The Big 4-0!

It's hard to believe, but Eli's daddy turned the Big 4-0 this Saturday! No matter his age, Eric will always be young at heart & that's all Eli needs! I had been asking Eric for months prior what he wanted to do for this birthday. Being that it is a birthday that some choose to ignore while others want to party it up, I wasn't sure where he fell in that spectrum. I asked if he wanted to go out with friends, have a party at the house, just hang with family, go to a Royals game, etc., etc. He finally decided that a Royals game would be fun, but then changed his mind last minute. So, we had a low key day on his birthday and just had cinnamon rolls, Starbucks, & opened cards. Eli bought daddy a card that showed a monkey picking his nose & then on the inside said "I couldn't have picked a more perfect daddy than you!". Since Eli has become quite the nose picker, it was perfect:

Then Eric's parents brought over a cookie bouquet that looked like this to razz him a little:

On Sunday, Eric's parents took us out to dinner at Outback and afterwards we came back to our house for chocolate cake & ice cream that Grandma Clarkson made:


Eli LOVED eating the cake, as you can see below. Ever since having his birthday, it's hard for Eli to understand that OTHER people have birthdays, too. Eli liked to say "Happy Birthday, Eli!" all weekend and asked for cupcakes.

Earlier in the week, I threw two of my good mama friends from play group a baby shower. I hosted and decorated while other mamas brought the food, drinks & games. I should have taken a close up (if you click on the picture you can see them better) but Tiffany made these adorable sweet pea cupcakes (the theme was sweet pea):

I also made each mama a diaper cake (it was a diaper shower) which was a lot of fun!!:

Here's a picture of the "chaos" of putting so many toddlers & their mamas in a small space! Still fun, though!:

Now random news/pictures....

Eli likes to hide behind the door when it is open & I asked him to smile for the camera. Here is what I got. He is becoming quite the ham these days!:

One of our playdate friends told us about this program that is free to download on your computer called Babysmash. Once downloaded and opened, your little one can pound on the keyboard without fear of erasing a program, rearranging your desktop, etc. as every key they push either a letter/number shows up & the letter/number is spoken, or other buttons are random shapes. It's really cute & Eli really likes it. It's great because I think all kids love to play on the computer & this is a safe way to allow them to be curious & learn at the same time! Check it out!:

We got out another one of our play doh activities. This one is from Aunt Holly & Uncle Chris & it is a monkey that grows play doh hair, tongue & claps his hands together to make shapes. Here is Eli acting like the monkey & sticking out his tongue:

Eli is very into boy things like dirt, mud, & bugs. We have plenty of spiders around the perimeter of our house for him to watch along with cicadas, bees, ants, butterflies, ladybugs & grasshoppers. Saturday we came out on the deck and there were not one, not two but THREE grasshoppers to watch. We made 2 jump away and the last one was quite the patient little guy. We sat and watched him for a long time & Eli loved getting really close to him to check him out:

Eli asks on a daily basis to watch fireworks on the computer. We have become avid watcher of Youtube as whatever he happens to be interested in that week, there is bound to be a video of it. It's amazing how many videos there are of fireworks! I have to end up saying "Okay, last fireworks video!" or we would be watching them all day! Here's a link to Eli's current favorite which is quite appropriate with the upcoming fall holiday!

This week my new position starts so I'll finally be getting more consistent hours. While I have enjoyed being home majority of the time this summer, our finances have not!! The hours will be different each week but I will be planning my hours so that will be nice and they'll remain around 20 like they were last year. I continue to enjoy the cooler weather although this week will be a little warmer (80's). This week we will enjoy music class, our visit from our parent educator for the school year, and a playdate at the park! I also will be attending a "Mom's Day Out" lunch with playdate mamas on Saturday. Yay! Have a great week everyone!

New Garage Doors

Pretty! Insulated so hopefully will help with utility bills...here's hoping!

A lot of playing & creativity goin' on!

This last week, we spent a lot of time learning & exploring Eli's new birthday toys/activities. First things first, we HAD to finish off the left over cupcakes. Eli asked for cupcakes everyday, several times a day, all week. I was glad when they were finally gone so we could stop lying to him & tell him they were really all gone:)

Grandma's art/lego table is a hit! Eli eats breakfast & snacks at the table, colors, & builds towers on his table. It's lightweight enough that he can move it around himself but we have found that next to the window to be the favorite location. That way he can look out the window & have "natural light" for his masterpieces:

Aunt Sarah & Aunt Stephanie got Eli this cool little booklet of "Thomas the Train" that is an aquadoodle book so when painted with water, scenes show up...yay for no mess!:

Crayola makes a variety of cool toddler friendly art supplies. Eli got the paint brushes, markers (paint/ink is in the brush/tip & you have to press down on the paper to "activate" the paint & once done using, it doesn't leak or dry up! Engenius!) & crayons:

In Eli's usual fashion, he tries numerous times a day to stand ON his table. Here he decided to sit under & mommy said "Yes, Eli, sitting UNDER the table is fun & safe!":

Eli's friend Aidan got Eli this really cool pop up train book. We keep it in a special (& safe from Eli) place & get it out about once a day to look at. Eli LOVES it & is learning how to be "gentle" & touch with one finger only:

Sophia's gift of a doctor's kit couldn't have come at a better time as Eli's 2 year well check was this week. We talked several times while using the toys about what the doctor would be doing. We even brought it with us to see if having his own doctor stuff would help. It did a little, but he still didn't like being touched & proded:

We've had vtech Vsmile Baby for awhile & just recently brought it back out again. Eli's favorite game is Baby Einstein where he touches the shapes on his game board & it colors like a coloring book on the screen:

We already bragged about Jack & Tori's gift of the play doh equipment but here is another picture of Eli playing with it:

Our backyard is now a soccor field, baseball diamond, football field, & golf course!! Eli LOVES all of his new outdoor sports equipment & always finds fun ways to use it all (not necessarily the conventional ways):

With the cool weather, we like to eat out on our deck. Here we are enjoying a yummy salmon dinner....mmmm!:

Eli giving himself a bath BEFORE his bath:

And all Bidney women should be excited about this one: Eli had peanut butter toast for the FIRST time today & seems to ALSO be in love with it! I knew he would be okay allergy wise since I ate peanut butter DAILY while pregnant with him & eat it a lot while nursing:

This morning was very cool (50's!) so Eli wore his Thomas the Train shirt (from a garage sale, yay!) for the first time & got really excited about it. He saw it and said "Thomas!!!":

Now some Eli news:

1) Eli likes to chew holes in his bread, hold it up to his eye & say "I see you!"
2) Eli (most of the time) can count to 10 all by himself & will randomly do so throughout the day.
3) When we return home & pull into the garage, Eli often wants to immediately get out & play with all his toys in the garage. Sometimes we do & sometimes we have to go inside for lunch or something. This week, we pulled into the garage & he started to whine about getting down. I then told him that we needed to get ready for lunch & he said "10 minutes?". I cracked up laughing because he hears me give him time limit warnings all the time before we change activities. He is already negotiating at age 2....oh boy! Oh, and I couldn't resist so we did play outside for 10 minutes!
4) Eli has learned to pick his nose....& eat his boogers!! This is another one of those things that I say "How did he learn that! WE don't eat our boogers!" While it's not the greatest etiquette, it helps me in that I don't have to try to hold hiim down to get his boogers out of his nose!! We just have to catch him soon enough before he eats it or wipes it somewhere!
5) We went to a water park this week (where water shoots up out of the ground & buckets dump down with water) & Eli really liked it!!

FYI, I'm not going to add any more words/phrases on the side of the blog. He pretty much says new words weekly & I just can't keep up!

This week I am throwing my good friends Tori & Cheryl a baby shower. Many of the mamas from our lactation/play group are bringing the food, drinks & games while I make some special items for the soon-to-be mamas (of TWO kids that is). Should be fun!!

We also are going to attempt to take Eli's 2 year pictures ourselves sometime this upcoming week/weekend. If they don't turn out well, we'll go to a professional but we want to try to see how they turn out. Wish us luck & I'll post some next week (if they turn out well!)!

I am hoping that my allergies slow down this week as today was HORRIBLE!! It sucks because the weather is nice & cool & I want to open up the house but as soon as I do, my nose turns into a faucet & I have sneezing fits (literally like 10 sneezes in a row). Eli now makes fun & mimics my sneezing he's heard me do it so much today!! This may be when I start to long for the first freeze!!

Hope every has a great week!

2 year well exam

Just wanted to post quick about how Eli's 2 year well visit went today. All is good and he checked out just fine (although he is starting to get a doctor phobia now...we brought his new doctor kit with us to see if that helped and it did a little). Here are his stats:

Weight: 30 lbs. 75th%
Height: 34.5 in. 50th%

According to the well visit info sheet, Eli should be:

Minimal:
1) Forming short sentences (uh-huh)
2) Using "I" sentences (sometimes)
3) Naming some body parts (yep!)
4) Turns door knobs (definitely!)
5) Makes towers (yes)
6) Takes off clothing (sometimes if we help)
7) Jumps (yep!)
8) Uses fork (when he wants to!)
9) Drinks through straw (has for a long time now)
10) Walks up/down steps (yep-and getting better all the time!)
Emerging:
1) Talking about self (he uses his name all the time when talking)
2) Distinguishing between male & female (hmm....kinda but not really)
3) Follow simple directions (sure does!)
4) Sort objects (can if we ask him to)
5) Beginning to understand consequences (yep!)
6) Puts on clothing (with help he can)
7) Imitates vertical line drawing (yep...circles, too!)
8) Indicates toilet needs (a little...could care less about getting a clean diaper, though)
9) Turns pages (yes)
10) Puts on coat with assistance (yes)

Talked about switching to 1 or 2% milk and said he really doesn't drink much cow's milk since he is still nursing. She praised us for nursing and said that was fine since he eats cheeses & yogurt. We can also stop vitamins since he eats well & still nursing. She said to just follow his cues with potty learning and no rush. Speaking of which, I think we'll try MckMama's suggestions for potty learning as she discusses here. Won't go back for a year! Yay!

2 years ago today.....

....I went from looking like this:

To finally experiencing this:

At 8:05am our Eli turned TWO years old! So much has happened in his development from age 1 to age 2 that it is amazing what a little person he is now days. I think I'm going to really like the age of 2 as he is so much fun with his little personality and all! I know each age has their "pros" & "cons" so we'll see what this upcoming year holds for us. As I was looking at Eli tonight while we were using his Tag Junior, I couldn't imagine what our life was like BEFORE him. His handsome brown eyes, heart melting smile, and a laugh that makes everyone say "I love his laugh!" just get to me everyday! I am truly blessed. I thought I would compile a list of his accomplishments, firsts, and even some not so great moments. Enjoy!

This year, Eli experienced his first.....

-dentist appointment (NOT fun)

-royals game

-steps

-time running

-time dancing

-time jumping

-time climbing on & off mommy & daddy's bed

-words

-phrases

-visit to a pumpkin patch

-time sitting at booster seat at table

-haircut

-tantrum

-time sitting on Santa's lap

-poop on the potty

-time visiting the zoo

-time visiting a farmstead

-time visiting a children's education center

-time visiting nature center

-time coloring

-time playing with stickers

-jumping on the couch

-climbing on couch, table, chairs, ANYTHING

-Easter egg hunt

-time on Grandpa's sailboat

-time with Roseola

-swim lessons

-freckles

-time seeing live fireworks display

Eli's other accomplishments...

-improved eating

-up 3 shoe sizes

-got 14 new teeth (up to 20 now!)

-identifies letters, numbers to 10 and some teens, colors, & shapes

-grew taller but only gained about 3-4 lbs.

-knows body parts

-knows name & calls self by name

-enjoys independent play

-can turn toys on & off

-uses utensils to eat more often

-opens and closes doors

-knows how to wash hands

-can pet kitties gentle

-likes to help clean

-can buckle

-knows some opposites: big/tiny, loud/quiet

-mimicks

Eli....

-loves to give kisses, hugs, & high fives

-still sometimes bites, scratches, & pinches

-laughs a lot and has several types of laughs

-is sensitive to other people's emotions, especially sadness

-loves to take walks around neighborhood pushing his stroller

-is an active nursing toddler

-understands naps & night-time

-loves going to parks to swing, slides, and most important, to explore!

-doesn’t like messes or being messy

-likes to throws things (balls, food, anything really!)

-loves to play with all types of balls, soccer being a current favorite!

-goes through phases of "favorites" (books, t.v. shows, toys, etc.)

-acquires many boo-boos

-acts out if you are on phone

-likes "grown up" songs like "Boom Boom Pow"

-favorite show is "Yo Gabba Gabba"

-is our little “I spy” guy everywhere we go!

-loves: sidewalk chalk, bubbles, and playing drums

-needs to be given choices

-wants to please his mommy & daddy

-is proud of his accomplishments

-must be engaged at all times in an activity or becomes bored easily

-needs a variety of activities to keep brain alert

-is very loving

-is very curious & exploratory

-can be emotional

-has a great sense of humor already

-is very social and loves his friends & family

Last year (not walking yet!):

Now a big boy TWO!:

And in closing, a little John Lennon:

Close your eyes,
Have no fear,
The monsters gone,
He's on the run and your (mommy &) daddy's here,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Before you go to sleep,
Say a little prayer,
Every day in every way,
It's getting better and better,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,

Out on the ocean sailing away,
I can hardly wait,
To see you to come of age,
But I guess we'll both,
Just have to be patient,
Yes it's a long way to go,
But in the meantime,

Before you cross the street,
Take my hand,
Life is just what happens to you,
While your busy making other plans,

Beautiful,
Beautiful, beautiful,
Beautiful Boy,
Darling,
Darling,
Darling Eli.

You are truly my beautiful boy, Eli!

Vroom, vroom, choo, choo, Elijah Lee is turning TWO!!!

Eli had his 2nd birthday party on Saturday and boy was it FUN!!! The theme was all things that "go" so cars, trucks, motorcycles, airplanes, helicopters, etc. We had fun planning and making our own invitations and decorations. Eli LOVES balloons so we had to be sure to have several bouquets. I also made cupcakes again along with several snacks to munch on. Many family and friends attended the occasion and like last year, made him feel very loved and special. It was a beautiful day outside so we were able to spread out to the back yard so we didn't feel so crowded inside which was great. It's amazing to me that he is 2 years old and I'm so blessed he is my son. I'll post a "sappy" entry on his actual birthday (Tuesday the 25th) and I'll keep this one light hearted and fun! Enjoy!

Decoration in the living room & kitchen:

Aunt Sarah made him this cute shirt:

Time to blow out candles!:

He blew them out on the first try and everyone cheered really loudly which kind of startled him. It was too cute!:

Since eating his cupcake he asks for "pancakes" (he confuses cupcakes & pancakes):

My little man doesn't like to be messy so frosting on his nose had to be cleaned off before he got upset about it:

Eli is SO blessed (as am I) to have a lot of kiddos his age that are his buddies. Since meeting this group of babes & mamas at lactation support group 2 years ago, we have remained good friends and get together weekly if not more for playdates. The kids love playing with each other & the mamas love to talk, talk, talk! I hope we can all remain friends for a long time!! Many were able to attend Eli's special day which Eli loved. Here are pics of some attendees of the shin dig:

Mr. Jack on the slide:

Cousin Emily & Miss Chloe:

Emily's oldest daughter, Mallory:

Aunt Stephanie pushing Chloe:

We put all our toys in the back yard and a favorite was taking wagon rides around the yard. Miss Lily & Mr. Aidan taking a ride:

Mr. Aidan & mommy, Anjanette:

Grandma & Grandpa Clarkson:

Eli & Addie:

Cheryl & Miss Callie (Eli's little lady):

Tiffany & Miss Lily:

Mr. Jack hugging mama, Tori:

Kalani & mama, Sue (in background):

Eli laughing with Maly & Alison:

Present opening time!!!:

Soccer ball....one of Eli's favorite sports:

Eli received a lot of play-doh accessories & art supplies which is AWESOME because we will need a lot of inside activities this winter!:

Train whistle!:

Eli got some dress up clothes such as a cowboy hat & firefighter outfit:

A soccer net & ball for outside (& winter inside) play....yay!:

From mommy & daddy Eli got a Radio Flyer tricycle with a helmet. It even has a license plate with his name:

Wooden toy train:

Daddy & Eli using the play-doh accessories today:

Grandma Bidney got Eli this table & chairs to do legos & artwork:

What a wonderful day & we thank you all for coming & enjoying our little man's day with us!!