, basketball, or a combination of the two. And Dutchie has never been in better shape! She has all these boys (Dads included) who love to launch the tennis ball for her to chase. She is in heaven!!! Seems like all the Dads have lots to chat about too.
We really like all of our neighbors, but I have really become close to Tara, who is Mom to Evie (Mac's friend.) We have started walking to the fitness center 3 mornings a week at 6am to work out. It takes about 15 minutes to get there. Then we work out for about 30 minutes and walk back home. We are home by 7ish so Dads can get ready for work. We have been committed to it for 2 weeks, and I think it will "stick."
OK, so how awesome is this?...There is a lady in our neighborhood who leads a fitness class for women 3 nights a week...and it's FREE!!!! Sunday night is cardio, Monday is Legs and Abs, and Wednesday is Strength training. Amy, the instructor, is hardcore, but is great about giving us modifications for the exercises. Tara and I are going to try to incorporate those classes into our "routine." So, you all won't recognize me when you see me next. :)

Mac's Blog entry

2008-07-30T20:52:00.003-04:00

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Mac and the JD Gator

2008-07-30T20:41:00.003-04:00

Mac has been riding his John Deere Gator a lot!!! In fact, it was on his Gator where he met his new friend, Evie (Eh-vee). He was riding along and he invited her on for a ride, then he actually let her drive!!! Since that fateful evening, they have had many Gator rides together. In fact, they share and take turns so well on it, that I am sometimes amazed. I owe his sharing abilities to Kelly, his preschool teacher in Indiana. Anyway, one night he and Evie were switching seats, and it was Mac's turn to drive. He made it into his seat and fastened his seatbelt before Evie had a chance to get into the passenger seat. That's when I heard it. She said..."Don't drive yet Honey." OMG!!!! Did she just call Mac "honey?" YES she did. And as they drove away, her Mom caught a glimpse of Evie landing a smooch on Mac's cheek!!! How funny and cute is that!?

The Gator has proven to be a great "friend finder." He has had several kids in our part of the neighborhood drive and ride in the Gator. There is Tereed (not sure of the spelling), a little boy two houses down, Max, Hudson, Justin and of course Evie. All of the boys are older than he is, but he is really enjoying being around all of them.

It's been awhile, I know....

2008-07-09T16:16:00.003-04:00

So here is an email I just sent to my friend Michele in Indy. It is a good update. I will write more VERY soon. I promise. With Pictures. :)

SOOOO great to hear from you. Bethany gave me a little update on the office regarding Joya. I didn't know you all had an asst. too. THat is great...while it lasts. I hope the other hygienist fits in. I have been thinking of Dr. Stokes lately b/c I am singing a song in my head that he used to sing..."Trailor for sale or rent...blah blah blah...I'm King of the Road." I can't remember the other words, so I was going to call to have him sing it to me! :)
YES, the boys are growing. Mac amazes me everyday with what he learns. He can recognize his letters and numbers. He can even match some letters to words. He is getting pretty sassy too. I guess that comes with being almost three. He turns three in Aug. Hard to believe. BTW, your kids aren't supposed to be that old. We haven't aged...have we? :)
Eli is rolling over and laughing at his goofy Mom and brother. We started cereal about 2 weeks ago. His bowels have totally shut down. Aaaahhh...the memories of a constipated baby. We are going to try sweet potatoes either tonight or tomorrow.
Nathan loves his job. He is working REALLY hard, brings it home too, but he is happy. So, so am I. He isn't golfing as much as he would like, but I hope that as his job gets more manageable, he'll be able to get home earlier to head over to the course, which is right across the street.
I think of you all the time because our neighborhood is located south of Jax, like your's is south of Indy. It's like driving to G'wood.
I didn't realize you were moving. The process sucks, but the novelty of it is fun. I hope that being so close to the kids' schools will be helpful for you. You won't have to run so much.
Our house is coming together. I am still unpacking boxes, arranging, then rearranging. It is hard to do with 2 little ones at my feet all the time, but I am in no hurry. We aren't moving again anytime soon, so I can take my time. I probably just jinxed myself. :) I didn't think we would be moving from B'ton either, and here we are.
The neighbors next door to us are moving in today. We are going to grill out tonight and feed them. I know they will be exhausted and not want to fix food for themselves. They have 3 boys who are older but are very friendly and polite. I am looking forward to getting to know them. Very good potential for babysitters and dog sitters. According to their Mom, Pam, they were pretty sad to leave Cincinatti. We can relate, so we can cheer them up and show them that it isn't ALL bad here.
OK, Mac just woke up from his nap, and I promptly sat him down in front of the TV to watch Lazytown so I could finish this email, and he is screaming/singing the theme song. It is so darn cute I can't stand it. "GO GO GO down to Lazytown..." :) I love being a Mom to Mac.

Again, I am so glad you wrote. Sorry it took so long to respond. I haven't checked email in a while and I haven't blogged in a while as you can see. Actually, this email would be a great post. You may see it again if you read the blog. :)

Miss you and love to you and Dr. Stokes. Please teach him how to email. I would love to hear from him too. Or remind him how to use his phone. I would call him, but I know he won't answer, and I sure as heck know he won't check his voice mail, if he even has it!!! :)

Rash conclusion

2008-06-20T00:20:00.002-04:00

BTW: Never did have a relapse of the rash. Never did find out what it was either. Must have been some sort of reaction to a bug bite, or maybe it was left over salmonella.

The Vacation Season!

2008-06-20T00:08:00.002-04:00

It is midnight and we just got to Hilton Head Island to visit the Spinner clan. I have heard ALL day..."I want see Jonah and Yibby." "I am ready to go now Mommy. I have my shoes on." "We go now?" My reply : "After dinner, then we take baths, brush our teeth, wait for Daddy, then get in the car." That just didn't seem to satisfy him. He was READY!!! Now we are here, and I can't wait for him to wait for him to wake up tomorrow morning to actually see Jonah and Libby!

I started Eli on rice cereal yesterday. HYSTERICAL. He doesn't do the typical lapping of the tongue and spitting it all out. He is wide open like a little bird. He grabs the bowl and puts IT in his mouth, and he grabs the spoon and puts it directly in his mouth. Ummm....I think he was ready for real food. What do you think? I was just being lazy. I didn't want to deal with it until we were in the new house, which is awesome by the way!!! I am actually sleeping. OMG, how I missed sleep! This is awful, but Eli's room is the farthest one from our room and has NO monitor hooked up yet. He could be crying and I don't hear it. Oh, sometimes I hear him, and I go in. But, there are many mornings he wakes up hoarse. But, I...I wake up refreshed and ready to go!!! He'll figure it out, right?

I promise, I will get pix on soon.

I may need medical help!

2008-06-11T23:29:00.002-04:00

OK, so last night, Nathan was out of town. So the remainder of the Headleys stayed at the condo with GhiGhi and Papaw. I was watching some TV, getting ready to take Eli upstairs when my shoulder started itching. No big deal. So I am laying in bed around 12:30 or so and my hands start to itch, the palms. Weird. Then the backs of my hands, then my shoulder, then my stomach. But, my hands were driving me insane. They itched like you wouldn't believe. It almost felt like I had not washed soap off of them. So, I got up around 1:00am to go wash my hands to see if that will help (I have no idea why I thought it would, but it made sense in my stupor). Then, for some reason, I pulled up my t-shirt and OMG!!!! I had huge blotchy rash spots all over my trunk, mostly on the right of midline, and some on my legs. What could it be? I thought maybe shingles. I didn't know. Luckily, I had some hydro-cortisone cream in my bag and rubbed it all of the effected areas. And what do you know?... It was gone by morning. Seriously, I am dying to know what it is/was. Nerves? Aftermath of my visit with Sam and Ella? Allergy to something? Maybe our detergent? It did seem to be mostly on the side I was sleeping on. But why would my hands itch? And why would it just go away? These are not rhetorical questions. Anyone got answers?

We have keys!!!!!

2008-06-11T18:07:00.002-04:00

We are in, finally. We closed this afternoon and have keys to our new home!!!! A BIG thanks to Irena Shepherd with Morrison homes and Clare Berry, our realtor!!!
I will try to get a change of address card sent out via snail mail and email. And, I will get pix up asap.

Have you met Sam and Ella?

2008-06-10T09:56:00.002-04:00

OK, so I am not 100% sure, but I think I may have been stricken by salmonella via the tomato. I was in the shower yesterday when it hit me. I had a chicken sandwich with a tomato on it earlier in the day when I got sick. I looked up the symptoms, and I had ALL of them, and the timing was right. Headache, fever, nausea, etc.... After my initial attack, I felt well enough to go to the pool the next day. Well, the day after that was not so good. I think I am totally over it now, but I think the tomato may have been the culprit.

So, last night, our little family unit was walking into our apartment. Nathan, then Mac, then I was close behind with Eli. Then...it happened. A snake slithered right by Mac and me. It was so close to us, I don't know if it went in front or behind or through Mac's legs. He was so intrigued. Shocked but intrigued. I could see by his reaction and posture, he wanted to chase it. It was a little, black one, maybe a foot and a half long. But still....

So here is the tally so far: 2 snakes, 4 frogs, several dozen cockroaches and more lizards than I can count. That is more critters in 2 months than I EVER saw in Indiana. Mind you, we are getting ready to close on house that butts up to a horse farm. Think there are any slithery critters in there? Uh, yeah! Maybe even the poisonous kind. I had a realtor tell me last week, "Florida only has 5 poisonous types of snakes." Well whoop-ti-doo!!!! That is 5 too many for me. Creepy!

BTW, we close on the house TOMORROW, Wednesday. Movers come Thursday the 12th. I can NOT wait!.

Slobber and tales from the sand

2008-06-07T23:17:00.002-04:00

Eli must really be feeling the teeth these days. He is really slobbery and biting everything he gets his hands on. It actually is kind of painful when he bites on my fingers. Mac didn't sprout teeth for a while. I think he was around 10 months or so. I will have to go back and look. Mac did slobber forever though. I had him wearing a bib starting around 2-3 months.

Mac spent the afternoon with his GhiGhi and Papaw at the beach. He was BEAT tonight. Putting him to bed was a breeze. Anyway, Nathan and I picked him up at the Beach Club where we found him bellied up to the bar (Gotta love Florida laws.) eating a cheeseburger and drinking a chocolate milkshake. I took a walk with him on the beach, and we saw little hammer-head shark that had either been caught and left on the beach or died and washed up on the beach. Either way, it was pretty cool. Of course, I took a peek in its mouth and the teeth were not huge and scary. This guy was only about a foot long and his teeth looked like spikey bumps that would be great to use for a pedicure! :) hahaha. ( I need one, that's why I thought of that.) Mac, the fearless, had no qualms reaching down and touching it on the dorsal fin. I love it that he is not afraid to explore a little bit.

Mac, the comedian

2008-06-07T15:02:00.002-04:00

On our way back to the apartment from the pool today, I stopped to get lunch at a really healthy restaurant, McDonalds. Heard of it? Well I handed Mac his happymeal toy which was the KungFu Panda that makes a funny noise when you shake it. Mac was shaking it and all of a sudden I heard Eli laughing behind me. Too freakin' cute. Mac was making Eli laugh.

Martyrdom or Motherhood?

2008-06-07T14:17:00.005-04:00

Why is that a Mom can't be sick for more than 24 hours? What if after 24 hours, I still don't feel good? Who will take care of everything and everyone? Is it fair to ask someone to alter his schedule? (I am hearing a resounding "YES" in my mind as you read this.) Here is a better question...Why can't I ask for what I want? Do I feel like a "champion" if I am a martyr, or is it truly a quilty feeling for asking someone to change there plans to help me. ( I feel like Dr. Phil here.)
Well, here is what happened...Thursday night, Uncle Eric and Aunt Stacey were spending their last evening here in Jax. Larry and Cindy took us out to dinner at one of Nathan's and my favorite restaurant, Eleven South. On our way there, I wasn't feeling 100%. I had a head ache and was a little achy as the dinner started. Well, the yummy wine made all that go away! :) I love natural medicine. Then while in bed, around 1:00am, I started to feel it...that churning feeling everytime I rolled over. Even though I didn't feel so great, Eli still wanted fed. Ugh. I pulled myself out of bed and got him his late night snack, then crawled back into bed, only to feel a stronger churning in my belly. "I am not going to puke, I am not going to puke." I was willing myself to be a well-person. Finally, after getting up 3 times to soothe Eli, I had to ask Nathan to do it, because I was surely going to lose my lunch. By now, I am trembling with the chills. I finally convince myself that I will actually feel better if I just give in to the inevitable and go toss my cookies. And I did.
A few hours later, Nathan had to get up for work. What to do, what to do? Larry was taking Eric and Stacey to the airport, Cindy had 2 assignments to do for her Masters course, and Nathan had to work. I was in NO shape to be caring for 2 needy children. AAAAAAAAYYYYYYY! Then it happened...Nathan offered to take Mac to work with him. YES, I know, I couldn't believe it either. Not only did he have work to do at the office, but he also had to go out and look at a building, but was still willing to take Mac. What a relief. But, then there was the afternoon. Nathan had a golf tee time with Larry. All I wanted to do was sleep. But I also didn't want him to miss his time with his Dad, even though I felt as though Hell had opened up and I had entered. Instead of insisting he stay home, I was willing to gamble on the boys taking simultaneous naps for a few hours which would be tolerable. HAHAHAHAHA!!! I was DREAMING. How many times have they actually napped at the same time since we've been here? Maybe 4 times, and yesterday wasn't one of them.
So finally, Nathan gets home. "Please take them! I need to be horizontal." At 6:30pm I slipped into bed and promptly fell asleep until around 9:45, when the boys got home. Then at midnight, 3:00am, and 6:00am, Eli needed his snacks. And, last I checked, Nathan had not sprouted mammary glands, so once again, I was up. And this morning, Nathan had another tee time. "Ugh, my head aches. I am weak, and I am hungry." I am thinking "please don't go." He even asks me, "do you want me to stay?" And once again, "Emily the Martyr" says, "no, I don't want you to miss time with Larry." And off he went, but not before getting breakfast for us all. What a sweetie.
I actually mustered up the energy to go to the beach club pool to take Mac swimming, banking on the fact that Eli would sleep (and he did). Mac was such a big boy. He was swimming all by himself (with his floatie on), but I was still wearing out fast. I don't know if I was denying to myself that I had just had the stomach flu, or if I was just being a martyr again for my boys. After swimming with Mac and feeding Eli, I had to go home. I currently have a raging headache, but am waiting for Nathan to come home so we can go look at furniture. No, i am not sleeping like I should be. I am off to tackle the next thing on my list...Just like a Mom does. Is that martyrdom or motherhood. Wow, those words look similar.

BTW, the babysitter did not hurt or kidnap our kids and they were both asleep when we got home around 9:45pm. I don't think anything was stolen or broken, so maybe we'll hire her again. :)

Counting to 10

2008-06-04T22:22:00.002-04:00

I had to count to 10 twice today so that I wouldn't hurt my child. His grandparents, GhiGhi and Papaw are here, staying in a condo near the beach. He didn't want to nap there today, and he didn't want Eli to nap either. tick tock tick tock. My fuse was getting really short. Poor Eli has NO schedule whatsoever, and cries A LOT, and I know it is because he has NO schedule. So today, i thought, this will be great. Mac is tired from the heat of the beach, he is asleep already in the car (as was Eli). I will just take him in and tuck him in and have a few moments to myself (a rarity) But NNNOOOOOOOOOO. He woke up the minute we stepped foot in the condo. Cuddling didn't work, reading didn't work, no way to lock him in. Finally he said, "I want to go back to the apartment." "Fine." I say, "but we are not coming back here for dinner and that will make Papaw cry." knowing full well we probably were coming back. I was so mad at myself for saying that in the first place. Anyway, I was coming unglued. I hate loosing it like that.

We did leave, but we didn't stop at the apartment. I just drove. For 2 hours, I drove while the boys slept. Hey, it was a nap. I spent their inheritance in gas, but they rested. When we got back to the condo for dinner, Mac must have told Papaw that he didn't have to cry now, because he(Mac) was there for dinner. I think Papaw may have been a little confused by that. :) HE really does listen to what I say.

Aunt Stacey is so great with Eli. I mentioned he cries a lot. Well, Stacey had him fast asleep in her arms tonight after dinner and had to put him in his car seat. Of course he woke up, but she has discovered that he loves his face to be rubbed. (I never knew that, sadly) So, she held his pacifier in with one hand and ever so gently rubbed his temple with the other. Right back to sleep he fell. Way to go Stac.

So, Mac stayed the night with GhiGhi and Papaw last night. I got some good QT with Eli. We stayed in bed until after 8am. It was great. And...we slept in Mac's room so Daddy could sleep. The crying... That way Nate didn't have to hear it when it happened. (I think I have spoiled Nathan and Eli) I am the one suffering with no sleep while Eli gets a paci. on command and Nathan never hears his cries because I fly out of bed so fast so that Nathan won't be awakened.
I digress...So Mac slept IN BETWEEN his grandparents last night. HE is truly the spoiled one. He thought it was pretty funny when Papaw started snoring. He now can imitate Papaw's snore to a "T". It is hysterical.

OK, I am tired, not making much sense and am sticky from sweating all day. OH yeah, I almost forgot...I hired a babysitter for tomorrow night so the adults could go to dinner. I am guessing that I will be worrying the entire time about the stranger in my house with my kids and all of my stuff. But, nevertheless, I am going through with it. I keep telling myself, I will never truly know the people who sit for my kids while we are here. They aren't family or friends (yet). So, I am going to bite the bullit and just trust. I found her on the internet from Rent-a Nanny. I am not even kidding. OMG, the more I write about it and read it, the less sure I am about it. YIKES!!!!!!!!!!! I am sure she is a lovely girl.

Milestones

2008-05-31T12:10:00.002-04:00

On May 29th, Eli rolled from Front to Back three times while on the pediatricians table.

Mac picks out a letter and can name it!!! And say what word it starts.

Mac is figuring out his imagination. This is good and bad. Now he gets scared in the middle of the night. But he also loves our made up stories.

Eli slept really well 2 nights ago (after his shots.) I welcome any sleep, even if it is assisted by Children's Tylenol. Last night...not so good.

Mac fell down his first complete flight of stairs on Wednesday the 28th. Luckily, he rolled like a log and not somersaults. Nothing broken. Just ripped off an old scab.

Finally, drumroll please....

Mac swam with no help last night (30th). Well, he had on his floatie, but Dad let go!!!!

Retirement

2008-05-31T12:04:00.002-04:00

So both of my parents are now retired. That is so cool to me. It was fun honoring my Mom last Friday with a reception for her "New found freedom". But I do wonder what she will do with her time. She always says, "Oh, I will be so busy cleaning out my class room." "I have lots of things to keep me busy." Like what? OK, tennis once a week in the summer. The daily crossword. mmm...yep, that just about does it. I think my sisters and I should get her a "How to knit" book. That is a really popular hobby these days. Oh, oh, oh...I know, she can start fishing with Dad. No, that might end in divorce. I would hate to ruin a good marriage that way. I know, she can come hang out with us here in Florida. She loves the sun. Tans like nobody's business. She can sit at the beach with a good book and drink Mai Tai's all day. :) I bet she is so glad to know that I am going to plan out her life for her... Like she needs help. :)

SO Good to see family and friends

2008-05-31T11:38:00.002-04:00

OK OK OK...I know I have been a bad blogger. Seems like every time I think of doing it, the computer is occupied by either Nathan or Mac, yes Mac!!! He is an avid computer user. I love it! I also can't wait for him to have his own computer set up at the new house, so I can have my time on this one. I hate to pull him off of it when he is learning and exploring his way around Horton or the "penguins."
Mac, Eli and I spent a wonderful week in IN this past week. It was so good to see everyone.
PaBob and Nonnee were great hosts to us in B'ton. They always spoil Mac and Eli when they see them, which is their perogative. Eli had a big happening on their living room floor. I had placed him on his belly, then I took a big gulp of Diet Coke from my stadium cup, looked back at Eli, and he was on his back!!!! Drats! I missed his first real roll-over. I said this to friends and family already, that if he had been my first child, I would have cried, but he is the second, so I am already over it! Isn't that horrible! :)
I think Grandma Headley was surprised to see how big the boys were. I know she had a few peaceful moments holding and cuddling Eli. Those times truly are precious.
Mac seemed to "fold" back into his old ways at Kelly's house with his buddies. They had the first annual "Diggers and Puppies" bike race, in honor of the 500 I think. Unfortunately Mac is not well versed on the bikes or trikes. I think that will be a gift this year. He really needs to learn how to peddle!!! Of course, when playing in Kelly's backyard, he is the one child who lays completely flat in the sandbox. Do you think that means he a sand-lover?! I suppose that is good, except that he had on jeans and a fleece. It was real fun trying to shake the sand out of those clothes.
When I saw Mac with his buddies, I could really see how much he has grown. He is now almost as tall as the oldest child there. Hearing from the other moms about the changes they saw in him, i.e. height&speach, it really brought them out to me. I knew he had grown and developed in 2 months, but I didn't really realize how much. It was sweet to see how nothing really changes with those kids. It was always the same three playing together. Then there was Mac with his love, his beloved Kate. They always play off by themselves. Not necessarily together, but near one another, like two old souls who take comfort in knowing the other is nearby. No words are needed, just the closeness. On Thursday, as we were getting ready to leave, it was nap time. The cots were set up in the living room and Mac asked where his was. Then he picked a cot to lay down on, so he could extend his time there. It was, of course, Kate's.

While in Washington, we saw lots of branches of our family tree. Grandma and Grandpa Carpenter came over with Chris and got to see the boys. I know Eli loved the attention. He has never slept so well as he did in Grandma's arms. We also got to hand out with the "McClarren" side of our family, which does NOT happen near enough. I realize we are all busy with our own kids and lives, but come on... I think this was the first time I had been in the same place with all three of my cousins and their kids and my aunt in YEARS!!!! IT was so good seeing them. Mac had a blast with all the boys. He didn't know what hit him. It was great for him. And the silly string...Aunt Stella is a genious!!!

Leaving on Wednesday was tough for all of us. We really do look forward to seeing everyone again. And we really do expect visitors. :)

House Update

2008-05-08T21:50:00.004-04:00

I don't have any new pix of the house, but I should this weekend. I do, however, have some news! Our contact with our builder has said that we should be closing on the house in a month. Yes, ONE month. The completion date projection is for the 26th of May, then we would close 10 days after that. That is a full month ahead of our expected close date! YIPPEE!!! I drove by today and saw that they poured the driveway and have painted the exterior! We haven't been without our hiccups though. I think problems are a requirement with new construction. Anyway, they laid the wrong tile in the foyer and kitchen. That should be easy enough to fix.

BTW, killed yet ANOTHER cockroach last night (at 2 a.m.), and saw one in our eating utensil tray! HOW GROSS is that! Now the pest control guy said to me, "Honey, I can't keep 'em from comin' in, but they gonna die within 8 days of gettin' in." Well "honey" that JUST WON'T DO! I can't wait to get out of here. You can't tell me that every home in Florida has a cockroach problem. There IS a way to keep them out, he just hasn't done it yet!!! (Wow, what a rant and rave!)

Eli Giggled!!!!!!!!!

2008-05-08T19:52:00.003-04:00

It wasn't a belly laugh, but it was definitely a giggle. And, it happened twice (so far.) First, Mac, Eli and I were sitting on Mac's bed reading bedtime stories. Then, in walks Dutch with her frisbee. The poor dog is SO bored and understimulated. She is practically begging me to take her out and play. But, alas, I am reading to my boys. Love the dog, but they will win every time. Anyway, Dutch starts to shake her frisbee violently back and forth like she is trying to shake the life out of it. Then suddenly, I feel Eli jerk and squeal. Then it happened. A perfect little giggle.
Then, I took him in to put on his jammies, and I couldn't resist giving his little belly a raspberry. Then it happened again. The perfect little giggle!

I remember the first time Mac giggled too. We were at my parents' house and my sister Anita had him resting on her legs which she had propped up. She started to tickle just under his chin. This apparently was his "giggle switch" because it was a sure thing from that point on.

When I was a little girl, we had some new neighbors move in behind us. They had a little girl, Sarah who was maybe 1. She had the best giggle. I remember her Mom lovingly look at her and say to me, "There is nothing better than a baby's giggle." I totally agree.

An Enlarged Heart

2008-04-30T09:56:00.002-04:00

This is NOT a physical condition I have. Rather, it is an emotional one. The family went down to our new neighborhood last night to check on the progress of the house. Afterward, we played at the playground. As I sat and watched Mac and Nate run (sprint) down to the soccer goal, my heart swelled with pride. I just love watching Father and Son together. There is nothing better. You know how when you're little, you only have a few memories that are imprinted on your brain...just the really meaningful ones. I had to wonder if "racing to the soccer goal" would be one of those memories for Mac. You just NEVER know what they process and hold in their hearts.

We met a couple and their little boy while we were there playing. He is a little younger than Mac, but it was nice to see another "potential friend." She was pregnant too, due in June. Maybe a friend for Eli too.

I am SO looking forward to getting into our new house. Last night after feeding Eli at 3am, I took my obligatory "potty break," and had some "company." (I hope this doesn't gross you out." I was still in somewhat of a dreamy fog, and as I was grabbing for and ripping off the TP, I noticed something black fall off of it. OMG, a cockroach, and not a small one. Can you imagine if it HADN"T fallen off. TOO GROSS. Well, I jumped up, gasped for air, and tried not to scream so that I wouldn't wake everyone up. As I am walking out of the bathroom, I am reaching for the lightswitch to turn off the light, and there was his "bigger brother." AAHHHHHHHHHHHH! I couldn't hold that one in. Nathan, sleepily, (is that a word?) turns over and says "what's wrong." "C-c-c-c-cockroaches" I say. "Big ones." Now, the first one ran off, saving his own life. But this one was going nowhere. I found the hardest soled shoe I could find to end his life. "Say 'ello to my little friend." Whack! Got it! You really have to smoosh those suckers to kill them. It was as big as my thumb, I KID YOU NOT!!! So for the 3rd week in a row, I am having the pest control people come out. I may just hire Hands Pest Control to come down from Indiana. I know they actually work.

Eli found his hand today

2008-04-26T17:09:00.002-04:00

We spent the day at the beach and when we got home around 3pm, I sat down to feed Eli. He is starting to get distracted and pull off, and when he did this time he found his hand. It was up by my collar bone, and he was looking up at me, then noticed his hand. He took it off of me and was waving it in the air, twisting his wrist back and forth and just watching. I said "You found something, didn't you?" And he looked in my eyes and smiled like he understood me.

A budding photo-journalist

2008-04-25T14:39:00.006-04:00

Mac has become quite a photographer. He has a digital camera (FisherPrice) that he loves to use. I realized while downloading his pictures that my image will be caught more frequently now! I always seem to be behind the camera. Now, Mac is the sharpshooter.

Here are some of his finest shots.

GhiGhi at dinner Eli on his playmat Me getting a snack ready.

Milestones

2008-04-25T12:57:00.003-04:00

It seems like in the last few days, the boys have hit some milestones. Mac has started using the potty again!!! Yippee!!! I have added potty training to my prayer list, because he has to be potty trained for school in September. Hey...It can't hurt. :) We are using a reward system that seems to be working...for now. Today, I told him to go potty before we went to the grocery (his diaper was already off.) The next thing I know, he is wiping the seat of the toilet and asking for help with the water in the sink. HOLY COW!! He just went on his own. As soon as he was finished he said, "M&M's Momma!" That is part of our reward system.
He is also talking more about his feelings. For example, we were driving next to a big dump truck, and we came to stop next to it. Mac said, "that scares me." I said "What does." " The dump truck." Basically, the noise bothered him. I was proud of him, because he has nevered verbalized an emotion like that before. I asked him if anything else scared him and he said "Hoosiers." and "Cubs" !!!! What, our two favorite teams. How could this be. Then we figured out, it was going to the actual games that scared him. He doesn't seem to like the big crowds. I can't say that I blame him.
Eli has started some developmental changes. He is starting to arch his back when laying down so he can look behind him. He also found his fingers. I almost croaked when I looked over and saw him sucking his two middle fingers, like Mac does. But Eli sucks his right hand. Go figure.? He is also grabbing at toys, like his rings and "crunchy, noisy" picture books. He also loves the chimes hanging off of his playmat arches. Again with the babbling, he has only increased his vocalizations. And all the Mom's say he has the sweetest smile. What a flirt! :) We are still getting up in the night, but, knock on wood, it has been better. Longer stretches. I put him down in his pack and play for a nap yesterday afternoon and he babbled and coo'd for at least 15 minutes. It was so sweet to hear.

Skype

2008-04-22T14:40:00.001-04:00

We have a skype account now. And we have a webcam, so we can talk via videophone. Just email me for my user name or look me up on skype. It is so great!

The last few days

2008-04-22T14:07:00.004-04:00

I think because I am trying to get out of the condo as much as possible (it's really an apartment!), we have done a lot of exploring over the past several days. I think it was Thursday night when we took a drive after work and drove down to St. Augustine so Nathan could drive up the A1A along the coast. While in St. Aug., we went to Vilano Beach where you can drive your car out onto the beach. It is really cool, but I can't say it will be a beach that we will go to relax by the ocean and run in and out of the water. It seems too "dangerous" for that. The sand isn't that soft and the waves are more like surf. We saw a couple of guys with their boards out there. The breaks are big and they come right up to the sand. Mac was a little nervous about the noise of it, and you could actually taste the salt on your lips because of the mist the waves created. We did meet a couple from Beech Grove though. That may have been the night when we got home, Dutch had torn up a bag of trash that I accidentally left in the kitchen. There was trash and food everywhere. I started to scold her, you know..."Bad dog, Dutchie. Bad girl." Then from behind me I hear Mac start in on her...screaming..."NO, NO DUTCHIE. YOU NO DO THAT 'GAIN. BAD GIRL DUTCHIE. NO, NO, NO, etc.etc." I couldn't believe. I thought to myself, where did he come up with that? Where did he hear that kind of tone? Where? Who> Wait a minute...Just as I came to the realization, Nathan so lovingly said "That is YOU." WHAT, NO! COULDN"T BE!!! I would never yell. I am not a yeller. Maybe I am a yeller. OH GOD, I YELL!!!! I don't want to be THAT Mom. So I am being more aware of my own tone with Mac and others.

We went to church with the president of Nathan's bank. Cindy and her husband Dan invited us to go. I was excited to see this church because we passed it the first time we were here in Jax for the interview. It was a nice service, but I want to see some different churches too. We then went to a country club for lunch with Cindy, Dan and another co-worker Tony and his wife Dianne. It was lovely. Eli slept, as usual, and Mac was pretty well behaved. I have to admit, I was nervous! They both went to the nursery and we had no problems there. Mac was happy to go and Eli was voted "the most perfect baby" by the ladies and gentleman in his room, because he slept, ate and slept some more with no crying. (I already knew he was the most perfect baby.) :)

Mac, Eli and I met with our playgroup again yesterday. We went to another park that is near here. More Mom's and kids were there this time. It was a lot of fun for Mac and Me. Again, Eli slept! Next week we go to the zoo. Mac wanted to go that day. It's hard to understand what a "week" is at 2.5.

Finally, I have been researching pre-schools. I think I am leaning toward a church based pre-school. Of the ones I have called and visited, there is one in particular that sticks out. And, they have ONE spot open for the fall for a Tues/Thurs. schedule. We are going to take it! And they have a Mom's Morning Out program too for kids over age 1. So I can put Eli there too one day so I can get my hair cut or go to the store. Yippee!!!

I must say, I knew that I was spoiled having family and friends around to help with the kids when I had an appointment. But, I didn't realize just HOW spoiled I was. It is tough not having family/friends around. I knew that it would be, but I didn't realize how tough.

Here are some pix:

Eli hamming it up. Mac and Daddy at the CC we joined.

Keep reading. I posted 2 today. ;)

Our House, In the middle of Our Street

2008-04-22T13:35:00.004-04:00

OK, so here is the information on our house. We bought from a builder called Taylor Morrison, and you can go to their website to see the floorplan. http://www.taylormorrison.com/ Our floorplan is the Monticello with a bonus room upstairs and an office instead of a living room in the front of the house. We really think it will fit our needs, as it has 4 bedrooms, 3 full baths and the bonus room. It also has a 3 car garage. We will need that extra space for storage of all our stuff, i.e Nathan's 12 coolers, Mac's outdoor toys and my...well I don't have a lot of stuff! :) ha ha!! That is funny to the people who know me as a packrat!

Here are some pix:

This was 2 days ago.

This was today!!! Amazing the difference. They have the trim and the mesh on for the the stucco that should be added soon!!

A week with Uncle Eric and Aunt Stacey

2008-04-14T14:30:00.008-04:00

We had a fun-filled week with Eric and Stacey, and Mac and Eli were sad to see them go. I took them to the airport and Mac said "Where they going?" I said, "Back home to Indiana" which made Mac reply "I want to go back to Indiana." So, No, he has not yet forgotten his friends and family back home. I am going to post some pix of the week, just the highlights. So I hope you all enjoy. But before I do, I want to chronical some thoughts I have had this week.

*"Oh $&#^%@**&#&, It is almost April 15th. Do we have our taxes done?"

*"Thank you LadyBird Johnson for your wild flower initiative. I love the flowers in the median of 9A just east of I95." They make me smile. They are red, pink, yellow, orange, and blue.

*"Eli is big. I think he just had a growth spurt, because his outfits with legs are getting too short."

*"Eli is babbling more. He started smiling at the end of February, cooing the first week of March and babbling a little this past week (April 6th). " If I don't get that down, I will forget, and that would be a shame.

*"Mac is really testing me at nap and bed times. I wish I could lock him in his room!"

Nathan took Mac to the beach with Eric and Stacey on Saturday while I stayed home with Eli. The report was that Mac actually went up to the water and got his feet wet. He was distracted by the activity of throwing seashells into the ocean. Distraction is good. It always makes things "hurt" less. I found that to be true in dentistry and in life.

Today, we met up with the Mom's we met last week at the park. Our outing was actually an "inning", as we went to an indoor play area where there are games and climbing areas and food. We won some tickets and "bought" our junk toy to bring home. He actually had a really good time. So did I. Only 2 other Moms were there, but that was OK. It gave us a chance to talk a bit. I must admit, I tried to talk myself out of going, just because I didn't feel like making small talk, but I forced myself to go because I knew I would be glad I did in the end, and I was.

Hmm, hard to recall the week. I am going to look through some pix to jog my memory.

Here are Eric and Stacey at the beach on the 2nd day they were here.

An uncle with his nephews. It was tight in our little 2 bedroom place, but we made the most of it. I think Eric and Stacey became immune to Mac's early morning wake up call. :)

Mmmmmmm! Peaunut Butter Pie from Singleton's Fish Shack!!!

"Something smells fishy here at Singleton's. Hey...I'm just sayin'. "

AAAWWW! Look at the happy family! :)

Daddy and Mac (Sorry about the sideways pix)

- and NO, Nathan is not naked! :)

So that was our week. OH YEAH! We are buying a house! :) We put earnest money down yesterday and plan to settle on a firm contract this weekend. Yey for us! It is being built right now, so it won't be ready until July-ish. I'll keep you posted. No pun intended! :)

Can't spell

2008-04-11T09:05:00.001-04:00

I just realized I can't spell. Dinasoar? Let's try "dinosaur." :)

Son of a beach, that hurts...

2008-04-10T21:09:00.003-04:00

Well today was " beach day." I must have become side-tracked when putting my sunscreen on today, and I completely missed my shins and tops of my feet. I even burned my toes!!! Yow!!! Mac was good-to-go though. I only missed a sliver on his back. And Eli, well...he doesn't really get to see the sun yet. :) Mac had a great time digging in the sand again today. It must be high tide because the beach was much smaller today than last week. I really need to learn about how the moon effects the sea. I forget how that works. I couldn't get him to go near the water today. He has developed a fear of it. Aunt Stacey and Uncle Eric are here too, and they couldn't get him passed his fear either. Baby steps. Eli slept pretty much the entire time we were there except for when he was hungry.
Speaking of hungry. Tonight, when he was ready to eat, I was finishing up my dinner. Nathan went to get him, and when he saw me, he locked his eyes on me. It was a little freaky. He was staring without blinking and never moved his eyes from me. I would say it was a good 3 minutes. I think he was trying to telepathically tell me to hurry up! He started to make me nervous. You know how it is when you know someone is looking at you? Nerve-racking. :)
Time to go lick my wounds.

Proud Mama

2008-04-09T20:59:00.002-04:00

Do you remember sitting in elementary school or at the library during story time and the teacher or librarian holds the book up by her head so everyone can see the pictures? I secretly always thought that was pretty cool and wondered if they were taught that skill in college. (I know, I know...I'm an idiot, but still...) Well Mac decided to have his own story time for Eli tonight as we were getting ready for bed. The three of us were sitting on Mac's bed and Mac said HE wanted to read the books. (Ghi Ghi, MeMe, and Nonnee, you'll love this.) First he picked Potty Time, held it up by his head, like the teacher or librarian, announced the title, then....oh,oh,oh...change of plans. Definitely need to read "Dinasoar Book" first. (He comes up with his own titles. He was talking about "How Do Dinasoars Say Goodnight?" He "read" every page, almost word for word. He even uses the same inflection I use and whispers when I whisper specific words. Too cute. ---Now it is time for Potty Book-- Same thing. He picks up the book, announces it, then begins to "read". This time, he adds the "editorials" that I do when we talk about the pictures on the page. At the end of each book, there is a final "The End, Eli."
How cool to see him already teaching his brother. Eli really enjoyed it too. He was laser focused on Mac the entire time, then his eyes started getting heavy. (killed two birds with one stone.) I was as proud as a peacock tonight when I left his room.

Getting into the swing of things...

2008-04-08T21:09:00.002-04:00

It's starting to get a little cramped in this 2 bedroom apartment. So I am trying to get the boys out in the mornings, at the very least. Yesterday was "Park Day." We went back to the park that Aunt Holly and I discovered last week. As I pulled up, the very thing I was hoping for, but also the very thing I feared, happened. The park was FULL of Moms and kids. "Why would you fear this?" you may be asking yourself. Well, I don't know if it's just me or if it is most women, but it his hard to break through that estrogen barrier when several women are together who know one another. (I just had the vision of the sperm trying to break into the egg. ha) Upon approach, high school feelings of inadequacy rush back into mind. It can be SO hard to just think of that one question, make that one observation, compliment just the right child's behavior, to get a reaction from a woman that isn't a closed response leaving you hanging in thin air. At the same time, I was really hoping that there would be people there, that I might make a connection of some sort here in Jax. (That's what we call it here in Jacksonville. ;) ) There was one woman there who seemed to be the most gregarious of all. (In actuality, she was probably just the most self-confident of her bunch. I now know that the others are nice people, but they too were probably thinking, "what will I say to that new girl?") She sat at the picnic table with one of her girls while I was feeding Eli. Truthfully, I don't know who spoke first, but once the barrier was broken, they all seemed to filter over toward us to talk. Funny how that is... I am sure that there is some sort of sociological experiment out there that can speak to just this kind of situation. Anyway, having said all of that, they invited me and the boys to join them every Monday when they meet for their "Park Day." They were even trying to recruit us to buy a house in their neighborhood! I willingly gave them my email address and look forward to spending more time with them. Did I mention that there were NO boys. I would guess there were 12 girls there (not counting Moms.) So Mac may be in for a serious wake up call. :)

Today was "Library Day." There is a public library just around the corner. The gregarious Mom from yesterday informed me about this library's story times. One happened to be today, so we loaded up the car and headed off. We got there 15 minutes before the library even opened, so we drove around and went through the St. John's Town Center. It is an open air shopping mall. Oh people....I don't even like to shop, and I am excited about the stores there. From Barnes and Noble to Banana Republic to Louis Vuitton to Claire's (save the best for last). ;) Looking forward to some visitors so I have a real excuse to go there. Anyway, story time was fine. Mac actually participated in the "crowd participation" story. I even think Eli had a great time. He had a good poop while he was there and couldn't wipe the gummy smile off of his face while he watched me do the "butterfly" dance with Mac and the other families. I also met the sweetest Russian lady who watches her grandson. She only speaks Russian to him and understands/speaks broken English. He spoke Russian to her as well. It is so neat to see bilingual toddlers. We spoke, and I found out her daughter is dentist. She gave me her numbers in case we would need a dentist or if I had any questions about hygiene in Florida. The daughter started out as a hygienist. Funny how you make those connections.

(Wow, this is a long post)

So, yesterday was a Naptime Battle Royale at Casa de Headley. Mac and I butted heads for 2 entire hours before he finally relented. Today was no different. That is not entirely true. It WAS different in that I didn't lose my temper today! :) But it did last another 2 hours before I finally thought to myself... "Self, there is more than one way to skin a cat." Spending the rest of the afternoon picking him up and putting him back in bed was not my idea of productive, so I loaded up the boys and we headed out on the open road for a "Car seat Siesta." I had been wanting to do some exploring, so this was the perfect time for it. We drove for almost 2 hours and both Mac and Eli slept most of the way. I found 2 big outlet malls and drove up the coast on the A1A coastal highway. Let me just say, coming across the intracoastal waterway bridge in St. Augustine, heading north, there is a point when the ocean bursts into view, and it is spriritual.

AAAHHHHHH, Peace...

2008-04-06T20:53:00.002-04:00

My boys have been asleep for about an hour now (Nathan included) and I have finished my web searching (after this post). So I am sitting down with a book Holly left for me to read, My Sister's Keeper, by JOdi Picoult. I can't believe I am going to read for pleasure. Who has that kind of time?
We spent a long day house searching and think we may have found something we like (and it's in our price range.) I am not getting too excited about it yet. The little ones were great today while we searched. We left at 9am and got back to the apartment at 6pm!!! Mac slept in the car for about an hour and Eli, poor Eli, had to be fed in 3 different parking lots today! I still got big smiles out of him tonight, so he isn't too mad at us. :) Mac tested the "bedtime" waters tonight. Up and out of bed about 100 times. I wore him down, thanks to the SuperNanny's bedtime tips. :) I love her. Good ol' Jo Frost.
Hmmm...I better dive into my book before Eli wakes up for more food.
Ta for now.

Mac's first crableg experience

2008-04-05T20:29:00.001-04:00

I know it is a blurry picture, but Mac ate crablegs for the first time tonight at Sliders by the beach. He really liked them. OK, it was probably the butter that he liked, but he ate them and wasn't afraid to hold them!!

To be honest, my first crableg experience was last night here at our apartment. Nathan, my gourmet husband, fixed crablegs, shrimp and fresh veggies in his new steamer. His brother Brett convinced him that the steamer was a piece of cookery that was essential for him, and I am glad Nathan took his suggestion to heart. Mmmmm Mmmmm good. I was amazed at how much I liked the crab. To be honest, Nathan's crab and shrimp was more superbly cooked than Sliders. Theirs was a bit overcooked. I am biased, however. :)

Mac's 1st Ocean Experience

2008-04-05T00:23:00.000-04:00

We had dinner last night at the beach, and it was getting a little late. Mac was a bit squirmy at the table, so he and I left to go explore. About a block away from our restaurant was the Atlantic Ocean. So, I thought we would check it out. I was really excited to see what his reaction would be when he saw it. I wasn't disappointed. As we walked down the boardwalk toward the beach, and the ocean came into view, I heard him say, "ooh Mommy, sand castles." It was the purest form of amazement. I felt so fortunate to be able to experience it with him. Then...he felt the sand, and it was ON!!! He started digging and throwing sand everywhere.

I asked him if he wanted to go down to the ocean, and there was a resounding "NO." He wasn't quite ready to approach the crashing waves. In my mind, I was thinking, "maybe tomorrow." When it was time to go home, he defiantly picked up a handful of sand and marched back up the boardwalk. Aunt Holly asked what was in his hands and he replied, "a sand castle." Like, duh! Of course it is a sand castle. :)

Today, we headed back to the beach to REALLY build a sand castle. The skies were blue with big, white, puffy clouds. There was a steady breeze. And, once again, Mac was excited to be at the ocean. This time, he was braver. He actually walked all the way down to the water and got his feet wet. He loved the seagulls, the sand, and the sun.

As I watched him digging in the sand, I couldn't help but think about how much he loved the sandbox at Kelly's house (his teacher.) I told him, this is just like Kelly's sandbox, just much, much bigger! I think the mention of Kelly made him think about school and his friends. I think that, because out of the blue, he sat in the sand and said, "It's Circle Time, Mommy." Circle Time is an educational time at Kelly's house. So I took the opportunity and we went over our shapes by drawing them in the sand.

Today was Eli's first experience at the beach. I was the "protective mother" and kept him pretty sheltered from the sun, as you can see below.

His day wasn't as "exciting" as Mac's, but he was very alert and loved his day at the beach. He didn't sleep a wink for the entire 3 hours we were there. No tears either!!!

All in all, it was a great day!

We Made It!!

2008-04-02T21:56:00.001-04:00

OK, we're here. We made it to Florida last night around 9:45pm. It was an interesting plane ride that was made much easier by having my sister-in-law, Holly, with me and the boys. To recap the ride, I started it with a sinus infection that created some righteous ear pain, then we hit some turbulence over Georgia that made me a bit nervous. Finally, we landed and we were the last people off the plane, and I think the fever made me delerious, because I was convinced our stroller had been broken. (It hadn't.) (nice run-0n sentence) :) Sorry Mom.
That was my experience. Mac's was quite different. This was his very first plane ride, and he did great. We ran some laps in the Indianapolis airport to burn some energy, picked out our favorite plane color (and we were pleased when we got to actually ride on the blue plane) and played with our Penguin puzzle. (Thanks Jennifer Johnson) When we hit the turbulence, Mac thought it was "fun" and "cool." No fear. Holly read more Thomas books than I am sure she cared to, and Eli slept. Angel.
The first thing Mac said when I was tucking him into his new, albeit temporary, bed was "I want to go home." Ugh. Heartbreak #1. He slept well, but was up early. Let's just say his bed time tonight was 5:30pm. And, no. It was not imposed by me! :) He fell asleep in the car and never made a peep after being put to bed by his Daddy. Earlier in the day, after sneaking up on a sun-bathing Aunt Holly for the umpteenth time, he slipped and fell off of a curb and got a nice strawberry on his knee. That episode immediately prompted "I want to go home." Heartbreak #2.
It wasn't all heartbreak. He had fun running around in the grass and watching videos and going to pick up Daddy from work. It will be nice to get our toys from the UPS guy tomorrow. Maybe we'll hit the beach if it doesn't rain, as forecast.

A New Day, A New Blog

2008-04-02T21:49:00.000-04:00

Below is a copy of what my first blog entry said on another blog site. It, however, wasn't user friendly (at least for me), so I switched to this site. I posted it on March 26th. Enjoy reading.

Today is the first day of the rest of my life! How true and prophetic. I watched my husband leave our home for the last time this morning. He is on his way to our new home in the deep south to start a new phase of our lives. We are leaving the midwest, away from our family and friends to plant our "tree" in a new state. I know that I will miss our family and friends who are such a HUGE support to us. But as much as I am sure about that, I am as sure that we will build new relationships with new friends, not to replace the old, but to add to them.
This blog and web page is my attempt to keep those "old" friends (and I don't mean in age ) close to us, if not in proximity, then in thought. I am really looking forward to corresponding with you all through this site, so I hope you add us to your "favorites" list and check on us often.
Now, I know me. The novelty of this site will keep me really interested in posting for the first few weeks. I hope I don't fall into an old habit. I tend to go gung-ho in the beginning of a new project, then it fails to be a priority for me, and it falls by the way-side. My vow is to NOT let that happen with this site. I truly feel like I owe it to you all to keep you informed about the boys. So, you are my "accountability" that I need to keep me motivated to post regularly. Now, if you could only hold me accountable to an exercise regimin!
OK, enough for now. Once I have access to our pictures (Nathan took the laptop), I will add pictures to the site. Just keep checking!
Em

It's All About M.E.

Eli turns 2 today!!!

Mac is 4 today!!!

Growing Up With A Village

"The Golfball Show"

Christmas is May

"...it's soup corn..."

Eli's allergies

creepy crawlies!

Mac'isms

Eli's-a-walkin'

A few pictures from the last few months

....when we're Team Headley

"Can you yaff about it?"

The Blue Icee at 10:20pm

What a day!!!

A letter to Aunt Karen (9 days ago)

Eli - 1 year old

My bed is a little "crunchy"

"Fighting" for your kid

A new Christmas Tradition

Christmas 2008 Memories

Leprechaun or Incredible Hulk...You decide!

A game of pretend

Mac at the range

Eli's first professional hair cut

December update

Wheels turning

Progress Report

Audition

Mac and Eli go to a carnival

Just Because it Makes Me Smile

At PaBob's

Presenting...SUPERMAC

Kate's visit a few months ago...

Eli's-a-growin'.......

Halloween '08

Revelation

I'm Baaaaaaaaack!

Back to School Time

More videos, by popular demand

A view of Mac's Birthday

Eli's Milestones

3 years ago today...

Singin' in the rain...

Storm update

Hurricane Fay

Future Olympian

The Secret is...

Feast or Famine

Grilling with neighbors

Drumroll, please...

Eli stats

Our Neighbors....

Mac's Blog entry

Mac and the JD Gator

It's been awhile, I know....

Rash conclusion

The Vacation Season!

I may need medical help!

We have keys!!!!!

Have you met Sam and Ella?

Slobber and tales from the sand

Mac, the comedian

Martyrdom or Motherhood?

Counting to 10

Milestones

Retirement

SO Good to see family and friends

House Update

Eli Giggled!!!!!!!!!

An Enlarged Heart

Eli found his hand today

A budding photo-journalist

Milestones

Skype

The last few days

Our House, In the middle of Our Street

A week with Uncle Eric and Aunt Stacey

Can't spell