New York, NY!

We had another awesome vacation opportunity with Jerrod's job. Eli and I joined Jerrod in New York City this past weekend. (Thanks to Jeanne, Robin, Karen and Joey, and Kyle and Amy for watching Owen! He had so much fun with his GiGi, his friends, his aunts and uncles, and his cousins.) It was such a fun time of year to be in New York with all of the Christmas lights and festivities. We did a lot of walking and it was pretty cold. Eli stayed bundled up in the stroller as you can see. Now he wants to take all of his naps bundled up in his stroller and cruising the streets of NYC. He got so much attention from waiters at restaurants and people on the streets. I think he may have enjoyed being an only child for a few days. :)

Cabo, Mexico

We are in Cabo San Lucas for Thanksgiving this year. The plane trip went really well - the kids were great. Cabo is so beautiful! Owen loves the ocean and the hang glider that takes off outside of our window. He sits on the balcony and watches the waves.

We went out in the ocean on a glass bottom boat. It was so amazing! We could see all the way to the bottom. We saw all sorts of fish and even sea lions swimming under us! We all loved it.

However, since we have been here, both kids now have a cold. It didn't hit Owen hard, but Eli seems to have it pretty bad. Instead, Owen now has a stomach virus. We spent last night cleaning up bodily fluids. Hopefully they will be better by the time we leave. I'm tired.

Owen's Friends

Mason, Ethan, and Owen


Levi and Owen in their sand jeep.


Here are some pictures of Owen with his friends.

Eli's Doctor's Appointment

Eli had his 4 month doctor's appointment today - he weighs 18 pounds and is 26.5 inches long! He is in the 90th percentile in height and weight. No wonder I am tired from carrying him around! It's hard to believe that I (as his sole food source!) have grown ten pounds worth of baby in the past 4 months. He is happy and healthy and his doctor said he is very strong.

Durham and Daisy finally got new dog beds (since Durham rolled on the old ones after being sprayed by a skunk). They really like them...and so does Owen. Yesterday he got in the bed with Durham to read to him.

Election Day

Hoodlum baby.

Who is the next president?!?



I really like Election Day. It actually seemed like quite a hassle when I was trying to figure out when to go, should I take the kids, leave the kids, who can watch the kids, how long will the kids have to wait in line, should I take the double stroller, etc. But it worked out that Jerrod got home in time for us to all go together. I told Owen that we were going to go vote...he thought we were getting on a boat.


I was really looking forward to voting. It comes from my Dad. Whether my guy wins or not, I'm always reminded how remarkable it is that we live in a country where leaders peacefully hand over power. We forget that this is a relatively new phenomenon in world history! Of course, I also think about the sacrifices made by our founding fathers to establish this system and then the women who fought for our right to vote (I still need to see Iron Jawed Angels). It's such an amazing process and always makes me feel so patriotic. So I dressed the boys up in their red, white, and blue (Eli was especially excited given his patriotic birthday!), and we went to vote.

The place we go to vote adds to my nostalgia. We vote at the Fischer Hall in Fischer, Texas. Fischer's population is 20! Fischer Hall is the town meeting place and holds square dances and (small) bluegrass concerts. It was built in 1875 and is still operated by descendants of the family who built it. The wood rafters and floors were all done by hand. You can see small pictures at the following links: http://www.visitwimberley.com/category/travel/fischer-ls.shtml http://www.honkytonktx.com/dancehalls/. We love voting here. Sometimes you have to remind yourself which century you are voting in. It's sort of strange, though, to walk in and vote on a computer! Owen got an "I voted" stamp on his hand, which helped him understand that this process had nothing to do with boating.


We were in and out in no time and we were done. Regardless of the outcome, there is something special about taking part in a process with so much history. I hope I never take it for granted.

Introduction Pictures

Owen the giraffe; Eli the lion.

Durham (left) and Daisy (right)

Bummer (left) and Bogie (right)

Introduction

Well I have finally succumbed to the pressure to create a blog. Actually I was inspired by my sister and my cousin. We'll see how it goes. At least you might be relieved of my monthly picture album e-mails...no promises.