Weekend with the Rogers!

The ONE time Eli isn't pitching a fit in his car seat, he was sitting straight up on the couch...maybe he just doesn't like lying down in it. Too bad this position is illegal while car riding.

I have no idea what he is doing here...he just asked that I take a picture of "his muscles"

More pictures of Eli's sweet smile. I was so excited about this one that I cut off half of his head.

The camera just doesn't do his cuteness justice. They are sooo much more precious in person!

Here he is smiling at a picture of Jay on the wall.

Giving you his crooked smile....or very possibly, just taking a poop

Walking with his new girlfriend....sorry James, i think Jay stole your woman.

After Gus (James' and Randi's dog) jumped on the rock, Jay had to follow.

Jay asked me to take a picture of him and the dogs on the rock together. Aren't Gus and Clover so cute?

We must have looked like a circus with 4 adults trying to keep up with 3 wild dogs and a pair of screaming kids!

yes, i am really showing you MORE pictures of my baby's smiles. :)

I think he is annoyed that every time he tries to talk , obnoxious flashes of light overcome him

Just a little grin here

Getting ready to go to Congaree Forest, James captured some great ones of Jay while we were there

I love that boy when he is smiling so sweet!

Notice he is still holding Randi's hand....he seriously "needed her hand" everywhere we went

Wes pushing "sleepy-head" around the park

The forest is full of cypress trees with long boardwalks through the forest

Jay thought these cypress "knees" were really cool but wanted to walk on them the whole time

Only Jay would think it is a good idea to walk on long, pointy, tree parts in the middle of a disgusting swampland

And only Jay would come up with the even brighter idea to lick the trees..???...what is wrong with this child?!

Our professional fisherman at work

As you can tell by the pics, James and Randi came to meet Eli this weekend. Although if you talked to Jay he would tell you that they actually came just to see him. We really enjoyed hanging out and did a few things around town since the weather was so nice. Jay claimed Randi as his girlfriend from the minute she walked in the door except he kept calling her "that lady", which I guess I need to explain is not the best way to impress a girl. He would say, "I need to hold that lady's hand" or "where did that lady go?" as if she were a total stranger staying in our house. By the time they left I think he was calling her "Mrs. Randi" at least.

Eli is growing every day as I see his chubby cheeks getting chubbier and I have an increasingly difficult time carrying him in the heavy car seat. He is usually pretty low maintenance until about 5pm when he needs to be held constantly. I need to start making more meals that can be prepared early since he will not let me get supper done without a screaming fight. He sleeps a lot still, thank God for our swing, as I'm not sure where he would sleep otherwise. He loves it and probably spends at least half of the day in there. He has been smiling even more these last 2 days and the competition is getting fierce between me and the fans. But I must say that the smiles he gives me are a lot bigger than the little grins he gives to his beloved ceiling fan. So I think, quality over quantity, I am in the lead. He also smiles at Jay's picture a lot, which is so sweet.

As for other things, he wakes up once at night, usually around 3 or 4 (since I put him down between 8 and 9, I won't complain). I am hoping in the next few weeks he will start to stretch that a little. Jay slept through the night at 11 weeks and, so far, Eli seems to be on the same track. I think my attitude will take a major turn when I can get uninterrupted sleep again...something I know Jay will appreciate. I told Wes last night that I was short with Jay all day for some reason. He wasn't being that bad, I just had no patience for him. Of course after I laid him down last night I felt so guilty because I know it wasn't him, it was just me being tired. And he didn't even talk back, he would just say sweetly, "ok mom" when I'd tell him to go play or stop whatever it was he was doing that I was annoyed by. It is amazing how forgiving children are. I guess God knows we will need it as we try to raise them without going completely crazy. :)


Jay is getting excited about turning 3 next week. Wes is taking him to a monster truck show on Saturday that Jay can't stop talking about. His class is having a birthday celebration for him on Thursday so I am going to be a "real mom" and bring cupcakes for them to eat. Jay's 3 year and Eli's 2 month checkups are next week so I will have updated stats for both of them.

Otherwise, all is well. We are just trying to find a good schedule to adjust into and I am still learning the "tricks of the trade" in this whole "mom of 2" thing. I am thinking that the hardest part is over though. I remember the first 3 months were the worst with Jay and, really, after the first 6 weeks things quickly improved each day. So only one more month of my "newborn woes" and I should feel more in control of this show. That's what I am going to tell myself, I least. :)