14 meces old

Dearest sweet, loving and pretty (handsome), Eli,

You are rocking our world these days!  Not only do you follow simple commands like, "take your cup to dada", or "bring me your shoe" and "roll the watermelon to dada" (seriously!), but you also understand certain phrases and respond appropriately.  If we say, "let's go bye-bye", you walk to the garage door.  If we say, "are you thirsty?", you walk to the kitchen, and "are you hungry?" prompts you to walk to your highchair.  In so many ways, my life is getting easier!  Thank you!

You're "officially" walking now... hardly crawling anymore!

Your vocabulary is expanding, including "shoe" and "bye".  You cracked us up this month by saying "bye bye" every time you heard me say "I'll talk to you later".  I'm not going to lie... that one kind of blew me away!   You sign "eat" when I say "snack", "hungry", "lunch", etc and sign "milk" when I say "bottle" and "cup".  There's some serious connecting of dots going on up in your noggin!  :)

You are also learning more in terms of action -- brushing your teeth (and spitting - it usually lands on your belly), finding your belly button, ears, and eyes, and brushing your hair on your own.   You love pushing on me when I'm sitting down and making me fall over - I'd better be the only girl you do that to!  ;)  You will now kiss and hug on command, which is quite possibly the sweetest thing EVER.  I make you kiss me all day.  :)

"Hug Teddy!"

cutest trick ever

Your favorite meal, lately, has been PW's chicken spaghetti.  You insist on eating it with a fork, but you eat LOTS of it, saying "mmmmmm" the whole time!  :)  You also love homemade burritos, roasted chicken breast (you ate an entire breast the other night - and 2 cups of broccoli!), and mac & cheese.  You are eating lots of fruit these days - strawberries from the garden and melons as part of dad's "market research".  :)  You were officially weaned from formula a few weeks ago, and are now drinking milk from your sippy cup.  I still give you a night time bottle, but you get a cup the rest of the time.

You love using a big-boy fork!  (Spinach noodles in the chicken spaghetti)

You actually didn't pick any of those, but you did entertain us while we did!  :)

You are still climbing on everything, and almost able to climb up on my chair while I'm working.  Once that happens, I will be in serious trouble!

Driving the boat at Grand Lake... You loved it!

You also got to stay with Grammy and Pops O'Connor for a night while mommy went on a shopping trip with some girls from church.  They absolutely adored having you there for their first over-nighter and LOVED having you all to themselves!  I wasn't there to insist on naptimes or anything, but you more or less stuck to your basic schedule and did perfectly for them!  You and aunt Care had a great time together, too!

 

You also stayed with Grandma and Papa Shelby for your first weekend stay-over while your mommy and daddy had their first getaway in over a year!  We hung out with Blue's parents at the lake, and talked about you both often!  You spent lots of time with your cousins, and went on several 4-wheeler rides to see your cow!  You do adore those rides!

You also played with sweet Maria, who is just a few months younger and oh-so-beautiful!  Eli... trust me..... she's a keeper!  :)

You loved seeing Maria!

Eli, your dad and I could not possibly love you any more than we do - it's already overwhelming to me as it is!  While you do exhaust me, and have now pooped in the bathtub more times than I can count (apparently that's a hereditary trait... sorry, mom!), I cannot imagine a more PERFECT baby!  Yes, I'm biased.  But, I'm your mom... I get to be!  :)  You're such a blessing and gift to us, and we thank God for you every single day!

Mother's Day, 2011

Love,
Mom

You must try this... NOW!

I read about this machine in a recent InStyle magazine and was pretty intrigued.  If there's one major weakness I have, it is for ice cream.  Whether it's pinkberry/Cherry Berry style, Braum's, or homemade, I'm a sucker for it all!

You can understand why I would go crazy for a machine that claims to turn bananas into frozen yogurt! 

As with most things, I took to Google to do a little research, and it turns out this is not a new idea after all... nor does it require a $50 machine to attain!  Yes, you can (and must) make your own Banana Frozen Yogurt with so much as a frozen banana and a food processor or blender!

Here's what's involved:
1.  Peel a ripe banana and freeze.  I just shoved several peeled bananas, unbroken, into a ziploc bag and froze overnight.  Next time, I'll likely dice before freezing.

2.  Put desired amount into food processor (or blender) and blend for 3-4 minutes, stopping every now and then to scrape down the sides and redistribute.

3.  Ta Da!  It magically transforms into a frozen yogurt texture without any additional ingredients!  You can eat it immediately, or freeze it in an airtight container if you would rather it be more like ice cream than frozen yogurt.

Eli and I devoured the evidence before I could take a picture!  You can read about it everywhere - I'm probably the last to learn of this sensation! - including here.

Eli still hasn't had ice cream -- I know he'll love it, and he's not asking for it, so why introduce it when I can give him this instead?! 

Let me know your thoughts!  I intend to add in some frozen strawberries from the garden, and maybe another go with some peanut butter or nutela (or both?!) (I'm addicted).  So much experimenting to do!  I hope you love it as much as I do!

Love!

Farming Friday!

As with all things farming, a huge amount of faith in God is required.  Unlike most businesses, where all elements of production can be controlled to a large extent, that is simply not the case with agriculture.

Case in point... the weather.

This spring has had both record drought and record rainfall.  Due to too much rain and cold spells at exactly the wrong time, Bill has planted the same 20 acre plot (or patch) of watermelons and the same 20 acre plot of cantaloupes twice without any luck.  Bill says it is fairly common to have to replant a certain section, but never have they had to plant the fields three times.  He says that normally they are done with 3 to 4 successive plantings (plantings staggered by a week or so) by May 15th, but this year they still don't have any cantaloupes or seeded watermelons growing yet.

Eek!  That gets my heart pumpin'!!

Ok, but the redeeming thing about this post is that they DO have 85,000 seedless watermelons plants (55 acres) in the ground, with more arriving from the greenhouse next week.  The difference here is in the way they are planted.  Bill plants watermelons in two different ways. Today we are going to talk about...    (wait for it...)

Transplanting

Ohhhh... so exciting, huh!  ;)  But, it's actually quite interesting (funny looking?) how they transplant -- so I'm going to tell you about it!

First, seeds are taken to a grower with a greenhouse.  This particular source is a good friend of ours that is regionally known as the pumpkin king, but I'm going to keep his identity secret.  Remember, Bill is always a bit suspicious of sharing too much on the good ol' world wide web.  :)  The grower sows (yes, farmers really say that instead of "plant") the seeds into flats like the ones flowers come in.  Fast forward a few weeks, and the plants are now ready to put in the ground, after some nice heat, water, and tlc.  The greenhouse grower is necessary because the seeds need consistent 90 degree weather and high humidity to germinate or sprout.

Some of the plants before planting.

Here is the "transplanter".  Do NOT call it a "transplant machine", or you'll get laughed at by the cool kids.  Rookie mistake.  ;)

And, yes.  You're right.  People do actually sit in those seats!!

You should be able to click on the picture to see it larger, if you want to.

As the tractor drives along, this "wheel" punches a whole in the ground and then fills it with water.  (Sidenote - Bill always soaks the roots of anything we plant before putting them in the ground - whether they're mandevilla or tomato plants.)  Then, the two guys sitting at the back push a plant into the hole.

These guys are compacting the soil around the plants, as the planters don't have time for that task.

Now, our prayer is that these plants thrive and produce many, many watermelons.  :)

Let me know what you think about this type of technical farming post -- I can get WAY more technical, or can just gloss over things if you'd prefer that.

And on a final sidetone -- this article emphasizes the importance of knowing your farmer.  Growth hormones?!!   Promise me you won't buy watermelons from China.

I know my farmer.  Do you?  ;)

Have a great weekend!

Love!

Sticky Situation

We are so excited around here for summer!  We recently received a "house moving" present from some dear friends that are moving away.  :(  We're sad, but will think of them everyday now!  I'll share pics as soon as this gift is presentable.


Here are some recent pictures from my iPhone that had to be shared:

I found Eli here after I suggested I would pay him $10 for mowing.  Luckily I was around for the dismount.

How lucky is he to have a backyard garden full of strawberries?!  Look at the juice on his tummy.   Oh-so-yummy!

Daddy decided to indulge the little man and took him back to pick more.  Eli earned his first hose bath of the summer!

Another literal sticky situation, a sucker was used to distract Eli from the man with scissors.  He did so well and earned a certificate to prove it.  Barber J was such a sweet man for the job!  The blanket (have I mentioned his blankets yet?) was used while the clippers were on, and it was covered in sucker 'juice' and hair.  lovely.  ;)

and, the end result.  I don't know where this pose came from, but it makes me want to grab him in a huge mama kiss.  I'm afraid he looks too much like a 3 year old now with his hair cut.  I may just have to "forget" his haircuts for a while.

Love!

Soul Mates

Bill and I just came back from one of the best weekends we can remember.  You know the kind - where you sleep less than normal, indulge a little more than normal, and savor each moment of laughter and conversation.  Where you wake up the next day and it still feels like every inch of you is beaming with joy and love. 


Thank you, Lord, for the simple pleasures of enjoying the company of dear friends.


Well, and for your protection with some minor "adventures" we experienced this weekend.  HA!

We dropped Eli off with Bill's mom and headed to Grand Lake - and the most amazing lake house owned by my parent's friends.  They had offered their home to us several times, and we finally made it happen.  To make it even better, our "soul mate couple" friends were able to drop their sweet boy Blue off with his gma and steal away to join us on a quiet little lake getaway.  She's 30 weeks preggo (and the cutest preggo EVER) and with both our men involved in agriculture in various ways, we rarely get to see each other in the summertime.  I missed the birth of numero uno, so I'm determined to make it there with numero dos.  My part time schedule should allow for that to happen.  :)

Bill and I love these two friends like family and always have the best time with them.  Between the four of us, we always have the best conversations about our Lord, family, adjusting to small-town life, adjusting to parenthood, how we can be better spouses, friends, and the various jobs the guys share in common.  They are the kinds of conversations that are healing in so many ways.  Jenn is like a sister to me and I cherish every moment I get with her.  And, Daniel is Bill's best friend, whom he met in high school during FFA adventures.  Jenn and I met in college as we started to date these two guys, and share many commonalities, including, but not limited to, city-type personalities married to "old-fashioned" country boys.  We both live in rural communities, much to our chagrin, and share a love/hate relationship with that arrangement.  She's the only person I know, my age, that enjoys making jams and has a sewing machine (though I think we would both admit to only using it like twice a year).  But, we also love shopping (she's a former Anthro employee with obvious great taste) and decorating.  I mean, does it get any better?  :)

September 2010 when the babes were both closer to "baby" than "toddler"

But, the real reason I'm writing this love letter, of sorts, is to land on my true love.  Bill and I had the best weekend with each other and are both still buzzed because of it.  God has blessed me with a man that is better than I ever could have picked for myself, left to my own devices.  We are a perfect match in the ways that we fight and in the ways that we dream; in the ways that we grieve and the ways that we celebrate.  I'm still working on getting him to realize the powers of massage (doesn't he know I want one every day?!)  and he's still working on getting me to serve potatoes with every meal.  Meat is a given, but, luckily, due to his status as an avid gardener and commercial produce farmer, that means that veggies/salad are a given too.  I can wear 4 inch heels and he's still taller (valid praise for a nearly 5'10 woman) and he won't let me leave the house looking like a goof (which I sometimes try).  We have fun together, and have fun being serious together, too.  I thank God regularly for his presence and impact in my life.

I'm better because of him.

2005

Love you, Bill.  (You'd better comment.)  ;)

Love!

13 month old teeny, tiny baby

Ok, fine.  He's not really teeny or tiny.  But... he's still a baby, right?!

Will seeing him get bigger and older get ANY easier?  As my friend says, it sure is a blessing that they become more and more fun as they grow up - otherwise being a mommy would practically be torture!  :)

Well, sweet Eli, this month has been such a BLAST with you!  You are such a sweet boy - so full of life and curious, energetic yet studious... and really just FUN!  You laugh all the time and are so fun to play with - you really get it these days and play along!  I can't wait for the months ahead!

vrrrrrm vrrrrmmmmm

Our favorite game right now

Look at that grin!

Melt

Uh oh.  The fingers. This is how he cries right now - with his mouth covered.

You're really showing off your learning skills these days -- and blowing me away in the process!  You have added "uh oh", "down" (which is more like "dow"), "book" (which is more like "buu") and "ball" ("ba") to your list of words said, and I'm having to resist adding some that you are saying now (since I'm writing this 1 week into next month's post!).  You sign "more", "eat", "all done", and "milk"... and wave with some regularity and also play peek-a-boo, covering your eyes with a big old grin on your face.  :)   You're the best. 

You have dressing more or less figured out and try to help where you can.  You can "put your arm through" and lean forward to put your head through.  You also hold your socks by your feet, trying to put them on.  If only it were that easy!  ;) 

Big grins after bathtime!

We can identify certain objects - if I hold a banana in one hand and strawberry in the other, you can point to the banana when I ask.  I don't mean that you do this all the time, but you have, and more than once. :)  Same things with books. 

Speaking of books, you LOVE them!  I often find you reading them in your room.  Cardboard books are still best because you haven't quite learned how fragile paper books can be.  You love touch and feel books and books with babies in them.  :)  You also love throwing anything, so balls are a big hit.  You love taking rides in your wagon to see the cows and horses and to see the garden.  You really love being outside, so we're grateful for sunny days like today! 

Eggs filled with goldfish and raisins.  :)

Bill and I were greeters at church, hence the green shirts.  Please ignore the fantastic frizz -- hazard of curly hair in rain.

Celebrating cousin Gunner on Easter - it was fun! 

Daddy leading Eli to the eggs.

e*trade baby

Cousins checking out their loot

While you aren't walking all the time, you do turn and start walking after holding on to a table or chair.  You started walking 10-15 steps right at 13 months.  Some days you seem excited to walk and others you just sit down every time I try to walk with you.  I think you are too comfortable with your speed crawl.  I'm pretty sure you'll soon find that walking is easier, but I'm keeping my mouth shut.  You're a little easier to keep an eye on while I work when you're crawling!  :)  Something else that is making me laugh is your attempt at jumping!  It's super cute!  :)

You are working on moving to one nap, so your day schedule is a little interesting right now.  You still sleep 12 hours at night, so mama's happy.  :)  You are getting 1 scoop of formula with 5 oz of milk for your bottles these days as we try to wean you from formula.  You still drink anything BUT milk from your sippy cup, so that's the next conquest on my list.  

You can't get me!

Eli David, your daddy and I are smitten beyond words.  You are definitely the coolest person in our house, and we all want to be your friend!  You are such a sweet boy - you love touching my eyelashes, and I love those quiet moments!  You also love it when I roll you around on your floor... we both laugh so much!  Have I stressed how much we love you?  Wow - it blows me away!  You are such a blessing to us, and we thank God for you every day!

Love,
Mom