Beanies and Cowboy Hats

It's amazing how time just passes by! Another week is gone and I'm not sure I've changed for the better. I was thinking today, that I probably should be improving myself every week, but last week, it seems I can hardly remember what I did at all. Thank goodness for pictures, though I've tried eight times already and gotten an error when I've tried to post them...
Yes! Finally, they came up. I think the computer just needed a little positive encouragement. This last time, I kept saying to my computer, "Come on, you can do it! Come on, Come on!" Eric helped too, and it worked! People are like that too. Sometimes they just need a little positive encouragement too... Anyway, off the philosophical horse. Here are some pics of this week. You will notice an unfamiliar face in the photos! Me! We went on Friday to a cowboy day put on by Glendale City. It seemed like half (which is really an exaggeration) were from our ward at church! But really, the place was packed. They had horse rides (which surprisingly, Elia didn't want to go on, even though she used to sit bareback on Matthew's horses in Vernal), a train ride, crafts, and root beer floats. Since there were so many of us with cameras I could actually get in some of the pictures. Here I am with both my kids:

Another "phase" we've been going through is the beanie phase, inspired by her cousin Emily. She found these beanies when I was going through some of Ethan's bigger clothes. She loves wearing it to bed, but insists on having the bear in front. Here is a picture of her in her almost daily routine of eating cereal on the porch. We're going to have to change something though because two days ago she tried to pour her own juice which ended up in puddles all over the kitchen (though to her credit she tried to clean it up), then this morning, there were cracker crumbs all over the kitchen. Tonight the child gate will go up over the entrance to the kitchen and we've told her she can have a box of cereal and must take it out to the porch when she gets up.

We had another beanie, so we put it on Ethan for one picture.

Non-perishable fridge items and bear crawls

Ethan really is on the verge of forward movement. We aren't sure whether it is going to be by bear crawl or hands and knees crawl, but he sure gets excited about getting up. We finally had to move him out of the bassinet because he would push up so far his head was almost completely over the top of the bassinet. We moved him this week into our pack and play next to our bed. It isn't ideal because he is a noisy sleeper, but we really don't have many other options. I have posted our bassinet on Craig's List (which is where I got it from) and hopefully it will sell soon.

After holding the push up pose for a while frustration at not moving usually sets in:

Then, it often ends like this: In Elia's world, she continues to amuse us. This is what I found one morning in my refrigerator. (I sure didn't think Pooh needed to be cooler and I certainly don't refrigerate my peanut butter) Earlier, I found a pacifier in the fridge and keep wondering if the lost ones will turn up there behind the moldy refried beans! However, I have absentmindedly put non-perishable items in the fridge before, so I guess I can't really complain.

Growing older: A two-week long birthday celebration!

We love birthdays! We've been celebrating Elia's for two weeks now. It started with the family party in Utah that was about a week earlier than her birthday. We gave her the pink camera then. Then we went and got ice cream last week and had a party with our friends where we decorated cookies and went swimming. We missed a bunch of the people in our picture, but thanks for coming everyone!

Last week we also spent the money Grammy and Granddaddy and Uncle Earl gave us. Elia loved playing dress up with Emily and Samuel, so I went and picked up a bunch of costumes at the Goodwill. I bought an M & M, lion, tiger, pumpkin, two dresses, and a cowgirl costume. So, far they are a big hit! Thanks Uncle Earl and Grammy and Granddaddy. I am lion, here me roar!(The lion costume was her favorite)!

We are still waiting to celebrate Elia's birthday with Grandma. Since she is close and loves to see Elia opening her presents, we will wait until we get together with her (maybe at the end of the month) and have another small celebration! Hurray for celebrating!

A final note: Today after I changed Ethan's diaper I stretched his legs out and said, "You're getting so long." Elia then said, "I'm growing up by myself!" I looked at her and she was stretching out long by herself like I was doing to Ethan. She meant it as getting taller and that she didn't need someone to pull her legs strait, but I thought about how she really is a little girl instead of a toddler or baby. And she really does want to do everything by herself! She is dressed before we wake up and is very particular about what "goes" together. She wants to pick up baby Ethan by herself (something we forbid unless we are there) and loves to help change him and pick out his clothes. She has also developed this thing where she folds her arms when she is unhappy and is very vocal about her opinion. Yeah for three-year-olds (I can officially say that now)!

Elia's pictures and the time-out hand!

Todat, Elia was swinging her baby doll aroung and accidentally hit Ethan. We told her she needed to say she was sorry and with much reluctance she finally did. We had to tell her she would have to go in time out until she was ready. Then, this afternoon, I heard her playing with her baby and she accidentally hit baby with another toy as she was turning around. She promptly informed her hand that it needed to say sorry. Unfortunately, her hand wouldn't cooperate and was placed in time out. The funniest part was that she wouldn't use that hand! She picked everything up with her other hand! What a funny girl!

As promised, here are two pictures Elia took with her camera! Not bad for a kids camera with a three-year old behind the lens!

Birthdays and Cameras

It's really hard when I get behind on this blogging thing because I want to catch up on everything I've forgotten, but it is impossible to do, so I'll just include some highlights:

We were able to spend a little time with our friends Matt and Lauren Bush (left). We (along with Matthew's brother and sister-in-law, J.C. and Tammy) went up the canyon for a little rock climbing. Hopefully we'll be able to spend more time with them next time.

We celebrated Emily and Elia's birthday with a family party at the park. The girls loved their panda bear cake and cupcakes that Paula and I (along with Dave and Eric's help) frosted.

We were all sad to leave Utah. Ethan was a big hit, especially with Emily. She always wanted to hold him.

Elia got that pink camera for her birthday and loves taking pictures with it. All of her cousins loved it too! She takes pictures of everything and is actually getting a lot better at framing her picture. She doesn't cut off too many heads anymore :) Here, she takes a picture of Andrew, a little neighbor boy we watched this afternoon. Next post, I'll post some pictures she's taken.

Ethan, Elia and Andrew (all in striped shirts) lounge around the living room. Elia actually was cooperating with pictures today (often she runs away, but I think giving her the camera helped).

Life is pretty back to normal. We went for our well-child check appointments today. Ethan is now about 4.5 months, and of course Elia is three. Ethan weighs 15 lbs, 13 oz. He is in the 75th percentile for weight and height. Elia, who weighs about 30 pounds and is about 3 feet is in the 40th percentile for weight and 50th for height.