Tuesday, January 19, 2010

Out of the Mouth of Babes

E: Quick! Quick Haven! The bad guys coming! Quick! Get in the catacombs!

H: {staring at Elijah through her little rocking chair, not moving}

E: Haven, these are the catacombs.

~ Thanks to Grampa's endless reading of The Storykeepers.
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And, yesterday:

E: {Goes into room. Closes door. Silence.}

L: What is he doing?

E: Momma! Daddy! I can't get out! I go pee-pee in my pants!

L: {searching for pee-pee, rag in hand} Where did you go potty Elijah?

E: In the catacombs, Momma.

Silly Momma. Where else would he go potty????

Sunday, January 17, 2010

Mohawk

Can you guys see Haven's mohawk in these pictures? I haven't been able to get a good picture of it, mainly because I am lacking in photography skills.Haven has a double crown, which means her hair peaks into a nice little tent - right down the middle of her head.We've been told it won't be weird once her hair gets longer, but for now she remains "My Mohawk-Big-Bow-Baby!"

Green Beans

Elijah and I worked hard making Haven some fresh green beans.Haven did not appreciate our efforts.Oh well, at least she got a nap.

Thursday, January 14, 2010

Poo-Bah Balls

Getting these pictures up (taken October 5th) makes me sad to leave our sweet little cabin. God gave me a little haven in this home - a place to breathe when we couldn't really afford one. A few years of living in the Vanderbilt area, a neighborhood filled with charming houses all squished together, made me long for space. Prior to that I went to a tiny college, where everyone knew your business and would often end up in your room at some point during the day. That too made me long to breathe. Both of those eras were very happy times, and I wouldn't trade them, but it has been quite a treat to live in a place where I could breathe. And breathing for me, involves land...trees, grass, unplowed spaces. Thanks to the generosity of our friends, we've had that for over a year now.
A favorite Fall activity in this place is finding poo-bah balls. Dad has always used that word for anything yucky; I think it's a remnant of our time in Germany. Last year, Elijah was scared of the big poo-bah balls. So, during this trip, Dad told him they weren't scary; "they're just poo-bah!" Hence, our name for the Osage Hedge Ball. This year, we cleared out all the balls from under our poo-bah tree. (You're welcome, Mark.) The balls are supposedly good for getting rid of spiders. You can order some here, but the EPA has banned this company from telling you that they might get rid of spiders. Stick in tow; ready to go.Searching.
Finding.Throwing.Carrying.Crawling.Gleeful boy, happy to breathe. These are the same hills mentioned here. Now Elijah can run straight up this thing, without any hesitation. Haven will learn to walk and climb hills somewhere else. Gazing. Picking. Happy girl, glad to breathe.We just closed on our new house. We cannot wait to move in. God is so good; I will be able to breathe there as well.

Family Time


Love those two!

Tuesday, January 12, 2010

Jesse James Festival

Our tiny little town holds a tiny little festival, the Jesse James Festival. We were excited to go this year, and invited Eric's family to come. The Dodds spent the night which, although probably not as fun as spend-the-nights at their house (due in part to my lack of Little Debbie's), was great fun! Grammie and Grampa joined us the next morning. Elijah was THRILLED to have two friends join him in the never-boring game of run-around-the-porch-pushing-something.Grammie and Aunt Laura seemed to really enjoy the game as well, although I suspect they were laughing at each other~:-)We walked down the street to the festival, got a flat (stroller) tire on the way, and enjoyed the festivities. Haven was happy to watch from Grampa's lap. Our cowboy friend, Ross, was there. Elijah already thought Ross was super cool, but this pretty much cemented his place in Elijah's Big Boy Hall of Fame. After this show, everything was a gun. Luke was really stylin' on this sunny day.Family pic as we enjoyed the live band. I could have listened to them longer. This man made up his own bass instrument with an old washtub, a big stick, and a piece of twine. What?!?! We got hamburgers and pizza at Earthman's General Store, located in the 1874 home where a member of the James Gang was captured. I think this day did the owner (Cookie?) in, because Earthman's has now closed. It is really a shame, because she made such a good hamburger! Really, it was so good. Haven fell asleep in a super awkward position. I suppose she couldn't get over this guy's hair. {Side note: Speaking of hair, check out Elijah's Walmart-special haircut. Oh my. I'm hoping not to repeat that ordeal. Right at the end of the haircut, she gave. him. bangs. That's right, just what every boy needs.} To finish off the day, Elijah went home, got comfortable and "play my guitar, Momma." "On my horse, Momma. I play my guitar."We'll miss you, Earthman's General! Oh, they even had a little quilt shop inside!

Trying Again

I suppose this first picture just about sums up Haven's attitude toward the new foods. These first few days she would try to raise her hands to block the food. I had to hold her little hands down to prevent disaster. Very soon, she began to just hold her hands up in the air as if being arrested. It made me laugh.I was wondering one day why Haven required so much less discipline at this age than Elijah had. Besides their personalities being entirely different - ~:-) - I believe it is because Haven just prefers to have her hands up in the air while eating...whereas, Elijah, well, he was a grabber.I suppose I'm laughing here, but I could well have been about to cry. Starting solids is not my favorite part of motherhood, and now I have a child who doesn't even want them!

Tuesday, January 5, 2010

Tasting Solids

Haven is really not a fan of these solid foods. Dr. Pinkley says that babies who don't start solids until after six months (which is what the AAP recommends - see slide 12) often take a little longer to appreciate their added fare. Elijah always acted ravenous; Haven seems to not care at all about food. I was concerned until I looked at her thighs. She clearly has no problem eating wildlife. Elijah likes to buckle his own overall straps. "Do it myself, Momma!" Elijah was excited to use "blue! Do blue Daddy?" this night before brushing his teeth. It is supposed to turn your mouth blue wherever there is plaque. It kind of turns everything it touches blue - the sink, the outside of your cheek, the toothbrush. We basically just use it as a treat now...a treat Elijah can do with Daddy~;-o