Eli's New Do

Coaxed with a continuous supply of dum-dums (like a chain-smoker) in any color he fancied, Eli joined his cousins Max and Gabe in getting a new hairdo yesterday evening. We agreed to give the boys faux-hawks in honor of David Beckham and our upcoming family vacation to the Outer Banks. Despite the fact that Eli now thinks he is way too cool for school, he looks adorable. Will I have the time to pull out gel and lovingly style my not even 3 year old's hair every morning? Ha! If I remember to wipe the oatmeal crust off of Eli's cheeks before we walk out the door it's a major accomplishment so....probably not. But for special occasions and while combing the beaches of NC this kid will have style.

Boys Before

Are You Talking To Me?

I was at Kroger getting groceries today and was trying to hurry because I had already been there almost an hour and wanted to be done and go home. I was walking down the bulk food isle when I heard a woman proclaim loudly, in almost a shout behind me "So I read in a magazine that eating walnuts is really good for your health." I glanced back quickly only to realize that there was no one else around and she was making direct eye contact with me. "Oh really?" I said politely, awkwardly backing my cart toward this stranger as she continued to approach me. "Yes," she said. "They are supposed to help with weight loss." I nodded and smiled and said something in agreement before starting forward again on my way. And then she chimed in again even louder (because I was on the opposite end of the aisle by now) "And I'm also going to make bean soup. Isn't that just the craziest thing, a soup made entirely of beans without any meat?! Have you ever heard of such a thing?" Again, and even more awkwardly, I backed my cart down the long isle to be within a reasonable conversation range. "I actually love bean soup and you wont even miss the meat, and its full of protein" I replied. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I'm off to look for the walnuts then." And she was gone. Alllllrighty then. So Very Random.

The Dog and Pony Show...

and I am so not kidding.

So apparently going to Grandma and Grandpa's house where you can drive any of the 4 power wheels vehicles parked in the garage, share potato chips and licorice with grandpa, stay up late, swim in the pool, and play with a selection of toys that rivals Toys R Us is no longer good enough. Grandma thought she needed to step it up a notch or two, and you know, secure her house as the GREATEST PLACE ON EARTH! So today at 11:30am, a white church van (yes, random) pulled up the driveway with not 1, not 2, but 3 ponies inside! One was for riding and "decorating," one was a little baby for feeding carrots and petting, and one stayed in the van because he was apparently tired and had a full day of birthday parties ahead of him or something like that.For an hour, my parent's backyard turned into a temporary petting zoo and there were 6 kids clamoring for their turn in the saddle. It was surreal and just all around hilarious. And yes Grandma, your ponies were a BIG hit. Eli will never want to hang out with his boring parents and regular old dog again. And now we're going to have to find a way to afford a pony for his 3rd birthday. Maybe I should check craigslist??

Feeding carrots to 1-year-old Daisy, who is just about the same size as our dogEli and Zachary fighting for their place on the stool where the next rider would wait for a turnThis poor pony was stickered and glittered and adorned and brushed, and just stood there perfectly still while 12 hands were all over him Giving Blue a good-bye hug

Can you tell me how to get to Sesame Street?

This week we packed up 2 mini vans loaded with 3 double strollers, boxes of diapers, 7 car seats, 6 brave adults, and 7 wild and crazy children under 5 years old all headed to Sesame Place Theme park in Langhorne, PA. I'm not gonna lie, it was a long 12 hour car ride even though Grandma and Grandpa took 4 of the loudest kids in their van. But the trip was so much fun in an exhausting-this is all for the kids- kind of way. These cousins are so sweet together and it was unbelievably generous of my parents to plan this for all of us. We did all feel like cattle ranchers though, herding our group of many small children from one ride to another. Those little boys can slip away pretty fast! Here are a few pictures from our adventure.

Elmo and friends stage show Eli and Zachary were clapping pretty much the entire time Bert and Ernie were doing a photo-op on the street but were starting to leave when we got there. I told Eli to run up and give them a hug not realizing he was shirtless and also wearing Callie's broken diva sunglasses. Real classy. Notice how Bert is trying to walk away and Eli is just standing right in front of him. This makes me laugh.

End of the day parade at Sesame Place. We almost got everyone in this picture except for Phil and cousin Lily.