We're Home!

We arrived home late last night from Santa Barbara. Eli is so tired he's still sleeping and on California time, so it's going to be interesting to try to adjust back. We had a marvelous trip and both Brandon and I were so sad to leave. We felt like we could have stayed through the week easily. Eli was a total trooper on this trip. He adjusted well to everything. Of course he had his whiny moments, but overall it was awesome! By the end of the trip he absolutely loved the beach and the ocean. He loved the waves washing over his feet and legs. We flew a kite on the beach, which he enjoyed as well. We came at a perfect time to see the seals and sea lions in a cove at the beach with all their babies. It was so fun to watch them swimming and nursing their pups. We enjoyed watching 8 dolphins swim right in front of us at the beach, as well. Brandon and Will went whale watching on a sail boat, but it was so windy they didn't see much besides seals, dolphins, etc. It was so wavy they actually almost went overboard a couple times and had a blast! My aunt and uncle were so nice in letting us use their house for naps because they live on the side of a mountain overlooking Santa Barbara and the ocean. We were able to relax with our family and enjoy the beautiful views. We got to visit with my cousins and grandparents. It was wonderful to see everyone and we appreciated Megan and Bob making the drive down from San Francisco to visit and my cousin Meredith up from L.A. More details to follow!

California dreaming

We made it! The first flight was a little rough as we were figuring things out, and Eli cried/whined a bit. The second flight he was so tired he zonked out immediately and slept half the flight. With snacks, toys, and books we were able to keep him entertained for the 2 hours flight without a peep! Of course Santa Barbara was beautiful the second we stepped off the plane, and we were so thrilled to have survived plane rides with a toddler! The weather was beautiful. We checked into our hotel, and while I took a nap Brandon took Eli on a walk to the salt marshes enjoying the flowers, fish, and birds. The beach is a couple blocks from our hotel, so we took Eli for a quick run there before bed. He was intrigued. He definitely ate the sand....there was no stopping it because he got some on his hand. Today we are going to take some more walks in the adorable area by the beach with shops and surf shops. We'll go to my aunt's house tonight for a barbecue and enjoy the beautiful views of the ocean from their house.

Leaving on a jet plane...

Send out a little prayer for us as we head off to Santa Barbara. My brother is coming tomorrow like we are and the rest of my family is coming Thursday. I feel very sorry for the person sitting next to us on the first flight (maybe there will be empty seats and they can escape). Luckily the flight after that we're alone. Here is an example of Eli's "singing". If you ask him to sing this is what he does. In this video, he still has his rash, and if you're wondering what he's eating he was chowing down on some green crepes my mom had brought us for St. Pat's Day.

Eli dancing!

This is Eli's dance studio. It's our upstairs room that we're going to re-do this summer to be Eli's room in the future but for now it just has boxes for storage. He loves to go up there and see the gorilla mural and dance to some music from my keyboard. He actually has a new style of dancing now that is a little different from this video that I need to catch on film. Now he kind of does the "sprinkler" with one arm going from side to side and my brother's personal favorite when he wiggles his hips from side to side. We love to ask him to "swim" when he's in the bath tub. He starts kicking his legs really fast. You can tell he thinks he's an amazing swimmer. I'm curious to see if he will like the ocean or be scared of it!

Welcome back Spring...don't ever leave again!

Eli and I have had a wonderful day so far! After being stuck inside for days, Spring decided to show its face again so we were able to take a wonderful walk and play outside. Over a foot of snow and ice is pretty much gone already from the glorious sun. Maybe I'll actually come back from California after all :-) Eli loves playing with the big ball seeds off our sycamore tree. They are a wonderful natural toy. He'll play with them for hours outside or throw them around on the porch. We were playing in our driveway and he discovered the melting snow running out of the gutter. I was waiting and waiting for him to notice it because I knew he would be thrilled...and he was! He was overjoyed to play in the water and kept trying to lay down in it. He loved picking up the wet leaves and splashing in it. Finally he did kneel in it before I could stop him, so we had to head back inside muddy and I had to strip him at the door. Great fun! I'm afraid to see what toll this storm has taken on our plants, flowers, and trees. It caught everything by surprise. Brandon and I were spreading seed like crazy out for the birds during the storm and after. We have several pairs of nesting birds in or around our yard and house (one of our favorites a pair of doves we call Cello and Viola). Considering we couldn't even spot a single bird when we moved in, we are so happy! We have a couple feeders and feed the squirrels corn cobs, which actually does keep them out of the feeders for the most part. I just gave Rica a bath, and Eli was laughing his head off at Rica looking like a drowned rat. They really are buddies. It's pretty sweet. My cousin is going to stop by daily and take care of Rica while we're gone. Rica will be glad to get some attention for once ;-)

Snowed in!

We had a huge storm this weekend that dumped several inches of ice pellets and up to a foot of snow on top of that! We have been trapped inside since Friday. None of us slept on Friday night with ice pellets pounding the windows all night. Eli enjoyed watching all the action. Luckily, after the snow ended yesterday afternoon everything started melting. I'm hoping it will all melt soon. The roads are a mess. We took advantage of being stuck inside and played, cooked some delicious meals, cleaned house, and finished packing for our trip this Wednesday. We're sad because Eli has come down with a cold. I should of figured it was too good to be true that we were all healthy. We'll just make the best of it! Eli's favorite color is blue. He loves to say "blue" and is learning how to distinguish it from others. He's accurate most of the time. We're excited to get out of this winter wonderland and head to the beach!!

Why my husband ROCKS!

Tuesday afternoon I started feeling dizzy and exhausted. By the time Brandon came home I was laying on the floor with a pillow letting Eli wrestle thinking this was a fun game. Needless to say I just had severe exhaustion. Eli just doesn't sleep at night when he's teething. It's been two weeks since I've actually slept more than a two hour stretch. Wednesday I woke up with a horrible headache and was still exhausted. Brandon was awesome and offered to stay home so I could nap and rest and actually feel human again. It was a great day and I felt a lot better by the end of it. Yesterday Brandon babysat so I could go out with my friend and shop a little with some gift cards I still have from my birthday. We had a great time, and Brandon had fun with Eli. He took him to the mall play place. I laughed because Brandon made a total "woman" comment. He said that some lady asked how old Eli was, and when he said a year, she remarked at how small he is etc. The kicker is that Eli was playing with her daughter who was a year older and only like an inch taller. I laughed because that is so something that I would have mentioned to Brandon. Also, Brandon mentioned what a chick magnet having a baby was. He said he was practically fighting the women off ;-) ;-) Our family dog Clara died yesterday at 13. She has had cancer, so it wasn't unexpected, but we will all miss her smile and hugs. When my friend Courtney was over yesterday Eli was a total flirt. He did anything and everything to show off. He would fake laugh every time she laughed and was running from one end of the house to the other to show how fast he was. It was so hilarious. Even Brandon was surprised. We've never seen him turn on the charm as much as he did last night. I think he has a new girlfriend!