finger painting

I tried finger painting with Eli today.  It didn't go exactly as planned but he had fun running around the deck like a little jungle boy in his trash bag.  Enjoy the pics!

Seeing Santa

Saturday night we went to a Children's Christmas party through Jeff's squadron.  It was hosted at a local toy store (which is a really cute store) and they served fudge, hot chocolate, and cookies and all the kids got to play with all the toys in the store.  The squadron also made sure there was a Santa Claus as well.  We were hoping to get Eli's picture with Santa and solve our Christmas card dilemma.  This visit did not go so well.  Eli was terrified of the man in the big red suit sitting by the tree.  He cried so we took a family shot which turned out pretty good and then he seemed to be interested in Santa and would peek in room to see what he was doing.  So we decided to try letting him sit on Santa's lap again and the hilarious picture I will post definitely lets you know his reaction.  Thank goodness we didn't have to pay for the pictures!  

I hope you enjoy our pictures from this year's visit with Santa. 

Just Catchin' Up

My halloween blog should have been posted well around Halloween but I haven't been too good about keeping the blog updated.  While it doesn't look like we've been up to much we actually have been.  My mom visited the first week in November and we took Eli to the zoo and did all kinds of fun things.  The second weekend in November I was able to get away for a few days with some friends.  We had a great weekend on Lake Sinclair, thanks to the Snow family for letting us stay in their lake house.  The weekend basically consisted of food and lots of conversation, but hey it has been about two years and 3 babies since our last girls weekend so that's a lot to catch up on.  Then, our family travelled home for Thanksgiving where we enjoyed family and lots of good food.  This was our first trip home since Eli started walking so it was fun to watch everyone's reaction to his moves.  Of course now the Christmas season is heavily upon us.  We've been shopping and partying for a few weeks now.  We put our tree up last weekend and it has been hilarious to watch Eli every time we turn on the lights...mouth wide open with a huge gasp and a lot of oohs and aahs.  He loves it!  We will be taking Eli to see Santa at a Christmas party tonight so I hope it goes well.  I'll try to post some of the pics from the party on the blog tomorrow.  Until then enjoy these new shots of our sweet boy!

Halloween '08

Halloween has been a blast!  We have actually been celebrating for about a week. We kicked off the Halloween festivities last Saturday night when we went to the Chesnuts for a Halloween party.  The kids got to dress up, Ann planned some crafts and games for the kids, and the adults just got to hang out.  The food was yummy and the company was was wonderful as usual.  Then on Sunday, I worked a fall festival for Jeff's squadron, the VT-2 Doer Birds.  (Don't ask me what a Doer Bird is because I don't even think they know.)  Probably the highlight of the festival was the costume parade.  All the little kiddos were so cute and proud of their costumes and some of them were really creative.  I think my favorite was a little Minnie Mouse (but only because my own little one was at home napping with his daddy).  She was so cute and I thought it was a really great idea!  Finally, the week finished out with Trick or Treating and more food with our friends from church.  We did this last year when Eli was just a little peacock and it seems to be turning into our Halloween tradition.  This year Eli was a baseball player and quite a handsome one at that.  I hope you enjoy the pictures from all of our Halloween fun!

Go DAWGS!

Cute pic of Eli supporting the Dawgs last Saturday.  He's wearing a jersey that some friends sent him.  (Thanks Shannon and Brian!)  I just love Eli's toothy grin! 

Fabulous Fall!

What a beautiful few weeks we have been experiencing!  Fall has always been one of my favorite seasons...it signals change, the holidays, football...so many great memories are wrapped up in fall.  We have been quite the busy little bees these last few weeks.  Eli has started attending Gymboree classes where he is learning concepts like big and small, some fun new songs and is getting to play with kids his age and a little older.  It is also nice because mommy is there and gets to talk to other mommies!  I have been attending a stay-at-home mom's bible study which has been really great.  We learn, laugh and talk. It has been really helpful to me.  We've also been enjoying the beautiful weather by going to the park, the beach, and for walks around the neighborhood with our friends.  I've added some pics of our fall activites.

Eli is doing well.  He is trying hard to talk.  He can say some words but most of the time I have no idea what is coming out of his mouth.  He is still holding on to that happy disposition (not this week but most of the time) and laughs a lot.  He is so cute to watch as he stumbles around the house laughing all the way.

Jeff has been pretty busy lately.  He has traveled to Jacksonville, FL and San Diego, CA for golf trips over the last few months.  He is finally home for a little while and although we did just fine while he was gone, we missed him and are glad he's back.

Eli actually walking!

Hi all,

 I just wanted to update the blog with a video of Eli walking on his own.  He is still a bit shaky but is doing great and is walking further every time he attempts it.  I know each child is an individual and that walking brings more work for me but I am so glad he is finally walking.  It took us 17 mos to get here and I was beginning to wonder if he would ever try it!  Enjoy the crazy, drunken baby as he makes his way across the room. 

The best of September

Sorry it has been so long since I have blogged.  I am really not good at keeping up with this.  Since the last blog Eli and I have been all over the place.  We were in GA for a week, then went to Daytona Beach with my mom and sisters, back home and then to Destin this last weekend for a wedding.  We have had lots of fun and I hope you enjoy the pictures!

Eli is Walking...sort of

Check out the video of Eli walking.  We have had this toy since Christmas and while he has loved the buttons and music on the plane he has had no interest in walking with it.  Just this past week he started walking with the help of the plane and was cracking up! 

Hope you guys enjoy Eli as he busts a move!

These are some shots of Eli over the passed week or so.  I tried to add one of Eli and his friend Ashley having snack.  She came over to play for about an hour that day and I felt like a mom!  It was crazy!  Another fun thing that has happened over the last week is that Eli likes to play in his Pak n Play as a fort.  He seems to really enjoy it.  He hates the Pak n Play in its true form but loves it on its side, go figure!  

The pics I was actually able to add are of him standing at the front door playing in the curtain and of his first Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich.  He isn't a mess because we broke it up into tiny little pieces.  He really liked it which is great since it is so easy!  Anyway, just wanted you to see Eli and how he is growing!

Eli and Friends

The past few weeks have been lots of fun for Eli and his friends.  We have had play dates in he afternoon with his friend Ashley, his new friend Brian over one day last week and a play date with our Okie friends and their kids.  

Eli is doing great.  This week he is really enjoying throwing his toys all over the house. He is getting stonger all the time and is almost ready to stand on his own.  He can stand for about 2 seconds and then he gets scared and immediately sits.  He is also becoming more and more adventurous with going up and down the stairs that we have at our home.  He loves swimming which is a huge turn around since the 4th of July in Daytona and is just so lovey in general.  He gives the best hugs in town, just ask the ladies in the nursery at church. 

 

I have really been burdened this past week with teaching Eli self-control.  I am learning more and more how important self-control is to his life now and to his future.  So, if you think about it please pray with me that self-control will be established in the life of our young boy.  Eli is such a sweet, smart boy and I'm so glad I get to be his mom!

Eli fans everywhere...

...we had a great week last week thanks to the visit of Gran and Aunt Amy.  They were such a help to me by taking turns changing diapers, playing with Eli, feeding him and giving him baths.  These things can often get mundane for parents so the extra hand were awesome.  I also think they received blessings just by being with our sweet baby.  He is just a joy, a little strong-willed but truly a joy.

The weekend before the fam visited we enjoyed a cookout with friends.  I took yummy oreo pie and allowed Eli to lick the spoon from the chocolate pudding.  I think you can tell by the pictures that he liked it.  We've also been trying to brush teeth which has been a little hard to remember, but when we do remember, Eli loves his toothpaste!  He has also picked up this new style of crawl.  I guess he is going to go through every stage of crawling before he takes his first steps.  Oh well, everybody says they grow up too fast anyway, I guess I'll just enjoy his non-walking for a little bit longer.  Hope you enjoy the shots of Eli!

Random Pics

Friends and Family - These are just some random shots of Eli from the past few days. His latest fascination is pictures so when he took his toys to look at the picture of himself I couldn't resist catching the moment on film.  The next few shots are of  being lovey,  cheesin' for the camera and of his "Rod Stewart" hair.  He's so cute!

Sweet Summer Days

What a great week we've had!  We have been to the beach, shopping, doing yard work, playing in the pool, playing with daddy, out to dinner with friends, and mommy had a colonoscopy!  Eli is doing great.  He is working hard at crusing around the furniture and  of course he has always loved to toss and chase down his toys but now he is interested in the buttons on his toys and putting items in piles.  We are trying to teach him to share things when asked but there is definitely a lot of work to be done there.  I also discovered tooth # 3 today.  His top right tooth has broken through.  This is big news for us here in the Hodges household because teeth mean expanded meals!  I am looking forward to the next few months as Eli's curiousity and speech continue to grow.  God has given us such an amazing little boy!  Enjoy the pics!

First Haircut

Eli got his first haircut on Friday.  I was very reluctant to get his hair cut but Jeff really wanted it so I finally relented.  Eli did great and so did his stylist.  She cut about an inch off of his hair and left it long enough that it still has some curl which I love.  Check out the before and after shots!  I also added a cute shot of Blitz with his bow that he got from his stay at "We Tuck'em Inn".