my stinkpot turtle...

When Eli was born Lee started calling him a stinkpot turtle...cute name but what really is a stinkpot turtle??


The stinkpot turtle is certainly properly named, and if you ever have a close up encounter with one you will find this out rather quickly. The yellow like solution they secrete is so foul smelling it is likely to induce nausea in a person that is not blessed with a strong stomach.


Well, if you have been around Eli you will know that the boy has some gas and LOVES to poot!! Now they don't really smell but the nickname and the poots go hand in hand....I mean, look at this cute face...he does look like a little stinkpot doesn't he? And lucky me...He is MY stinkpot!

Two Month Pictures

Here are some pictures I took on Eli's Two Month Birthday - hope you enjoy!

Happy Birthday Mema!

**I did 3 posts tonight - make sure you read all of them!!**

Sunday was my grandmother's birthday - what a grand day! The family got together at my parent's house to celebrate her and then went to church with her that evening. She was so happy! Here are some pictures....

Martha Ellen - our rock!

Josie telling Mema all about the deer in the backyard

Uncle Cass and Auntie Melin with Eli

Me and Josie singing Happy Birdle Daydle to Mema! (our secret family song - Josie couldn't get enough of it - haha!!)

Eli with his great-grandmother Martha Ellen - one lucky boy!!

Uncle Ken - the quiet one of the bunch! Rare in this family!! (her 4th boy - yes, she had her hands full with 4 boys!)

Uncle Doug with Mema (her 2nd boy)

Dad with his favorite new little guy! They ADORE each other!! (dad is her 1st boy)

Grandpa Bob and the Queen of our family

Simpson trying to get Eli to play with him.

Mema with Uncle Jeff (her 3rd boy)

Thanksgiving with Friends

For the past three years we have celebrated one of my favorite holidays with our closest friends. Saturday night was our 3rd Annual Thanksgiving with Friends - what a fun night! The first year we tried cooking the entire turkey/dressing dinner but it was too much and we ended up worrying more about the food than enjoying each other. The last two years we have done stews and soups with cornbread and rolls. YUM! We had Veggie Beef Soup, Creamy Potato Soup, and Mexican Tortilla Soup - all were so good! Cornbread and jalapeno corn muffins were our sides and then came the Better Than Sex Mousse and homemade cookies w/ vanilla ice cream. We had some good food!! Lee built a fire out in our chimnea and everyone huddled around and had a great time. My favorite time was when the whole group (minus 2 couples who shall remain nameless!!) played Catch Phrase. We sat boy girl and played Boys against Girls - you would have thought we girls could beat the boys - but NO! they beat us by a point. Some were quite obnoxious about the entire game....LEE...CHAD...no names though! :) All in all, we had a fantastic time and missed those who couldn't be there.

Some of the girls - Me, Mary, Amy and Melin

The boys after their win - Lee is impersonating Eli! He makes this face when he is being rotten - one of our favorite things! Not so cute on Lee though. haha!

Kate, Tommy, Brooke and Grant having fun!

TROUBLE!! These two were mess pots all night!

Here are some photos of how I decorated the house - on a budget but tried to capture the fall season!I usually hang my Christmas cards on these ribbons in my kitchen. Originally, I was going to hang up pictures of each couple with us but I don't have all of them printed out (all on my computer). So what I ended up doing was writing a little "thankful" note for each couple and attaching with a mini clothspin and adding a colorful leaf from our yard. Turned out cute!

This was our dessert table - added a ribbon and some cedar to my pig menu holder. We have a ton of our wedding napkins left over - chocolate brown w/ our name on them. Perfect to use for dessert at parties!!

We were using paper bowls and plates to save on clean up so I decided to dress up the silverware. I wrapped each silver spoon in a napkin (white or brown) and then tied it with a coordinating ribbon (brown or green). Perfect!!

Our fireplace in the den - went to my mom's house early in the day and got some greenery from her yard. Used cedar branches, pinecones and mini pumpkins for the mantle. I always have a ton of pinecones to use during the holidays - did a whole arrangement (w/ votive candles) in the actual fireplace. Add the pumpkin that Kim and Lou got us last year and the look was complete!

Two Months Old

Can you believe it has been two months already?? Lee and I can't believe it! We woke up early this morning and sang Happy Birdle Daydle (it's our family thing) to Eli and he just smiled and cooed. It was an incredible morning! We had his 2 month check up with Dr. Doud (the local favorite) at 11am and he got such a good report. He is 9lb 8.5oz so has gained 2 1/2 lbs since he was born and was 22.5in long which means he grew a whopping 3 inches in 2 months! That totally explains why his feet don't fit into newborn socks and his legs hang out of his clothes! haha Dr. Doud was very pleased with his growth and proud that we are still breast feeding. He got his eyes, ears, nose, mouth, head, hips, legs, heart and so much more checked out...he was prodded all over the place! Dr. Doud was really pleased with his alertness, his ability to focus on things across the room, how he was holding his head up and the fact that he is applying pressure when you stand him up. He is going to be a strong little boy I think! (long and lean like his daddy!) We are so thrilled with his progress - these past two months have been the best of our lives! Here are some updates on what Eli (and us) are doing:

• Every morning Lee unwraps him around 7am when he wakes up - he has been in the swaddle so he likes to stretch and pass some gas...well, a lot of gas! When he is all done pooting he smiles the biggest smile and is ready to play!



• He found his hands last week and sucks on them all the time. You can hear him in the next room - hasn't figured out yet that his thumb could go in there. He still likes his paci though.



• Coos and makes all kind of noises when you are talking to him or during tummy time.



• Loves to smile - right now, I think my dad can make him smile more than anyone. (well, I think I may be a close second - the boy does love his momma!!)



• Loves to take a bath and really loves for you to let him swim a bit. (we hold his head and let his body float in the tub - he smiles and kicks his legs - cutest thing!)



• He takes 2 long naps - one in the morning for about 3 hours and then another one in the afternoon for 2 to 3 hours. So great for me to work during these hours and then I can spend time with him when he is awake.



• Bedtime for him right now is 9pm (after his feeding and bath) and he sleeps until about 7am. He back and forth right now on sleeping thru the night - if he wakes up it is at 3am or 3:30am - he eats and then is right back down. I am not pushing getting him to sleep thru the night until he is around 10lbs. Usually 2 or 3 nights a week he sleeps all night so I know he is close.



• He still loves his swing, being outside, riding in the car, being read too, having tummy time and being with people who make him smile.



• He is very content now - no more crying for long stretches at night. (two weeks of hell!)



• He is really laid back - nothing upsets him - can sleep thru any noise or loud party (like last Saturday night!).



• He loves Winston and Roscoe and they are warming up to him. Roscoe will actually go and drop his ball in front of Eli's swing when he is swinging as to say "Come on - throw the ball!" It is really, really cute!
  

I will post some new pics soon - gotta get them downloaded off of my parent's camera - check back soon!

Boo!

Little late...but here is Eli on his first Halloween...little sweet ghost! We didn't do much since we were out searching for our pups (will blog about that later) but he did wear his ghost outfit and pose for some cute pictures!!

Happy Birthday Melin!!

Happy, happy birthday to my sister...my best friend...my soul mate. God brought her into my life...my brother made her my sister. I am truly blessed! We went to the same high school a year apart....never friends because of other loyalties to friends and boys that came between us all. I moved back to Conyers in 2003 from Perry and she from Cali...both living at home with our parents after years of our freedom and own places. With a couple friends a book club was started and after one book...the book club was over but a friendship between the two of us was blossoming! She was my girly, girl friend who introduced me to Alias and Lord of the Rings...I introduced her to Young Adult novels. We shared a love of any kind of book, girly movies, tiaras, eyeliner (or really any kind of makeup!) and so much more. We had best friends who were twins...and finally felt like we had found our twin. She met my brother in the Fall of 2004 and the rest was history...what a love story! (that is for her to tell) I am forever grateful to Mary and Beka for jumpstarting a friendship that would later turn into a lifetime of sisterhood!

Melin, I love you and hope your birthday is a TREMENDOUS one! xoxo

One of my most favorite moments...the day she became my sister!

My most favorite moment...when Eli made her an Auntie!!