Love the Talkin'

Eli is talking so much more these days, although it can be hard to understand him with food constantly in his mouth.

His new favorites are:

I ready!
hold me
Ky-ie, bus! (while waiting by the window for our neighbor to come home from school)
orange pease (i.e. orange juice please)
Daddy home!
sock off

Reading Lesson TIme!

Alison's working on her reading lesson.
Eli's repeating everything she says.
Both in goofy outfits, but loving every minute.

What season is it?

We're slightly confused around here...what season is it?
Friday it was 80 and sunny and we spent the day outside playing.
Saturday, Alison woke up absolutely convinced she was playing soccer that day and immediately put on a tank top and shorts. Unfortunately it was 50 and windy. I told her that she needed to put warm clothes on and this is what she came out in...her "warm soccer outfit". She's not happy about her picture being taken, but just take a moment to appreciate the high rise of the pants. Needless to say, we did not leave the house that day. Instead we moved some furniture in the living room and playing indoor, warm soccer.

Baby Update

We went to our "special" ultrasound this week to check out the dots on the baby's heart. Ben and I were pleasantly surprised with a short wait and a great technician. The doctor said our baby has a beautiful, textbook heart that is functioning perfect. The calcification spots will go away on their own and he has absolutely no concerns for our baby. And Ben now has scored a perfect score for being asked if he is a doctor at our ultrasounds. I had to stifle my laugh because I know he was just pulling out what he heard the last doctor tell us, but he sure did fool this doctor. The baby is sitting so low, we could barely see his face and weren't able to get any good pictures. To be honest, ultrasound pictures just look creepy to me anyway. I'm anxious to see he face in person, and then there will be lots of pictures of our perfect baby!

While we were gone

Alison and I went down to North Carolina to have a girls day with our friends Abby and Alex. We got to meet their newest addition, Avery. Alison was very excited to hold a girl baby.

The boys stayed home and played some guitar,

and watched some Elmo.I think Eli enjoyed his "quiet" day with daddy :)

Strong Love

To my Valentines,

I love you as strong as these biceps,

and it grows stronger everyday.


Ben,
I love your fierce gift of cooking,
I love how you fill our house with music and laughter.
I love seeing you smile and the comfort of your voice.
I love the bond you have with our kids-there is something very precious to me when I see your unconditional love for them.

Alison,
I love watching you prance through the house, humming to yourself.
I love that you truly believe you are a princess and pray that you always have that confidence.
I love that you are always my helper and ready to serve in anyway you can.
I love your love for all things pink and am so thankful to have you as my little girl.

Eli,
I love how you wrap your little arms around me when I sing you our bedtime song.
I love hearing you excitedly shout "Ma-mum" when I walk in your room in the morning.
I love your giggles and snuggles.
I confess I often feel like I don't know how to be a mommy of a boy, but there is something I can't explain about our bond and I am so thankful God gave me you.

Surprise Baby,
I love that you remind us everyday of God's sovereignty and unending faithfulness.
I love feeling you kick and move.
I'm excited to meet you and to see you join your brother in all his shenanigans.
I can't make any promises about your name, but I can absolutely promise you that you are and always will be greatly loved.

Happy Valentines Day!
This was one of my favorite Valentine's Days ever. Maybe it's because I had no expectations or maybe it's because I got to spend the day with my favorite people. Ben made us heart shaped chocolate chip pancakes and homemade whipped cream for breakfast. Now that's a way to start the day! After the Y, we chatted with Aunt Beth and the cousins on Skype. The kid's very sweetly were "giving" eachother gifts (i.e. show eachother random toys found around the house) and said over and over 'Happy Valentine's Day!'. I love technology today and LOVE that we can see family whenever we want. We enjoyed an afternoon of napping and then Daddy surprised us with gifts when he got home from work. Alison and I each got a rose, I got a big bag of peanut butter M&M's, Alison got a bag full of goodies and I can't remember what Eli got because he just swiped everything Alison took out of the bag. Alison gave Daddy and Eli each a sucker that she picked out her self. The kids and I read books while Ben cooked dinner. I admit this was my favorite part of the day. Alison and I sat and looked through a 'Where's Waldo' book...I love those books and I loved just sitting and cuddling with her. Now on to my amazing husband. This man can COOK! I'm sad for all of you who have missed out on his cooking. He made flank steak (which he marinated in red wine for me since I can't drink it, but crave it), garlic mashed potatoes and Caesar salad. It was better than anything I've ever tasted in a restaurant. Then, he made a cheesecake with a raspberry sauce all from scratch. It took everything in me not to eat the entire thing. As we sat eating this amazing dinner, I had to sit back and laugh. I was in my pajamas and the kids were being silly. I said to Ben, "10 years ago, we would have been sitting in a romantic restaurant all dressed up, and we would have never imagined a Valentine's Day like this." He looked around and said, "I don't know what you're talking about, this is the best kind of Valentine's Day I could have ever imagined." I love how he loves me even when I'm in my pj's. I love how he loves being home with our silly kids. I love his creamy mashed potatoes and I love how our love has just grown stronger every year. Maybe in 10 more years, our kids will be cooking for us!