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".  

Hodges Beach Trip 2008

We're fresh back from our first Hodges family vacation since the arrival of the babies and we had a great time.  It was so fun spending time with Mimi, Papa, Uncle Jason, Aunt Ali and Caroline.  This is the first chance that we've had to really get to know Caroline and it was so great!  She has an amazing personality.  So sweet and talkative, helpful and obedient and fearless as her mommy has labeled her.  She was all about the ocean, sand and pool with literally no fear.  Eli is a different story...

Our trip started out great as we flew from Pensacola to Atlanta to Daytona on Tuesday July 1.  Eli was awesome on both flights and Jeff was equally as awesome keeping our little one happy and calm.  As I stated earlier Eli is not fearless when it comes to the water.  I thought we were making progress since we've had a couple of pleasant experiences hear on the gulf lately but we'll get there.  He actually is fine in the water as long as you are holding him or entertaining him but don't even think about putting him in the water on his own.  Also, Eli's second tooth finally broke through while we were away and all I can say is its about time. 

I wanted to say a special thank you to Mimi and Papa for watching Eli and just being such a great help.  We were able to relax and play and just have a great time; in fact, while we were gone Jeff and I got to have to grown up dinners out which we never do and it was soooo nice!  Hope you enjoy the pics of our family vacation.

12+ Mos

Wow, last week was the hardest week of my young motherhood.  Eli was such a crank!  He was fussy, squirmy, hard to console, like I said before cranky and really just difficult!  Mealtime which usually goes okay was a royal battle and he cried for an hour at the gym and did not sleep well at all.  I cried two or three times  last week just because I didn't know what to do.  It was just hard....and then Jeff got sick and it got even harder.  I kept thinking maybe a tooth is coming in so I gave him Tylenol and Motrin but here we are a week later and no tooth.  Looking back I think he must have been sick with the cold that took his daddy out of commission for a few days but he still needs to listen and follow directions.  Thankfully, that week ended and a new week began and while we still struggle with some things for the most part my precious little Eli is back.  Actually, making it through this rough patch makes me  feel like an official mom and opened the door for some reflection.

Watching my child be his natural self really reminded me of human nature or sin nature.  It really makes me think about the love that God has for us His children and what an amazing love it is.  For example, Eli has been hitting lately and we wondered where he picked up this nasty little habit.  Well, I don't think he learned it from anyone it is just how we are as humans.  Naturally we are disobedient and want to push the limits and for some reason God loves us in spite of our humanity and in spite of our disobedience.  He wants a relationship with us so much He gave His perfect son to atone for our sinful nature.  He always wants more for us and longs for obedience from us.  He longs for obedience from us because he knows what's best.  This is exactly how I feel about Eli.  I want him to obey for his own benefit now and down the road.  I have been praying with him about choosing to obey and praying for Jeff and I as we teach and train Eli to love the Lord.  So after a week of pain I just feel renewed.  I know it is a long, hard road ahead but I am trusting the Lord for wisdom and joy as I parent Eli everyday.

These are a few of my favorite things....

Just wanted to let you all know what Eli's favorite things are...at least right now.  He is currently enjoying self-feeding and doing it well.  He loves Blitz and has learned out to pet not hit and often tries to share Blitzie's bed.  Eli is so proud that he can pull up and is doing it all over the house.  He has always loved to toss his toys wherever he goes and now he can do it on tables, bookshelves, chairs and whatever else he can pull up on.  He is now cruising around furniture and doing a great job.  It is so exciting to watch him learn and grow.  Eli also loves giving kisses, giving smiles, making messes and playing with his books and toys.  So these are a few of Eli's most favorite things and they manage to keep us pretty busy too! 

I think I also failed to mention that right before he turned one he finally got his first tooth and I think based on the drool and chew fascination that tooth number two may not be far behind.  Yea!!!  Hope you enjoy the cute pics of our little man.

Happy Birthday to You!

On May 24, 2008 we celebrated Eli's first birthday.  I am still is disbelief that a whole year has passed, it seems that just yesterday we were bringing our beautiful boy home from the hospital.  We had a great party!  Lots of food, family, fun and work.  I still can't believe how much work a goes into a birthday party.  We would like to say a special thanks to Mimi and Papa who let us borrow their house for the celebration.  We also want to tell everyone who came thank you for making Eli's party extra special and for all the wonderful gifts.  He has already enjoyed playing with all of his new things.  There are way too many thoughts about the party for me to jot them all down so I thought I would let pictures do the talking.  Thank you Shannon, Mandy and Jon for all the great shots!