Willy, Melissa, Eli and Mason Holfeltz

Halloween 2011

2011-11-09T17:05:00.000-07:00

Preschool Pics

2011-10-08T00:15:00.003-06:00

I had my friend Mindy Smith come and take our preschool pics. I L.O.V.E. every single picture. She seriously caught all of their personalities. I'll show ya my kids...

I seriously can't believe how fast my sweet Eli is growing up. He looks so big in these pictures, kinda makes me sad :(

Mason is even looking at the "grouchy ladybug" couldn't be a more perfect book for him! haha! I love how blue his eyes look...I wish I could figure out photoshop so I could get my pics of his eyes that blue!!

Eli's 4th birthday

2011-10-08T00:13:00.000-06:00

I'm playing major catchup on my poor neglected blog.
Here are my favorite pics from Eli's birthday.
He chose to have a superhero party and have his friends come
in their favorite costumes. Eli is captain america and Mason
was Iron Man. He got lots of fun presents and enjoyed having
so many people come. So thanks to all who came!! :)

lucky aunt

2011-08-17T08:56:00.004-06:00

How lucky am I? I got a new niece and a new nephew this summer. I also got to take their pictures!!

This is my brother's first baby. It's been so fun watching them become parents! I'm in love with Paxton's hair! They both are such beautiful babies...gives me some serious baby hunger! But, until Mason can sleep through the night that ain't happening! lol

18 months!!

2011-06-30T13:59:00.001-06:00

18 things we love about Mason at 18 months:
1- His infatuation with water!
2- How much he loves his brother who he refers to as Alli
3- The cute nicknames for his cousins Tyler (Taw-taw) and Camden (nack nack)
4- That he is a total momma’s boy.
5- How excited he gets when dadda gets home.
6- How much he loves books (esp. Brown Bear) but sometimes gets too rough with them
7- How he says a lot of words but my favorites are: ball, dino, juce, flowee
8- His obsession with animals especially the cow across the road and the neighbor’s horsies.
9- How he growls at things especially if it’s a pic of an animal
10- His cute 12 teeth
11- His temper, it’s not all that cute sometimes but it reminds me of my dad.
12- His white blonde hair and big blue eyes!
13- How he says spiderman with a growl!
14- That he loves playing ball.
15- How he gobbles up fruit.
16- That he pretends to call his dadda and jabbers in the phone.
17- How excited he gets to see his grandma’s and grandpa.
18- His infatuation with pictures. He could stare at pics all day!!
We love you Maser Roo!!

dyeing eggs

2011-06-10T14:51:00.000-06:00

Egg hunts

2011-06-10T14:42:00.001-06:00

We went to the Easter egg hunt at the Dinosaur museum this year. The kids loved looking for the eggs, it was a really fun hunt.

Then we went to the egg hunt at the city park. I was really disapointed because none of the kids got any eggs, why do parents think they have to find eggs for their kids? It takes all the fun out of it!! But the boys had a blast playing at the park with their cousins, plus the weather was absolutely beautiful!!

Mason just enjoyed tasting everyone's treats.

newer pics

2011-04-21T17:33:00.009-06:00

Well my old camera I'd had for at least 8 years had finally seen it's better days. The lighting was weird with it and I couldn't do anything to fix it. I want to have good pictures of my boys to remember forever so I talked Will into getting me a new camera (since it was on sale and I got a sweet discount) for my birthday and I'm sure the rest of the holidays this year. :) I took a photography class from an amazing photographer. She taught us how to take it out of the automatic settings. I learned so much, but I still need a lot of practice!! She lined us up a model to practice on and it was so fun to practice with her guidance! I thougth I'd share a few of my "practice" pictures hehe!

(the model)

I love the green in this pic (hello spring!)

She looks like she's on top of the world

I tried having a mini photo shoot with my boys but Eli just wouldn't cooperate. This is what he does in pictures now..ugh!
Mason didn't love it but at least I got some cute ones.
isn't my "baby" getting so big??

St. Paddy's Day Fun

2011-03-23T09:54:00.006-06:00

All of them ate green eggs and ham! Eli asks
every morningif we can have green eggs again! hehe!

A small way to help

2011-03-20T11:27:00.001-06:00

I follow this blog called I am Momma, hear me roar. She is doing a really cool pattern giveaway to people who donate to humanitarian aid for Japan. I thought I'd share this because it's a great way to help and the pattern is super CUTE!!

http://iammommahearmeroar.blogspot.com/2011/03/wake-up-wednesday_16.html

2 boys = never a dull moment!

2011-03-11T08:38:00.003-07:00

Maybe it's the weather? Ever notice how when the weather changes the kids get extra rambunctious and naughty? Yesterday was no exception. I had to email some plans to be printed for Will and the boys were "playing" in Eli's room (or so I thought). They went into the bathroom and got into the baby oil. Eli poured half the container on his and Mason's hair! When I checked on them (seriously this happened in 30 seconds!) Eli said he was just doing their hair. Ugh notice the greased monkey look? hehe. So anyone have any suggestions on getting oil out of their shirts, towels, bathroom rug and everywhere else they touched?!

Moab

2011-03-08T20:52:00.004-07:00

On a whim we decided we needed a vacation. The boys were getting restless being stuck inside all day and I was getting sick of cleaning them up from all the mud when it actually was warm enough for them to go outside. We decided we needed to go somewhere warmer where they could be outside, but not too far away since we only could go for a weekend. We chose Moab and we had so much fun! The boys did pretty well traveling. The first day we went to Arches. We put the boys in backpacks and hiked all over. The loved it! The next day we walked around town with the stroller, I had to laugh because most of the town doesn't open for 2 more weeks when the tourists come. I had forgotten how small, hippie-ish, and touristy Moab is. Our hotel had a nice pool that was as warm as bath water. We loved being able to swim and be the only people in the pool! We came home the scenic route back to Grand Junction. We played in the mall until closing time and headed home when the boys were sure to sleep! They were exhausted as you can see in the pictures. Mason kept leaning back in the backpack I was worried he'd fall out but luckily he never did! :-)

The boys!

Family Vacation

The sights

snowman

2011-02-26T16:23:00.004-07:00

Eli has been begging me all winter about making a snowman. Finally we had the perfect snowman building weather. We went to my mom's and made one with Eli's cousins. It was fun. What is it about being 5-10 you think you have to pose like a punk?! Oh well, they are still cute!

My dad

2011-02-24T21:00:00.004-07:00

My Dad
© Leah Hendrie
If I could write a story
It would be the greatest ever told
Of a kind and loving father
Who had a heart of gold

If could write a million pages
But still be unable to say, just how
Much I love and miss him
Every single day

I will remember all he taught me
I'm hurt but won't be sad
‘cuz he'll send me down the answers
And he'll always be MY DAD!!!

Yesterday would have been my daddy's 67th birthday. I miss him so much. I found this poem and it truly fits him. He did have a heart of gold, never judged others, forgave easily, was patient, hardworking, loving, and so fun! Happy Birthday daddy-o.

the boys

2011-02-22T15:06:00.004-07:00

I thought I'd do an update on my boys since they seem to be growing and changing so fast!

Eli is my little comedian. He loves having books read to him. He loves telling stories and he comes up with some great ones some times. He is really into superheros. He has imaginary friends. He has hist first best friend. He was literally sad when he didn't see him for a week while his family was in Disneyland. He wrote his name for the first time a couple weeks ago, it was bittersweet. I'm loving the stages he's going through right now but it seems like he's growing up so fast!

Now my sweet Mason. All I can say is he is like a different kid now that he has tubes. He averages about 12 hours of sleep at night but still wakes up about 2 or 3 times, but we're working on that. He jabbers like crazy but can say: momma, dadda, shuz (shoe), hat, light, dogdog, Eli, juce and ba ba (for the bathtub), he LOVES the bath and scares me nightly because he has no fear in there. He lays down, sticks his face in the water, tries to blow bubbles, and tries to walk around in there. He loves being outside and will sporadically bring me his shoes that's when I know he wants to go out. So now if it were a little warmer we'd be set!

They are becoming really good friends. I love the days I can put them in the bonus room and let them play while I do my cleaning or scrapbook or whatever and they just play and have fun together. They keep me busy but I sure do love them!!

grins and fins!!

2011-02-15T22:39:00.013-07:00

ahhh the hot tub!!!

This last weekend we got to go to SLC for my nephew's baptism. We stayed in the hotel that has a waterslide/play park called Grins and Fins. We had so much fun, especially with all our family out there. Mason wasn't too sure about the water at first but he warmed up to it quickly and then I had to drag him out kicking and screaming (even though his lips were turning purple)! Eli saw these goggles at the dollar tree and insisted on wearing them pretty much the whole time.

The baptism was great. My cute nephew sang along with 3 of his friends the prettiest song I've ever heard. The spirit was so strong and he was gleaming! I'm so proud of him!!

latest projects

2011-01-29T15:50:00.006-07:00

Well it's offical I'm finally over winter! But, I have been getting some fun projects done around the house. My scrapbooks are finally get some much needed attention. I made this fun wreath for Valentines day. I found the idea at craftingchicks.blogspot.com.
I wish I had more selection here for scrapbook/crafting things. I wanted more Valentine paper and a heart wreath but I think this turned out okay.

Then I finally put my photo wall together. I've been wanting to do this for a long time just needed good pics and a layout idea. I really was trying to avoid the circle but they ended up that way and I actually like how it turned out. Sorry the pics aren't that great, I didn't have enough space to get a straight on shot.

Birthday Party!

2011-01-12T10:57:00.006-07:00

Mason's birthday party was really fun. We had chilli and scones then birthday cake. He loved his cake and even tried licking it out of the bowl. He loved his presents. Thanks everyone who came and shared his special day!!

Happy happy birthday!!!

2010-12-29T22:55:00.004-07:00

Brand new!

1st professional pics (3 weeks)

about 6 months

just one of my fav pics of him!

1 year

It's hard to believe how fast time goes by. Seem like yesterday I had just had Mason, now he's celebrating his 1st birthday. He had to go to the dr Monday because he has ear infections which he's had more than his fair share of, but he weighs 20 lbs so yay we can move him up to a big boy carseat because he has always hated the infant carrier. He is trying to walk, taking about 4 steps before he falls. Guess he figures it's easier crawling. He doesn't like baby food much anymore he just wants to eat whatever we eat. He says a few words: mama, dadda, a noise for Eli, ight (light, which he has a fascination for turning off the light switches) mammah (grandma) and a whole lot more gibberish! He is generally pretty happy and easy going. We sure love him and the fun he adds to our house!

Holfeltz Christmas Part-ay!

2010-12-13T09:02:00.000-07:00

Jolly Old St. Nick

2010-12-12T21:36:00.009-07:00

Will's dad's work put on a breakfast and Santa stopped by. The boys did much better than I thought they would. Eli was a little hesitant to sit on his lap but after some help from grandma he jumped right up there. Santa even told Eli about the magic his reindeer have to help them fly.

Eli and Mason's cousins came too. Vanessa was pro at the whole sitting on Santa's lap. Tommy was still unsure what he wants for Christmas.

comedic relief

2010-12-12T21:22:00.010-07:00

These boys seriously make me laugh so much! Mason was laughing hysterically when Eli chased him through this tunnel upstairs. It was really funny!

This is Eli the fire-fighter, with his gas mask and hat.

It's even better when Mason will play along.
(don't mind the toys all over this was after they dumped them all out)

Now he thinks he's santa.

Now he's the Christmas tree

special bond

2010-12-01T22:05:00.004-07:00

I just walked in on this moment. Eli loves to snuggle his daddy before he goes to bed. I often marvel at the bond they have. Eli can't wait for his daddy to come home from work and usually calls him at least twice during the day to say hi. He gets so excited if he can go to work with him. He loves to wrestle him and play animals and trucks with him. They love watching Batman and super hero movies together. I am so thankful that my boys have such a wonderful dad to lead and teach them. And he's pretty lucky to have such sweet boys!!

future hockey star

2010-11-23T14:21:00.007-07:00

We had my family Thanksgiving on Saturday. My sister Amie and I took the boys ice skating. Eli had so much fun. By the end of the night he was saying, "Mom, I can do it myself!" I was really happy they had those scooter things because I honestly don't remember the last time I went ice skating! So, it was probably more for me than him :) The pics are blurry my sister was snapping them as she skated. But, Eli's face is funny in every picture!

yay for finished projects! and instructions for the wreath

2010-11-17T10:15:00.005-07:00

We made these cute wreaths at enrichment and I finally got mine finished. They are so easy to make, I'm thinking about making one for every holiday! :)

I won this magnet board at the Holly Fair a couple weekends ago. I also think it would be easy to make, I might attempt one for Eli's room so he can display all his artwork.

I don't know why it looks black in that corner, because it's not but you get the idea.

By request instructions for the wreath:
I got 6 fat quarters of material (you could use scraps if you have enough matching material) then cut the material into 3 different sized circles (small, med, large). Layer 3 circles on top of each other. Then cut a small hole in the center. Insert a brad. I found using small brads was easiest and then I could stick it into my wreath. Using one of those green Styrofoam wreaths is easiest. Or you could use big and little brads like I did, but you'll have to hot glue them down. Super, super easy and fun!!

15 thankfuls....

2010-11-15T12:00:00.004-07:00

Since it's the 15th I think I'll post 15 things I'm thankful for:
1. Heavenly Father/ Jesus
2. Will
3. Eli
4. Mason
5. My family
6. My in-law family
7. My health and my family's
8. My "guardian angel" (my dad)
9. A warm house
10. The gospel
11. My cute preschool kids
12. Will's work/ that he LOVES what he does!
13. Temples
14. agency (that we have the ability to chose what we do, where we live, how many kids we have, what religion we practice, etc.)
15. good friends

the costumes

2010-11-01T18:08:00.010-06:00

Eli was iron man. The best part of his costume was this cool arm that actually shoots and lights up.

Mason was a monster. My fave part of the costume was his 3 eyes!

We were Batman and Wonder Woman!

Halloween fun!

2010-11-01T17:28:00.005-06:00

Eli wore his costume pretty much all week.

First, we went trick or treating at the library with some friends.

We had our preschool party Thursday. It was tons of fun!

pumpkins

2010-11-01T11:17:00.014-06:00

We had our friends, The Batty's, over for dinner and to carve pumpkins. We had so much fun!

Eli and Will cheated, they used a power tool to carve theirs.....

the one on the left is Eli and Will's. the other one is mine (hand-carved)

Eli has a Halloween book called, Where's my mummy? We decided to make mummy pumpkins. The big one is the mommy and the other one is the baby.

words of wisdom

2010-10-26T22:40:00.001-06:00

People are often unreasonable, illogical, and self-centered;
Forgive them anyway.

If you are kind,
people may accuse you of selfish ulterior motives;
Be kind anyway.

If you are successful,
you will win some false friends and some true enemies;
Succeed anyway.

If you are honest and frank,
people may cheat you;
Be honest and frank anyway.

What you spend years building,
someone could destroy overnight.
Build anyway.

If you find serenity and happiness,
they may be jealous;
Be happy anyway.

The good you do today,
people will often forget tomorrow;
Do good anyway.

Give the world the best you have,
and it may never be enough;
Give the best you've got anyway.

You see, in the final analysis
it is between you and God;
it was never between you and them anyway.

My friend had this poem by Mother Teresa on her blog and I had to share it. What an amazing woman she was!! :)

rainy day fun

2010-10-26T22:05:00.007-06:00

Mason loves being outside, probably more than Eli if that's even possible. After it rained the other day I let them go outside. Eli loves pushing Mase around in the "big red car". I can't believe how entertained they were and how much Mason was laughing. At least this one time I didn't have to drag Eli in from a mud puddle!

just what I needed to hear...

2010-10-05T08:18:00.000-06:00

Tonight, however, I have in mind the charity that manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions, the kind of charity that forgives, the kind of charity that is patient.

I have in mind the charity that impels us to be sympathetic, compassionate, and merciful, not only in times of sickness and affliction and distress but also in times of weakness or error on the part of others.

There is a serious need for the charity that gives attention to those who are unnoticed, hope to those who are discouraged, aid to those who are afflicted. True charity is love in action. The need for charity is everywhere.
Needed is the charity which refuses to find satisfaction in hearing or in repeating the reports of misfortunes that come to others, unless by so doing, the unfortunate one may be benefited."

I loved this from President Monson's talk at the General Relief Society Broadcast!

fall pics

2010-10-04T16:17:00.013-06:00

Every year we try to take fall pics. These are a few of my favorites....

my mom and sisters

Mason thinking he's getting squashed.

My oldest sister and her kids.

My other sister and her kid.

mom and her grandkids

And I happened to stumble upon these pics from my dad's funeral. Today is my parents anniversary, would have been 33 years!

Such a bittersweet day. It was incredibly hard but I was so relieved to not have to see him suffering anymore, which made it harder because then I felt selfish. No matter how hard we tried explaining where papa was to the kids they all seemed to have that look on their faces.

haircut

2010-10-02T19:24:00.007-06:00

Before....

(don't mind his drool filled shirt, he's cutting top teeth)

After...

oldies...

2010-09-26T15:59:00.008-06:00

My sister, Amie, came out this weekend. While she was here we went through some old pictures of my dad from his young days. It was fun to see him in his early days. I imagine my grandma telling him, "Dennis, fix your hat!" hehe.

Wow, I never knew how much my brother looked like my dad until I saw this picture. My brothers baby pictures look almost identical to dad!!

My mom said she thought he looked like Robert Redford when

they first got married. I see the resemblance in this picture...

Mom, Amie, Dad and Jolene.

Amie holding me, Matt and Jolene. Thanksgiving 1988

My grandma was one of the sweetest women I know. She used to babysit us while my parents worked and I always loved living next door to her and my grandpa. This picture was taken at Hogle Zoo in 1991. She loved her hamburgers and cokes from McDonalds and my grandpa took her out for this treat every Friday after she got her hair done. He continued this up until she went into the care center. He probably even snuck her some in there.

This was at our wedding. They were earlier comparing their muscles. He isn't about to punch her! haha..I miss his spunky attitude and his hugs most of all. I just imagine how incredibly happy my grandma was to see him again. I can't wait for the day when I'll get to see them both again!!

work meeting

2010-09-08T18:01:00.002-06:00

So the other day Levi was over doing some invoices with Will. Meanwhile, Will's phone rang so he went outside to chat. I was feeding Mason lunch in the kitchen and overheard this "meeting." It went something like this...
Levi: "Eli, how much do you charge for framing?"
Eli: "pizza!"
Levi: "So let me get this right, you'll frame a house for pizza?"
Eli: "Yep!"
Levi: "How many employees do you have?"
Eli: "one, two, three, four."
Levi: "So you have four employees?
Eli: "No, forty"
Levi: "What is your mode of transportation? What do you drive?"
Eli: "A firetruck!"
Levi: "So let me get this right, you'll frame a house for a pizza, you have forty employees and you drive a firetruck?"
Eli: "Yeah!"

I thought it was so funny! He comes up with the funniest things!

8 months

2010-09-04T08:11:00.010-06:00

*He is soooo snuggly. We all love snuggling with him. (getting a pic with Eli smiling is a new obstacle!)

*While I was getting ready for my yardsale last weekend, Eli was putting stickers all over him. If you've ever read the book You are special by Max Lucado you'd agree he looks like a wemiwick!

*He loves to eat. Therefore, he is very chubby, which we love!!
*He is trying to crawl but has figured it's faster to roll wherever he wants to go.
*He makes the funniest faces!
* He is a mommy's boy. He doesn't usually cry when anyone else holds him he just has to look around and make sure I'm right there. I love this since Eli was a total daddy's boy.
* He loves kids.
* His nickname is Mase-a-rooney (Eli came up with it)
*He has two bottom teeth.
* He is beginning to sleep well. He takes AWESOME naps!
*He still HATES his car seat!
* He is generally happy, only cries when he's not being held, hungry, or tired.
* He's obsessed with paper. I've never seen him move as fast when there is paper around he's rolling all over the place to get a hold of it!
* We love him so much and are so glad he's a part of our family!

3 years....

2010-08-24T12:13:00.008-06:00

These two have always had a special bond. Eli even asks for his dad when he's sick. Kinda sad, but I love how much he loves his daddy. His favorite thing is going to work with him.
One of my very favorite pics of Eli.

6 1/2 months

At his first birthday party!

On his second birthday!

My big 3 year old.

Favorite things:
*his family
*wrestling
*apple juice
*hero squad movie
*nursery
*playing in the dirt
*macaroni and cheese

Eli-isms:
*it's kinda spicy for you (if he really doesn't want me to eat something he's eating)
* I need my fweater (sweater)
*Mase-a-roony (the nickname he came up with for Mason)
*grandma Stratt (my mom's nickname because she has a dog named Stratt)
*Grandma Chicken (Will's mom because she once had a chicken)

We love him so much!
I can't wait to see all the fun things he learns when he's 3!

Eli's bday party!

2010-08-23T18:37:00.009-06:00

Eli's "motorcycle" party was so much fun. He loved his cake (thanks Jo for making it)!! He thought it looked better with many motorcycles racing rather than one. They all had fun trying to break open the pinata. Thanks everyone for coming, the great presents, and for helping us celebrate Eli's 3rd birthday!!

one step closer...

2010-08-19T13:45:00.005-06:00

Last week my family had the opportunity of taking my dad's name through the temple. It was honestly one of the most spiritual experiences of my life. I know he was there and he was glad we were finishing what he didn't quite have enough time to do himself before he passed. The sealing was awesome. I felt the spirit so strongly there. We are now one step closer to being an eternal family.

pure sweetness...

2010-08-16T14:35:00.007-06:00

I may be biased but these boys are sweet!!

I love how great these pictures turned out. I especially love the ones of the boys together because they capture the special relationship they have. I think they are going to be great friends!

one year ago...

2010-07-21T08:54:00.005-06:00

God saw you getting tired and
A cure was not to be.
So He put His arms around you
And whispered, “Come with me.”
With tearful eyes I watched you,
And saw you pass away.
Although I loved you dearly,
I could not make you stay.
A golden heart stopped beating,
Hard working hands at rest.
God broke my heart to prove to me,
He only takes the best.

It is so hard to believe it has been a whole year since my dad passed away. I find myself thinking of him alot lately. So many people would often tell me how lucky I was to have such a great man for a father. I guess I never really realized how truly blessed I was until he was gone. But, I will always be thankful for him teaching me the value of work and the importance of family. Nothing was more important to him than his family. But, most importantly, he showed me love. He would have done anything for anyone. He always was my biggest fan. I love and miss him so much, but am thankful that he is not suffering any longer.

Holfeltz Family Campout

2010-07-14T17:24:00.001-06:00

There were too many cute pictures and too many to post individually. Thanks Kandice for teaching me how to do the slide-show.

4th of July fun!

2010-07-13T18:08:00.005-06:00

We had fun hiking and playing in the stream Saturday.

Eli loved waving at everything going by at the parade!

watermelon!!

2010-07-07T17:47:00.002-06:00

Eli absolutely loves watermelon. He always has. He sees it at the store and begs for me to get one. I thought this picture of him was adorable!

what a week!!

2010-06-30T11:10:00.009-06:00

Well it started Saturday afternoon when Eli began the bouts of the stomach flu. He was so sick and throwing up almost every hour from 5 until 330 that morning. That was a long night, I felt really bad because he only wanted Will. Then he started doing better but Sunday night he woke up crying hysterically because his stomach hurt so bad. We feared it may be his appendix so Will took him to the ER. Another long night, but it was all just part of the flu bug. Then yesterday afternoon his eye started watering. I thought it was just allergies but it kept getting worse and more goopy. So I took him into the pediatrician and yep, pinkeye!! I think he probably picked that up at the ER. To make all matters worse my insurance wouldn't cover the generic medicine they prescribed for it all so it was about 100 dollars just for the meds! UG..but I guess this is how it goes and I'm thankful we weren't sick all winter, so now that it's summer the bugs seem to go away faster. Here is a picture of his poor eye, doesn't he just look miserable?

(wow, they actually look alot better today!)

On a happier note..this sweet baby of mine is now 6 months old!! Wow, how time flies! He is such a happy baby. He is growing so fast and babbles like crazy!! He still doesn't really love food besides oatmeal with bananas and sweet potatoes.

This is one of my favorite things he does when he nurses in his sleep. :-)

twins?

2010-06-25T13:12:00.004-06:00

So everyone always tells me my kids look like twins, only spaced two and half years apart. I never really saw it until recently. Now I am amazed how much they look alike. Now see if you can guess which picture is of which kid! Ha! It's been fun updating my scrapbook, sometimes I find pictures of Eli I didn't scrapbook and have to write an E on the back because I know in time I won't be able to remember who was who!!

memorial...

2010-06-05T15:21:00.003-06:00

He is Gone
You can shed tears that he is gone
or you can smile because he has lived.

You can close your eyes and pray that he'll come back
or you can open your eyes and see all he's left.

Your heart can be empty because you can't see him
or you can be full of the love you shared.

You can turn your back on tomorrow and live yesterday
or you can be happy for tomorrow because of yesterday.

You can remember him and only that he's gone
or you can cherish his memory and let it live on.

You can cry and close your mind, be empty and turn your back
or you can do what he'd want: smile, open your eyes, love and go on.

By David Harkins

I found this poem, but adapted it to be about him. We were in Wyoming over memorial day so we decorated dad's grave before we left. It was kind of hard but I feel peace knowing he's in a better place and looking down on all of us. Not a day goes by I don't smell coffee and think of him. Or hear a truck that sounds like his did that doesn't make me stop to wave but suddenly remember it's not him. Every time I hear Eli say anything about papa I remember the love and special bond they shared if only for a short time. Every time I drive by his work I find myself looking to see if his truck is there, silly! I admire him for the wonderful father he was and the great example he left to all of us (his children). I'm thankful that I know we'll be together again and I know he is happy and not in pain there. I love and miss him so much though. My knowledge doesn't make it easy just more bearable.

vacation....

2010-06-05T14:58:00.006-06:00

We went to Wyoming on vacation to see my grandparents over memorial day weekend. We had a great time. I did learn one big lesson: take new camera batteries next time. I didn't get any pics of Eli swimming at the hotel with his 2nd cousin, or any from their awesome park there (which serves $1 ice cream cones all summer, brilliant!) or from much else we did, but I did get some good ones of Eli playing at the YMCA on an indoor playground which was nice because it released some energy without having to be out in the rain. He thought that was really fun until he found the basketball courts and he and Will spent a good half hour in there shooting hoops, he was in heaven!

(Anytime someone tells Eli to smile this is what we get..)

(eli with his 2nd cousin. They had alot of fun together, but Eli was exhausted by the time we came home)

(kind of a 4 generation pic)

(the whole gang at a family luncheon we had while we there)

wow!

2010-06-04T15:02:00.005-06:00

It's amazing to think it has been five amazing years since this day:

I love being married and being a mom. These past few years have had many highlights and a few down times but I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Became parents as we welcomed Eli Keith into the world on Aug 24, 2007.

Went through the hardest year of my life watching my dad die of lung cancer, yet had some of my most spiritual experiences during this time. July 2009

We welcomed Mason Red into our family Dec 2009

I graduated college, May 2010

Eli's new favorite thing to do...

2010-05-24T14:53:00.003-06:00

Eli thinks it is so cool that Mason can finally eat something, even if it is just rice cereal. He loves helping me feed him. Then one night I was stirring dinner and left Mason's food by him and Eli picked up the spoon and kept feeding him. So cute!

(testing the temperature)

(YUM!!)

Nothing better...

2010-05-09T15:10:00.005-06:00

There is nothing better than being a mom to these boys. I am so thankful for their sweet little spirits and the joy they bring into my life. Happy mother's day all!! :)

4 months...

2010-05-05T08:51:00.004-06:00

My baby is four months old. I really wish I could freeze time just for a little while, they both seem to be growing way too fast! But, he's been busy this last month, here are four of his accomplishments:

1-rolling over left side to belly
(his arm still gets stuck sometimes, it's kinda funny)

2- started cereal
(he LOVES it!)

3- laughing
(too bad the best laughs come from Eli being a little rough, in my opinion)

4- sleeping better!!
(HALLELUJAH! Now he's only waking about twice a night, much better than every two hours!)

His four (and a half) month stats:
weight: almost 16 lbs!
height: 26 inches
Eli was always almost off the charts for his length. I didn't really think Mason was as long as Eli but he's catching up pretty fast! :)
He really is such a good baby, we love him so much!!

it's offical....

2010-05-04T17:01:00.008-06:00

I'm a college grad!! I just want to thank everyone who has been so supportive of me while I finished. It wasn't easy but nothing worthwhile ever is. I'm excited to have something to fall back on if needs be, but hoping not to have to teach for a few more years :-)

(sorry, these are kinda horrible pics but it's hard when there's more than one camera!!)

who knew....

2010-04-27T17:45:00.004-06:00

So I was excited to try making calzones for dinner tonight. I left the room for a minute, came back to find Eli's head in my flour bucket! People always say forget the present just give kids the box and they'll entertain themselves, well I guess forget having them help you make dinner just let them have the flour!!

lions, tigers, and bears!!

2010-04-23T09:51:00.016-06:00

last weekend, my mom, sister Amie, nephew Riley, brother and sis in law, me and my kids went to the zoo. We had so much fun and the weather was absolutely beautiful!!

(the alligator was his favorite this year)
alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463365385787254818" />

(I'm not sure you can see it but this monkey had a stuffed monkey it was passing from it's foot to the other foot and swinging around with it, it was really funny)
(I'alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5463363999495528898" />

(this is the new baby elephant Zuri)

Just my luck...

2010-04-12T08:16:00.003-06:00

2 years ago I went to the home and garden show. I entered this drawing to win this scooter. I also entered Nat, Jacque, and Will. Well Nat won it!!

This year I won this hot wheels by my sisters name, too bad she doesn't have room to store it so it's staying at my house til she gets more settled....:)

I really wish I could win something in my own name lol :)

Preparing for Easter...

2010-04-05T15:40:00.013-06:00

Eli and I found the idea for these cupcakes (that are supposed to look like Easter baskets). We made these for some neighbors.

We had fun dying eggs with our friends The Batty's.

My mom found these fun little ceramic Easter eggs and E loved painting them...

Easter

2010-04-05T15:33:00.006-06:00

We had a fun Easter. Pretty sure Eli got a little spoiled from the bunny. The weather was cold, windy, and snowy so he had to ride his new spiderman trike and play basketball inside. Hopefully soon we will see sunshine outside...

3 Months...

2010-03-30T10:53:00.008-06:00

Wow! I swear time did not go by this fast before I had children. I can't believe Mason is three months old today. Here are some cute pictures I've snapped of him lately.

Ah...I love this boy!!

Brotherly Love....

2010-03-30T10:44:00.006-06:00

My brother made us some awesome picture frames. I envisioned putting a pic of Mason in one, Eli in one, and a pic of both of them in the third frame..well getting a decent picture of them together has been tough..but here are some of my attempts. They sure do love each other. Mason almost successfully laughed out loud at Eli being a goof-ball yesterday. Eli loves giving Mason kisses and tries to share his toys with him.

Mason's big day!

2010-03-09T10:13:00.007-07:00

We had Mason's blessing Sunday. We had alot of fun with our family and friends that could make it. here are some pics of the day!

like father, like sons...

2010-03-03T13:17:00.003-07:00

I snapped these cute pics of my boys after church Sun. I love how they both are spitting images of their dad!! And I love Mason's expressions!!!

WARNING...

2010-03-03T13:06:00.006-07:00

Mason just got his 2 month shots yesterday. He weighs 11 lbs already!! He has been really fussy from the shots. So if you come to our house un-announced today you're likely to see Eli like this!

Check out these socks! I've been spring cleaning and I think he salvaged them from my DI pile. But, I can ALWAYS count on Eli to make me laugh when I'm feeling the stress of a fussy baby! How I love my boys!!

this melts my heart...

2010-02-25T15:42:00.003-07:00

Well last night I was super excited to go with one of my friends to a scrapbook club. I really needed the break and the night out. I had to take Mason because he still thinks he needs to eat every hour or so. I thought he'd be good and just sleep..HAHA, right! Well he was super fussy and it took me FOREVER to get my page done. But, I still had fun and when I see this I suddenly remember what is most important!

My favorite 2 (and a half) year old

2010-02-23T14:45:00.007-07:00

Tomorrow Eli will be exactly 2 and a half.He loves to tell people that he is 2 and a half. :) I feel like most of my blogging lately is of Mason, and because I was preoccupied with school on his bday, this is just for him! I thought I would post some of his likes, dislikes and favorites.

•Favorite shows: Elmo’s world, Blue’s Clues, and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.

•Favorite foods: Mac and cheese, ramen noodles, rice, chicken, fruit smoothies (maybe this is why I craved them when I was prego), apple and orange juices, and oatmeal.

•Favorite toys: action figures (he refers to them as “dudes”), balls, trucks, and animals.

•Favorite songs: Itsy bitsy spider, ABC’s, and I am a child of God.

•Favorite animals: fish, monkeys, dogs, and cats.

•Loves brushing his teeth, wrestling with dad, kissing/holding Mason, making cookies with mom, and playing with his cousins at his grandparents houses.

•Loves being outside (we can’t wait for it to warm up, but he loved snow too)

•Potty-trained quickly after we brought Mason home.

•Loves bath time.

•Doesn’t love having his hair cut or washed.

•Loves having his friends over (he asks me every day “friends come over?”)

•Funny sayings: orange (sounds like arn-ge), yeah sure yeah, hice cream, hode it, hode it (as he’s running to the potty),"Now I know my ABC's next time woncha sing wich me"! "I'm going to boom it!" (when he is shooting something with the nintendo gun) he seriously is so funny, I can’t think of all the cute things he says because he is always talking and it’s all so cute!!

•He is a very good big brother, he’ll tell me “Mason waking up” before I even hear him and no it’s not because he’s waking him up. He loves to rock him, hold him, kiss him, hug him, and tries to help me bathe him and change his diaper. He will be so excited when Mason is big enough to wrestle.

New pix

2010-02-01T15:26:00.008-07:00

I had Mason and Eli's pictures done last week and I love how they turned out. Only problem is deciding which ones I want to frame :) I can't believe Mason is already a month old. Time seems to just fly by.

Mason's first bath...

2010-01-22T16:04:00.003-07:00

He didn't really love the bath especially when the water got anywhere near his face but it's worth it to have a baby that smells good :) Plus he looks so cute in his towel!

introducing the newest Holfeltz family member...

2010-01-22T15:53:00.001-07:00

Here we go finally (3 weeks later) some pictures of Mason Red Holfeltz.

techinal difficulties

2010-01-15T11:40:00.001-07:00

Sorry I haven't posted any pictures of Mason yet. I really want to but every time I try to upload pictures all it puts up is letters. If anyone knows how to fix this I'd appreciate the information. Until then, I'll just be saving for one giant post when I figure this out! :)

labor details (for those who care :))

2010-01-08T19:07:00.009-07:00

Wow, what a week it has been!! We went to my mom's for dinner on December 30th. I wasn't feeling very well but thought I was just having Braxton Hicks or something. My sister told me I would go pale for a few seconds then get my color back. I decided I should probably time my contractions then. They were about an hour apart when we got home that night. Around 1 in the morning they were getting unbearable but not really very consistent. I didn't care though, I figured I was set for an induction in less than 8 hours anyways, they wouldn't really send me home if it wasn't labor. To make a long story short, we went to the hospital got there around 2 and I was dilated to a 6. I got my epidural around 6 am and was an 8. The Dr came a little before 7 and broke my water. 3 sets of pushes later and at 7:04 am Mason Red made his debut. We chose the name "Red" for my dad, since that was his nickname and what everyone knew him by. It was the neatest experience because I honestly could feel my dad's presence around me the whole time. I knew he had just been cradling my baby in heaven and helped him prepare for this trip. It is hard for me to know that he won't really know his gpa but I am so very thankful for the knowledge I have that we WILL be together again. He weighted 7 lbs. 10 oz. and was 19 3/4" long. Not quite the 10 lb baby I was expecting but I was pleasantly surprised!! Mason latched right on and has been a great nurser. He sleeps well and seems to be a really good baby!! :)

Christmas

2009-12-27T09:09:00.006-07:00

Christmas was fun! I'm a little disappointed I only got 4 pictures from the whole day! But, here they are. Eli got a barn from Santa, and plenty of animals to go in it. After we opened presents we had our families over for my annual Christmas breakfast of eggnog pancakes, but ya didn't get any pictures of that. I hope everyone else had a great Christmas too.

Pre-Christmas fun!

2009-12-26T08:39:00.007-07:00

We had a great time getting ready for Christmas. Eli loved helping me make my sugar cookies for the neighbors and was a lot of help! He and Cloey got thirsty and had to stop for a drink!

Holfeltz Family Christmas Party

2009-12-21T17:34:00.016-07:00

We had the annual Holfeltz Christmas Party Saturday night. We hosted it at our house since I'm really in no condition to travel. Thanks everyone for coming, it was alot of fun!! We even got some halfway decent pictures of our whole gang!!

These are the cute ones of the grand-kids. Not too bad considering Tommy wasn't having it and we 10 kids!!

Then we did the gift exchange...
Eli's animals were a big hit!

All the grand-kids got new jammies!!
Tess loved her piggy bank!

Gpa and Gma loved watching the kids open presents!

Eli loves his baby Shae!

The great tree hunt...

2009-12-15T09:01:00.006-07:00

We decided to get a real tree this year. We wanted to get a bigger one, but it really did look much smaller in nature. We drug it out to the truck, then luckily there was another guy up there getting a tree so he helped Will load it. We got it home and two of Will's friends had to help bring it in. It was hard to get it to stand up in our stand but after much work, we got it!! Decorating was interesting! I ran out of lights and ornaments about halfway up the tree. I settled on some cute ornaments from the dollar tree til I can get some more on after Christmas sales.

Here it is in nature. Below is Eli helping Will find the right tree, he kept saying, "Not fis one!" He finally agreed on the tree we chose.

Here's a pic of it decorated. It looks smaller than 15 ft in this picture, but it really is that HUGE!

So much to be thankful for...

2009-12-09T09:44:00.007-07:00

Thanksgiving was alot of fun this year. We hosted the dinner at our house for the whole Holfeltz clan. Sadly, these were the only pictures I got from the whole day! I love Eli's face in the first one and Shea's in the last! So cute!
I'm a little late in posting but I wanted to post about what I'm most thankful for....first, my wonderful husband!! Second, my sweet baby Eli. Thirdly, I'm thankful for all of my extended families! They are the most important things in my life and I love them so much!!

Next, I'm thankful for the miracle of pregnancy, sure it's really not fun being 9 months pregnant but it's so amazing feeling that little life inside of you. Also, I'm thankful that I've had the opportunity to complete my schooling. I'm so thankful for my friends and mom who have helped me so much with Eli while I finished. I'm also so grateful that Will supported me and played Mr. Mom with Eli so many long nights!

Finally, I'm so very thankful for my testimony and the knowledge I have that I will see my sweet daddy again. He truly was my biggest hero. I'm sad to know that I will never have a picture of my new baby with my dad, but I'm sure he is snuggling him in heaven and will make sure he gets here safely. It has been hard for me to get into the holiday spirit this year and I finally have figured out why, it feels like something is missing. Well, obviously, it's him. But, I am so thankful that his suffering is over and that he is still watching over us, I feel him around me and cherish the moments I had with him.

HaLloWeEn!!!

2009-11-01T08:17:00.011-07:00

We had a great Halloween.
First, we took Eli to one of our neighbor's house to take pictures of him by their giant pumpkins. But they weren't home and had the pumpkins covered. We just decided to take some in their hay bales.

I was going to be a mummy (the mummy to be) but couldn't find white sweats anywhere. My brother and sister in law were dressing up in my parent's old rendezvous clothes so we decided to dress up with them. It was kind of emotional as we dug through all of my dad's stuff, brought back alot of memories. We went to our ward's trunk or treat then took Eli around to see family.

We couldn't keep the frog out of the candy!!

Baby...

2009-10-16T18:14:00.018-06:00

We had our 3d ultrasound today..it was really neat to see the baby up that close. I'm thinking he's going to look alot like Eli did when he was born, but we'll see..For now here are some fun pictures of what we saw...

Bday Fun!!

2009-08-17T09:13:00.020-06:00

Eli's party was alot of fun. It rained a ton before the party so he enjoyed jumping in the puddles while we were setting up the pinata. I had a pull string pinata so each kid took turns pulling on a string until one would open the pinata. He loved his monkey cake but we just ate the cupcakes and then he decided to tear into his small one I had the candles on.Then he opened his presents. He loved all the trucks he got! He also got a rocket thing that he, Will, and my nephew Riley had too much fun with. Then they all attempted a ride in the wheelbarrow. haha it was really funny. Overall it was a fun party and I can't believe my baby is almost 2!!

This was his cake

He loved his monkey cake!

Eli getting some help blowing out the candles and
opening his presents!

my sweet monkey!

the wheelbarrow race

Happy birthday my sweet baby!!

And the results are...

2009-08-10T14:03:00.005-06:00

We had our big ultrasound the last week of July and found out we are having another BOY!! We are really excited but I'm a little worried about the trouble they are going to cause together!
I am now 20 weeks so exactly halfway, so I decided to post some pics of my baby bump...

Eli is SOO excited about the baby. He really loves being around babies and I hope that he will be as good with his brother as he is with other people's babies (granted these are both girls, but he seems to love baby boys just as much). He loves to kiss the baby (my belly).

fun at the lake!

2009-07-20T10:12:00.010-06:00

We went to the lake twice this summer. The first time we went Eli wasn't too sure about the water. This last time he warmed up to it more. But playing in the sand seemed to be the favorite activity of the day. We had a lot of fun with Eli's aunts, uncles and cousins!

swimming fun!!

2009-07-07T13:09:00.006-06:00

Tess came over the other day while her parents packed to move. They both had so much fun in the pool. Eli usually doesn't like to get wet above his belly but Tess was quite the fish she was down in the water first thing.

Then she got really upset and was screaming: "Bug, Bug" Good thing Eli is not afraid of bugs he got the boxelder bug out of the pool for her. It was kinda squished in his fingers but he likes to show you what he got...

Then I showed them how to blow water out of their noodle. They thought that was so fun. We are sure going to miss Tess and her family but wish them the best in their new adventure! :)

Summer Fun!

2009-06-29T14:41:00.022-06:00

I'm so glad the weather has finally warmed up so we can enjoy the warm sunshine! We have had a fun summer thus far. We babysat my nephew for 2 weeks while his mom was at training for work. Eli really loved having someone to play with all day long! Here are some highlights from June....

We have been working hard on our yard. We had to connect to the sewer and Eli loved helping his dad dig the trench. Now we have to till our front yard and replant the grass because digging the trench made such a mess but it wasn't very good grass anyways.

We also got our back yard planted and it is doing really well. I love having grass back there! Eli loves helping his dad mow it. I know, I know this is totally not safe, but it was fun this one time!

Will also caught a hummingbird that was trapped in our garage and Eli thought it was so neat seeing it up close.

Eli also loved playing in my nephew's tent and tunnel. They seriously spent hours in there, watching movies and wrestling...so fun!!

Just a cute picture of me with Eli and one of him with his cousin..

time to spill the beans

2009-06-08T14:38:00.003-06:00

Our big announcement...

Yep, that's right. We're expecting Eli's baby brother or sister to join our family in early January. We are really excited. But, I'll be honest, I'm a little worried about the change. Some people say it isn't too bad going from one to two but others say it's really hard. I guess we'll adjust though right?!

Z00!!

2009-06-08T13:58:00.007-06:00

We had a really fun weekend to celebrate our anniversary....4 years, wow how time flies! We went to the Oquirrh Mountain Temple Open House on Friday with my sister and her little boy. Then we attempted dinner which ended up just being a big mess with Eli. But, good nonetheless. Saturday, my sister watched Eli for us and we went shopping and had lunch. It was really nice to have some alone time. Then we took my nephew and Eli to the zoo. Eli's favorite part was the monkeys. Riley's favorite was the talking parrot. Yeah, who knew the zoo had a talking parrot?! Anyways, here are some pictures from the zoo (the only place I had my camera and it also died halfway through so there aren't many)...(this is his monkey impersonation)

All about my great husband!!

2009-06-01T15:29:00.005-06:00

All about Will!

(since it is his 27th bday today I decided to dedicated one whole post to the man I love more than anything else!!)
1. Where did you meet your husband?
On Halloween, he was uptown with some of his friends.
2. How long did you date before you got married?
about 8 months.
3. How long have you been married?
4 years on the fourth of June.
4. What does he do that surprises you?
Sometimes he'll make dinner, do the dishes and clean up the living room at night.
5. What is your favorite feature of his?
His eyes.
6. What is his best quality?
He is very personable and gets along well with everyone.
7. Does he have a nickname for you?
Shnookie...not so sure where he came up with that.
8. What is his favorite food?
Mexican.
9. What is his favorite sport?
Basketball.
10. When and where did you first kiss?
On our second date we were out riding four wheelers so it was under the stars...
11. What is your favorite thing to do as a couple?
Just spend time together.
12. Do you have any children?
Yes, and he is the BEST dad!!
13. Does he have any hidden talents?
He is really mr. fix-it, I'm pretty sure there isn't anything he can't fix if he wanted to.
14. How old is he?
27 today!
15. Who said I love you first?
Him.
16. What is his favorite music?
Currently...Linkin Park, (this is a hard one!!!!)
17. What do you admire most about him?
That he is so loving to me even though I'm pretty sure I'm hard to be around all the time! :) He always tells me how beautiful I am even if my hair is a mess, i'm wearing a baggy t-shirt and sweats- he really doesn't care. I also love how he is not too quick to judge others and feels that everyone deserves a fair chance.
18. What is his favorite color?
Blue.
19. Will he read this?
He might...

Motorcycle

2009-05-28T13:24:00.006-06:00

Eli was so excited that he got to go on a very short motorcycle ride up the driveway at my mom's house. I thought the pictures were really cute, especially the one of him in the helmet.

Goodbye Tulips

2009-05-28T13:06:00.006-06:00

Well at first I thought it was so cute that Eli would pick me a flower and then spend a great deal of time carrying it around and smelling it..

until I came back around the corner to find him doing this....

He picked every single petal off of every tulip. Oh well they don't last nearly long enough anyways, guess I should be glad he enjoyed them too!!

Family Pictures

2009-05-19T13:45:00.007-06:00

We finally got our family pictures taken, we've been trying since Christmas but this was the first time everyone was together and dad was feeling well enough to be there. My grandparents were even out that weekend. I was a little worried that Eli wouldn't be good, but for the most part he was very cooperative. I think the pics were worth the wait...

(the whole family)

(the originals and spouses)

my daddy, my hero...

(my favorite of my family!)

Eli's new best friend

2009-05-16T07:31:00.000-06:00

Eli has his first best friend, it's our neighbor boy, Mason, who is about 14 years old! He comes over every afternoon after school and they ride bikes or play basketball. He loves riding on Mason's bike and when dad comes home to play bball with them. When I take Eli outside he says Mas? I think it is the cutest thing. I'm just worried about July when Mason and his mom are moving to Kentucky...I think Eli will be a little sad.

kite flying!

2009-04-25T14:44:00.000-06:00

Eli got a kite for Easter. Last weekend Will decided to take him into the field behind our house and fly it. They were having a lot of fun. Eli loved holding the kite and looking up into the sky pointing at it. He kept looking up and making a noise that I know means Elmo...

But then the inevitable happened. Eli let go of the kite and it flew away. But luckily it got caught in a tree in our yard. Will, being the amazing dad that he is, decided to retrieve it for him...

(This might just be where Eli get's his climbing abilities...)

Then after all that work the kite came off the handle anyways and he ended up chasing it back through half of the field. Ahh the things we do for our kids!

Easter

2009-04-13T12:23:00.000-06:00

We had a really fun Easter weekend. We went to the Easter egg hunt and then to grandma's house to dye eggs. That was Eli's favorite part!

He loved dunking them in yellow and green, hence the HULK hands...

He was really proud of his creation...

Then, we took these pics Sunday before church

A fun day at the park

2009-04-04T14:19:00.000-06:00

We went to the park a couple weeks ago with my mom and Eli's cousins. He really loved it, too bad we haven't been able to go back, it's not too fun in the snow!!

Last year the swing was the best. This time he still liked the swing, but the slide was WAY more fun, probably because he got to climb all the way up to the slide before he went down. The animal thing was only fun for about two seconds.

the art of throwing a fit!

2009-03-15T09:03:00.000-06:00

Eli has developed a "tude"! He definitely thinks he is 2 already, because the terrible stage has already begun!

It's hard to learn to love this stage! He'll give me a big hug and kiss when he's done throwing his fit, which makes it hard to stay mad at him.

My new favorite pictures...

2009-03-06T12:45:00.001-07:00

Like father, like son...

He has a new love for books, which

I think is just so much fun!!

He's deeply engrossed in this book!

So cute!

What next?!

2009-02-28T14:35:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Eli figured out a new trick..

.

Yep, he climbs up the rails until he can get both feet on his mattress then flings his whole body over the rail. Thus far, he has yet to figure out how to get back down, but I'm thinking it is inevitable so if anyone has any good suggestions for the transition to the toddler bed it looks like we will soon be needing them...

Eli's 18 months old!

2009-02-28T14:16:00.000-07:00

Eli is now 18 months old and I thought it would be fun to post about him. I can't believe how fast he grew up. He babbles alot but I can now distinguish: some, peas (please), all go (all gone), num num (yumyum), bubbas (bubbles), cat, ball, bid (bird), Izzy down (he loves to yell this at my mom's dog), mom, daddad, shush (shoes), No! (he loves to tell us no anytime we want him to do anything),Elmo (this is sort of just a noise he makes but I know what he's saying) and he just learned to say football (it's the cutest thing!). He loves vegetables, fruit, chocolate, noodles (of any sort) and waffles. His favorite things to do include: watching Elmo, dancing to music, being outside, playing basketball,playing with his cousins, or wrestling with them...and he especially loves malling our cat! He is so much fun and I love him so much for the happiness he brings to me!!

Sleepy Head!

2009-02-23T20:20:00.000-07:00

Haha! My amazing babysitter Roseanna took these pictures of Eli who fell asleep at the table after they had lunch. I love how he progressively gets closer to the table! It's funny how they seem to just crash sometimes and it doesn't matter where they are!!

spring fever!

2009-02-19T11:40:00.000-07:00

.
Well I have developed a strong case of spring fever. I know it's only February but I am so done with winter. We went outside and played in the porch swing, attempted to play basketball and went for a walk. It looked alot warmer than it was (hence the pic of his cold, red nose) but it still was so nice to get some fresh air. I thought these pictures of Eli were really cute!

My baby thinks he is a MONKEY!

2009-02-19T11:32:00.000-07:00

Today, I decided my house was in need of some deep cleaning. So, I started dusting in Eli's room. Well he figured out how to climb up onto his changing table. And how to see out the blinds. But, then he couldn't figure out how to get down...once I helped him down, he climbed right back up! He also figured out how to climb up onto our makeshift tv stand and get the dvd's down. Hmm...what am I going to do with him?? And why do they always look so cute when they know they are doing something wrong??!