Max and Eli's First Day of School

Today was a big day - Max started first grade and Eli started kindergarten!  :-)  They both had a great day and are thrilled to be back at school.  Eli has Mrs. Norris and Max has Mrs. Romo.  I think they are going to have a great year!  So far we are loving their school.  The teachers and staff are so great and many of them are friends.  Our neighbor, Sue, works there and texted me today to let me know that Max was doing great and playing football during recess. Another friend, Jenn, texted me a picture of Eli so that I knew he was doing well!  I loved getting these texts.  We feel very lucky to know that our kiddos will be well looked after at their wonderful school. 

Big thumbs up before school.  If you look closely you can see that Eli has two black eyes.  He fell on his face playing with friends on Friday and has some pretty good shiners now - just in time for school!  I definitely got a few weird looks from parents that didn't know me. . .

Here is a cute one of Max and Eli with their friends Connor, Devin and Kiley.  Max, Devin and Kiley were all in kindergarten together last year and are good buddies.  Love them. 

Eli's First Laugh

Eli laughed today for the first time! It was super cute. I took a short video clip of him laughing which I have posted below. He is growing so quickly. I can't believe he is already 3 months old. I also posted a picture of Eli which really shows his cute dimple and bright blue eyes. He is so handsome! :-)

My Adorable Little Boy is Getting So Big!

Eli is getting so big! Today he is eight weeks old, which is so crazy to believe. He just gets cuter every day. He is rolling over like crazy. It is pretty fun to see. Today he was awake a lot more during the day. I am hopeful this means that he will sleep more tonight! The last few nights he has been waking up every 2 hours or so to eat. It's been a bit exhausting for me, but I think he may be going through a growth spurt. He is definitely growing fast. He is already 10 1/2 pounds!

I love this look Eli is giving me. He already has such personality.

Eli Rolling Over and Other Random Pics

Below are a few more photos from the last few days. Eli is getting so big and is now rolling over like crazy. When we did tummy time the other day he just kept rolling and rolling. It's hard to believe he is over seven weeks old. Even harder to believe that I will be going back to work in less than 10-weeks!! So sad.

My sweet-faced little guy (on my white legs. . . time to get a tan!).

My handsome big guy in the sun hat I constantly force him to wear.

Tummy time! Eli rolled over five times in a row, then got tired and was over it.

Rolling over!

Max was very proud of his little brother! :-) We are still working on the concept of "gentle," although Max does a very good job overall with his little brother. We are very lucky!

Photos of the Kids and Their Florida Grandparents

Below are a few photos of the kids with their Florida grandparents, who left yesterday to go back home. Today was my first day alone with the kids after having help for nine days. . . . come back Florida grandparents!! :-) Max missed having the extra attention and was a little sad today. And its been so blazing-hot the last few days that I don't want to take him outside much in the afternoon. The poor guy was going a little stir-crazy today. I was just going crazy. :-) But overall it was a nice day. Max is growing up so quickly and learning new things every day, I need to soak up every moment. He is saying a lot of new words and now says "up" when he wants us to pick him up. We are now working on "please."

This is right before the grandparents left for the airport. Max was a little upset and tired. :-(

Eli was happy and cute though!

Grandpa and the boys.

Grandma playing with Max at Habitot. Max loves this spaceship exhibit because it has lots of buttons.

Our Busy, Fun Week

Rob's parents left today after a nice 9-day visit. It was great having them out here to see Max and meet Eli. Max and Eli had a great time with them, and Rob and I were sure happy to have some extra help around the house!! :-) Rob's parents were very sweet and offered to babysit a few nights so that Rob and I could go out to dinner or drinks alone. It was an awesome treat - and something we haven't had the opportunity to do in ages. My birthday was a few days ago, and it was so nice for Rob and I to be able to go out to dinner alone. Rob took me to Bing Crosby's for dinner. I had never been there before and really enjoyed it!

Overall, this week was a lot of fun, and we did a lot of fun activities with the kids. Max had his kindergym class, we went to Habitot, I took Max to Studio Grow and Max started his music class today. Rob's dad took a lot of great pictures of the kids while he was out here. Below are just a few.


Playing at the park after Max's Kindergym class.

Max has been a lot more interested in books lately! It is so nice to get to read with him. This book is one of his favorites because it has pictures of animals in it. He knows that a dog says "ruff, ruff," and while he doesn't exactly say the word "dog," he is trying. Right now Max calls a dog a "kkkkkk." A few months ago Max's nanny was babysitting a little dog that made this K=hissing sound all the time. Max started making the same K sound to mean the dog, and now he says that everytime he sees a dog. It's pretty funny.

Eli has been giving lots of smiles lately! It is pretty cute! I can't believe he is already 7-weeks old. Time flies.


I am sure Eli will be completely embarrassed by this photo later on in life, but I think it is too cute!!

My big boy has the cutest smile! I like this photo because he looks so mischievous - this is a look I see a lot lately!

Our Mellow Memorial Day Weekend

We had a really nice Memorial Day weekend. It was super mellow. We mainly spent time taking the kids on walks, playing in the backyard and going to the park. This morning we went to the park and there was a nice Memorial Day celebration with a band. Max thought that was great. This weekend we also bought Max a new pair of converse shoes - they are super cool. Below are a few pictures of the boys!


Max being gentle with Eli - what a great big brother!!



Max's super cool new shoes.


Rob with his hands full!

Visits with Friends

This weekend our friends Nicole and Mike came over for dinner. It was so great to see them! I have posted a few photos from their visit. Also below are some photos of Jack, Max and Eli all together at our little American Idol finale dinner. Ellen and Bob came over to watch the American Idol finale last week. :-) Ellen and I are such dorks and were completely obsessed with American Idol this season. I am so sad that I won't have her to watch it with next season, since she is moving. :-(

Finally a New Post!

I've been bad about posting this week. Sorry! It's been a busy week. Leah (Max's nanny) is taking a month off of work, so I have both kids for the month. It is a challenge with a newborn and a toddler, but we are doing okay! Max is doing well with Eli, and loves to give him kisses, although he doesn't really understand the concept of "gentle." Below are some pictures of Max and Eli together. Max did really well until the end when he bit Eli on the head!

The Many Faces of Eli

Here are some pictures of Eli. He is such a sweet baby. I can't believe how much he has grown in just the last two weeks. It makes sense though, because he is an eating machine! He eats so much that he constantly overeats and then spits up. Today he ate and ate and ate and then had a Linda Blair Exorcist type of vomit all over me. It was lovely. I had to change my outfit afterwards because I was so soaked. Good thing I am madly in love with this kid! :-)

Some Visits From Friends

This past week Eli has had some visits from a few of our good friends. Below are pics of the kids with Ellen and Bob, Moira and Daniel, and Heather. And congrats to Moira and Daniel on their recent engagement!!! I am so excited for them.


Moira and Daniel with Eli. They were so sweet and brought us dinner last Friday.


Ellen and Bob with Eli. Ellen just returned back to work after a six month maternity leave with her little guy, Jack. Good luck Ellen!!



Heather and Eli. Heather dropped by for a visit last weekend and brought Max and Eli an adorable present. It's a little playhouse with little finger puppets of the Three Little Pigs. Max thought it was great and loved playing with Heather.

More Pictures From Our Day at Tilden Park

Here are a few more pictures from our day at the Little Farm. . .


Max and his wonderful nanny, Leah.

Max, Taylor and Eli having snacks.

Yesterday's Pediatrician Appointment

Yesterday was my first outing alone with my two boys. I took Max and Eli to the pediatrician for Eli's first checkup and to have Max's ears checked (I thought he might have an ear infection, but he doesn't!). It was surprisingly easy to travel with the two of them - everything just took longer! Eli's doctor thought he looked great. He is such an eating machine that he has put on weight like a champ. Yesterday, at 7 days old, he already weighed 7 p0unds, 4 ounces (up from his 6 pound, 13 ounce birth weight). Compared to my first breastfeeding experience with Max, feeding Eli has been a breeze. Max lost quite a bit of weight after he was born because we were having some latching issues and my milk took about 4 days to come in. With Eli, he latched on and started nursing about 15 minutes after being born!! Other than the fact that Eli wants to eat ALL the time, breastfeeding has been really easy this go around. Hopefully, he keeps gaining weight . . . I can't wait for him to hit 8 pounds so that I can put him in the baby bjorn.


Both of the boys asleep in the back on the car.


The boys in the double stroller. Max is pointing at the elevator buttons. He is all about pushing buttons right now.

On our way up to the doctor. . .