Say Cheese! Please?

Well, we survived our 6/18 month photo shoot with the boys today, barely. When we got to the portrait studio both boys were angels. We had a long wait so we were very pleased that Gage stayed close to us and happily played with some legos, while Eli was as content as could be in his carrier. But then it was our turn and all crying broke loose.

I have to say, as much as I love and adore my little 17 month old, I miss the days when he just sat and smiled for the camera. Like this:

Nowadays we (photographer included) have our work cut out for us.

They do make me giggle though!

Thankfully we did get some good ones out of the bunch.

Eli was a trooper!

This one reminded me of one of Gage's 6 month poses last year:


Gage


Eli just has a few more rolls than Gage did...

(So hard to believe it was just a year ago that Gage was sucking on his fingers and reaching for his toes. How do you not miss that stage?!)

We all left pretty exhausted today, but very happy with the end result.

The ending and beginning of each and every blessed day.

Some Funny Stuff!

Last night Gage found (or more accurately reached) an ISU bottle opener from a drawer in the kitchen. He discovered how to make it play music...and how to make his little brother laugh!

Halfway to ONE!

Happy Half Birthday my sweet little Eli!

You are halfway to one year old - wow! It is a joy to watch you change and grow. No hair, no teeth, but you have LOTS of sweetness! Actually you do have a little more hair than last month, and I can feel one little bottom tooth coming through!

You are starting to grab your toes when you are lying on your back, which is absolutely the cutest thing to me. We are working on sitting you up more so you can sit up yourself eventually. Your little chubby belly gets in the way so it's not an easy thing! I wonder if that's the same deal with rolling...? You make it to one side and that's about it.

You weigh a whopping 23 pounds and wear 12-18 month clothes! Are you going to be our football player someday...?

You smile big at your big brother, he is one of your favorite people. He likes to poke at your belly or pat your head if you're crying.

You are very attached to your mama and daddy. No one else can even hold you or you will wail. We love it that you love us so much, but we hope that you will soon let others hold you and love on you too!

It is so cute to see you pucker your lips and "ppbbff" away. You have been saying "Mamamamama" lately, only when you're upset, but still, it does my heart good!

Sweet, sweet, cherished boy, you are a blessing to us! We love you so much. We pray that you will grow up confident and secure in that, and even more so in the love that your Jesus has for you.

I will always be loving you,
Mommy

Six Years...and Counting

Craig and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary yesterday! In a way it feels like our wedding was just yesterday, but it also feels like it has been 6 years, or more! A lot has happened! We've traveled a bunch, lived in 3 different homes, been through financial ups and downs, had fertility issues, and then had 2 babies...in a 6 year nutshell. It has been a great adventure. Can't wait to see what else God has in store for us!


I was really looking forward to our date last night...We had planned to eat at Centro, a great restaurant in downtown Des Moines, then go mini-golfing, then stop for dessert somewhere, most likely the Cheesecake Factory! Well our plans were altered during our appetizer course when we got a call from the babysitter: "Eli has been screaming for the past half hour since he woke up, what should I do?"

I can't believe I forgot that he has been showing signs of separation/stranger anxiety, so with him being asleep when we left it would be scary for him when he woke up and we weren't there. The same babysitter watched the boys last weekend and he was fine so it just didn't cross my mind. Well, long story short, we finished our dinner and since we couldn't get a hold of the babysitter we headed home. En route, we finally heard back from her that Eli and Gage were both in bed and everything was fine. Okay...great! Wish we could have learned the good news sooner, but oh well, we decided to end our evening in Ames. So we walked Main Street and ate dessert at Aunt Maude's before going home. We joked over our chocolate bread pudding and creme brulee (yum!!) how life sure has changed in the past year and a half...

Our honeymoon found us touring lighthouses and B&Bs on the east coast, our One Year anniversary was spent touring mansions in Newport, RI and more B&Bs on the east coast, Two Years was in Chicago, Three Years in Galena, Four Years in San Diego and Years Five and Six... at Centro in Des Moines!

When all is said and done, I am more than happy to end our romantic date night to get home to our precious son, and I am more than willing to give up the exciting anniversary vacations. I have all my heart desires in my wonderful husband and beautiful children. And I celebrate that every day.

Bye Bye Baby Hair

The time has come... to say goodbye... to Gage's first wisps of baby hair... or "mullet" as Craig would say! I have been dragging my feet for quite some time, but I finally agreed. I was a little worried about how well my little monkey would do in the hair salon with scissors coming at him, but he was a trooper! He sat so still and quiet. My friend Michelle, who did the cutting, was very impressed!


Before:

After:

Swingin'

With Dad and Grandpa!

Eli's first time in the swing...and first time caught sucking his thumb!

Gage's trademark "swing trance"!

We can catch a smile once in awhile too!