The Ham Fam

Polo

2011-10-16T17:00:00.000-08:00

Wow! It's been ages since I updated this blog! Maybe I need to decide if I'll keep this going or not. I blog much more consistently on my design blog and most of the family is on facebook to see updates. Anyway, here are a few photos from our little family outing yesterday at the Army Polo game on Fort Shafter.

some fun pictures

2011-08-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

pretty good stance for a 2 year old... well almost 3

Goofy kid

He loves to play in the water!

my kids!

smiles!

Daddy and daughter

My wonderful family :)

Ainsley's 1 month photos

2011-07-28T12:31:00.000-08:00

I know I'm a little behind since Ainsley is 7 weeks old and I need to start thinking about her 2 month photos, but here are some photos I took of her at 1 month old!

Cloth Diapers

2011-07-23T13:17:00.000-08:00

I have begun the adventure of cloth diapering.... AND I love it! Well, maybe love is not the word when dealing poop and laundry and such, but every time I change a diaper I save $$ and I love that! I thought I would share what I have decided to do with the hours of I have researched about cloth diapering. Earlier this spring I bought enough diapers to try it out, so this week once I got through all the diapers I had bought and been given I went for it. Here is what I bought...

Bummis super brite diaper cover

A Thirsties duo wrap diaper cover

Bum Genius 3.0 All in One

Econobum One size cover (comes with the pre-fold)


I bought 12 infant Indian pre-fold diapers plus 5 econobum pre-folds

This selection of diapers lasts me about 2 days, so I can do laundry about every other day and not need to use disposables at all, although when we go out they are easier. I just bought 6 Oh Katy All in One diapers (they fit from 8 -35 lbs) so they are worth the investment at $18 a piece and I did get 1 for free because they were on sale. The AIO diapers are just like disposables so they are good for Dad and changing while out and about. There is a huge learning curve on the care/laundering and the myriad of options to purchase - if anyone is curious I would be happy to answer questions, but this post would be super long if I explained it all.

I decided to try cloth diapers to save money, bottom line. I feel like because I stay at home, I have a responsibility to be a good steward of our family budget and this was a way I felt would be easy for me to do. Obviously, its not for everyone and I was the last person to think I would ever cloth diaper! It's healthier and greener, but those are secondary reasons for me.

Grandpa and Nana's visit

2011-07-21T12:18:00.000-08:00

Right after my Mom came for a visit, my Dad and Stepmom came out for a little more than a week. They were here for my birthday and the 4th of July. It was so nice to see them, and have continued help and extra hands! Here's some pics ;).

Grandpa read lots of stories

We went to Waimea Falls

Playing in our porch with Grandpa

The 4th of July, making a cake!

Ainsley cuddling with Nana

Grammy's Visit

2011-07-15T19:55:00.000-08:00

I know I have not been doing a very good job of keeping up on this blog! Now that baby is here, I hope to do a better job of sharing pictures and sharing stories of our Hawaii adventures. Ainsley was born on June 8th and we were blessed to have my Mom get in town on the 4th and stay for several weeks. It was nice to know my Mom was at my house to take care of Eli when we headed for the hospital at midnight. I don't have tons of pictures from when she was here, but here are the ones I have. She and Eli had tons of fun hanging out together!

Reading lots of books

Grammy with 2 grandbabies!

Meeting Ainsley for the first time

Grammy and Ainsley

Visiting the Zoo

Grammy and Eli

Family of Four

2011-06-28T13:24:00.000-08:00

Here is our first photo as a family of 4! Enjoying our visiting family!

First outing

2011-06-20T11:59:00.000-08:00

We took Ainsley out for her first family outing... it of course has to be the beach! We went to Hickam beach for a few hours the other day. It was later in the day, so it was cool with a nice breeze. She seemed to like it, I even caught a smile!

Baby Girl has arrived!

2011-06-10T23:56:00.000-08:00

Ainsley Faith is here! She was born Wednesday June 8th at 1:47 am weighing 8 lbs and measuring 21 inches! Enjoying her!

Memorial Day

2011-05-31T13:06:00.000-08:00

This is what we did on our Memorial Day, what did you do?

beach party

2011-05-16T16:10:00.000-08:00

We went to a little boy's birthday party at the beach on Saturday. I only snapped a few pics, but here they are!

A little update

2011-05-07T12:17:00.000-08:00

I know it's been awhile since I've posted, sorry about that! I've been busy crafting and sewing and posting that on my design blog.

I thought I'd give a little update and post a few pics. We are doing well here in Hawaii, loving the weather (although its been really rainy and stormy this week). I am 36 weeks pregnant on Tuesday, so getting closer to having baby girl join the family. We have just a little bit left to get ready for her arrival. Otherwise, things are good - we are truly blessed!

playing "baseball"

Cheese... playing blocks

Beach outing and Easter

2011-04-25T13:07:00.000-08:00

Hi Everyone! Hope you had a fantastic Easter! We had a nice morning at church and then did a little Easter egg hunt at home, skyped with family and I made a ham dinner. It was a nice day celebrating our Risen Lord!

On Friday, Robert had the day off because of the Easter weekend, so we headed to one of our favorite beach spots, the lagoons at KoOlina. Well, parking was full and we got turned around so we had heard there is a beach on Hickam AFB which happens to be close to our house, so we decided to adventure around and try to find it. The beach we found was pretty nice, downside is there were no showers or restrooms but good side is there were no waves and really shallow water, so it was very kid friendly (and dog friendly, there were lots of dogs).

We just did a little Easter egg hunt in our living room and gave Eli a small little basket. Here's a few pics.

Found a Blue Egg!

Grandpa visits Hawaii!

2011-04-17T19:43:00.000-08:00

This past week Eli and I were so blessed and excited to have Grandpa come hang out with us for the week while Robert was still in the Philippines. He helped with several projects, wrestled with Eli and brought goodies ;). We went to the beach a few times, toured the island and just hung out. It was a blast and so fun to have my Dad around for a little while. Next time he comes he'll have Nana with him and they'll be meeting their first granddaughter!

Kitty usefulness

2011-04-06T11:43:00.000-08:00

I'm upstairs cleaning the bathroom when Eli yells from downstairs, "Bug! Bug!" We've taught him to tell us whenever he sees a big bug.

I came down the stairs to see this... the reason why we paid a small fortune to bring this cat to Hawaii.

My guess is that Jack brought this guy in from the screened in porch, but either way, he maimed it enough for me to get rid of it. We are a team around here...

Painting Pottery

2011-03-31T10:29:00.000-08:00

A few weekends ago, I went on a Ladies Night with our church. Part of the night was eating appetizers and painting pottery and I just got my piece back! Here it is!

Water fun and a hike!

2011-03-27T19:13:00.001-08:00

The other day, I was feeling like we hadn't been outside in a few days, so I decided to head out with a bucket of water and 2 cups, some sidewalk chalk and some bubbles to spend a few hours outside. It was fun!

On Friday, we went on a family hike! It was a fun outing, with a beautiful view!

The Waikiki Aquarium

2011-03-14T11:07:00.000-08:00

On Saturday we headed out to the Waikiki Aquarium. It was a small aquarium, but Eli had tons of fun looking at all the fish, especially the Nemo fish, the jellyfish, and octopus. Afterword, we stopped to get a juice treat aka Jamba, so it was a fun little outing!

Some sculptures outside the aquarium

Looking at Nemo and Nemo's Dad

The touch pool

Looking at the seal

Getting a better view with Daddy

Showing me the shark stamp they gave him at the front desk

Screened in porch/play area

2011-03-09T15:03:00.000-09:00

Over the weekend, I finished getting the back porch all set up. Eli loves it out there, I can't tell you how much he loves it. That's one of the first things he asks to do in the morning. Our backyard is mostly red dirt and it rains enough here that playing back there won't happen too much... here are some pics!

The kitty likes it out there too

Mommy tip

2011-03-07T13:21:00.000-09:00

I am working on shapes, colors and letters with Eli as often as I can, so one day last week I had a left over cookie and decided to use a heart cookie cutter to 1. limit the size and 2. see if he noticed! When I handed him his Buzz plate he saw the cookie and said "heart cookie!" He knows triangle and circle, but we are working on rectangle and square ;). Happy Monday!

Our house

2011-03-02T15:58:00.000-09:00

Here are pictures of our house. It's actually in pretty good condition for a house that will be demolished later this year, I was very skeptical! It's turning out to be totally fine, lots of storage (for a house that doesn't have a basement like our Alaska house did), the biggest kitchen I've ever had, and a pretty spacious living room/dining room.

Looking into living room area from entrance to kitchen

Kitchen

Screened in porch/Eli's play area

Half bathroom with a door that leads to the laundry room

Under the stairs storage

Looking into dining area from living room

storage closet upstairs

Upstairs bathroom

Office/guest room

Linen closet

Master bedroom. I'm thankful the Cal King bed and 2 dressers and nightstands fit!

Master

Kid's room

Outside storage area off of the kitchen

We have internet!

2011-03-01T16:07:00.000-09:00

We now have Internet! We were having some trouble with our internet and the technician just left, so we are now online. We moved into our house last Thursday, I've got some pictures of the new place, but first I thought I'd share some pics of Eli from the past few weeks ;).

Eli playing at the splash pool not far from our new place

Eli playing in the paper while I was unpacking boxes

Looking at his reflection and throwing paper

I told him to hold still and say cheese, and he did!

My Day Friday and a housing update!

2011-02-18T15:46:00.000-09:00

My Day Friday is a little blog party a fellow Army wife blogger Kathlyn is doing. The idea is that most Mommy bloggers have pictures of everyone or everything else but themselves, so this is a post with a picture of me :). Anyway, I thought I'd join in on the little blog party.

This was just taken last weekend and just posted a earlier this week, but its a good pic. I'm nearly 24 weeks pregnant here with my 2nd baby out on a date with my fantastic husband here in sunny Hawaii!

So now for the housing update. We have a house! We are thankful that God has provided us a place to move into next week! The unfortunate part is that this house is scheduled to be demolished in the fall, so we'll have to move again later this year, but this was pretty much our only option, so we are thankful and ready to be settled in. The house is perfectly fine and fits our needs (of course it's nothing special because it gonna be demolished soon), I'll post some pictures next week before we have our stuff delivered and keep you all up to date on the settling in process. Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend!

Toddler Pool

2011-02-16T17:28:00.000-09:00

Well, life with a toddler in a hotel room is not always so fun, so this week I was resolved to do some new activities. One of the Mom's I met here at the hotel, told me about the toddler pool over at the gym nearby, so yesterday we ventured there. Getting there was pretty easy, except that there isn't a sidewalk that takes you all the way there, so we were sometimes on the street or parking lot and the Tripler Army hospital we were walking through is pretty busy. I arrived at 10:30, but the pool didn't open until 11, so we played in the grass and waited for a half hour. At 11, I paid my $1 and we went to the pool. They have a great little toddler pool that Eli had a blast playing in. Now I mentioned getting there was easy, getting back was not so much! I had to walk up a huge hill, pushing a 40+ toddler in a stroller with all our snacks, not to mention 24 weeks pregnant to get back to the hotel... let's just say I got my workout! Here's a few pics of Eli in the water ;).

I love his face in the picture

Playing in the fountain

I sounded like a lifeguard or my parents telling Eli to walk and not run, LOL.

He's such a chunk!

He looks like a football player to me in this picture, he just finished throwing something :)

Dinner Cruise for Valentine's

2011-02-14T10:32:00.000-09:00

Saturday night, Robert and I were able to go on a dinner cruise for Valentine's Day thanks to some new friends who babysat Eli. The food was pretty good and the view of Waikiki and the sunset was great. We had fun spending a few hours together sans 2 year old. Here's a few pics!

Robert's first Pina Colada ever... he's not really into sweet drinks

Over looking Waikiki

Silly self portrait

Belly Shot, almost 24 weeks along

Part of the skyline

Robert is such a good sport, they got him to get up and dance along with a hula dancer lol. There may or may not be video of this :).

Dole Plantation

2011-02-08T10:09:00.001-09:00

This past Saturday we went to the Dole Plantation. We walked around, went on the train (which Eli was very excited about) and ate pineapple ice cream. It was a fun little outing! Here's a few pics.

Waiting for the choo choo train...

Out for a walk with Daddy, trying to get a better view of the trucks

Flirting with some cute Japanese tourists

Asking them, "Where choo choo go?"

Really ready to get on the train now.

Cheese with Daddy

Big cheese with Momma

He loved putting his shades on and off all day

Ko Olina Lagoons

2011-02-03T12:23:00.000-09:00

On Tuesday Robert got a day off because his office is under renovation, so we headed to the beach. We wanted to try the Ko Olina lagoons because we knew they would be super kid friendly and my parents have a timeshare at a property close-by, so we wanted to scope it out.

We are still in Army lodging at Tripler Medical Center. Most likely another month or so... we are looking into other options besides on-post housing like renting or buying, so we'll see what happens. For now, we like the lodging and I just heard about a pool within walking distance that has a kids section, so we'll be checking that out soon.

Here are some pics from our beach day!

He played in the sand for a few minutes before heading to the water

Me and the baby

Wonderful husband helping get things set up

The lagoon

my boys

Little feet

The Honolulu Zoo

2011-01-24T10:38:00.000-09:00

Getting a better view of the monkeys

Checking out the animals

Monkeys!

Big turtles that say, "Hey Dude" according to Eli

Reluctantly saying cheese when he would rather be looking at the turtles

The bully peacock who was making sure to get all the food the little kids were dropping their lunch

Looking at the lions

The boys.

On Saturday morning we headed out to the Honolulu Zoo, which was great fun. The zoo is really nice and it made sense for us to buy the annual pass because it will more than pay for itself in 1 more trip.

Sunday we had to move hotels because Navy lodging was sold out and didn't have any more room for us so we headed to Army lodging which is older, but bigger, closer to Robert's work and perfectly fine for what we need (thank goodness I booked it when I did because now they are full). No good news on the housing front. There are no houses currently available and no one has given their 30 days notice to vacate the home yet, so we are looking at least 5 more weeks for the new army housing or possibly mid February for ghetto old army housing that will be torn down in a year. We have a meeting with Navy housing tomorrow so we'll see what they say. Ugh. I just keep praying for contentment. We have a roof over our heads and some big time inconveniences and stresses, but overall we are healthy and there are millions of people who have it waaaay worse than we do. We have Army lodging booked for the next month, so this is where we will be for awhile.

Otherwise we will continue to explore the island when we can and get out to pass the time quickly. I'm thankful baby girl won't be joining us until June so we have some time to get situated.

Happy Monday!

4 day weekend!

2011-01-18T11:04:00.000-09:00

We just had a 4 day weekend and spent a lot of time traveling around the island and going to the beach. It started on Thursday when we went out to Kailua which is on the other side of the island from Pearl Harbor. We went to the beach for a few hours and then stopped at a great burger place on our way home.

Hanging out at Kailua beach

Kailua Beach around sunset on our way out to dinner

On Friday we hung around the hotel, I had a Dr. appt to get set up for my pre-natal care and Robert had some editing to do. After Eli's nap we headed out to Costco to get some beach towels and chairs and then to the NEX to get food for a picnic.

Playing at the hotel

On Saturday we headed out to the North Shore for a beach day! Someone told us about a beach that often has sea turtles hanging around so we headed there. Eli had fun with the turtles and quoted lines from Finding Nemo all day.

Can you see the head popping up?

On Sunday we tried a church and then later in the day took Eli to get his hair cut. It rained the rest of the evening so we stayed in.

On Monday we ventured out to the Ko Olina lagoons for a few hours, but once we got there we learned that the beach was closed do to high surf and brown water (yuck). Apparently something happened with a local landfill that they were working to clean up. So we ventured further up the island, but there were red flag warnings because of the surf and rocky shores, so it turned out to be a bust, but a pretty drive. After Eli's nap, we went to the hotel pool, Eli's first time in a pool!

Swimming!

A good view of Eli's new hair cut ;)

Cheese!

Practicing kicks

Now we are back to reality, Robert is back to work and Mommy and Eli are hanging around the hotel waiting patiently for Daddy to come home.

I'll try to do a better job of taking more pictures! I can't find my camera battery charger so we are heading to a best buy tonight in hopes they have one

We are here!

2011-01-09T13:53:00.000-09:00

We landed in our new home of Hawaii yesterday afternoon. It was surprisingly easy to pick-up the cat and then head to lodging. We didn't do much last night, but this morning we went out for a walk and ended up at the USS Missouri. We knew it was close, but not that close ;). So we decided to tour the ship and then eat some hot dogs while looking at the Arizona memorial which is not far. It was a very fun family outing!

A good view of the Arizona Memorial

The USS Missouri

Daddy showing Eli the 50 cal

The spot where the Japanese surrendered

Eli got a little whiny and Mommy was laughing at him

Family photo

Eli pointing to the big "boom booms"

See the Arizona memorial in the background

Eli enjoying his first hot dog, he ate the dog and bun separate

It's a GIRL!

2011-01-07T21:23:00.000-09:00

We are very excited to announce we are adding a girl to our family! We are very excited! Baby girl is due about June 1st, so I am currently 19 weeks and 2 days as of today. Our little boy brings us so much joy and we are sure this little girl will do the same ;).

Happy New Year!

2011-01-06T14:30:00.000-09:00

I know I'm a week late, but I thought I'd share my New Year's Resolutions - mostly to write them down to hold myself somewhat accountable to actually do them ;). So last year I really only had one resolution and that was to get better at cooking, which I think I can objectively say I accomplished! I still have a lot to learn, but I have tried lots of new recipes and some scary things (like creme brulee) and they turned out pretty well.

So for this year I want to keep it realistic since I don't know how long we'll be living in lodging before we get a house and we have a baby coming this summer but here they are:

1. Continue to get better at cooking (try fun things based on what Hawaii offers)

2. Refinish some of my furniture and get my house nice and organized and decorated

3. Learn some new sewing and crochet techniques and continue to blog about my crafting adventures

That's it for me this year, what about you?

Christmas Fun

2011-01-05T11:50:00.000-09:00

We have spent December packing, moving and spending Christmas and the New Year with family and friends. We leave for Hawaii in a few days and while we love spending time with the people closest to us, we are getting anxious to get to our new home. We got word yesterday that our household goods are there, so once we get there we will see about our housing and neighborhood. I'll keep you all updated on that front as we go, but for now here are some pics from our Christmas fun!

Us with Robert's sister and husband and cousin Kira who came in from Michigan

Digging for bugs with Daddy in Grandma's garden

Disneyland

Giggles with Nammy and Uncle AJ

Eli and Nammy

Me and the hubs

Buzz Lightyear with Grandpa and Nana

Christmas presents!

opening one from Grandpa

Cowboys/Cardinals game in AZ on Christmas Day

Game Day gang

The boys watching very intently

Dad, bro and Craig, hangin at the game

Eli playing nerf war with Daddy and Grandpa

My brother and cousin Janea

Hanging out with family

Play time with great friends

Eli pretending to be Woody, one of his most favorite toys in the whole world

Thanksgiving

2010-11-29T14:12:00.000-09:00

We spent Thanksgiving this year with our friends the Silberman's. Andrya is a fantastic cook, so everything was yummy. We had a good time watching football and watching the snow fall outside. I made a bunch of stuff for the first time, here is how it went.

made these for the first time, they turned out yummy

Robert watching the game

The view outside

Tom and Andrya

The Thanksgiving spread

made this for the first time too, turned out yummy, but not as pretty as the picture!

This is Ambrosia or 5 cup salad, the thing I wanted to make that my Mom normally does. Made it for the first time this year, it's easy. And one of my favorites.

Ring Bearer

2010-11-23T14:05:00.000-09:00

Eli was the ring bearer in my cousin's wedding this past weekend! Here are a few pics! He was super cute and did a great job ;).

Eli the ring bearer, Kimberly the flower girl and bride and groom

Mom, my shoe!

snack time

Eli and Grammy, or Nameen as he likes to say

Me and my Mom

Dancing!

Sushi Night with Friends

2010-11-15T15:55:00.000-09:00

A few Saturdays ago, we spent the day making sushi with some friends of ours. Well, Laura and I did. The men were on kid duty. It was fun to learn from Laura since she had done this before, so that I can do it sometime soon. We made waaaaay to much for us to eat, but it was fun and yummy! We did Vegetable Tempura too which I love, especially sweet potatoes and carrots ;).

Eel

California Rolls, Spicy Tuna Rolls, Philadelphia Rolls plus Albacore sushi and shrimp

Rainbow Rolls

Playing in the snow

2010-11-09T13:51:00.000-09:00

We have been trying to take advantage of the snow while we are here, so Robert has taken Eli outside a few times when he's home from work. Here's a few pics of them playing outside.

Moving to Hawaii!

2010-11-04T21:10:00.000-08:00

Well, most of our peeps know that we are moving to Hawaii soon, but I thought I would announce it on the blog. We are packing up our stuff in Alaska in December, spending Christmas with family in California and then on to Oahu the second week of January. Needless to say we are very excited! We are warm weather people and are very excited about the new climate as opposed to Alaska where it rained for 30 straight days over the summer and got up to 80 degrees like once.

We are however, very sad to leave the friends we have made here and the life we've known for the past 2.5 years. The unknown is a little scary, but it's Hawaii right?! We are looking forward to easy access to L.A. where family is and Robert is excited about this new job. I can't wait to see Eli's glee running through sprinklers in the yard and playing at the beach.

We will be enjoying the next month with our friends here, appreciating the cold and snow and getting prepared to go... on to the next chapter.

Halloween Fun!

2010-11-01T13:09:00.000-08:00

Yesterday we got together with our group of friends and we attempted to get a photo of all the kids dressed up. Here is the pic!

busy busy busy!

2010-10-14T16:50:00.000-08:00

There has been a lot going on at the Melanie Ham Designs Blog, here are a few things I've been up to!

Buzz Lightyear to the Rescue!

2010-10-12T11:52:00.000-08:00

Eli is really into Toy Story, especially Buzz and Woody. Grandma Avah sent this costume with her last box and at first he didn't want to have anything to do with it. The other day we out the wings on him and he looked in the mirror and got really excited so we put the rest of the costume on. He has been wearing it almost non-stop since!

Moose!

2010-10-07T16:57:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we had some Moose visitors eating our trees right outside our house! Eli was up watching Saturday morning cartoons and we saw them. He kept saying, "moose eat tree!" It was fun to see them so up close and not be afraid they were going to charge ;). Life in Alaska, its crazy!

The Other Eli

2010-09-29T08:06:00.003-08:00

Eli's Nana sent me this email she put together ... so funny.

Hey, Listen Up.

I don't usually tell people this but...

I'll tell you. Just keep it on the DL.

While my parents are sleeping, I write financial analysis & forecasts for Fortune 500 companies for a very handsome fee. You should see my college fund.

Psyche! Just Kidding!

I know, That was *so* funny.

I really crack myself up.

Trip to Seward Alaska

2010-09-15T12:44:00.004-08:00

Last week, Robert had some work he had to do down in Seward Alaska (about 2 hours south of Anchorage), so the family decided to go along! His schedule was not too rough so we were able to do a few family things together... although Eli and I did spend a bunch of time in the hotel... nap times were kinda boring for me, but hey! I was so glad we could be together as a family instead of sending Robert off for 3 days. Anyway, here are some pics from our trip.

The first thing we did was head to the SeaLife Center. It was a little smaller than I was expecting but Eli enjoyed seeing the fish, seals, sea lions, ducks and puffins. And I can't expect much for a teeny little town in Alaska.

There was a beautiful view of Resurrection Bay.

Another thing we did was go to Exit Glacier. We parked and it was a good walk up to the glacier which was beautiful with the fall colors and Eli had fun running. We couldn't stay too long because of Robert's work, so we didn't make it to the glacier but we still had fun. And everything takes longer with a toddler!

Trash the Dress Contest

2010-09-13T07:00:00.006-08:00

I'm doing this post to try to win a trash the dress underwater photo session from Lukas VanDyke who did our wedding photos. I saw these photos and thought it would be fun to do some of these photos for our collection. The pictures are so fanciful, fluid and fairy-like that it would be awesome to have them in our daughter's bedroom one day (if God blesses us with a girl at some point) or if not, to make a new memory in my wedding dress almost exactly 5 years after Robert and I were married. That's why you should pick us, Luke!

Here are some of my ideas. I mentioned fairy-like - so maybe recreating some classic scenes from fairy-tales like Sleeping Beauty being kissed after falling into a spell sleep, taking a bite out of a red apple from Snow White, combing my hair with a fork and maybe having a pumpkin at the bottom of the pool.

Another idea I have is to bring some fresh, vibrant colored flowers under the water to be like a bouquet. (tulips are some of my favorites...) It would have to be a substantial flower so that it would hold up. Maybe red roses too.

The last set of ideas I have is to re-create iconic wedding "moments" like seeing the bride for the first time, the kiss, the first dance, the bouquet toss etc. but with a twist since it will be under water.

That's my bid for winning this contest! I'll let you know if I win.

Eli is 2!

2010-09-11T10:06:00.006-08:00

The past few days, it has really hit me that Eli is turning 2! He's not a baby anymore... He doesn't fit in my arms as easily... He's talking, running, playing and learning new things everyday. I love to watch him learn new things and have new experiences, but it also makes me pause and remember that is is growing up and someday will have a life of his own. I'm looking forward to this journey with my family and feel so blessed that God chosen me to be the one to raise Eli. Here are a few pics from over the past 2 years!

About to pop with Eli...

Sept. 11, 2008 3:36 pm

8lbs 6oz

Beautiful Eyes

Silly Boy at only a few weeks old

Smiles (about 3 mos)

Saying Goodbye to Daddy for awhile (5mos)

Cutie (about 7 mos)

Reading!

Eli is 1! Daddy home for R&R

Around Christmas 2009

Welcoming Daddy home in February

Our little guy this past Summer

Our family at Eli's 2nd birthday party last weekend!

The Alaska State Fair

2010-09-10T19:38:00.003-08:00

Last weekend we had a chance to go to the Alaska State Fair. It was so fun! We had a blast watching Eli learn and explore new things. He really liked the desert exhibit and thought the big tortoises were the coolest. We saw the farm animals which was fun and then got a balloon and headed toward the firetruck which E. is obsessed with, so that was a hit! I has been such a joy to watch Eli learn, grow and absorb new things. We feel so blessed to be Eli's parents and are enjoying making family memories like these.

Football Cake!

2010-09-05T15:08:00.004-08:00

My Mom and I made a football cake for Eli's birthday! She has a lot of cake decorating experience so I knew we could pull off my vision! Here is how it went!

Music in the Park

2010-09-04T08:11:00.003-08:00

Recently we went to Music in the Park in downtown Anchorage with some friends, here are some pics!

Painting

2010-09-01T07:08:00.005-08:00

So I told you I would explain the picture of Eli I posted last week. Last Tuesday, we headed to the Smith's house for Levi's 3rd birthday party. His Mom Renee had a bunch of fun things planned for the kids. One of the activities was to paint with colored whipped cream and then tell them at the end that they could eat it. Eli was one of the youngest there, so it took him a little longer for me to convince him he could eat it, but once he started he kept on going! The next day, he told me he was "painting" which was putting a brush into "paint" and then eating it... it was so cute! And I will have to watch him the next time he really paints!

You can see in the background the images on the fence to color and the other kids digging into the tubs of cool whip ;).

Kirra's New Shop!

2010-08-30T06:33:00.003-08:00

My friend Kirra lives in Chicago and has opened up an online antique shop, a longtime dream of hers. Go check her out! Lovies is her new blog and shop. She is so cute and has great photos, and great taste in fantastic antique shops she finds in the greater Chicago area. I think these are my favorite things in her new shop ;).

Happy Friday!

2010-08-27T08:54:00.002-08:00

More details on this photo later... I'll keep you in suspense!

Eli's first Lollipop

2010-08-25T14:56:00.003-08:00

Eli had his first lollipop today! It was a red dum dum he got in a goody bag at his friend's birthday party. Of course he loved it! He was walking around saying "lollipop" and making yummy noises. Once I got tired of chasing after him to keep the sticky under control, we said bye bye to the lollipop and headed to the park.

Happy Friday!

2010-08-20T13:11:00.002-08:00

Here are a few fun pics of Eli playing outside.

Crochet for Chloe

2010-08-11T15:14:00.003-08:00

My really good friend Liz had a baby earlier this year, but I missed her birth and they moved while I was still away, so when I was in Seattle a few weeks ago I went to visit them and meet Chloe for the first time. I wanted to make Chloe a crochet blanket with my new found love of crocheting, so here are some pics of how it turned out! Not bad for the first crochet project I've given away...

Alaska Cruise!

2010-08-03T13:50:00.004-08:00

Robert and I were blessed to be able to go on an Alaska Cruise this past week as an early 5 year Anniversary trip. We left Vancouver, Canada for a 7 day cruise on Princess Cruises. We stopped in Ketchikan first where we had rare sun and got to kayak the Eagle Islands. Juneau was next where we saw the Capital, Mendenhall Glacier, a salmon hatchery and toured the Alaskan Brewing Co. where we did some beer tasting. Next was Skagway, the gateway to the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898 and we did a hike and walked around the old western town. The next day we cruised through Glacier Bay where we got to see a glacier calve and the following day College Fjord with glacier after glacier in this little arm of water. We landed in Whittier where my Dad and Stepmom came to pick us up with Eli who ran to us with big hugs and kisses. Thankfully Robert's parents watched Eli for a few days and then switched with my Dad and Stepmom who all took excellent care of him and taught him new things. We are so glad that Eli had a chance to build more of a bond with his grandparents! Enjoy the slideshow from our trip!

Mom!

2010-07-15T10:21:00.001-08:00

Mom!
Originally uploaded by heytower

Eli has been saying Mom for awhile but he has just started yelling Mom! and calling out for me. It's pretty cute and demonstrated here!

Crocheting fool!

2010-07-11T17:58:00.003-08:00

Recently, I have really gotten into crocheting. I took a class last fall, but never really did much besides a scarf. I was inspired last time I spoke to Robert's Aunt Sybil who is the crocheter of the family. I think all her kids, nieces and nephews have an afghan that she made. I decided to give it another go when i got home and have made some fun things! After much research, helpful blogs and youtube videos to help me of course;). I'll post some more pictures soon because some of the things are surprise gifts, but here is something I whipped up pretty quick, and functional too, plus only cost about $1.40!

This is a dish cloth made of some sugar n' cream cotton. It was fast and easy and more practice for me to crochet in the round. I have found that it is very relaxing and addicting to crochet. I like to do it while I sit next to Robert on the couch and we watch tv. If Eli is playing well by himself I can watch him while I do it as well. Hope you all are having a great Sunday!

Why Hello Mr. Black Bear

2010-07-06T07:19:00.002-08:00

Living in Alaska, wildlife is something you have to remember and watch out for on a regular basis. We have seen moose, fox and now black bear just in our front yard! In the top picture, the bear is on the grassy area that Eli plays on. So after yesterday we need to be extra careful, although the authorities here on Fort Richardson seemed to be keeping an eye on this guy, thank goodness!

Dinner Party

2010-06-30T07:36:00.004-08:00

Baby E giving himself kisses

2 great girlfriends!

Happy boys, L. and E. playing football

Tons of new babies!

The AK gang hanging out in our front yard

More friends!

We had a great time hosting a dinner party at our house to celebrate the Solstice and my birthday. It is always fun for the group to get together. There are tons of kiddos!

2010-06-27T17:26:00.002-08:00

Our Sunday afternoon. We had a busy Saturday, we threw a Solstice/Birthday party with a bunch of friends so our Sunday has been low key. We had a nice morning at church and all took naps in the afternoon. Now we are enjoying the rainy day with cartoons, tea and each other. We talked about creation at church this morning, so even though it's cold and rainy, we are thankful for God's creation and feel so blessed to see so much of its beauty here in Alaska!

Roses

2010-06-25T13:04:00.002-08:00

Robert brought home roses and I love them in my windowsill. Happy Friday!

11 pm Alaska Time

2010-06-24T11:16:00.002-08:00

These are just a few of our attempts to take a picture of ourselves last night at 11pm. Of course it took awhile to get a decent picture, but you get the idea. The sun is still out at 11pm!!

Thankful

2010-06-22T15:36:00.003-08:00

Me and the boys last September

While online a few days ago, I ran across this blog, The Nie Nie Dialogues. Maybe some of you have seen this, but I was struck by this woman's story. She and her husband survived a plane crash a year and a half ago but with serious burns. Her blog went from being about the joys of motherhood to recovering from the crash and her feelings on how she looks, how her children respond to her, the strength of her marriage and her numerous surgeries and hardships with her healing. It made me thankful I have a healthy and happy husband and son and that I am healthy and happy enough to enjoy them. Her positivity in these trials has forced me think about how we can get so bogged down with silly things each day and not focus on more important things... things that matter - God, Family, Love. Take some time to ENJOY the ones you LOVE today, because we never know when that could change.

THANKFUL for my BOYS today,

M.

Eli at the Park

2010-06-19T15:59:00.005-08:00

He climbed up there all by himself!

This past Memorial Day, we met up with some friends at Jewel Lake Park. They have a fun playground and lots of picnic tables to sit. A friend brought his grill, so we all brought food and drinks and had a nice time enjoying a beautiful Alaska day! We also headed over to the new memorial on post that honors the fallen Spartans from this past tour in Afghanistan. It was good to do something as a family that remembered what Memorial Day is really about besides a 3 day weekend and BBQ's, although we enjoyed those things as well.

Eli has been getting really good at climbing at the park. He gets more and more coordinated everyday! It has been so great to watch him grow and learn and to do things as a family of 3!

Eli at Sushi

2010-06-17T08:27:00.003-08:00

We went to our favorite sushi place and our waitress prepped a rice soup for Eli to eat and he loved it! He also had fun drinking Daddy's ice water.

Returning to the Blogging World

2010-06-16T15:03:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone! I am returning to the blogging world. I won't be posting as often as when Robert was deployed, but as often as I can!