It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like . . .

Christmas!! If you are not sure how to get in the Christmas spirit, here are a few steps that we would suggest.

Step One: Meet Santa Claus

Now this may not look like a big accomplishment to you. But considering the fact that Elliott has never really been a fan of strangers (let alone large, bearded men), we considered this a great success. And I think Mrs. Santa Claus was pretty darn excited to meet Elijah!

Step Two: Put up the tree

Don't worry if it's the same fake tree that you've used since the first year you were married. It's the thought that counts.

And why do we put up the tree? So we can climb inside the box, of course!


Step Three: Decorate said tree


Step Four: Meet up with friends to watch the Christmas parade


Step Five: Listen to Christmas music ALL THE TIME and act as goofy as possible!


We love this time of year, not just for the food and the music and the decorations but most importantly for the real meaning of CHRISTmas. We are sad that we won't get to see many of you, but we hope that you have a great Christmas.

Man's Search for Happiness

(do you remember that movie? It was a classic!)

Elliott has been into hide-and-seek for quite a while. He doesn't exactly understand the game, but he certainly enjoys the hiding part. And the screaming part.

What, your games of hide-and-seek don't involve screaming? Oh. Too bad.

Anyway, one of his favorite "hiding" places is behind the shower curtain. It never gets old.


Meanwhile, Elijah has found his own ways to entertain himself. He is a very smiley baby, and we take special pride in the fact that he smiles at his parents way more than he smiles at strangers. But there is one other thing that he smiles at--his toy arch. He will lay beneath that thing forever and pull the links over and over. So we took the opportunity to try and capture his beautiful smile.



(p.s. notice the cool blanket? That was a gift from none other than the fabulous Aunt Nyn. Elijah loves it!)

School Days

I've heard a lot of parents say that the time just flew until their oldest kid went to the first day of school. And I'm sure that's true. But for us, the day came a little sooner than we were planning. We decided to put Elliott into a school for kids with developmental delays. And it was a really tough decision for us. We worried about sending him into the "real world" when he was so young, and we worried about him not being able to talk, and we worried about what would happen when he was around other kids with delays. But we decided to do it, and so the day came (a couple years earlier than we once thought!) and Elliott had his first day of school.

Poor kid. He didn't even know what he was getting into.


And, I am happy to report, it has been really good for him. Elliott walks in like he owns the place, throws his backpack and jacket in the cubby, and runs over to the play area. His teachers love him, and of course Elliott loves to participate in music time. And he loves to come home and show off his new dance moves.

And, just so you don't worry, we still have time to teach him other things, like dressing himself:


(that was all him--no help from either parent), and self-imposed piano lessons:


Good luck, Elliott--only fifteen more years of school to go! Until college, at least . . .

Boys

Bridget comes from a family of six girls and one boy. And at one point she was quite the girly girl. And I'm pretty sure she thought she could only reproduce girls. So when Elliott came along, she was a little surprised . . . but still convinced that all of her other children would be girls. When she got pregnant with the second baby, she was already telling everyone it was a girl. So, imagine her surprise when it was Elijah instead of Elisaveta

(it apparently means "God is my oath" in Bulgarian).

Sure, there are lots of fun things about girls: frilly dresses, dance classes, tea parties, My Little Ponies. Just to name a few.

But I'm here to say that boys are fun, too. Because with boys, you can have never-ending games of Ring Around the Rosie:

(don't mind the messy house--we just had a baby the day before)

wear cool clothes and make funny faces:


and hang out with the bros:


So next time you see the boy running amok in the grocery store or hear the boy screaming during church, just be grateful for boys. They're really not that bad. And, when you get the chance, congratulate Bridget on putting up with three boys in the house!

Lessons Learned on Vacation

1) It is true--everything really is bigger in Texas.

Cinnamon rolls:

burritos:

jelly beans:


and even condiments!



2) Life is more fun when Aunt Nyn is around.




3) Don't mess with Texans. Those guys are profound. I was particularly struck with the thought-provoking wisdom of this little jewel:


Enough said.

Choo Choo!

Ever since Elliott was a baby, he has loved one thing: wheels. Anything with wheels. His favorite song? The Wheels on the Bus. The only show he would watch? Baby Einstein--Things That Go. His favorite toy? Any form of automobile. His parents' favorite bribe? "Elliott, do you want to go for a ride in the stroller"?

But more recently Elliott has refined his interest and narrowed it down to one specific thing with wheels: trains. He loves them. One of his first words (okay, it's more of a sound than a word--but we call it a word!) was "choo choo." We're not exactly sure how it started. It could have been these awesome pajamas from his grandparents:



or, it could have been his first train ride on his trip to Texas:


or, it could have been the new nursery:


(kind of hard to see, but it's a train-themed crib)

But whatever the reason, you should have felt the excitement in the answer when Bridget told us that there is a whole theme park based on trains! Of course we just had to visit before the baby came. Elliott was so captivated, he couldn't even look at the camera long enough for a picture:


Needless to say, he was enthralled by the whole experience. He especially loved the train ride with "real live" cowboys and Indians.


Oh yeah--and the Elliott-size train wasn't too bad, either!


I'm guessing that we might find our way back to this park another time . . .

Getting Ready for a Baby

We spent a lot of time and effort getting ready for this baby. As you can tell, we bought a new car seat,


pulled out the high chair,


caught up on some extra sleep,


and decorated the baby's room with a train theme (complete with a Thomas bed).


Notice anything about these pictures? Yes, that's right. Elliott has decided that he wants to be the baby. I knew he was going to struggle with the new addition to our family, but it is so interesting to watch. And kind of sad. I can't really imagine what it's like to have two people's undivided attention for two years only to have it taken away in an instant. We tried to tell Elliott what was happening, but we knew he didn't really get it. So here we are, trying to protect Elijah from being permanently disfigured while trying to encourage Elliott to be a good brother. Meanwhile, Elliott is trying anything and everything to get our attention--even if it means sitting in an uncomfortable car seat that's way too small for him.

So, for all of you who are younger siblings, feel free to take a moment and thank your older sibling(s). I think it must have been pretty hard at times. And, for our older siblings who are reading this, thanks for putting up with us!