Christmas with Mimi and Go Daddy

We wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year


Before they came, the title would have been, "Christmas with Memaw and Grandaddy". But while they were here Elem seemed to rename them what he saw fit. So for now, my parents will be known to the grandkids as Mimi and Go Daddy. (Sorry Wyatt, since you are the youngest, you have to call them what Elem does!) My parents headed down the weekend before Christmas to spend time with us for the holidays, and then they were going to head off to Rossville, GA to spend time with my sis and her fam, so they could enjoy Wyatt's first Christmas at his home. Which worked out perfectly, because I ended up getting sick on the actual Christmas day-but I will get into that on a later post. For now, the good stuff!

Let me start off by saying, the on Friday night, Elem, Seth, and I went to his first Bryant/Benton game! Which was a huge deal for us, because we live in Bryant, and of course support the locals. Seth went their, all his family and friends went their, blah blah. So we go, we have fun, but I notice as soon as we walk into the stadium that he is really rubbing his eyes, and they are super runny. I immediately KNOW he has pink eye in both eyes, but there is nothing I can do until the next morning when the doc opens up. So we enjoy the game, wake up bright and early on Saturday morning to call the pediatrician, get them to send in a script to the pharmacy, and pick it up as soon as possible. I send Seth to pick up the meds, while Elem and I wait to greet my parents. What a nice welcome too, a couple of red, matted eyes and a big grin from Elem Zane! My parents got here about an hour later, said hello to their favorite grandson :), everyone gots lots of hugs and kisses, Seth made it back, we got the drops in, and moved on with the festivities for the weekend! Whew-a full day and we hadnt even begun yet!

As soon as Seth got back we of course had to dive right in to opening the presents. We we so excited because we pretty much already knew some of the awesome goodies we were getting, so who wants to wait??! Elem actually hadnt seen my parents in about a month, so he stated off being shy, and just had this grin on his face, and started some new thing with his tongue, where he just rolls it all around. Not sure about that-but whatever. Finally he went on ahead and took the plunge and gave his memaw and grandaddy their lovin-it took all of 10 minutes to figure out he was ready. ha!
Elem started off with the first gift as it should be. And actually it was a double bonus-super clothes-which makes me happy, and then a Barney DVD which makes him happy. Barney, Barney, oh how he loves the Barney.

Then a present with grandaddy, not even his, but he was diggin the unwrapping part.

After we opened a couple of gifts, Daddy opened Elem's most wonderful, awesome, didnt know how much he would love it-gift of all-the portable DVD players.

Opening presents was so much fun, I love Christmas. Not just because of the presents, just giving, and seeing people smile, its all so super fun to me. I can not get enough of it! We pretty much chilled all day, and my mom and I wrapped up some gifts for my sis, while Elem took a nap. It is so great to see her and my dad, especially when I havent seen them for so long. Even though we talk every other day or so, there is always plenty to catch up on. My chef of a husband cooked us all up a wonderful dinner, and everybody enjoyed the eats-even my picky little eater. Him loves those taties. Thank you grandaddy.

Now it it at this point in the day that Elem is trying to go around and say Memaw, but he just kept saying Mimi-it was all he could pronounce. Memaw is a little hard, so Mimi it is. And my mom agreed-he can call her whatever his little heart desires.

And then he ventured on to start calling my dad, but he was totally calling him Go Daddy instead of grandaddy. hahaha. This one really cracked me up. Go Daddy is one I havent heard before. Kisses from Go Daddy. So sweet.

Men of the day.

I tried to get in on as many pics as I could, but as always I am shunned. And I staid behind the camera. This sweet little boy was so good all day, I think he might have only thrown 1 tantrum-cant remember exactly, but he was great. And just as fun and loving as he always is. He is my heart.

Finally the first day of the weekend came to an end and we all parted our separate ways, My parents went off to my aunts to spend time with my aunt, uncle and a few cousins, and we drove around to check out the new present. The wonderful, awesome, crazy addicting present that Elem so luckily got on this very pre Christmas Day! After such a long day and still kickin. Who doesnt like rollin in the Jeep rockin to Barney's favorite songs DVD, on their very new and super groovy DVD player. Elem sure took advantage of the technology, and was sold by the first click of the power button. Thank you Mimi and Go Daddy for such a fun day! Stay tuned for "baking cookies with the grandparents tomorrow!" And for a nice laugh at how unlucky I am, please click on the icture to make it bigger. You can laugh when you see Barney in a mid dance on the little screen. Its okay, I know throughout my childhood I must have done something awful to parents to deserve this (the obsession with Barney I mean). Over, and over, and over again! haha!

He did it again!

I need to brag that my little man was hopping into the tub last night, and just like always, he started to pee. So I grabbed him out as quick as I could, to which he of course stopped peeing-and then I stuck him in front of the little potty. And he continued to pee. Right into the potty. He loved it. And then he got candy. A hershey kiss to be exact! Not totally walking up to the potty and going, but he is headed in the right direction. Keep it up Elem Zane.

Here Comes Santa Clause

The following weekend after we got out Christmas Tree, we headed to the next stop on our list this holiday season-which was to see Santa Clause himself, at the much dreaded mall. Last year Elem and I went with Cecilia, Aunt Ali, and Grammy, but this year daddy decided to bite the bullet and hit up the mall. (He is so not a mall person-so this was a big deal for daddy! Thank you Seth!) Once we got there we hurried to get in line, which I thought would go pretty fast, but slowly turned into about an hour wait-maybe a little more. I had high hopes for the line though and for the demeanor Elem would maintain throughout the lengthly wait.
And overall, with the help of a few Chicken nuggets, courtesy of Chick-Fil-A:

Some close up time checkin out Old Saint nick with Daddy:

And playing "name that body part" with mommy:

He way exceeded my expectations in regards of the type of mood I assumed and seemed to remain very happy throughout the entire wait! Patience is a virtue little man. Good job!

However, once we became "next in line", the excitement of Santa Clause seemed to settle down, and the happy face turned into a shy one. He did walk up to Santa on his own, but as soon as I put him on Santa's lap, the tears they came a pourin'. :( So the majority of the pics we got looked something like this:

This was the best one they were able to get, and since he was at least not screaming in this one, we had to get it. I think you always have to get at least one pic on Santa's lap! I mean come on, these are the ones you pull out for the future girlfriends one day. So here it is. The 2008 Santa pic:

And just to show you how much Elem has grown, here is a flash back to last year's pic.

Its amazing how much he has grown and how I had no idea this is where we would be this time this year! The trip to see Santa was so much fun, and cant wait till next year! It is truly amazing the blessings God has in store for us, and how they are more wonderful than you could ever imagine!

He pee-peed potty!

Holy cow. I can not believe I am writing this down, but exactly 15 minutes ago at 8:15pm, Elem Zane Shelby peed in his big boy potty! I of course was going potty, and Elem always "tries to go when we do", and I took his diaper off, and while naked on his lower half, -he started peeing on the floor, so I shoved him over the toilet (the little one) while he was standing up, and he peed right into it! I immediately started praising him and giving him hugs and kisses and went crazy overboard! I think I might have over did it, but whatever! he totally just peed in the potty and it was his very first time, ever, in the whole wide world! So I quickly told him, you want candy for peeping in the potty? And he for real got it! he tried to go back and do it again, but couldnt get just a little more out, and then he told me he needed candy. Oh my gosh, I think he really understood what just happened. I am so excited I can hardly contain myself. Who knew something so little could be so exciting to a mom! haha. Seth is not nearly as excited as I am because he is cooking dinner, but I am smiling from ear to ear, hoping it was not a fluke, and praying that this little glimmer of hope turns into a daily routine! Go Elem. So proud of you big boy! Wahoo!

Seasons Greetings:

Tis the season to FINALLY be sending out a family Christmas Card! Last year I just got to wrapped up with Christmas at my work, and the days seemed to get away fro me. But this year, I actually did it. I got the picture, I made the card, and believe it or not I sent them out on December 23rd. And most of them made it in time. So in case you did not receive your card, or if you werent in the top 25 people that i sent them too because that was all I could afford, here you go! :)

We love you all and a Very Merry Christmas and Happy Holiday Season to you and your families! Christmas is a time of joy and love, and we strongly believe in spending it with those you love. So I hope you all took time to remember the true meaning of Christmas, and the one we are honoring during this wonderful and magical time of year!



(as a side note, B-I just found your address from your card, and although it will be late, it will be going out on Monday and you will be getting it! You were the only one I couldn't find your address. So please note that your happy holidays is on its way!)

Also, I had to take a pic of the card, because I am not so cool as to have a scanner just yet. :)

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

This post is long overdue, but I cant get into all the Christmas memories without posting this one first! To catch back up, after we got Elem is very own little tree for his room, we went the very next day to get a real one for our living room. This is one of my most favorite things to do. We always had a fake tree growing up, except for a few years so I really wanted to add this to our Christmas tradition list. So far we have done good and gone 2 years in a row so we are on the right track. We packed up Elem, Sage, and ourselves all into the jeep, and headed to the farm. It takes about 20 minutes or so to get there, but Elem was great and the ride seemed to go real quick. As soon as we got there we jumped out and started looking form the very first tree. elem was excited to be outside, but it was really cold so he was a little confused on what we were doing. he liked all the trees and he thought it was funny how Sage was running around everywhere, but again, the concept was just a little over his head, since he didnt know what we were going to do once we picked out that perfect tree!

So is it just me, or when you get to the Christmas Tree farm, do all the trees seem so much smaller. We searched and searched, and I kept picking out like 10 and 12 foot trees, because they just looked nicer, but no way in the world would they look good in our house. They would be grazing the ceiling and taking up 1/3 of our living room, so I needed to stay in the 7 or 8 foot range to keep it looking pretty. Seth kept reminding me of this with every tree I picked out! I also tended to get a little side tracked trying to get pictures of Elem before he got tired of me snapping them, and then trying to keep up with Sage, holding onto the camera, and then not to mention jeeping myself warm. Oh and then holding Elem every other second. So I did the best I could on photos! Elem and mommy on a mission to find the best tree.

Daddy and Elem still on that same mission-and that statement could go on and on and on.

Elem's favorite part of the tree farm seemed to be the good old stumps. :) Hey they gotta be special to somebody right? All over the place, he just kept going towards them. And stepping on them, and then jumping off. he loved the stumps-bless him.

Same schpill, different day-get one good mommy and me pic Elem Zane. Here we have the jacket in the face on the third attempt mind you. So this is the best we get. And he was also freezing-I love cold noses though, they are so cute.

And finally, we found her-the perfect tree. And as long as she took to find, she was down in .4 seconds! Which also became Elem's most favorite part of the day, as soon as he saw her fall. he was so excited!

he immediately started smiling and his eyes got huge!Of course, then he turned to the very next tree and looked at it and said, "I wan more", "i wan more". Too funny, but not so funny once we had to tell him out of all the trees in front of him, this was the only one we were going to cut down! He kept the same look of excitement on his face, until he realized that we were serious and really weren't backing down on this one.

Daddy quickly headed to the car, and came to pick us all up, mommy, Elem, the tree, and last but not least, Sage-who came decked out in her pink fur coat for the Christmasy event.

We headed out to the edge of the farm where they shake your tree for you and wrap it up nice and tight. Elem, Sage, and I chilled and watched from afar on Santas sleigh while daddy helped to load it onto the Jeep. My cute little boy.In his lumber jack hat and all.

After all was said and done we had a great time. It was cold, yes, but wont it always be? Its December for goodness sakes! It's fun to get to get outside and do something as a family and something different. As a mom you are always looking for something new and exciting to do with your kid, something they will remember, and something hopefully they will have fun, and learn while doing. And this is just one of those things! And a great memory as well. I love the Christmas tree farm and I love all the memories that come with it. This is one tradition Seth and I plan to keep in our family for a long time to come. Now once back to the house, we put Elem to bed and moved the tree right in, planning to decorate it when he woke up, as a family. That pan was slightly changed, and the tree decorating was done in more of a 3 or 4 day stretch to be quite honest. It was REALLy hard to decorate with Elem, more so than I had imagined. But I should have known from decorating his little tree, what challenges might come with the giant tree. :) But it was fun too, even though the process was a bit longer than anticipated. and wouldnt you know, on Christmas Eve I realized I didnt really have a good pic of Elem in front of the tree with the presents, so I tried to bribe him with candy to sit right down in front. Now, this plan worked quite well at first, but not for long in between each piece of candy. He of course was trying to get just one more piece before he went back to the spot. He is so mobile there was really not much more I could do, so regarding the tree, the is the best pic I got! As you can see Elem's back is turned and he is digging through the presents, but still, the tree was the focus here, tree was the focus! Oh and yes Elem was included in the decorating but he really couldnt do all that much but just hand them to me and then I would hang them up. So...in order to avoid as many crashed ornaments over the holiday season as possible, we tended not to decorate with ornaments towards the bottom of the tree-you can probably tell it is a little bare down there.
Oh Chirstmas Tree Oh Christmas Tree-

Merry Christmas

I have lots of posts to do from the Christmas Tree farm, to Christmas with my parents, Christmas with Seth Parents, Elem opening gifts, etc!, but I had to go and get sick on Christmas Day! So I am a little behind, but still wanted to wish you all a very Merry Christmas. Santa did come and treated our family very generously, so thank you to all who we encountered over the holiday. We love you and miss you greatly -those who we did not get to spend time with on this wonderful holiday!

Merry Christmas from the Shelby Family!

Ta-daa

This past weekend daddy went over to uncle Chads for a few hours and Elem and I spent some much needed mommy/Elem time. Although I am with him every day all day long, I am still at work, and he is at school. So the time is great, but its not like it is at home. At school, Elem is usually on the big kid side, with the 3 and 4 years olds-the younger kids seem to bore him, and I am always running around like a chicken with my head cut off, doing lessons, making phone calls, trying to get items and money donated, and spending much needed time with the homeless kids. So...that leaves many a time when I see him playing and wish I could just go and sit down with him, that I dont always get to get in on.So, on the weekend I am super absorbed with every single second that I have with Elem. The time of the baby years are slipping away so fast, that I feel like even a few hours away are so much that I miss out on.

While Seth was gone, Elem and I cranked up the Christmas music, and headed outside to play for as long as he wanted! We played ball, played with Sage, played on the slide, chased each other, and played on the sandbox! On top of the sandbox for that matter. As I have mentioned before, Elem is quite the climber and he has really been showing off his skills lately!

Ta-Daa!

19 month milestones

I am on top of it this month, and I will not let this month get away from me without getting in his milestones in time. Elem is at such a great and fun age in his life, I do not want to forget what a special month this has been and all the things he has learned and is doing. Who knew 19 month olds could be so awesome? Well they are! At least in my book they are.

Elem is like a sponge these days, a copy cat, if you will, as he watches everything we do intently and mimics it immediately to the best of his ability. He is happy and fun loving, and so sweet mannered, that I cant imagine a much "funner" age. I hate to see this one pass us by, but I know it is only a matter of time before this month has come and gone. The days of limited vocabulary are far and few between and his reasoning is growing by the minute. Elem is already playing Seth and I against each other, by "telling" mommy or daddy what the other has done or said to him. Only when it is not the answer he was hoping for that is! :) On the flip side, he is so affectionate and loving, the hugs and kisses, and I love yous just pour out! And they mean so much more than ever, because he really means them when he gives them or says those special words. Its amazing what a little love from a toddler will do for your day! And Elem seems to make mine every single morning it seems.

The breakdown:

Stats:
weight: 28 lbs 6 oz (as of the last doc visit about a week ago)
height: no idea but will try to update this tomorrow if he will let me measure him
diapers: size 5
shoes: 7
teeth: 16 (still waiting on those two pesky bottom cuspids, or eye teeth, on the bottom row to break on through) been forever

Large Motor:
-Athlete to a tee. Not that I am biased or anything, but Elem loves sports! All of them

-throws balls with right hand, left hand, both hands, over hand, underhand, any way you like it
-takes a few steps and kicks ball forward to designated area
-walks up and down stairs. Yay! finally understands pretty well, what happens when you walk off a step. (This took 4 ever)
-tries to jump, it looks more like a skip currently
-spins circles, dances, twists, stays in squatting position
-can climb on most objects-the couch, chairs, stools, can almost get in the bathtub
-moves and carries large objects like chairs, his potty chair, his baby doll stroller, pushes his high chair, etc.
-dumps items from one bucket to another
-plays basketball with any object-balls, legos, baby dolls. anything. And makes most of them :)
-helps in putting on his clothes (steps to put his leg in pants, pulls his arm in to put in sleeve, etc.)
-opens and closes doors by himself

Small Motor:
-Brushing master! this boy loves to brush his teeth-day and night!

-washes hands if you give his soap, and dries them by himself
-loves to color with crayons and markers-likes to take off and put on the lids to markers
-put together legos and pull them apart
-can fill and empty cups into another cup or object without spilling much at all
-feeds himself with spoon no problem
-drinks from a cup without a lid, holds with 2 hands (only at breakfast, lunch, and dinner)
-glues objects to paper if you put the glue on for him
-turns on and off night light and humidifier. :)


Socially:
-very silly!

-always laughing and running around acting silly
-loves to play with older kids
-mimics what older kids are doing-if they laugh he laughs, if they run he runs, if they throw, he throws...but on the good side, when they go potty, he goes to watch, when they sit on the carpet at circle time, he sits with them, when they sing songs, he sings songs-so it goes both ways. :)
-very rough-some would say a bully. Although he is super kind hearted, he is rough-and pushes, hits etc, to get his way or out of frustration
-his newest thing-biting. not happy about this one, but he bites when he feels threatened, or is not getting his way with another child.
-Begining to go to more people every month, still does not go to strangers, but

Mentally:
-knows many body parts: eyes, nose, ears, head, teeth, mouth, hair, tongue, toes, bo bo (for booty)
-can match two identical pictures (2 flash cards or 2 pages of a book with identical pictures)
-follos directions like blinks eyes, closes eyes, gives fives, etc
-understands pretty much anything you say
-follws 2 and 3 part commands
-speaks/uses daily about 150 words
-understands pretty much anything we say and repeats it
-Is a mimic. Currently Elem is copying everything we do, say, sing, yell, act out, anything! I love it.
-sadly, he knows what diet cokes are and points them out everywhere, and says"momma doke coke"? So funny!
-says "cu me" after he burps-this is so cute. He is trying to say excuse me!
-plays imaginary play-likes to put babies under blankets, and pat their backs, likes to play cook in the play kitchen, likes to put on hats and dress up shoes, likes to play with babies and strollers and give babies bottles. Very nurturing and loving.

Likes:
-very into Barney (as you can see below)

-Barney would be his most favorite thing right now, he loves the songs, he zones out when it comes on, he loves the books, he loves the Barney dolls :) Barney=friend for Elem
-strollers-baby doll strollers and loves to push them around
-big trucks! All kinds, dump trucks, garbage trucks, tow trucks, tractors, everything. And points them out every where we go
-attracted to lights-tiny or big, he always spots them and is intrigued by them
-pushing things around, especially outside. He could play outside for hours.

-wearing hats like daddy, but not when daddy isnt wearing one.
-kitty cats
-likes to pretend to blow dry his hair
-Foods: hot dogs, mac n cheese, mashed potatoes, meats-like roast beef, chicken, turkey (we have a little meat eater), cheese!-shredded or sliced, juice, waffles, cheese toast, chicken nuggets, ranch, cheese dip, oranges, pastas, crackers,
-Books!!!! Loves books-Barney books, kitty cat books and big truck books seem to be at the top of the list these days
-to play Row Row Row your boat! He sits in our lab and rows back and forth. Adorable.

Dislikes:
-putting on clothes-the boy likes to be naked. What can I say? Dont we all?
-sticky fingers
-when he cant dosomething,he gets very frustrated and flips out
-costume animals-(large ones) they seem to frighten him a little bit
-fruits! I can not get the boy to eat any fruits-nothing. Oh except oranges
-tight fitting clothes...like tight around his ankles or wrists, he is not down with that
-boots-he only likes themfor about 2 minutes, then they must come off
-sharing-I guess you could say he is spoiled, and when he is playing with something he doesnt want to give it up.
-being cold
-getting his diaper changed by mommy-still dont get this one

-He doesnt have too many dislikes, he is super chilled baby.

Daddy's Favorite: Reading stories
-Seths favorite time these days are reading with Elem. Elem loves to read books! We currently keep a few books on the coffee table and Elem picks them out all throughout the day and night, and comes up to us to read them. He loves this time. And is so sweet when he does this! He likes to turn the pages, and he points out everything in the book. Elem wasnt always a book reader, so we are excited to have this quiet time to share with him. It is peaceful, educational, and overall a very bonding time for all of us. Seth loves to sit Elem on his lap, cuddle up, and read through as many storied as he can. :) My sweet men.

Mommys favorite: Bedtime (tucking Elem in)
-I am pretty much the bed tucker in these days. Our routine-Elem usually gets a bath around 7pm, we play and have family time for about and hour, we turn down the lights about 8pm, Elem gives Sage a dingo bone at 8pm, we read stories, and then mommy sends Elem to get his juice cup and blankey. "blankmey" to Elem. :) The I hold him for a couple of minutes and carry him to the bedroom. I turn on the night light, sometimes the humidifier, and then lay him in his bed. He snuggles up on his pillow as I rest my head on the side of the bed so he can look at me, and I just sing him whatever song I canthink of. Currently since it is Christmas time I have been singing Oh Holy Night and he LOVEs this one. He settles right down. While I sing or hum, I love looking at him and wondering what he is thinking about. He usually is rubbing his eyes and trying to get comfortable and every single night I just am so amazed at the little boy he has become, and how beautiful he is, and just perfect! This is such a great time for me. Then I tap him on the nose and tell him night night I love you. And just walk out. He always lets out a "no momma", or something along those lines, and it is pitiful. But then he goes right to sleep. Although it is sad to hear, secretly I do love it because it lets me know that he still needs me. Weird I know, but thats how I feel.

So there you have it. The breakdown of my little/big 19 month old precious and amazing boy. Elem, you are truly a joy to daddy and me, and we are having so much fun with you! Tickling, rough housing, singing, bath time, all of it, you are such a silly character, and are so goofy. You make us laugh all the time, and we love to listen to you talk. I cant get enough of your determined little self in trying to communicate with us. You are perfect in every way, and we couldnt be more blessed if we wanted to. 19 months-the best so far. Except the biting. But ill take a biter, with all the great qualities Elem has any day! Love you boo!

baby its cold outside.

Need I say more. Nothin like compromising your style for the weather. We all gotta make sacrifices.

One small Christmas Tree, just for Elem

Since this is the first Christmas Elem has actually been able to understand and seem to enjoy, I really wanted to start putting into place some fun and memorable family traditions! So first one this year, Elem and I went shopping for one small Christmas tree, just for him. We bought a 3 ft green tree from good ole Target and then headed to the ornament section. I also wanted him to have the chance to pick out his own ornaments for his tree. And then every year we will only decorate his small tree with his own ornaments he has picked out. I have a feeling it will be very...unique. Once he realized what he was supposed to be picking, he really got into it. Currently Elem is on a huge "ball" fix and he is obsessed and loves every kind of ball you can find. That being said, all the ornaments that were round, were called balls and he loved them all. Really really loved them. So I kinda of steered him towards the shatter proof ones and then let him choose away. And I am happy to say, my son has some great taste. He chose these awesome red ball ones that had jungle bells inside. And then he also chose these tiny bright colored and striped balls too. He would have chosen every ball/round ornament in the store if I would have let him, but then I started showing him all the other cool ones. He was pretty interested, and we got some great finds!

We headed home, and later that week Seth, Elem and I all set up and decorated his tree in his room, at the foot of his bed. We went ahead and pulled the balls out first, since they seemed to be the biggest hit. Of course he spent time playing with them, jingling them, throwing them, and even playing on his little basketball goal with them....

he DID eventually get the idea, and actually did a great job! He was so determined to get one up on the tree, and in the end he hung a couple with a little assistance from me. Just look at that determination. (And might I add, take a look at the balls he chose-very stylish and cute if I do say so myself.


We had so much fun, although it was short lived. Elem was only interested in decorating the tree for about 15 minutes-but her at least we all did it together! And a memory is a memory-and this one is a great one. Here we are all decorating away-trying to help Elem hang them "all by himself".
With mommy-

With daddy-


Lets take a few minutes to honor appreciation to the ornaments of his choice. (19 month old choices mind you)
The dinosaur-which I am not at all stunned by-due to the overwhelming love for Barney around my house these days-this little fellow fits right in! And not to mention when elem was choosing him, he was making growling sounds and saying, "raaahhh" over and over. Him likey the dino.

the snowmen, and the deadly ice cycle. At least thats what I call it. The snow men, are lets just say, very very "cute", haha. Nothing I would have chosen for the tree, but he likes snowmen what can I say. Now the ice cycle, I think he chose because it looks like a bat. He is loving bats around the house these days, so thats all I can figure. But this thing is HUGE, and pointy, and nothing I would have chosen for a "kid friendly" ornament, but he picked it out, so I went with it.

Loving on the snow men. He really likes them, and calls them, "noh mun". He gives them kisses.

Ahhh and the feather. the lone feather makes a nice addition to the tree dont you think? Well Elem loves it! After I attached it, he kept trying to pull it off, dont think he was certain why I stuck it in the tree, but hey once again, he chose it, so on the tree it went!


And the final outcome-one lovely small Christmas Tree, just for him (Home Alone anyone? anyone?)

He really does love the tree, and every morning when he gets up he says, "light on?", and "hi tree". He is totally digging the Christmas tree idea, and loves even more to mess with it. Although he is doing great with it, and only takes the balls off of it about once every couple of days, he does like to take the plug in for the lights and plug it into the wall. So I know its not safe and all, but I catch him doing it all the time! And he is actually pretty good at it. He crawls right back behind it and next to the bed and just plugs it right in. I am so excited about this tradition, and am so happy he loves the Christmas Tree! Seth and I am big Christmas people-we love the season, the lights, the music, all of it! So hopefully Elem will enjoy it just as much as we do!

The Inevitable, first hair cut

Yes I am sad to say that little Elem Zane finally reached the point where he could no longer see due to the long bangs dangling in his eyes at every second. Although over the last few months, I have done my best to brush them to the side every other second, hair spray them, wet them down, etc. It just wasnt cutting it, and I finally realized it was time for a little trim. :( I totally did not want to take Elem to get his hair cut, but that is me being selfish, because I LOVE those long locks of his, but then again, if I was going to do it, I wanted to get it done in time before Christmas, so if I didnt like it it could have a chance to grow out a little bit. Now, his hair was getting to be insane. I mean super long, shaggy, curly-just fabulous-and yes I know people mistake him for a girl daily, but I loved it. Seth loved it. We both didnt want to part with the shaggy untamed beast, but we agreed that the time had come. So I called up my good friend Kimmy, who by the way works at Cara Cala and is my hair stylist. She is so amazing, and I put all my faith in her to do my baby boy up right.

So last Thursday night, we headed straight from the doctor, after he received his second dose of antibiotic shots in his legs (mean I know, but I had made the appointment before I knew he was going to be getting those shots), to the salon. We ended up having to wait a little while so I snapped a few before shots while we chilled in the front.

Just look at my babies beautiful hair. I seriously am going to miss it.


And from the side, and a little of the back. Again, I am going to miss it.


She finally called us back, and we tried putting him in the tall kiddie chair, but he was having none of that. He needed his mommy to sit with him at this strange place where someone was trying to get at him with a brush and a pair of scissors. I probably would have done the same. And just like that, she started the cutting.


And more, and more, and more. :( It looked like so much hair was being cut, and just falling all over the place, when in reality, I know it wasnt that much. But all the while she was cutting, I was trying to think-okay this will grow back, it is for his own good, he cant ever seen for goodness sakes. So I took deep breaths and just let her get on with it. As you can see Elem wasnt too thrilled with the scissors in his face. But a little help from a couple of suckers seemed to pacify him just long enough to trim it right up.


Good job Elem-almost done bubba.


I must brag on myself for always being prepared at outing. I tend to anticipate things that will be needed, and always bring the crowd favorites in a desperate situation-much like this one. As you ca tell, I brought the sprite (which I am not a fan of sharing with Elem-but he loves it), I brought the Ritz Bitz, which are always handy, sucker-a few kinds at that, and chapstick-which tends to be amusing any time it is pulled out. With everything I brought, he was minimally amused, but again pacified long enough to get the job done.


And the after. Now I know I know it doesnt look all that much shorter like I am thinking it is, but it IS a lot shorter. I promise. I think she took like 2 inches off. I am pretty sure. But then again estimating measurements never were my strong point.haha. But for real, his bangs are sooo much shorter than they were, and the back is pretty short too. However-even though the long locks were mommy's favorite, he still is just as handsome as ever.


Thank you Kimmy for trimmin my baby up, and not taking too much off! You did a great job! And even though Elem wasnt the best client ever, I promise he will do much better next time. And despite the "hair loss" Elem is still same ole Elem, just now he can see where he is going. As soon as we got home, he was right back at it-running, being crazy, being sweet, and being just plain ole loud. hehehe.


So, a huge milestone in my book-and I still cant believe I actually went through with it. We still plan to keep Elem's hair long-because Seth and I both love it, and he does have great hair. :) So why not, right? But I do promise to keep it at least where he can see, for the most part anyways, and if not, I swear I will get that hair trained one of these days! if it could only stay to one side, the bang length would make no difference. Oh and did I mention I just learned that Elem has a double crown?! That is why he always has the crazy poof in the back on his head. I dont have a double crown, and neither does Seth...so no tellin where he got that.