Friday, August 26, 2011

He's Gone Mobile

After 6 months of physical therapy and lots of cheering and clapping Eli finally decided to walk across the room and halfway around the kitchen table yesterday. Hooray! I snapped this adorable picture right when he stepped away from the cabinets and he started chasing me down. He desperately wanted to get his mits on my camera. When he realized he couldn't hold it, he fell in a heap on the floor and started crying. He has also mastered the tantrum. We don't cheer and clap for that. I almost joined him in the weeping and gnashing of teeth when I realized I didn't press record on the video camera. Duh. He has walked several more steps last night and today but as soon as the camera goes on he immediately sits down. He's a clever one.

We went to the park this morning and he was quite enamored with the tunnel. He thought putting his face up to this hole was the funniest thing ever.


From the minute we got out of the car I could tell he was on a mission. He had his eye on the larger play structure and he wouldn't give up until he climbed to the top. He eventually worked up the courage to go down the spiral slide, squealing the whole way. I have longed for him to figure out how to walk. I want him to be able to experience the normal things that toddlers do. Some days it seems like he is never going to get there. But after an hour of chasing him I was thinking that his newly developed mobility will definitely change the dynamics of our park outings. I watched the other moms parked on the benches, casually sipping their iced coffee and chatting with their friends. As I loaded the boys back in their car seats, all of us hot, sweaty and exhausted, I sort of wondered when my time will come to sit and relax at the park. I'm days away from having just 1 child at home in the mornings but it looks like I'm a long way from a casual trip to the park. It's funny how life doesn't go quite like I expected, yet I see that sweet face peaking through that little hole in the tunnel and I am grateful.





Tuesday, August 16, 2011

One Year



Today marks 365 days in this fine city. Hard to believe a whole year has gone by since we took the plunge and moved across the country. In some ways, I feel like we've lived six years in one. Then I see this picture and I'm worried that if I blink twice they'll be teenagers.

In addition to this great photo op, we celebrated by picking up our new family room furniture, coaxing Eli to take a few steps and rejoicing as Luke received a positive report from the eye surgeon. No more eye appointments for a whole year. Yahoo!

All in all, a great day in our new hive.

Friday, August 12, 2011

It's All About the Boogie Board

The water is incredibly warm this week and even Eli was eager to kick and splash in the shallow waves.
Luke has come so far this summer, we are quite proud of him. Flash back 3 years ago and he could barely stand to set foot in the surf. This week, we couldn't keep him out. It helps tremendously to have some older cousins to chase after.

Andy has spent most of the week as his alter ego the blue corvette. I know children have overactive imaginations, but this boy takes it to a whole other level. Yesterday he put his car fetish aside and went with Steve into the "big" waves. He was so happy and content, I couldn't believe it. I think he even surprised himself and asked me several times to take his picture.


Here's the blue corvette and his posse. This is one of my favorite pictures that I took this week. Even though a nasty virus swooped in overnight, we are still grateful for a mostly enjoyable trip to the beach. We introduced the boys to the family tradition of dining at Calabash, we tried something new and visited the aquarium in Myrtle beach and everybody had fun in the sand and surf.