april: day thirty.

just playin'.

april: day twenty nine.

yum.

my new favorite picture...

me and e.
just hanging.
the best kind of days.

april: day twenty eight.

peeked into the library and saw this tranquil scene.

april: day twenty seven.

little man's first time in a swimming pool...
wasn't a huge fan...but he did enjoy kicking the water while he sat on the side of the pool.
we'll turn him into a water baby someday...

april: day twenty six.

since elijah never got a chance to dig into his own birthday cake (see this)...we let him have a go at kendall's birthday cake. yum.

april: day twenty five.

amazing brown eyes.
i think this is the first picture that you can actually see the true color of his eyes.

april: day twenty four.

elijah loves "little people".

e. today. at sixteen months.

just a bit of a 'lijah-man update. little bits of his life so i can remember when "someday" comes.

talking/words: more/mas (mas = more in spanish), num-nums (yum-yums), all done, all gone, dada, baba (grandma), papa (grandpa), aba (abolita), "ow-sigh" (outside), "ba ah" (backyard), "ahwa" (agua/water), buh (bye), oh yeah, ball, moon, buh buh (big truck), vroom, ba (bath), up, apain (airplane), box, pa (park), potty, boom, "lijah" (elijah), bebe (baby), blue, moos (like a cow), trumpets (like an elephant), "argh" (like a pirate)

eats pretty much anything i put on his tray.
weights about 23 pounds.
wears mostly eighteen month clothes across the board/size five in shoes.
won't let anyone feed him anymore. he has to do it by himself. and does a pretty good job of it.
does "stunts" on his little bike.
goes up and down the stairs by himself (with mom or dad following closely behind).
loves to wear momma's slippers around the house. even steals them right off her feet!
makes vroom-ing noises every time he sees a motorcycle or truck.
dances around the house and asks for the music to be turned on (if it's not already).
points to the sky and says "apain" every time an airplane flies over head.
points up when you ask him where the sky is; down for the ground.
proudly puts one finger up in the air when you ask him how old he is (starting to say ONE along with the finger).
can drink from a non-sippy cup by himself (but i only let him do it outside where spilling is not such a big deal).
is starting to enjoy books and reading. always picks out "where is baby's mommy?" and "wynken, blynken and nod" for "before bed" storytime.
has to have ducky and paci for nap/bedtime (still!).
wants to be held more often (a bit of separation anxiety maybe?).
doesn't like waiting...especially for dinner!
takes one two hour(ish) nap a day.
likes going to the church nursery after he's been there about five minutes.
does "cheesy smile" (see picture above) when i get the camera out.
doesn't like getting dressed or sitting still for "medicine" (the eucerin cream he has to have on his back for his eczema (sp?))

loves fisher price "little people" toys.
loves "driving" daddy's/grandpa's truck or the ride-on lawnmower.
loves digging in the dirt (obviously...he's a boy!).
loves brushing his teeth by himself/hates when momma takes over.
loves combing his hair.
loves going outside to play.
loves "helping" momma get the mail.

favorite foods: peas, cheese, bread, yogurt, crackers, strawberries, bananas, blueberries (any kind of fruit, really), chicken, milk

i guess that's it for now. i'll add to this as i keep remembering little things...

i'm startled daily when i look at him and see a little dude instead of my sweet baby boy.

april: day twenty three.

fresh flowers make me smile.

april: day twenty two.

books...and boots elijah used to wear.

april: day twenty one.

brush-a, brush-a, brush-a
love that he has bedhead...

garden goodness galore.

i've been promising a garden update for a while now...and i'm finally getting around to it! this being my first ever garden, i've been learning a lot as i go...it's been fun to just be outside, digging around in the dirt, watching things grow, experiencing it all. it's so alive out there...i can almost feel the plants growing around me.

it's funny...being out there...in the midst of it all...i always think of my grandma, my dad's mom. she died when i was eleven (i think...i might have been ten...i can't remember) so most of my memories of her are a little fogged by youthful eyes and ears. i remember being out in her garden, helping her water the vegetables. it was huge to my six(ish) year old mind...i'm sure it wasn't really as big as my memory remembers it. she had this big galvanized garbage can that she kept full of water and would use to fill her watering can. i remember splashing water on my shoes as i filled my own bucket and how heavy the full watering bucket was every time i head out to water my own garden.

i didn't really know my grandma that well...obviously...she died when i was fairly young but even while she was alive...for the majority of that time...we didn't live very close to her. she and my grandpa lived in a tiny house in glenallen, alaska which was a fair three/four hour drive from our house in anchorage/wasilla. according to my memory, she was everything a grandmother should be...loving and soft with an ample lap for cuddling. my memories of time with her are foggy at best...they, like many other things, have been bleached by time and experience...thinking through those moments are almost like watching an old 8mm movie clip: they're dark and dingy with holes and scratches throughout. photographs have helped supplement my film strip of memories but still...i wish i could remember better. i wish i could remember what her voice sounded like, what she smelled like. i remember too many details of the house...of the toys and books that were so different and so special...toys and books that my dad had played with/read. her house was a magical place where we spent many easters and thanksgivings and extended summers.

i barely knew her. and yet...i miss her. desperately at times. silly...isn't it? maybe i just miss the opportunities i could have had with her had cancer not stolen her from us. i want to sit down with her...to listen to her stories...she must have had so many good ones! she was a missionary wife and a nurse. a survivor of the depression and a mother to seven children. a fantastic cook and expert book reader. i would ask her so many questions: how did she raise such well-rounded children? how did she manage that brood? what was it like to be a missionary in alaska all those years ago? what? when? where? how? but mostly...i just want to listen. to soak up the history that she lived and experienced. to be a sponge...a fly on the wall of her memories and stories.

i find comfort in the fact that i will be able to ask her those questions one day, to sit with her and listen...but still...i'm missing her today...and everyday when i step outside into my garden. watering can in hand, i remember. i remember and i ache for carefree days, enjoying my grandmother's presence in my life. and i stop...maybe wipe a tear away. i stop in the midst of remembering...and i thank God that my precious son still has both sets of grandparents in his life as well as two great-grandparents (my mom's mother and my dad's dad are still alive). what a gift they are with their experiences and knowledge. i only hope that my children will get to enjoy them for many years to come...

this was supposed to be a post about my garden...and i guess it is. but really...it's more about my experiences while tending my little patch of vegetables. digging in the dirt is therapeutic in ways i never could have imagined.

april: day twenty.

my boys.
watching the motorcycle races on tv with a little snack.
lazy sunday afternoon.

april: day nineteen.

first harvest.

april: day eighteen.

so yeah...elijah has a car.
his grandparents bought it for him this weekend, along with a battery operated three-wheeler (haven't got a picture of that one yet).
he LOVES them.
*sigh*
guess i've got a motorhead in my house.

april: day seventeen.

man...i love this face.

april: day sixteen.

this is the kind of mom i am.
take pictures first.
deal with the mess later.
tis true.

april: day fifteen.

can't believe this little guy is almost a year old!
happy birthday gavin...in a few days.

april: day fourteen.

what every boy needs in his life: sticks.
think about it.
they can be any kind of weapon: swords, light sabors, guns, you name it.
truly...the ultimate toy.

april: day thirteen.

me to john:
"babe, there will be strawberries like this in heaven, right?"
john to me:
"better babe. they'll be better."

april: day twelve.

a rare treat.
breakfast out.

april: day eleven.

chug-a-lug.

april: day ten.

blocks. blocks. blocks.
i build them up...
he knocks them down.
it's just how we do things around here.

april: day nine.

"how old is elijah?"
one!
yeah...

april: day eight.

the latest mess.
decided to move my scrappy goodness to the dining room table.
even though it's a disorganized eye-sore, i get so much more done down there than i do in my dedicated scrap room.
not quite sure why.
maybe because i can work with elijah playing along side me?

april: day seven.

meet bruno.
he's a brontosaurus.
and he's quite loveable despite being a dinosaur.
perfect for a brief afternoon cuddle.
or two.

and just like that...it's summer.

whew.
what a weekend.
90 degrees both days...and no breeze to speak of.
can i say it again?
whew.

it's so funny to me...
one day it's a beautiful 75...
then boom.
it's 92.
no warning whatsoever.
nothing gradual about it.

it was so obvious to me this morning while i was doing laundry.
i was washing long sleeved shirts and pants and socks and jackets from earlier in the week...
then shorts and sleeveless shirts from this weekend.
just the fact that on monday, elijah wore two long-sleeved shirts, one on top of the other seems ridiculous to me now.
but on monday, it was cold. (well...if you call 60s cold...)
weird.

planning to upload this past week's "picture a day" stuff later on...
want to work on garage sale stuff right now...

where's the april showers?

ah life.

it's just been plugging along lately.

there have been many times that i've wanted to get on here...
to write about the little things that have been making up our daily grind...
there's no real reason why i didn't...
yes, i have been sick...hacking and sniffing away...
but mainly, i haven't felt like sitting in front of a computer.
the days have been blissfully spring-like...beautiful in every way
and elijah and i have been determined to soak up every single minute of them.
no agenda...
no plans...
just us.
hanging out...making memories.
the best kind of days.

i am loving this age elijah's at right now. he is hilarious at sixteen months. i absolutely love watching him figure stuff out, imitate things/actions john and i do on a daily basis (putting the phone between his ear and his shoulder while "talking"), testing out his physical abilities...just simply LEARNING and LIVING. it is amazing...in every sense of the word. every day i wake up, excited to see what he's going to do next...

april: day six.

again...this is not the official photo of the day.
this is a photo of my friends sean and heather's daughter, payton.
maybe i should say crazy daughter? ah yes...much better.
the real photo of the day is of the sweetest little girl (not payton) but i don't have her parents permission to post the photo on the internet. so...until i get that...you get this. enjoy.

ha!

april: day five.

hanging out with abo...
he can't get enough of that pinwheel he's got in his hand (a present from his other grandma) or his abolita. he loves going other to her house to play. and if he hasn't gotten his fill when it's time to pack up and go home, he gets quite upset. trust me. i think the whole neighborhood to attest to that!

april: day four.

more garden goodness.
yum. can't wait til harvest!
still...it's quite fun watching and waiting.
every day it's different...something new to see.
maybe i'll become a gardener yet...

april: day three.

more pirate-y nonsense.
this little guy loves wearing his pirate hat...too funny.
can't wait til he can say: "ahoy me hearties!" right along with me. ha!

april: day two.

elijah and i had our first taste from our garden today...a strawberry! (not the one pictured obviously)
only one...but it was a good one!
more to come on the garden...it's coming along nicely and i can't wait to share photos!

april: day one.

well...here i go again. another month's worth of pictures.
why not?

this is in lieu of the official photo of the day.
the real one that i will put in my album contains a very naked little boy...and i'd just rather not put that up on the internet...i hope you understand!

march: day thirty one

the box that "baba" made him.

just a shoebox, covered in duct tape, filled with "treasures" (bandaids, markers, noisemakers and such).
what fun.

march: day thirty

this is the only day i don't have any pictures from. not bad for losing over half my pictures i guess. still makes me sad though...

march: day twenty nine

helping "baba" stir...and making a lot of noise doing it.

march: day twenty eight

somebody taught elijah how to open doors.
it wasn't me.
i think i need to have a talk with his father about a few things...

march: day twenty seven

"we are the pirates who don't do anything!
we just stay home and lie around.
and if you ask us to do anything,
we'll just tell you, we don't do anything!"
(veggie tales, silly songs with larry)

found a pirate hat and a sword today on our travels.
the craziest part?
elijah actually wore the hat and played with the sword.
so funny to see him walking around dressed as a pirate.

march: day twenty six

so glad luke got to spend his spring break here with us.
even though he did spend most of the time studying for his mcat test.
loved having him here.

come again soon pooper!

march: day twenty five

black beans from baja fresh will do that to you.

bummer of all bummers.

i am a very sad iphoto user today.

i uploaded 412 pictures yesterday. nothing atypical about that. about 300 or so were from a photo shoot i did for our church...the other 100 (give or take) were just my personal picture-a-day stuff. i didn't get a chance to edit them yesterday or even look at them really. then, this morning when i sat down to go through them, i discovered a horrible, horrible tragedy. over half my pictures were gone. literally gone. i cannot find them anywhere. not on my hard drive, not in iphoto...they are gone. i can view the thumbnails in iphoto...but whenever i try to do anything with them, even view them bigger than thumbnail size, all i see is a little exclamation point. no picture. this is a huge bummer. not only am i going to have to redo my photo shoot (which really isn't THAT big of a deal, it was pretty casual...just me with my camera doing candid stuff) but i lost some really fun pictures of elijah with his uncle luke. those are irreplaceable. i am so bummed.

i have now created some precautions to prevent this from happening again. i have unchecked the box that says "delete pictures from camera after importing" which means my pictures will still be on my memory card after i've uploaded them on to my computer. if i'd done that in the first place, i'd still have all my pictures and i wouldn't be dealing with this problem. i've also done some general maintenance on my computer, just to make sure everything is running as it should be. i think i might take it into an apple store to get it checked out too since it used to be a demo model at comp usa before they went out of business. probably should have done that in the first place. oh well. live and learn.

anyways. i will now try to continue on with my picture-a-day business but i might be missing some days...so we'll see what happens with that. it's not the end of the world but it still stinks.

by the way, happy april fools day. wouldn't it be great if this was just one big april fools joke?
sadly...it is not.