*poof* 2 Months Goes By

It's no mystery that time flies.

It seems like just yesterday that we were celebrating Elsie's 3rd Birthday... but now it's 8 weeks later! I don't think it's having a lack of things to write about, but rather, being so caught up living life that we seldom find time to take a step back and think or talk about life. That's when I remembered that this is not simply a scratchpad for us, but also (hopefully) a collection of snapshots throughout Elsie and Elias' lives for them to be able to revisit later in their lives.

SO, having said that, the last two months have been very fun, challenging, and wonderful. We've had some sicknesses run through the house (RSV - respiratory somethingerother virus) which turned Elsie into a barking seal and contender for the longest continuous snot-stream to exit a human being.

Elias also has been dealing with his first cold, but it has been concurrent with the introduction of 6 new teeth. Yes, you read that correctly - SIX. Poor little guy is going from 2 teeth to 8 in one fell swoop. Little overachiever. This does, however, explain why he has been slightly less than interested in eating, sleeping, or smiling.... but thankfully mostly all of those teeth have cut now and he's back to being himself... whatever that means as he seems to be changing daily.

She's Three

On January 21st, 2010, Elsie turned three. No big fanfare or anything, just a really nice time with immediate family and her best friend Evey and the Myers.

What a fun and interesting three years it has been! Elsie has learned and grown so much. We love her.

Without further ado.... pictures.

 

A winged Elsie in a BEAUTIFUL outfit her ever-talented Halmuni made for her.

 

Closer view of the outfit. Good color for her!

 

The overachiever version of cupcakes from her loving mommy. 

 

It didn't take much cajoling to get her in her princess dress that her Aunt Jennifer and Uncle Ed got for her.

 

Evey in the fairy princess outfit.... and Andrew's butt. I couldn't crop this without making it look really awkward.... which Andrew is probably feeling right about now.

 

The princesses.

 

Can you tell that the teen years are going to be fun?

 

Our little girl.

Behold, children are a heritage from the Lord, the fruit of the womb a reward. - Psalm 127:3

You are such an amazing blessing to us Elsie. We love you. Happy birthday Elsie-girl!

It's Not All Roses

So, it has occurred to me lately that most of this blog is flowers, smiles, and blissful moments and as we all know, the contrasting moments make these so sweet.

The last week has been one of those weeks with the girl. You know (or maybe not), one of those weeks where you would trade your child for a bag of Skittles?.. and not even a big bag, just a Halloween fun-size.

So here are some thoughts from the dark side of the moon.

• Soon to be parents or parents with newborn/infants - For whom does the bell toll? YOU. Your turn is coming.
• Parents that either have kids that are this age, or parents that have older kids - pray for us, you know where we're at.
• Parents that can't relate at all - please send us a sample of your happy pills.

Discipline your son, for there is hope. Do not set your heart on putting him to death. - Proverbs 19: 18

Harrumph.

Sure He Smiles, but Does He Laugh?

Anyone who has met, or seen pictures of the boy knows that he smiles. A lot.

Interestingly enough, while he smiles more than Elsie did, he definitely doesn't laugh like she did. As a matter of fact, it's somewhat of a challenge to get him to laugh.... unless you're Elsie.


Laughing with Sister from Fred Choi on Vimeo.

Not Hiding Behind the Lens

I'm usually the one hiding behind the viewfinder of the camera, but here are a few pics Dana snapped that came out. Please keep comments positive.

Discussing the upcoming photo session.

Level of participation - low.

Good enough... and with a 2.5 year old, good enough is perfection.

Christmas Time

Wow. It's been over two weeks since we've posted anything on here. So much to report! Elsie got a job, Elias is driving, and Abbey the cat has turned over a new leaf and is a cuddly-cat.

These are all lies, some further from the truth than others.

It was a really good (and quiet) Christmas. We spent the day at home and just lounged around and relaxed throughout the morning. Halmuni Candy came over a little later and we all watched the Nutcracker on DVD and then shared a nice dinner. It was one of the more low-key and mellow times we've had in a while, but it was really nice.

Getting ready for......

First exposure to sticky buns... not of the diaper variety.

Elias doing his favorite thing.... besides eating and pooping of course.

He really is that happy.

Checking out her new kitchen.

Obviously about to say something really important.

Matching aprons - made by Halmuni.

You can't help but smile along.

Can YOU do it? I can do it!

For very obvious reasons, this post will not be accompanied by pictures.

Disclaimer: The recounting of the following events may contain toilet humor and real life situations. Nothing gross, but the entirety of this story takes place in the bathroom.

We (a term to be used liberally - mainly Dana with my occasional participation) have been potty training Elsie recently. It has largely been successful, but one particular day was particularly funny and inspiring to us, but most importantly, we considered it of the utmost importance to chronicle potentially embarrassing moments for our later use with Elsie.

On this particular afternoon, Elsie was playing with her Elmo doll when she told Dana that Elmo needed to go potty, so off she went with Elmo in tow into the bathroom. After a bit of rustling and a toilet flush, Dana went in to check on how things were going.

"Ok." said Elsie.

"You know," explains Dana, "as long as you're in there with Elmo, you can also use the potty if you need to since you're wearing your pull-ups."

"Oh, ok."

After a few minutes, we peeked in and Elsie was sitting on her potty with her pants and diapers at her ankles - 'reading' a book.

Fast forward 3 minutes.

FLUSH

"Daddy, can you please come in here?" Elsie asks.

When I get to the bathroom she is in the process of pulling out her step-stool to get up and wash her hands. Needless to say, we were THRILLED that she went to the bathroom on her own.

She then explained to me that she needs me to grab the towel off the rack so she could dry her hands after cleaning up. Once I gave it to her, it was pretty apparent that my usefulness was exhausted as she dismissed me with a, "um, excuse me daddy, but I need some privacy."

It's a pretty thankless job I tell ya.