Halloween Hand-Me-Downs

October brought some fun amidst the fall snotties--we dressed the boys up in some hand-me-down costumes we had gotten from friends and went to a Halloween party. The boys did have a fun time, and loved their costumes (once they saw themselves in the mirror!) despite the fact that halfway through the evening Eli started getting a low-grade fever and a runny nose. Sam's costume was a little big, and Eli's a little small (notice the tight shirt around the belly), and we suspect that when he's bigger Sam may wonder why he got stuck with Tweety Bird instead of the cowboy...

My Little Petri Dishes

This fall and winter have been banner seasons for us in that the boys (and Patrick and I) have seemed to catch every cold virus that has ever existed. We are able to go to maybe one event every couple of weeks or so (to pick up whatever is going around) and then the boys manage to spread the illness out for a couple of weeks, catching it from one another, before we go back out to pick up the next cold. Right now the boys are both recovering from double ear infections. But despite all the unpleasant fevers and snotty noses, the boys have been able to stay pretty chipper (I can't say the same for their mom!).

This last cold which resulted in the ear infections has been a particularly protracted illness. Sam caught the cold first, and had it five days before Eli came down with it. I thought Eli might escape unscathed, but no such luck. But for a while there Eli was having a great time, while Sam was a bit miserable. One day I sat them down for lunch, gave them some Cheerios, and had to go do something else for a few minutes, when I came back, Sam had eaten all his Cheerios, and promptly fallen asleep in his chair. Poor sick little boy!

Wreaking Havoc

So, we returned to the homestead after a very exciting summer of trips and visits, and we all setttled back into the daily routine. After all the smiling faces and beautiful places, I'm afraid that the boys' newly acquired toddler mentality felt a little confined back at home. So Sam and Eli set about finding new and exciting things to get into.

Eli has been looking for little nooks and crannies around the house to tuck himself away in. Sometimes it has resulted in a moment of panic for their mother when I step back into a room and can't find Eli anywhere.

Sam has been a little mischievious as well, but his bent is more towards finding out how things work. Whether it is finding the button that turns on the nightlight on their pack'n'play, or getting into things that I have *ahem* inadvertantly left around, he has definitely been keeping me on my toes.

The boys did get a chance to participate in an old family tradition from my side of the family, the Christmas sausage from Uncle Hank and Aunt Dawn.

The boys really enjoyed the sausage, and didn't even seem to mind it being slightly spicy. Someone who did not get to participate in the tradition, and who could smell what she was missing, was clearly despondent. Well, that was the end of the Christmas sausage, but since it was the end of September when we finished it off, at least we only have to wait a few months for some more! Thanks Uncle Hank (Annie wants me to pass on that she wants her own batch...)!

A Brand New Cousin!

Well, September started off with a bang with the birth of our newest cousin, Charlotte (for more of Charlotte, as I mentioned before, please visit her here). We finally got up to Nashville for a visit, and boy, is she cute! The boys didn't really know she was there for a while, because she was so quiet and still, but I think once Sam did, he was really puzzled as to what sort of thing she was...


The boys also had a wonderful time hanging out with (and on) Grandmama...

and lounging on Grandmama's little red rocker.

Sam also perused through Grandmama's books,

...and Grandmama read to them (The Runaway Bunny being a perennial favorite).

Catch Up Time...

Since the holidays are right around the corner, I am more motivated than ever to finally catch up on all our pictures--especially since there will be many, many more taken very shortly. In August we went for a long visit to Nana and Mo's house, while Patrick took a trip out to Colorado for a conference. We had such a great time that we forgot to take any pictures. Okay, I did take one picture--while I was home I found my old dollhouse that Mo and I *started* to put together back when I was of single-digit age. I found all the old parts, got them out and cleaned them up, and decided to put it together (but Patrick says I can't let the boys play with it...). So here is the 'before' picture (have no idea when the 'after' picture will debut, but I'm working on it):

So, we had a wonderful time. The boys hardly ever fought, monopolized Nana and Mo's attention, got to hang out with cousins, and had a great time chasing each other around the house. (Needless to say, Annie had the time of her life with Mo.) One of the things the boys learned to do while on this visit was to eat (sort of) with spoons, and here they are practicing at home. I think that Eli has the right idea, if not the right end.

We Spotted the Ocean, Cont.

The exotic locale and summer sunsets must have had an effect on the boys, because Sam developed quite a crush on his Aunt Perry...

...and Eli carried on a bit of a love affair with the garden tub, or at least with the knobs (big pools = bad, little pools = good).

All in all it was a great trip and we can't wait until our next time at the beach!

We Spotted the Ocean

One of the big events of our summer was a week at the beach on the Outer Banks.* We had two full houses there and the boys, Patrick and I had the best time hanging out with cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, great aunts, great uncles, and first cousins once-removed. We swam in the pool, played at the beach, played in the house, caught cool bugs, watched fireworks, and didn't sleep very much at all.

Here the boys are catching their first glimpse of the ocean...

They didn't really know what to do with the sand (it was so sandy!), but they enjoyed looking at the waves (and the birds and the sand and people and dogs and kids...).

The boys also had a great time playing with their cousin Jada, who managed to fare quite well with a couple of boys who are used to shoving each other and stealing toys. She had a great trick: she would just pick up the toy and walk away. The boys still haven't quite mastered that trick yet.

The boys also had their first experience in the pool. Eli was a little nervous, but Sam took to it like a fish to water. At one point he even tried to shove off me to swim to a ball floating nearby. Here are the boys sylin' and profilin' in their shades and floaty-boats...

*Trip made possible through the generous support of the R. A. Betts Family Vacation Fun Trust. (Thanks Aunt Rebecca!)

One Crazy Summer

Well, it has been a bit of a whirlwind summer for the boys, and as a result, I am once again very behind in my blogging. But I will try to catch you all up on the last few months...


It began with a short visit from our Uncle Paul (who, incidentally, just gave the boys--along with a little help from Aunt Heather--a new cousin, Charlotte Eaves! To meet Charlotte, please visit her here). We had a great time with Uncle Paul and are looking forward to seeing him next weekend on our trip to Nashville.


Before the summer really kicked in to high gear, the boys got nice, short haircuts for the hot weather.

Sam's haircut turned out a little shorter than originally planned, due to an unforseen sudden turning of the head. Our cute little Friar Sam...






Our summer travel kicked off in earnest when Nana and Mo came to visit and watch the boys for an extended weekend while Patrick and I went to Puerto Rico for Falcon's wedding. We had the greatest time hanging out with Brent and Ana and our friends Chimmy and Cassy from San Francisco. (I think that maybe we should make the trip an annual event...)

Experiencing Technical Difficulties

I apologize to Sam and Eli's faithful fans--we are all fine here but have been unable to post or upload pictures for the past few weeks. I was looking in to the problem but not coming up with any solutions, and had just about given up hope. But apparently the blog has healed itself, so there will be many summer pics coming your way pronto!

Thank you for your support.

Sam Acquires a New Skill

Memorial Day and Mayfield's

For Memorial Day Grandmama came for a visit to celebrate the anniversary of the boys coming home from the hospital. And as a special treat, the boys got to sample their first ice cream...of course, Mayfield's!





We made a couple of funny faces, because it was so cold, but we warmed up quickly! (Man, Mom and Dad have been holding out on us!)

Thanks, Grandmama! We are looking forward to our next Mayfield's sampling (maybe Cherry Limeade...?).

The Birthday Fun Continues...

The boys have been having so much fun this past month playing with all the great toys that they got for their birthday...


Hanging out at the ol' Leap Frog Learning Table, shooting the breeze...

Eli takes a load off while Sam changes the oil in the Mini Cooper...


















Sam and Eli go tooling around the house and the neighborhood in the Hummer...

Go zipping up and down the hallway in the Mini Cooper...

And check the air in the Hummer's tires before heading out to cruise the neighborhood again!

Boy, it's going to be a great summer! (And we'll have fun, fun, fun 'til Daddy takes the Hummer away...)

We Are One! ...But We're Not the Same

May has been a very exciting month for us. We have had visits from Grandmama and Nana and Mo...and on the 15th the boys had their first birthday! (Here they are in their birthday suits above.) I can't believe that it has already been a whole year. Here are some of the highlights of our month...

Here are the boys at playgroup with their friends Everett and Andrew (cutie-pie Perry was there, but I think she is having a snack during this picture). The boys have been having a great time at their playgroups hanging out with other kids and stealing toys.

The boys have been adding to their mobility skills a ton this month. Here they are practicing their commando crawl during our first annual Cracker Race. Eli won. (Oops, I have been corrected. That is indeed Sam in the lead. I don't even know my own children...!)

The month began with some special packages arriving in the mail. Then Nana and Mo arrived to celebrate the special day. I made an almost sugar-free applesauce cake, which was a hit with the boys (and Mo) if not exactly for the rest of us...

We got some really wonderful presents from everyone. Grandmama sent us a big Radio Flyer wagon (which we call The Hummer). Nana and Mo sent us a small Radio Flyer walker wagon (which we call The Mini Cooper). Aunt Heather and Uncle Paul sent us a great Leap Frog Learning Table, which has been playing non-stop since it arrived. These boys are set for the next five years! Thank you all so much for the wonderful birthday presents!

Our First Injury

I realize that I have been a bit remiss in updating my blog, so the next few entries will be a bit of a catch up. The boys have been growing by leaps and bounds over the month and a half since my last entry. Sam has been standing while holding on to something since April and Eli has recently joined him. They look like they are about ready to pull themselves up any day now. Eli has been getting a few bumps lately that I suspect come from the attempt.


Speaking of bumps, Eli had his first 'injury' at the end of April. He was sitting on the floor a few feet away from me and took a tumble forward, hitting what I thought was his forehead on the floor. It didn't look bad, but it looked like it hurt. I picked him up to comfort him, but he just kept on crying. As I pulled him away from my shoulder to see what was up, I saw blood all down my shirt and on his face, and felt a rush of panic. It turns out that he just fell on his face and his front teeth cut the inside of his upper lip. He had a little fat lip, but he was a very good patient and let me put some ice on it.




Here he is with his little fat lip...poor guy! But he rebounded quickly and was back to playing in no time. I had better prepare myself for the bumps to come when they actually start walking!

Zooropa

Here's Big Papi's recap of his zoo adventure with the boys:

Julia and I decided that in order for us to get some projects done around the house, we would need to get the boys away for a while. They're not big fans of hammering, vacuuming, and being ignored so chores can get done! So I took them to the Atlanta Zoo while Julia could get some down time and projects done. Sam and Eli had a great time, even if they probably only really saw 20% of the animals we looked at. They love to walk around, see interesting places, and meet nice, cooing people. The animals I am sure they did see: the flamingos, the elephant, the panda bear, and the kangaroos.

So here are some pics from our outing:


First, this hilariously unimpressed gorilla. The boys couldn't see him, but I cracked up at his pose. He was looking at this crowd of people gawking at him and taking pictures with an expression that seems to say: "You people bore me."

Second, here's the panda bear that Sam and Eli DID see (and here are the boys watching the panda...).




Very cute, rolling around on his belly, munching on bamboo. Kind of like Sam and Eli.





Third, here's Sam and Eli after lunch. We packed our lunch and found some nice shade on a porch. After lunch, I lathered the boys up in sunscreen. Their hats provided additional shade, although Sam kept taking his off, as you can see.

Finally, a nice man took our picture as we left to commemorate our day. What fun! Yeah, that's me in the Outback hat--sure it went out of style in the early 90s, but it keeps the sun out...