lil E in the morning

E woke up happy today. Here he is showing off his glorious gap.

Smoky Mountain Trip

We had a great time and racked up some serious miles on the focus!

Giddy up!

Oma and Opa take the kids for a ride on a old school playground toy. This was at the Peters Family Reunion in Gifford.

thinker

Lennox is thinking again....waiting for his turn in granny's chair.

E's first haircut

Granny still has it! even after 8o years, she is still cutting and styling hair. Elliott was well behaved for his first haircut.

Comparison at 1

Wow. Lennox was so much more beefy than Elliott at the same age! Both aren't really interested in getting their hands dirty. Elliott was extra grumpy because he wasn't feeling great.

happy 1st bday E

Elliott turned 1 last weekend. we can't believe how time flys...

muscles

when papa was lennox's age, the family joke was that everytime papa showed his muscles, he contracted some sort of sickness. Lennox or mama did not seem to have any post-flex illness.

mama and elliott

elliott hasn't figured out yet that the cubs are the despicable this year....and most years.

Oh Honey Bunches of Oats!

Elliott is caught in the act here....mama was getting ready to make some homeade chicken fingers with honey bunches of oats breading. Well, Elliott figured out how to get into the bag and the rest is a mess.

brady bunch

Lennox and Elliott love to head to the basement for fun time. Nox painted this house and here they are peering out of one of the windows.

taking a break on easter sunday

Lennox was all tuckered out from Easter festivities. Mama helps him relax.

Toad huntin'

Lennox was out toad hunting again. He said he needed four since we had four people in the family.

Allerton

Lennox said, "Papa, this is a pretty bad picnic because it is too windy." We recovered to have a wonderful time in the spring sun. Lennox loved the Fu Dog Garden so much, we had to walk back to it again. The family hiked a couple of miles - finally!

The view from above

One boy happy ...

and one boy crabby.

The chase is on!

A common scene in our house: Lennox on his car, Elliott in his walker, racing circles around the house. How will El join in the race after he is no longer walker-dependent? He will have to learn to ride a car pronto!

Bath buddies

Both Nox and El could stay in the bath all day if you would let them. Elliott loves the bath toys and has started to get a real charge out of splashing. Lennox just loves everything about water.

3 clowns

Elliott, Mama and Lennox like to be as close together as possible. We are 3 peas in a pod.

Stylin'

Lennox perfecting his Flock of Seagulls look.

Elliott's not so sure he wants that 'do.

Animal Crackers

Lennox had a blast at the Animal Crackers program at the Decatur zoo, where he got to pet a chinchilla, a guinea pig and a llama. He also enjoyed making a Valentine in the shape of a llama footprint. Papa was hoping Nox would get to see a bush baby, but the theme was South American animals, so Lennox had to remind him that there are no bush babies in South America.

Skinny boy

E's 9-month dr. appointment was on Feb. 3, and he clocked in a bit on the skinny side. 19.4 lbs (30th percentile), 28.5 inches (59th percentile) and a big ol' 18.3-inch head (82nd percentile). Doc was a bit concerned about how he had slowed down, but I think at least part of the height was due to faulty measuring. But you can't deny the weight (down from 62nd percentile at his 6-month checkup), so Operation Pork-Up has commenced. Unfortunately, Elliott has very little interest in porking up, so I have a feeling this operation will be a failure! If anyone has any tips on how to get El to show interest in foods that aren't applesauce or pears, please let me know.

Christmas 09

Here are some belated photos of Christmas. Elliott's first Christmas was a bit of a bust because the poor boy had a fever and nasty cold symptoms, so he didn't have much fun. Lennox really got into Christmas this year and especially enjoyed passing out the presents and helping Elliott unwrap his. Some of Elliott's gifts actually turned out to be Lennox's favorites! That's OK, as long as they're both willing to share. Oh yeah, and Lennox actually liked Santa this year. That was a first!