Cantigny Tanks with Elijah

These posts are coming at your out-of-order but, alas that is the current state of my mommy-brain. We got to spend a Sunday afternoon with Elijah at nearby Cantigny Park and as expected, the tanks were the highlight of the boys' visit. Here are a couple of pictures from our sunny/warm afternoon.

 

Cousins Day @ the Childrens Museum

We had 3 active little people [and another that spent most of the time in the stroller] and the museum was PACKED. Taking pictures took a backseat to keeping track of little people but here are a couple of shots from our time with Karissa & Lavell yesterday. Lavell was the explorer of the group, darting from one display to the next and X-man/Karissa were the problem-solvers, working together to figure out how each display worked. Good times!

 

3Months Old

Miss E. is growing quickly; getting to be a chubs! She's adored by her big brother though he is a learning [just a wee-bit] to give her some space. On her "lots of crying days" you'll most likely find X-man retreating to the out-of-doors! We are thankful for the gift she is to our family and the blessing of seeing our Alexander as a big brother, a title he has wanted for so very long. 

 

Smiles From Miss E...

By now [she's 8 weeks old], Ellyana is starting to smile & coo. It is so awesome! She is most smiley in the early morning when we have some "snuggle time" after daddy leaves for work & before Xman is up. Usually that means her laying beside me in bed as I try to capture just a few more minutes of sleep before tackling the day. Here's a picture from the other morning with that little smile that has captured my heart.

P.S. My  mom was just here for 3 days. Can you tell I had the opportunity to "catch my breath" just a wee-bit? Just letting you know that blogging is going to be relatively sporadic but hopefully, not altogether non-existent like its been lately.

Big Brother & Little Sister

Xman LOVES his little sister! We are talking LOVE, LOVE, LOVE! I am mildly hoping the fascination wears off just a wee-bit so she can sleep without a little guy shaking her while saying, "It's time to wake up! It's time to wake up!" He has been really nurturing & surprisingly, very gentle. He does not like her to cry and often shouts, "Paci alert! Paci alert!" or says dejectedly, "I can't do it anymore. She's still crying. I need you, mom..."

The picture below is back in early June when he asked, "If I get dressed really fast can I hold her a few minutes before I leave for school?" So fun to see him interact & excited about his little sister.

 

She Is Here! [Proof is In the Pictures!]

Yep! This post is decidedly overdue [like 8 weeks overdue] but for my blogger-friends [who are non-Facebook users] here are some pictures from the past weeks. My apologies in advance for overloading your computer with cuteness! :)

We're doing good. Actually, we are doing REALLY good. Lots of transitions, of course, and until recent weeks, very little sleep. But we are overwhelmed by God's goodness in giving us the gift of Ellyana Marie [whose first name means "God answered" and middle name is shared by birthmom, Nicole, and myself].

So, without further ado, here are some pictures...

meeting his little sister for the first time

ready to go home from the hospital

the calm AFTER the storm [bathtime]

getting ready to go to church for the first time

miss curly-Q; her hair is getting curlier by the day

lunchtime with big brother

 
 And now she's crying so I have to run. 

 

Season Opener! T-Ball 2014

We've tried a variety of sports/activities with Alexander [soccer classes, swimming lessons, etc]. When we mentioned the possibility of signing up for T-Ball team he was, for the first time, really hesitant. We made a parental decision and asked him to give it a try. He was reluctant up to the very first practice but not any more! He is all about T-Ball [wanting to practice every minute of the day]. He was so super-excited for the "season opener" this past weekend that he even slept with his glove the night before! He has several kindergarten classmates on his team which is simply fantastic & he's making new friends, too. Here are a couple from snapshots Saturday's game.