All I want for Christmas

Merry Christmas!

The boys headed to the club for breakfast with Santa. Unbelievably, all kids, even papa, were on their best behavior.

Finally! A tooth!

Elliott was super crabby today. Was it because of the nasty cold he has been nursing for a few days? Was it because of the 3 shots he received this morning? Was it because he hasn't been sleeping much thanks to his cough? Could be. But he has been a champ through all those troubles before. This afternoon, Mama found another reason for his bad mood: his very first tooth is poking through! It's about time. I think Nox's first one came right around 7 1/2 months, too. They're sorta slow.

Bob's belated bday

We took the family up to ol' Grizzly Jack's this weekend for a little retreat. We would love to say it was relaxing, but that would be a lie. Regardless, a good time was had by all. Enjoy!

Vegas 2009

The family took a trip out west to hike, enjoy some warm air, and watch the Illini lose two basketball games.

Mama and boys

Mama is here clowning around with the boys on a Saturday morning.

Bzzzzzz...It's papa's birthday!

Lennox and Elliott were bees for Halloween. That was the costume Lennox selected himself. You can see by the second picture, we didn't make it very far; Herb and Norma's was our first stop.

He ain't heavy; he's my brother

Um, Lennox, Elliott isn't a pillow. I guess E must have liked snuggling with his big brother in the trailer, because he soon conked out, too.

2 boys, 1 doctor's appointment, 0 tears

Elliott and Lennox checked in with Dr. Willett for their 6-month and 3-year appointments, respectively, on Nov. 2. My boys were so well behaved, and we made it through the whole visit without a single tear being shed! Not even when Elliott got his flu shot! Here are their stats:

Lennox:
Weight: 34 lbs. -- 75%
Height 37.5 in. -- 54%
BMI: 17 78-79%
Doc said Nox is doing great and is not too tubby, especially considering what a big baby he was. Maybe lay off the cheese a little.

Elliott:
Weight: 18.1 lbs -- 62%
Height: 28 in. -- 93%
Head: 17.8 in -- 85%
BMI: 16.2
Elliott was actually quite skinny for his height -- I think about 24th percentile for weight-to-height ratio. But doc said he's doing fine, too.

Wakin' up in the morning

This is E in the morning at Bob and Sue's house....after sleeping with him in the same room, we can't say we were as chipper.

Partying with the P's

the kids spent the weekend at bob and sue's. the weather was beautiful and a good time was had by all.

Exploring our 'hood

We found a nice place to hike just 1 mile from our house. Lennox got a real charge out of jumping off the logs. My boys are nature lovers!

Hair club for men

Elliott definitely received mama's thick, luscious hair. What a do!

Mmmm, delicious!

Elliott enjoyed his first meal of rice cereal on Sunday, and enjoyed is definitely the right word. He had been eyeing our food so long, we finally had mercy on him and gave him a meal of his own. He chowed it down happily. We tried to get Lennox to feed him a bite, but he said, "No, it's too messy." Why am I not surprised by that reaction? After Elliott finished his rice, he was messy but happy.

A bad parent's guide to putting baby to sleep

The other night, Elliott didn't want to go to bed. We went through his usual bedtime routine, but he was still wide-eyed. So I took him back downstairs so he could watch "The Biggest Loser" with us. The TV left him transfixed and tranquil, and he drifted right off.

Silly hat

They grow up so darn fast, you've got to dress them up in stupid hats every now and then while they're still little enough to let you get away with it.

Ol' Coke bottles

Hello, everybody, this is Harry Caray! I'm a Cub fan and a Bud man. And in case you were wondering, Elliott spelled backward is Ttoille.

Toothless wonder

We need to make sure we actually get a few good pics of that toothless grin, because I feel something trying to poke through on the top. He won't be my toothless wonder much longer!

Just keep swimming

Elliott made his debut at the Civic Center pool this week, and he quite enjoyed the toasty warm water. He practiced kicking in his floaty. Papa and Nox were also caught working on their skillz.

Baby Nox, big Nox

Here is a picture of Lennox from his first trip to the park, when he was about 6 months old, and another of him on the swings last weekend. My little boy is growing up ... sniff, sniff! Then: fat and bald. Now: tall and curly. And are those the same brown pants?

Ready for work

Papa can stay home from work today. Lennox is all dressed and ready to go in his place.

2 cool cats

Looks like a couple of shady characters to me.

A friendly visit

Lennox and Elliott enjoyed a visit from their favorite Texans last weekend. At one point we had 7 kids at our house at once, and everyone survived! But I am going to have to check our insurance policy to see if it will cover the tornado that hit the playroom. ...

Is 6 a new record for our golf cart? And there was plenty of room on the back for more!

Addison and Nox relaxing in the back yard.

Mama and Elliott missed the group photo -- we'll Photoshop them in later.

Aging gracefully.

4-month stats

In this corner, weighing in at 16 lbs., it's 4-month-old Elliott! He is also 26 inches long, according to last week's dr. visit. That puts him in the 75th percentile for weight and 90th for height. I've already forgotten his head circumference, but it was plenty big.

Elliott's other interests at age 4 months: Grabbing Mama's hair and the hanging toys on his play mat, smiling and laughing whenever he gets attention and refusing to sleep through the night! Yahoo!

Elliott's first camping expedition

Giant City, IL

Canada 2009

We had another wonderful trip up north again this year!

Bath faces

Elliott always enjoys a good bath. On this particular evening, Lennox and Mama went swimming and Papa and Elliott stayed home. Elliott screamed at Papa the entire time Mama and Nox were gone, except for during his bath. Gotta love the bath.

Tackle!

Lennox is down for the count!

Beer me!

Just watching the tube, waiting for Mama to bring me a brewski ...

Boat boy

Lennox is king of the ocean. ... OK, maybe just Lake Mattoon.

Mug shot

Elliott is a pretty smiley dude, but this is the closest we've come to catching it on camera. I think we are suffering from second-child syndrome on our picture-taking.

Beautiful baby

I have a burning desire to enter Elliott in the "Most Beautiful Baby" contest at the county fair tomorrow, but I think Jason is going to keep me in line and stop me from doing it. We both know it's just a scam to separate egotistical parents from their money, but I really think he has a shot at the title! Alas, I will instead award him first place for Most Beautiful Baby on this blog. The prize? 100 kisses. Way to go, Elliott!

Cinderelly

We took Lennox to his first play recently: "Cinderella" at the Little Theatre in Sullivan. He seemed to enjoy it, but he was a bit disturbed by how different it was from his book. I think he would have liked to have seen the mice up there, too. He liked the character who played the King because he had glasses exactly like Nox's.

Elliott enjoyed a little extra attention from Norma while the rest of the fam was at the theater.

Frog fun

Sometimes when Lennox wakes up in the morning, there is a special treat waiting for him. Papa likes to go froggin' after dark and catch a few hoppers for Nox. We play with them in the morning and then let them go back to their pond. Nox loves it!

He also got a charge out of the turtle Opa found for him.

2-month stats

Elliott made a return trip to the doctor on Thursday for his 2-month checkup. He didn't particularly enjoy the 3 shots, but Mama was happy to hear that he is progressing beautifully. He's in the 90th percentile for weight (13 lbs 9 oz.), height (24 inches) and head circumference (16 inches).