one month is taken over by yet another

Little E in his Little Red outfit.

It is hard for me to believe that Eli has reached eight months already.  In fact we are closer to eight and half months, I just have been too busy to realize it.  Time just keeps ticking and I never get a chance to slow down and take stock of the situation! 

Eli is now sitting well and still rolling like crazy.  When he sees something he wants he simply rolls right over and takes it.  One day I found him with the fan cord in his mouth, the next he's sucking on a table leg.  Nothing is safe!  He has yet to master the art of scooting or crawling - I am certainly in no hurry there!  It is fun to watch his progress though.  He gets himself up on all fours using his head and then doesn't know what to do so he just face plants back into the carpet. This of course elicits a cry or two but then he moves on.

Has anyone seen my cucumber?!

Eli has done great moving through new tastes as we experiment with solid foods.  We have mastered the majority of the veggies and are slowly adding in fruits.  Having just added his first two bottom teeth there is more to experiment with.  The cheerios are very fun and exciting for him to try to pick up and get in his mouth.  Seth and I just laugh as he makes each and every attempt.  Whole carrots, chunks of fruit and especially cucumbers are also fun things to give Eli.  It is amazing how one little person can make such a mess!

This little jumping bean has the greatest faces!

We finally took the bull by the horns and forced the sleep issue.  It took two long weeks but Eli is now sleeping the night away.  Praise the Lord.  My outlook on life as a mother is much brighter with a few hours of sleep!  We are still trying to get into a regular nap routine but time will tell as well as adjusting to a new back to preschool routine with Seth too. 

Eli in the tent for the first time in August!

There is certainly never a dull moment no matter how hard I try to find one!

family camping, at last

Since the Bear incident of last summer, I have not spent a night in our tent.  Between pregnancy and just plain being too busy it has just not happened.  This past weekend I finally got my chance.  We spent the weekend with a three other families who are dear to us at Lake Elmo Park Reserve.  It was a wonderful time!

All the kids at the beach!

Little E was not so sure about the cold water on his toes.

Little E loved the tent.  It took him forever to stop watching the bugs on the ceiling and actually go to sleep!

There's nothing like time with Dad.

what a combination

Seth's Littlest Fan

This summer Seth had his first experience with Summer Parks and Recreation. We signed him up, alongside a number of his friends, for T-ball /Soccer Combo.  I wish I could say that he loved every minute of it and learned an amazing number of skills, but I can't.  However I am glad that we gave it a try and he does throw and kick a ball much better now! 

Always the eager beaver.

My t-ball player.

Seth (kneeling) in front of his best friend and then his favorite Coach Ken.

Nailed it to...the pitcher. 

one last trip

Life is never dull in the J mom house.  We were once again uprooted the first week of August to drive to see family, this time in Nebraska.  The drive went rather well considering there was a baby in the car and a four year old.  However we left our doorstep at 6 am and did not arrive to our NE destination until 6:30 pm that evening.  That is a LONG day of traveling, even considering the stops and breaks along the way!

Our time was spent mostly hiding from the outrageous NE heat.  (Not that us Minnesotans don't know what that feels like lately.)  Little E and I enjoyed the air conditioning at home while Seth and Jason ventured out the most.  Our favorite spot to venture out to was of course the pool!  Everyone got some sun regardless of the layers of sunscreen but it did feel invigorating to get wet and play in the water.

Seth and Nanny going down the water slide at the pool.

The Great Grands and Grands!

Little E amazed at his first sight of the farm. 

Our little Jumping Bean thought this was great!

 On our way home we stopped to see our friends the Smiths.  It was so fun to see them prepare for the little girl they are expecting this winter.  Pink and ruffles, now there are things you do not find in the J mom home.  I have to say it was fun! 

Our upcoming adventures include camping and of course, back to preschool.  Stay tuned...

feeding frenzy

I love that cheesy grin.

Lunch can be very interesting in our house, especially now that Eli is eating some solid foods. Well, solid foods as in stuff that is mostly pureed! We find that E also likes to gnaw on anything he can grab whether that be a spoon or a random food item such as a carrot stick or cucumber bite. So far the only thing that E has specifically disliked was an asparagus spear. After trying it in his mouth a few times just looking at it caused his face to prune up in disgust. What a riot!

Happily mushing up some cucumber.

it's more than a zoo for animals

I swear that turtle shrunk! Okay, so maybe my son is just that much bigger...

This morning I told Seth we would go see the Polar Bears at the Como Zoo. They have a newly remodeled exhibit that we have been waiting to see. We tried to push our way through the throng but really could not see a thing. It was an overwhelming disaster. I hate crowds and my son likes them even less than I do. It's called a zoo not just because the animals live there, but due to the crowds too. We hung onto each other as if our lives depended on it!

Seth declined to be in the photo so that is his hand that Eli is staring at suspiciously.

After a short walk around and learning the tiger was gone, Seth proclaimed it too hot and time to go home. I couldn't complain so we left after what seemed a long hour and a half. At least we could enjoy the butterflies...they only let so many people in at once. Maybe next time we will actually get to see the polar bears...if we are lucky...or bring dad to help us through the crowds...

My "pirate" identifying butterflies. (We actually got a few gang related comments concerning the dude rag. I may not be allowing it in public again for fear of being shot at.)

I am not a huge fan of caged animals but I LOVE to sit among the butterflies. They are such a reflection of creation's beauty!

seven months and starting to sit

"I heart my mommy."

Rolling over is so last month for Little E. He now roams around in large 360s while playing which makes for a funny shape circle of toys and drool on the living room floor. Eli's new trick: starting to sit unassisted. For the photos he sat all by himself with only one tip to the side which was quickly corrected by yours truly. We are slowly introducing solid foods and he has no trouble at all with trying new flavors or using a spoon. It's kind of a relief, but I have no intentions of giving up nursing as our main food source any time soon so I am trying to keep him to a little bit around noon time and not even every day.

Look at that little sitter.

Motherhood has so many ups and downs with one or two kids. My favorite moments lately are when Eli and I cuddle in bed to nurse and snuggle. I love to rub his soft hairy head and just sing sweet melodies to him. He smiles and my heart just melts! I want to cement these moments in my mind because all too soon he will be chasing after his big brother and my cuddle time will be long gone...

"Hmm...more pictures..."

Words can't describe.

That's my boy - so BIG!

ready for something new

Are you serious? That's what we are having for dinner?!

Our Little E is almost seven months old now and ready for something new. During supper last night we tried some rice cereal. I expected that first time solid food experience where they just spit it all back out and then you keep trying for another week or so until they figure it out. Not so much...

Nice overview shot of E getting some solid food.

More, more...

Little E saw that bite coming and pulled it into his wide open mouth bite after bite until the whole bowl of cereal was gone. Of course it was just one Tbsp cereal and two Tbsp water, but still. Wow! Time to stop experimenting and make a serious plan of action...

Look what I can do!

I love solid foods! What will we try next?!

the famous fertile fair

J and I had our photo taken by this exact sign when we visited the Fair together before we had kids. This photo...not so easy to take and not so happy for the tired, hot kids either...

Yes friends we traveled to the Fertile County Fair and shared the weekend with friends and family too. The weather was horribly hot but the long awaited fair food and time with good friends made it all worth it.

My boys got the four-wheeler stuck in the ditch. Too cute waiting for a tow!

Oh and why you are out in the middle of nowhere why not get some shooting practice?! This gun was awesome and I actually hit the target 100 plus feet out there! (No photos of me shooting the Bereta but that was really fun too!)

Seth was old enough to go on the Fair rides this year. He pulled this off all by himself and love it.

Hold on tight! A little nervous of the first ride on the carousel.

Family adventures have been going on the whole month of June and now into July too. It's time for a much needed break from traveling for this mother of two. Hopefully we can relax for a few weeks now...

more family vacation action

Our second vacation of the month took us to a cabin in Iowa on Silver Lake. It turned out to be a family adventure of "firsts" for Seth. There was fishing, jet-skiing, tubing behind the boat, a four-wheeler and much more!

Seth loved the jet-ski. Yes, he went with mom or dad.

My child turned into a water baby! Here he is with Dad on the tube. They went slow enough but did go under water once. However the fall didn't slow Seth down any, much to my surprise!

The four wheeler was another fun thing to drive. He had to talk dad into taking him on that though...

It wouldn't be a vacation without a s'more by the fire. The downside was this one happened around 10 pm - way too late for our little guy!

Little E was a great traveler once again. He has mastered the art of going with the flow. That ought to be very helpful since our summer is mostly about keeping up with his big brother!

Little E and his Papa.

Little E and Great Grandma Una. Eli's middle name, Richard, was her husband's name. Boy do we miss Grandpa!

Getting the worms ready for fishing! These worms came from our backyard in MN and made the trip thanks to Seth and Jason.

Catching a fish with Papa - still a little unsure of those fish.

Catching fish? No problem - we've got a pro!

The little guy learned from the bigger one. Here's Jason with his 28 in Northern!

Three generations of fishermen waiting for the catch of the day!