This post is going to be random, cute, funny things about us that I don't want to forget.  I am aging, the memory is starting to go, so I need to preserve these thoughts in the blog so when I am officially senile, the boys will be able to know these things I adore about them! 

Yesterday while I was working, I was enjoying one of my very favorite snacks of graham crackers and diet coke and I thought of my little Elliot.  This is my favorite snack for a special reason, and not because graham crackers are so very tasty.  Right after Elliot was born, it was getting close to midnight and the nurse asked me if wanted something to eat.  I could have anything she said.  Nothing really sounded that good.  I was sicker than a dog with a cough and a bad sinus infection and despite the strenuous activity of just having birthed a child,  I really wasn't all that hungry.  She offered some crackers and I asked if they had graham crackers for some odd reason.  They did, so she brought me some with the necessary diet coke (that was also my first request after Harry was born!).  I wolfed those suckers down.  I guess I was hungrier than I thought.  And they tasted like heaven.  Now I eat them all of the time, and each time I am reminded of my sweet little baby and that unexpected, wonderfully blessed night.

Harry is getting funnier and sassier with each passing day.  He now tells the baby he has to go to time out, and he often points his finger authoritatively at Mommy and Daddy and says things like "No, YOU be quiet!"  He is currently in a big no phase, meaning that whatever you want him to do, he doesn't want to do it.  Doesn't want his diaper changed, but doesn't want to go on the potty either.  If you turn on the Backyardigans, he whines for the Little Einsteins.  He doesn't want to eat, but whenever we drive by McDonalds or Wendy's, he says it's time to eat.  You get the picture.  Sometimes, however, he can be so very, very sweet.  Almost every morning he walks by his fish tank and says "Good morning, fish!!"  He is always so happy to see his little brother in the morning.  He bursts into Elliot's room when he hears him and says in the most high-pitched voice "Hi buddy buddy!!"  He tells me all the time that Elliot, Oscar, and Callie are so cute.  He tries to say big words like non-negotiable and Princess Fiona and keeps us in stitches.  His recent obsession with the Little Einsteins causes him to say things like Igor Stravinsky, "yeah Rossini!" and "Catcheye the Ogre is bad!!"  When he says "hold my hand" or "Can I hold him?" he sounds a lot like Bob Dylan.  We love him more than we could ever describe!

We haven't been up to a whole lot since the weather has been so cold.  We have our inside routine during the day down pat, and surprisingly we haven't been too bored.  We will be ready for springtime for sure though.  I took the boys to Toddler Time at the library last week (they read a story, sing some songs, and make a craft) and he had a blast.  I honestly think he was the most engaged kid there!  After we got home, he was playing with the penguin he (or should I say I) made, I asked him what his penguin's name was.  He immediately said Scott!  That struck me as so funny!  He then changed it to Eyes, then Nose, then he changed it to Jim.  Hilarious!  I think he called it Jim not because we know someone named that, but because Travis and I joined a gym last week and the boys have gone there a few times with me and stayed in the child care area.  The toddler mind never ceases to amaze me.  This kid doesn't forget anything!

After a week in the hospital and five days in a rehab facility, Travis's Granny is back home and doing super.  We are so thankful and grateful for everyone's prayers!   

Unfortunately, I'll have to start this entry off on a bad note.  Travis's Granny suffered what appears to be a stroke Monday evening.  We are hopeful that the after effects are minimal.  There is no paralysis, she seems to be swallowing okay, but she is unable to communicate well.  Her speech is very hard to understand, and she wasn't able to point to yes or no on a piece of paper.  She also seems very tired, agitated, and uncomfortable.  She did show some improvements yesterday like saying yes, no, and okay, and she waved bye to us when we left for the evening.  Please keep her in your prayers as she will most likely have a long, hard road to recovery in front of her.  We can't wait to have our funny, spunky Granny back healthy!

Other than Granny's predicament, we are all so, so good!  Here is a little snippet of what we have been up to during the first few weeks of the new year!

Elliot has really blossomed during the last few weeks.  In a matter of a few days, he learned to feed himself finger food, drink out of a sippy cup, and say his first real words.  Any guesses as to what they were???  Hi and dog!  Go figure!  That little boy loves his doggies and they love him right back.  Or maybe they love the food that is always stuck all over him?  The main drawback of him realizing he could in fact feed himself is that now he thinks he needs to do it all of the time, even when he is being spoonfed.  As soon as the spoon full of baby food hits his mouth, in goes his hand and it is now virtually impossible to keep him and his outfits clean.  Since I don't like doing laundry every day, you can usually tell what he's been eating that day by looking at his clothes.  He is also teething furiously, which has caused a few broken nights of sleep lately.  Last night I saw 2 teeth peeking through (one on top, one on bottom), so hopefully he will be feeling better soon.  He has had a really difficult time with this round, so I've been giving the poor little guy ibuprofen about twice a day.  We have also been having better luck with naptime!  Most days I can get him to go down for a decent nap in the afternoon when Harry sleeps.  Gotta love that!  He also usually sneaks in cat naps when we are in the car...he is usually asleep before we are out of the neighborhood!  I have been letting him try a few table foods, which he loves!  If I could pick his favorite activity, it would probably be eating!  The kid never saw a Puff or Cheerio he didn't like!  Here are some of the new food he has tried recently:  string cheese, yogurt (he about climbs out of his highchair when he sees the Yo Baby container coming toward him!), cottage cheese, refried beans and rice, and saltines.  Yum yum!  I also caught him climbing up the stairs today when I went to get Harry from his nap which I didn't know he could do. He made it up 2 steps before I got to him. 

Harry continues to be his crazy, funny, sweet self.  The main struggle we have had lately is meal time.  I always had him try all different kinds of food in hopes that he wouldn't turn in to a picky eater.  I still have hope for him, but he has been on a hunger strike for a while.  He has basically been surviving on Pop Tarts, bananas, grapes, fruit snacks, pretzels, and the occasional chicken nuggets and french fries.  I have stopped letting him have a snack after dinner if he doesn't at least try to eat in hopes that he'll realize he needs to eat when we do.  I really hope this stage doesn't last long.  I hate the feeling that I'm sending my kid to bed hungry.  He has also turned into such a jabber jaws!  Last night, we went out to eat with Chris at our favorite mexican restaurant in our hometown after I got off work since they were in town visiting Granny.  Harry wasn't behaving poorly at all, but he was talking non stop and so LOUDLY that I was worried we were disturbing the other diners!  At one point he started yelling, "Look Mommy!  There's a mouse!  The mouse is coming!"  Of course, there was no mouse.  He got that idea from when we had a mouse in our garage for a few days that Travis couldn't find to shoo out, and we would say that to him to get him to get in the car quickly.  I'm sure the owners of a restaurant wouldn't appreciate a little monkey putting the idea that a mouse could be in their restaurant!  Geez.  I suppose he is just fullfilling his duty of embarassing us as much as possible!  He also has told me a few times that he pushed someone at daycare when he really didn't!  Already lying!  They grow up so fast! 

As for me, I am totally loving my new schedule!  I think it will be the perfect mix of getting out of the house, using my brain, and being where my heart is--with my family.  I think I have held up my end of the bargain pretty well in the first few weeks.  We have had home cooked meals almost every night, the house is pretty clean, and I am definitely more well rested and less stressed.  Travis said he was happy with everything so far, and he commented that I had been in a great mood which I didn't take offense to because I knew he was very right!  I have also lifted out of my Harry Potter induced fog as I finished the series last week.  I really loved reading the books, and it made me realize how much I miss reading in general.  It keeps me off the internet which I really like and it makes me feel like I use my downtime a little better instead of vegging out in front of the TV or the computer.  Travis started his new responsibility of being one of the assistant track coaches at our old high school.  He has been super excited about it and the first few days have gone well.  He is really taking an interest in the kids' lives and not just their athletic talents which I am very proud of him for that. 

We are in the middle of our first decent snow of the season and some severely cold temperatures, so my plans for the rest of the week are to stay inside, keep warm, and enjoy our extra time together!