My First Website

I am so proud of myself. I had to let everyone know. I created a website tonight. I had a lot of help with a template, but I was able to put in all of the information and manage it all by myself, and it only took one evening. I went to Gallery Row Coffee House to work on it and got it done in about 2/5 hours. Go to www.shccmops.com to check it out.

First Day of School

Ethan was so excited on his first day of school. We missed waiting for Nora Jane to show up and Ethan even asked me, "Who is driving today, oh, you're driving every day." We took some family pictures wit his "First Day of School" sign. Notice the sleepy eyes as he had to be woken up for the first time since summer started. Even though he isn't in a Kindergarten (since he is in his third year of primary at a montessori school), he is Kindergarten age, so we put that on his sign.

Riding Bikes

The boys love spending the evenings outside riding their bikes. Ethan has finally gotten the hang of riding his bike with training wheels and he loves it. Eli just likes pushing things around or trying to ride bikes that are too big for him. Here are some photos Kevin took one night. Don't laugh too hard at Eli's helmet, it has protected him from quite a few dents and dings. He is so accident prone, we thing we ought to keep it on him all the time!

Minature Golf

We took Ethan miniature golfing while at Daytona Beach. We tried to go as a family, but Eli just wanted to run around. So, Kevin stayed while I took Eli home. The next day, while Eli napped, I took Ethan back. What we didn't expect was to see so much nature while at a miniature golf place. There were baby alligators to feed or have your photo taken with. Then Kevin & Ethan saw the strangest looking grasshopper. It was large and colorful. The next day, Ethan & I enjoyed playing golf around a snowy egret. It was a great experience.

Daytona Beach

We went to Daytona Beach on Vacation. We did the normal beach and pool play while there. Eli loved the ocean and his adventurous nature liked the way the waves threw him all around. He didn't want us to hold onto him. Ethan was very brave in the waves. He didn't mind them going over his head. We were lucky enough to move from a room with our bedrooms side-by-side and no balcony or view of the beach, to a room 1/3 larger with split bedrooms and a really big deck over the beach (basically the penthouse of a place this small). We also ate at some good restaurants and went miniature golfing. Here are some of the better photos.

Reading & Playing Piano

There are several activities that Eli enjoys doing right now. Most of them are outdoors, but some he enjoys indoors. His most favorite has to be chasing his big brother, but when he is alone, he enjoys "reading" & "playing piano". I got these photos tonight of him doing each one. He is so funny!

Garden

We decided to do a garden this past spring. I have the blackest thumb you can have, but we decided to give it a try. It is amazing how some plants just take little or no attention. We have watered the garden regularly, but other than that, nothing. And look what I have to show for it, a beautiful squash (if I do say so myself). I was so excited to see this squash. We have also had small Strawberries and Broccoli. We have picked some tomatoes and lima beans as well. It is great! Nothing tastes as good as when it is fresh from your own garden.

Susina Plantation

We were blessed to be able to spend the fourth of July this year at Susina Plantation - Alaina's parents home. We had such a great time. We rode horses, swam, made homemade ice cream with a hand crank maker, had impromptu water sprinkler time and ate great meals. It was also perfect spending time with our friends away from the everyday. It was such a relaxing weekend situated right in the middle of the busy summer.

Yogurt

One day I was in my room getting ready while Ethan & Eli were in the living room/kitchen area. I heard the refridgerator open and asked Ethan what he was doing. He said he was getting some yogurt, so I didn't worry. He knows how to get his own snack, and this was a healthy one. A while later I come into the kitchen to find that he got himself a yogurt, and Eli a yogurt. I was so proud that he took care of his brother, but could not believe Eli standing there in a chair eating & playing with yogurt at the table. It was one of those moments where you had no other choice but to go get your camera.

Mohawk

Ethan wanted a mohawk the last time I cut his hair. I told him I would give him one and he could wear it for a couple of days, but then we had to shave it off also. He looked really cute when I would spike it up, but it wouldn't stay that way and then it would get really ratty looking. He was disappointed about shaving it off, but I like his clean cut look the best.

Elliot

We aquired a new pet, a toad named Elliot. He showed up one day in our garage in the cat's water bowl. What suprised me was the fact that I really enjoy having a toad as a pet. Since adopting Elliot, we have aquired two other toads, Kari Alexander & No. 1 Alexander. They are quite easy to care for. You just buy them live crickets every couple of weeks and make sure they have a bowl of water to sit in.

Accident Prone

We have determined that Eli is accident prone. He just wants to do everything his big brother does and he winds up falling down in the process. He constantly has bruises on his head and face. Last week, while at a friends house, he fell and got a huge bump in the middle of his forehead, got scratches on his nose and busted his lip. In the first photo you can kind of see the fading bruise in the middle of his head. This past Friday, he fell and got a huge bruise on the side of his forehead (again, seen in the first photo). Then yesterday, the worst fall of all, his bottom teeth through his bottom lip (I tried to get photos of this, but it is hard with a moving 17mo. old). He was trying to climb up on a barstool in our kitchen and he pulled it down on himself. I was not here, thankfully, so Kevin took him to the hospital. The Dr. decided not to sew it up because that could increase the risk of infection. He simply gave Kevin a prescription for antibiotic and said we should come back if it gets worse. I was terrified about what I would see when I arrived home, but it really doesn't look that bad. It just looks like two small slits on the outside (the size of his tiny teeth). It isn't swollen at all. He doesn't act like it bothers him one bit. He hates the antibiotic, but other than that, he is no worse for wear.

Eli's Lip

Eli has started doing the cutest thing. He puts out his bottom lip and moves it to the side a little. We aren't sure if this is something that came on with teething or what, but it is so cute to look at. Judge for yourself:

Georgia Renaissance Festival

We went to the Georiga Renaissance Festival on Sunday, May 25th, 2008. We had a really good time. Ethan rode a huge slide and a children's joust swing. He also got to get on stage during one of the shows as a helper. It was so funny, he just stood there looking like he had stage fright. I told him he could smile, but he just stood there. When we went for the children's knighting ceremony, they had the time wrong in the program and we were 30 minutes late. The nice thing was that the queen was still there, and so we asked her about the time discretion. She apologized and offered to do a personal knighting. She told Ethan that a knight had to be noble and care for the weak. She asked if he helped with his baby brother. He said yes. She turned to her people and said, "Ah, he helps the weak." Then she asked if he obeyed his parents. He said, "Sometimes." I looked at the queen and said, "See, he's honest." She agreed. Then she dubbed him Sir Ethan. It was a really good day.

Broken Bone - Part II

We took Ethan to the orthopedic doctor today and he put a permanent cast on Ethan's arm. His break is not bad, and did not need to be set. He will have to wear this cast for 5 weeks. He promised that I (Kari) could be the first to sign his cast, then Dad, then Eli, but he could not resist being the first to "color" his cast with a pink highlighter. I was suprised that he chose the color pink and told him a highlighter wasn't best because it would rub off. I was able to show him this by the pink on his shirt. We are so proud of Ethan with this injury. He has already adapted to life with one arm. We smile when we catch him holding something between his knees so he can open it with his one hand. Thank you for all of the well wishes and prayers.

Eli loves to be outside.

Ethan likes to be outside, but Eli LOVES it! He would play outside all day if I let him. So, even when I was home with a stomach bug, I took him outside for a little while. I sat on the swing and let him walk/crawl around and play. It was so much fun for him, and fun for me to watch.

Broken Bone!

Imagine my upset when I was woken from a deep sleep (from some medication I took) with a call from Kevin at 10:30 at night saying Ethan broke his arm. I was sick and stayed at home while Kevin went to pick Ethan up from late-stay at school. He decided to take the boys to Kid's Night at Chick-fil-A. Ethan was playing on the playground and was hanging from some bars that he should not have been on. When he let go, he fell and landed on his arm. Kevin didn't want to disturb my sleep, so he took both boys to the hospital and waited to get Ethan seen. Once they got back to a room, they gave Ethan a shot to help with the pain, so he went to sleep pretty easily. Kevin still had to tend to Eli. I was so upset that I could not be there for my boy or my husband. It turns out that one of the bones on his forearm, right below the elbow was fractured. They put on a temporary half-cast and we will see an orthopedic doctor on Friday to see if he needs a plaster cast. When they finally got home, Kevin put Ethan in our bed and I put Eli to bed. I was so glad to sleep with Ethan and know how he was doing. I didn't want to breathe in Ethan's face since I had a small stomach bug, but I wanted to be there for him, so I slept on my back. Kevin took this picture of us together. I will post more photo's later.

Eli is 1!!!!!!!!

I cannot believe Eli is already a year old. So much has happened in a year. Eli is now a very happy, almost walking one year old. He has his two bottom teeth and is getting his top four middle ones. He recently got over the flu which made him very moody, but he is usually a very happy boy who plays by himself. Some of his funny habits is rubbing his head when he is tired and babbling. He still isn't saying much. He loves his Dadee and says that often, but hasn't said mama yet. I wish you all could see him and spend some time with him as he is a great joy to us all.

I'll Have My Cake and Eat it Too!

We had hoped to have some family & friends over for Eli's 1st birthday celebration, but he was still getting over the flu and we didn't want to pass it on. He did enjoy his 1st birthday cupcake. It didn't make as big of a mess as a whole cake would, but he managed to get pretty messy. He eventually got tired of it and was ready for a bath. I included one photo that shows how well his top four teeth are coming in, finally!

Too Many Bubbles - Nah!

Eli & Kevin took a very bubbly bath together. Eli looked so cute with all of the bubbles on his face and in his mouth.