After a month long break, I'm back. It's hard to have the energy to blog right now. I usually only blog on our Mac, which Dan uses for work. So, the only time I have to blog is at night, and I'm tired then. So...that's what happens...nothing!
We have big news to share (if you haven't already see it on Facebook). We are thrilled to announce that we are expecting baby #2 in July! My official due date is 7/1, but that will most likely change. Elliott likes to say, "I be big bro'da". My sister, Sarah, is due in a few weeks with her 3rd little girl. I'm hoping that Elliott will be well aware of what a little baby is like by the time his sibling arrives.
I brought my camera to Thanksgiving, but didn't take any pictures. I've been lazy about picture taking recently and don't have any good ones to share. We are gearing up for Christmas around here. The house is decorated (mostly) and nearly all our presents are purchased! I'm quite proud of that last fact. This weekend is scheduled to be a busy one, so hopefully I can nap today with Elliott to prep for it. :)
Friday, December 10, 2010
Wednesday, November 10, 2010
2 Years Old!
Elliott turned 2 one week ago. We had a birthday party for him at our house on the 30th of October. We decided on a Halloween theme and all the kids wore costumes to the party. Dan created "Spooky Caves" in our basement with old refrigerator boxes and christmas lights. The kids loved the caves! They would all hang out back in the area Dan created to play in (our bedroom) and somehow the kids were able to access our closet through the boxes. My sister took pictures for us, which is the reason for the late post. Elliott got a ton of great presents and had a really good time. We are so glad we had all of our family and a few friends join us to celebrate with us.
Cousin Pic:
The next few are what it looks like to open presents with all these kids around. Elliott would open one present and forget about the rest. Thankfully he had many helpful cousins around to help open all the others.
Riding his favorite toy accessorized by his new favorite hat:
Can you believe he's already two? Remember when he came home from the hospital?
Cousin Pic:
The next few are what it looks like to open presents with all these kids around. Elliott would open one present and forget about the rest. Thankfully he had many helpful cousins around to help open all the others.
Riding his favorite toy accessorized by his new favorite hat:
Can you believe he's already two? Remember when he came home from the hospital?
Sunday, October 24, 2010
What we've been doing...
What to know what Elliott has been up to recently? Well, I decided that I'd try potty training him. I've read online that the "ideal" age for potty training is 22-24 months. So, we bought a potty, some candy as a prize and some stickers. Elliott could have either 2 Reese's Pieces or 1 sticker for going pee. It's amazing how that is a big incentive to a nearly 2 year old. He gets both if he goes poo -which has only happened 1 time so far. But, we are pretty good with going pee. He's comfortable with the sitting on the big potty (adult size) and he does pretty well. We are still working on warning me before he needs to go. Seeing him walking around in little undies is so cute!
Elliott got rain boots that he finally decided to like:
He has some boxer briefs for kids - it's hysterical! I have some pictures of that, but they were taken with my cell phone and the camera isn't very good.
Overall, I'm happy we are making forward progress :) But, what happened to my little baby? :(
Elliott got rain boots that he finally decided to like:
He has some boxer briefs for kids - it's hysterical! I have some pictures of that, but they were taken with my cell phone and the camera isn't very good.
Overall, I'm happy we are making forward progress :) But, what happened to my little baby? :(
Thursday, September 30, 2010
A Month Already?
First off, I'd like to apologize to those who do check on this blog, even if it's just semi-regularly. This month totally got away from me and I didn't even think about posting much.
That being said, let's see what Elliott has been up to:
Elliott is talking a lot now. Usually he likes to tell me who he likes. Amy and Papa are the most popular. Every now and again other names get thrown into the mix. He really likes Lauren's chickens. He asks Dan to take him on hikes. This means going to a local nature park, standing by the water and throwing rocks. That's heaven for him, he could do it for hours
He is now obsessed with Fire Trucks and driving Fire Trucks. We visited our friend Brad, who is a Fireman/Paramedic, at his station at the beginning of September. Now all Elliott talks about is Brad and Fire Trucks and how he wants to drive them....every day! I have a video of him talking about it. Check back later (unless it's already posted) to see it.
At the end of August Dan's Grandpa, Dale, passed away. We had a really nice week celebrating Dale's life with all of his family here in Portland. All of Dan's cousins were able to make it, except one who was about to have a baby. I think it's really great that everyone was able to be here to remember him and his life.
Dale and Elliott, Father's Day 2009:
Powell Family dinner at the Porter's:
Elliott wanting to play with the twins:
That's some serious coloring:
The last night everyone was in Portland we met at a local hotel for Pizza and cookies. One of Dan's cousins has twins, Hayden and Hunter. Elliott loved Hunter. For his part, Hunter was very patient with Elliott which was pretty good for a 7 year old. In order to keep the kids busy we let them draw on the white board in the conference room:
Hayden, Hunter & Elliott
Elliott liked to be traced:
Bryan gave Elliott his first tattoo (now E wants to draw on himself, thanks...)
Wait...there's more
Elliott also likes to be a helper in the kitchen. Sometimes it works out well. He helped me make cookies in August and this past week he helped turn the crank to make applesauce:
Okay, I think that's all. Long posts happen when I only update once a month!
That being said, let's see what Elliott has been up to:
Elliott is talking a lot now. Usually he likes to tell me who he likes. Amy and Papa are the most popular. Every now and again other names get thrown into the mix. He really likes Lauren's chickens. He asks Dan to take him on hikes. This means going to a local nature park, standing by the water and throwing rocks. That's heaven for him, he could do it for hours
He is now obsessed with Fire Trucks and driving Fire Trucks. We visited our friend Brad, who is a Fireman/Paramedic, at his station at the beginning of September. Now all Elliott talks about is Brad and Fire Trucks and how he wants to drive them....every day! I have a video of him talking about it. Check back later (unless it's already posted) to see it.
At the end of August Dan's Grandpa, Dale, passed away. We had a really nice week celebrating Dale's life with all of his family here in Portland. All of Dan's cousins were able to make it, except one who was about to have a baby. I think it's really great that everyone was able to be here to remember him and his life.
Dale and Elliott, Father's Day 2009:
Powell Family dinner at the Porter's:
Elliott wanting to play with the twins:
That's some serious coloring:
The last night everyone was in Portland we met at a local hotel for Pizza and cookies. One of Dan's cousins has twins, Hayden and Hunter. Elliott loved Hunter. For his part, Hunter was very patient with Elliott which was pretty good for a 7 year old. In order to keep the kids busy we let them draw on the white board in the conference room:
Hayden, Hunter & Elliott
Elliott liked to be traced:
Bryan gave Elliott his first tattoo (now E wants to draw on himself, thanks...)
Wait...there's more
Elliott also likes to be a helper in the kitchen. Sometimes it works out well. He helped me make cookies in August and this past week he helped turn the crank to make applesauce:
Okay, I think that's all. Long posts happen when I only update once a month!
Sunday, September 5, 2010
Wow
Is it okay to brag for a minute? Just now Elliott and Dan were walking out the front door. Elliott looks down at our welcome mat and says, "E". I looked at Dan and said, "did he just say E??" Then he says, "Two E". We asked him to point the E's out for us and he did! I don't even know where he learned that!!
I have lots of pictures to post on here. It's been a busy last week and we haven't had a ton of extra time to try to blog. Check back in a bit and hopefully there will be more pics to look at.
I have lots of pictures to post on here. It's been a busy last week and we haven't had a ton of extra time to try to blog. Check back in a bit and hopefully there will be more pics to look at.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Beach Fun
On Thursday Elliott and I went to the beach with Amy and her boys for the day. We lucked out and had perfect weather there - though it was a bit windy. The kids loved playing in the water and in the sand.
Here is a short video of Caleb and Elliott. It was too funny to watch these two together.
Here is a short video of Caleb and Elliott. It was too funny to watch these two together.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Camping in the Wallowas
Two weekends ago we went camping at Wallowa Lake with my two sisters and their families. My main concern was that Elliott would be all over the fire. Thankfully, he knows what is "hot" and he stayed away. Elliott and Caleb finally figured out how to play together. They spent a long time playing together next to Amy and Jake's bike trailer. I think they were even playing hide and seek together. It was so cute.
Here is the cousin pic: You pretty much can't get a good picture of all 6 of them.
Porters after taking the tram up the mountain:
Dan driving our boat:
The other boat - way fancier:
Elliott driving the pontoon boat:
Cameron jumped in!!
Then Dan and Ryan joined Jake:
Dan and Jake in the little boat:
Elliott and I riding on the boat:
Here is the cousin pic: You pretty much can't get a good picture of all 6 of them.
Porters after taking the tram up the mountain:
Dan driving our boat:
The other boat - way fancier:
Elliott driving the pontoon boat:
Cameron jumped in!!
Then Dan and Ryan joined Jake:
Dan and Jake in the little boat:
Elliott and I riding on the boat:
Monday, July 26, 2010
Gardening
Elliott's favorite activity is to garden. He loves it! Though, you better be out there with him, or else! He likes to "dig, dig, dig" all day. I got him some mini gardening gloves the other day...so cute! He mostly just likes to pour dirt onto our patio, not always the most fun activity. At least he's happy, right?
Weddings!
This has been a busy July. We have had a lot of weddings to attend this month, one every weekend to be exact. We have 3 down and 1 to go. Yay!! Of course this one is a biggie, Dan's sister, Lauren and Justus are getting married. We are thrilled for them and are very excited to celebrate up on Mt. Rainier (where it is about 10 degrees cooler than in Portland).
Our friends Jamie and Sarah got married on the 10th. They were so cute and had a great wedding at a local winery. Sarah was all grins and giggles and tears as they got married. Dan has known Jamie since Grade School and Sarah since Jr. High. I've known them since High School. They are a very sweet couple together and we are so thrilled that they are now married. What's cute is that they had crushes on each other back in 9th grade (I think), but were too shy to say anything.
My best friend, Amanda, was married to Mike on the 18th. Technically those two met back in college one night. But, in reality they met through me (yay!) at a dance club in Portland... WAY back in the day. I am so happy for the two of them. Amanda and I have been friends since 9th grade Spanish class. Dan got in trouble walking to Amanda's house in 7th grade because he was out too late. Their wedding was at Imbrie Hall. This is where my brother in law, Ryan's, Dad grew up. Their wedding was small and sweet and a ton of fun. Dan and I danced for what felt like hours! I didn't want to leave, but Elliott was tired and was calling for us (He was with Gma and Gpa Godley).
Our good friends Brad and Carrie got married on the 24th. Brad and Dan have been inseparable since about 7th grade. They lived together for years post-college, before I came into the picture and took Dan away :) I was actually good friends with Brad in High School because we life guarded and played water polo together. Somehow Dan and I never met though. When Brad met Carrie we were all so happy. She is so kind and so good for Brad in every way. Plus, she has become a really good friend to both Dan and I. We were both really honored to be in their wedding party, Dan was the best man. We had so much fun at their wedding. It was like a mini high school reunion!
On Wednesday we leave for Seattle to celebrate with Lauren and Justus. I'll do an update later for them. We are so looking forward to it! Also, thanks to both sets of Grandparents who have helped out so that we could celebrate these weddings without Elliott - for the most part. We love E, but it's nice to celebrate with friends without him.
Our friends Jamie and Sarah got married on the 10th. They were so cute and had a great wedding at a local winery. Sarah was all grins and giggles and tears as they got married. Dan has known Jamie since Grade School and Sarah since Jr. High. I've known them since High School. They are a very sweet couple together and we are so thrilled that they are now married. What's cute is that they had crushes on each other back in 9th grade (I think), but were too shy to say anything.
My best friend, Amanda, was married to Mike on the 18th. Technically those two met back in college one night. But, in reality they met through me (yay!) at a dance club in Portland... WAY back in the day. I am so happy for the two of them. Amanda and I have been friends since 9th grade Spanish class. Dan got in trouble walking to Amanda's house in 7th grade because he was out too late. Their wedding was at Imbrie Hall. This is where my brother in law, Ryan's, Dad grew up. Their wedding was small and sweet and a ton of fun. Dan and I danced for what felt like hours! I didn't want to leave, but Elliott was tired and was calling for us (He was with Gma and Gpa Godley).
Our good friends Brad and Carrie got married on the 24th. Brad and Dan have been inseparable since about 7th grade. They lived together for years post-college, before I came into the picture and took Dan away :) I was actually good friends with Brad in High School because we life guarded and played water polo together. Somehow Dan and I never met though. When Brad met Carrie we were all so happy. She is so kind and so good for Brad in every way. Plus, she has become a really good friend to both Dan and I. We were both really honored to be in their wedding party, Dan was the best man. We had so much fun at their wedding. It was like a mini high school reunion!
On Wednesday we leave for Seattle to celebrate with Lauren and Justus. I'll do an update later for them. We are so looking forward to it! Also, thanks to both sets of Grandparents who have helped out so that we could celebrate these weddings without Elliott - for the most part. We love E, but it's nice to celebrate with friends without him.
Friday, July 9, 2010
Saturday, July 3, 2010
We've been busy!
Hello All, sorry to say, I've been a bad blogger! We've been busy the last few weeks and it's just going to get worse. We have 4 friends getting married in the month of July - including Dan's sister, Lauren. So, we've been busy celebrating with the brides, grooms, our families and everyone else imaginable! I have some great picture of Elliott with his cousins that need to be posted, but I'm not at home this weekend. I'll try to get them posted on Monday.
On the weekend of June 19th and 20th we went to Long Beach, WA to celebrate with Dan's family. His mom was turning 60, Dan was turning 30 and it was also Father's Day. We had a great weekend at the beach house. Dan and I feel very lucky that Elliott has so much fun with his family because that means much less work for us. We were able to relax a lot. Happy Birthdays, Chris and Dan!! Happy Father's Day, Larry and Dan!
The next weekend Dan went out of town to Bend, OR for a bachelor party weekend. His best friend, Brad, is getting married and Dan is the best man. They had a great time. Dan arrived home bruised and cut up from playing baseball in the scrubby desert land. Elliott and I stayed home and played with my sisters and their kids. On Saturday night I got a break from E and went out to celebrate Carrie's bachelorette party - she is marrying Brad. It was nice for me to get a break :)
This weekend is the 4th. We are hoping to see the fireworks over the Columbia river on Brad's boat. Then...it's 4 weeks of weddings! :) We are so excited that our friends are all getting married. I can't wait to celebrate with them.
Pictures to come....
On the weekend of June 19th and 20th we went to Long Beach, WA to celebrate with Dan's family. His mom was turning 60, Dan was turning 30 and it was also Father's Day. We had a great weekend at the beach house. Dan and I feel very lucky that Elliott has so much fun with his family because that means much less work for us. We were able to relax a lot. Happy Birthdays, Chris and Dan!! Happy Father's Day, Larry and Dan!
The next weekend Dan went out of town to Bend, OR for a bachelor party weekend. His best friend, Brad, is getting married and Dan is the best man. They had a great time. Dan arrived home bruised and cut up from playing baseball in the scrubby desert land. Elliott and I stayed home and played with my sisters and their kids. On Saturday night I got a break from E and went out to celebrate Carrie's bachelorette party - she is marrying Brad. It was nice for me to get a break :)
This weekend is the 4th. We are hoping to see the fireworks over the Columbia river on Brad's boat. Then...it's 4 weeks of weddings! :) We are so excited that our friends are all getting married. I can't wait to celebrate with them.
Pictures to come....
Tuesday, June 8, 2010
He's Famous!
Nope, not Elliott....
My brother in law, Jacob, work for the Portland Fire Dept. At the Starlight Parade Portland Fire is what starts the whole parade. They have a bunch of guys that do a ladder stunt. Someone climbs this ladder and then falls off onto a trampoline held by the rest of the fire crew. Let me tell you, these guys were like rock stars! I couldn't believe how popular they were. Dan's best friend, Brad, has been a fire fighter for years and does this every year. We were in touch with both Jacob and Brad so they knew where to look for us. It was really exciting for Brooke, Grace and Elliott to see people they knew in the parade.
But, the most exciting is that Jacob made it onto youtube! Here's a link to watch him do the ladder stunt:
My brother in law, Jacob, work for the Portland Fire Dept. At the Starlight Parade Portland Fire is what starts the whole parade. They have a bunch of guys that do a ladder stunt. Someone climbs this ladder and then falls off onto a trampoline held by the rest of the fire crew. Let me tell you, these guys were like rock stars! I couldn't believe how popular they were. Dan's best friend, Brad, has been a fire fighter for years and does this every year. We were in touch with both Jacob and Brad so they knew where to look for us. It was really exciting for Brooke, Grace and Elliott to see people they knew in the parade.
But, the most exciting is that Jacob made it onto youtube! Here's a link to watch him do the ladder stunt:
Sunday, June 6, 2010
1 Day, 2 Parades
Finally we had a sunny day in Portland! It is June and we haven't had more than one sunny day in a row in weeks. I swear, there has been more rain recently than I can ever remember happening. It's nice for all those ferns we transplanted, but not so nice for Elliott who wants to be outside all day, every day.
But, the sun gods shined on us yesterday and gave us one really nice, warm sunny day. Just in time for the Starlight Parade during our annual Rose Festival. Saturday morning Dan took Elliott to Wilsonville (where his parents live and my sister, Amy) to watch the "Junk to Funk" parade. They were joined by Dan's Mom and Grandma. Dan decided this was the perfect parade for Elliott to watch. It was 20 minutes and every few minutes he was given either a new toy or candy. Can it get any better than that? Dan received 2, 24 oz cans of Monster Energy Drink....he was thrilled!
Later that night Dan, Elliott and I went to the Starlight Parade in downtown Portland. We met up with my sister, Sarah, and her family Ryan, Grace and Brooke. As we waited for the Starlight Run to take place - a 5k that happens before the parade - the kids got to play with sidewalk chalk and frisbees in the middle of the road. Here is Sarah playing Ring-around-the-rosie with Grace and Elliott:
We decided that this parade wasn't good for Elliott. We had to wait for way too long for the floats and even though the run was fun he wasn't into watching people running. We didn't leave Portland until 11pm and he was exhausted. Maybe in a few years he'll be happier to sit and watch a parade. Until then we'll stick to 20 minute parades with candy.
On Thursday we had a non-rainy afternoon and went down to Amy's to test our her new trampoline. The three little kids, Grace, Elliott and Caleb got to play on it together. Once Grace and Elliott warmed up to it they had a great time.
But, the sun gods shined on us yesterday and gave us one really nice, warm sunny day. Just in time for the Starlight Parade during our annual Rose Festival. Saturday morning Dan took Elliott to Wilsonville (where his parents live and my sister, Amy) to watch the "Junk to Funk" parade. They were joined by Dan's Mom and Grandma. Dan decided this was the perfect parade for Elliott to watch. It was 20 minutes and every few minutes he was given either a new toy or candy. Can it get any better than that? Dan received 2, 24 oz cans of Monster Energy Drink....he was thrilled!
Later that night Dan, Elliott and I went to the Starlight Parade in downtown Portland. We met up with my sister, Sarah, and her family Ryan, Grace and Brooke. As we waited for the Starlight Run to take place - a 5k that happens before the parade - the kids got to play with sidewalk chalk and frisbees in the middle of the road. Here is Sarah playing Ring-around-the-rosie with Grace and Elliott:
We decided that this parade wasn't good for Elliott. We had to wait for way too long for the floats and even though the run was fun he wasn't into watching people running. We didn't leave Portland until 11pm and he was exhausted. Maybe in a few years he'll be happier to sit and watch a parade. Until then we'll stick to 20 minute parades with candy.
On Thursday we had a non-rainy afternoon and went down to Amy's to test our her new trampoline. The three little kids, Grace, Elliott and Caleb got to play on it together. Once Grace and Elliott warmed up to it they had a great time.
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