Happy Easter 2009

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter! Ours started out with Elijah and Hannah waking up at just about the same time--6:30. The Easter Bunny had hidden 15 plastic eggs filled with M&Ms downstairs, some of which were on Eli's toys so he could help find them, too! (Of course, he was not allowed to eat the contents!) He only got one of them (then he got involved with playing with his toys), but he really enjoyed shaking it and hearing the M&Ms rattle! He was very unhappy when Hannah took the egg away! After getting dressed, we went upstairs to get our Easter baskets and find the "real" Easter eggs that we had colored yesterday! Again the bunny had left a couple on his level for him to find, but he didn't really care about it...he just wanted to play with his toys. But with a little guidance, he found one and enjoyed chewing on it until we decided we'd better take it away before he bit into it! We had some Rhodes caramel rolls for breakfast after that...mmmmmm...then we went to church. They had an egg hunt there, too, after church, so we got even more candy! Yikes!! Eli came home exhausted...he took a 3-hour long nap! Mom made a wonderful Easter dinner of ham, sweet potato casserole, creamed peas, cinnamon jello, rolls, and deviled eggs. It was wonderful!! And now we're all just having a lazy Sunday afternoon! Happy Easter, everyone!

Missouri Trip

We just spent a great week in Missouri visiting Nannie and Paw Paw (my mom's parents). We had a great time visiting and playing cards together, and I think they really enjoyed getting to be with Hannah and Elijah. Eli has been getting more and more mobile each day! He has been getting better and better at pulling up, and can get himself down now, too. (before, he would get himself up, but would cry because he couldn't figure out how to get down.) Mom and Nannie had to secure anything he tried to get off the coffee table, and we eventually just had to clear it off completely. Paw Paw had to put in outlet covers because Eli became very interested in outlets. We got to visit some wonderful family and friends, and we also went to my favorite ice cream place in Columbia, Buck's. (the university ice cream place) It was a great trip, and we can't wait to go back again!

He Pulled Up!!!

He did it! He pulled up for the first time last night! He had been pulling up to his knees at his Leap Frog learning table, and last night, he just put his feet under his knees and stood up! I was just amazed! I grabbed the camera, but was too late...ka-boom...back to the floor. But not much longer 'til he crawled over to our leather footstool and pulled up on that! So, I got a couple pictures there before he plopped back down to the floor. I'd better clear off that coffee table! I can just picture his little hands and arms sweeping all the contents to the floor...and then into his mouth.

Starting to Pull Up!

Eli is showing a lot of interest in pulling up! Yikes! Right now, he is mostly pulling up on his knees, but there's a stool by the couch where he will put his feet on the floor and his hands on the stool, and then put his hands up onto the couch. It doesn't last long, though, as you can see in the progression of pictures. He is also crawling at very high speeds! I had to build an "enclosure" in our downstairs family room with baby gates because he was going everywhere and it was hard to stop him! I would have to get up every couple seconds to catch him, and he does not like to be moved from where he is! Hannah is still wenjoying her Storybook Ballet class. This past week, they did the story of the "Twelve Dancing Princesses" (I don't know this story) but the outfits they used were beautiful! They were handmade by someone, and they were just gorgeous! I took pictures with my camera phone and here are a couple.

Going to the Park

It's finally getting warmer! Today was the first "outing" of Spring for us! Hannah, Elijah, and I went to the Purple Park in the neighborhood. Hannah got to ride her bike and Eli rode in his stroller. I was so proud of Hannah! She did a wonderful job riding her bike over there! It still has training wheels, but she was so good at controlling herself on it, and she learned to use the brakes and everything very quickly. Once we got to the park, Eli got to try out the swings, and he loved it! The first time I gave him a little push, he started to giggle. Hannah got some swinging in, too. It got a little breezy and chilly, so we didn't spend a lot of time out there, but it was great to be able to get out for some fresh air finally after the long Wisconsin winter! :)

Atlanta

We had a wonderful trip to Atlanta last week! We were there for six days, and had the opportunity to see many, many friends! Eli was so good--he was willing to be passed around from one person to another, and enjoyed all the attention. Of course Hannah loved all the attention she got, too! Ms. B even took her for a manicure/pedicure!! That was incredibly special! On Saturday night, we had a pizza party where many of my friends from North Springs (high school) were able to get together and meet each others' kids who had fun coloring together on the floor as the "grown ups" socialized. On Sunday, Alison, Virginia, and Alison's friend, Mary, took Hannah and Eli to the Georgia Aquarium. We saw some really amazing fish there! Later that night, Eli finally crawled for the first time...across the room to get Hannah's sticker book. It was great to see so many friends in Atlanta, and the whole trip was really great! I hope we can go back again soon!

Beth's Visit to Madison

Last weekend, my friend, Beth, came up from Chicago to visit. We had a really great time! She got to meet my grandparents who are here for the week, which was wonderful since they hadn't met yet. We had some great food while she was here, too--we had pizza, went to Hubbard Diner, and went to Bluephies! We also went snow tubing at Cascade Mountain! Of course the kids love having her here, too! Eli got to practice crawling and standing with her, and she helped Hannah count out her 100 crayons for the hundredth day of school. It was a really fun weekend! :) Come back soon, Beth! :)