Eli's second Easter...can't hardly believe he's 15 months! He is walking and talking and he has decided that he should exert his own opinion and thoughts and I am not sure how much I like it. He loves to walk, just not in any direction I prefer. He has a teeny temper (hmm hmm daddy's boy) and he is not afraid to speak up (rather shriek) when challenged. All in all he is the absolute most amazing creature that I have ever known and just when I think I am consumed entirely by my love for him, I learn I love him even more... how is this possible? Anyway, here are some pics from Easter and I know there are many, I just couldn't decide on fewer.
Springtime... means so many thing to so many people. To us... it means we get to hang out with the quints more often!!! So, last Saturday was the very first appearance by Luke, Sidney, Ivy, Briellen and Mitchell at the Wagners!!! Hold onto your hats!!! So much fun!
So... we don't often take part in "Texas" traditions to the fullest however, I didn't want to miss out on this one. I thought, once again, that I would get some really good shots of my blue-eyed subject laughing and frolicking in the beautiful blue bonnets. What I got was a determined toddler running AWAY and in the opposite direction from every perfect shot I wanted posed. So, instead here are several candids...
RJ surprised me with a Velentine's getaway to a new resort in Lake Conroe, TX. Since we have no grandparents locally,the little monkey tagged along. We had a very nice time. The room was gorgeous and we got a bottle of champagne, a dozen roses, dinner, breakfast and couples' massages in the room (although we had to go separately so one of us could entertain said monkey). We spent some time at a park in Lake Conroe the next day and the weather was fabulous. Although Eli couldn't have any champagne, he enjoyed milk while mommy imbibed... it was very nice family time...
Eli celebrated his first birthday January 12!!! We had a birthday party for him on January 17 when RJ's family came into town! It was a lot of fun and we had a great turnout. Unfortunately Eli didn't feel well (we later learned he can't tolerate cow's milk yet) and he absolutely did NOT want any of his cake!!!
Eli had his first Christmas in the Rocky Mountains with my family. It was a blast. We had a super warm snowsuit for him (something unheard of here in Houston) that won't get much use otherwise but he looked adorable in it. My dad pulled him all around Breckenridge in a Baby Boggin (Toboggin "baby-sized") for days. No stroller can make it through all that snow... There is a sledriding hill very close to their home and we finally decided to try him on the hills unassisted. He LOVED it. TOO funny, he smiled the whole way down the hill and laughed and laughed. In fact, the only time he cried was when we stopped. RJ and I actually got on the sleds with my niece, Maya, and I absolutely forgot how much fun it is to sledride! Hysterical! I can't wait to do it again. We also did some skiing which counted as my full second time. The great thing is that I really picked up where I left off and didn't fall much at all!!! GO ME! We had a low-key New Years (it's been a long time since that happened) and spent the night in with 2 bottles of champagne (and vodka/grapefruit, yum). There is a torch light ceremony that involves selected skiers (not me, of course, you have to be good)carrying lit torches down one of the peaks. Very neat. Then there were fireworks that we could see from my parents' living room. We watched the ball drop in New York and didn't even stay awake to see midnight mountain time. Oh well... so it goes. Pretty successful first holiday season for the boy... ho ho ho.
To see more pics from the trip go to: http://www.flickr.com/photos/susanbsn/sets/72157612171220427/
Short video of the "sledder" this is a much smaller hill but you can see his BIG smile at the end!
We celebrated Eli's first Thanksgiving in the privacy of our own home... I cooked for the 3 of us and Eli actually ate some too! I learned he really doesn't like mashed potatoes and rubs them into his hair rather than eat them (just like RJ used to do when he was a baby). The weather was really nice so we ate out on our new deck, yay!!! Now we don't have to worry that anyone will break their ankle on the old one! i took Eli's Christmas pics myself again... I think we did a little better. It was really tough to get him to sit still and not crawl. He took one step on December 17 but NOTHING since then, I figure he knows he has the crawling down, why bother? He also has been having some breathing and coughing (mostly coughing) issues for some time now and his Doctor started him on some treatments to help with inflammation in his lungs. I REALLY am hoping and praying that it doesn't turn into Asthma. The Doctor did say that it doesn't always mean it will. It was really hard to get the breathing treatments in him, he was NOT happy and waking him (and us) up every 4 hours is no picnic!!! ANyway, he still plays and plays constantly, he'd never know he was having an issue.... Lastly, we did have night with some real snow. Pretty awesome for us "Yankees"...