it's the little things

One of the best things about being a parent is sharing the joys of the simple and everyday with someone who is experiencing them for the first time.  The other day I dragged Elliott to CVS with me on the way home from work, and while walking down the dental care aisle Elliott yelled out "toothbrush!" reminding me that I had been meaning to buy him a new toothbrush since his old one was looking past its prime.  I let Elliott pick his favorite, which he then proceeded to show everyone we passed in the store exclaiming "toothbrush, toothbrush".  (He's a bit of a parrot these days, and tells stories by repeating one word over and over).

Here he is trying to open the packaging on the way home from the store..

and the eager anticipation when Steve agreed to open it for him,

and at last, finally getting to use it!

In the moments when I am exhausted and worn down by the never ending tasks of my role as a working mom, it is refreshing to be reminded how exciting everyday life can be.  The little things make all the difference, and the joy this little guy brings to my world makes all the juggling and exhaustion seem inconsequential.

Buying a new toothbrush may not always be as exciting for Elliott as getting a new toy, but I hope he never loses the ability to find such delight in the little things.

Working

Elliott is so much fun these days, and I am continually amazed by his understanding of the world and how things work.  One of Elliott's favorite past times is playing with tools.  Sometimes he gets his hands on Daddy's tools, but mostly we try to keep his attention focused on his many toy tools.  For Christmas he got a wooden tool bench/tool set from Steve's parents, and a Black & Decker (toy) tool set from my Gram.  

At first he mostly just carried them around and gnawed on them from time to time.  These days he's a pro, knows the names of all of the tools.  He hammers nails with his hammer, uses the screwdriver to twist screws, and runs the saw across his work bench (he has both a wooden saw and a power saw). 

Elliott will often play at his bench and say over and over again "working, working", just in case we couldn't tell what we was up to.  He also said the same thing on the way home from work today when I told him Daddy was working, but would be home soon.  He must think that Steve plays with tools all day when he is at work.

We have plenty of projects around the house, and can't wait for Elliott to be big enough to trade in those toy tools for some real ones.  Especially when he is so enthusiastic about working:)

Simple Pleasures

Tuesdays are veggie day at our house.  I've been making an effort to be more healthy lately - mostly in what we eat, but maybe I'll branch out and start exercising too.  We recently restarted our veggie delivery service, and we all look froward to what comes in that little brown box every week.  This beauty is what was waiting on our doorstep this week when we got home from work.  

Elliott loves strawberries (and broccoli believe it or not), and reached in to help himself to the biggest, juiciest one in the box.

While I cook dinner (trying to squeeze as many veggies in as possible) he will either play at the window bench, or play in the backyard while Steve works.

And this is the end result when we finally sit down to eat!

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Happy Cinco de Mayo everyone!  Elliott had a great weekend full of his favorite things. Now that the days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer we brought out the blow up pool we got him for his birthday.  He played for hours splashing, pouring water from one cup to another, and in general just enjoyed being outdoors.  

I can't believe how old he looks here!  My baby is 100% toddler now.  He's running, talking up a storm, and gives the best hugs and kisses (provided he's in a snuggly mood).  He's even following in Daddy's footsteps and taking up basketball.

We decided to get out on the town on Saturday night to do a bit of shopping.  Elliott and Steve played the part of the cool guys lounging on the couch while I scoured the racks for a good deal on a new rug for our front window.  No luck there, but we all enjoyed the outing.

If Elliott were helping me write this post he would want me to point out his new shoes - the Converse really complete his hipster look, and my mom will be happy to know that they match the blue stripe in the hat she got him.  BTW - He is still a hat guy, and every morning we have to pick one to wear before going out the door.

My sister Janine and her new baby Amelia came to spend a night with us.  Amelia was so sweet and tiny, and Elliott loved having a real live baby in the house. (That's me in case you were wondering. Don't know how I managed to not get a picture of Janine with the baby)

We ended the weekend with a Cinco de Mayo party at our friend Heather's house.  The weather wasn't the greatest, but we thoroughly enjoyed the good food and good company (and Heather's homemade margaritas!).

Elliott even conned Heather into letting him water her lawn.  It's one of his most favorite things to do (including play with cars, watch tractors, and reading books).

All in all a great weekend!

February Fun

Hi All!  I can't believe February is almost over already.  Elliott seems to be growing up so quickly.  He's transitioned from cautiously walking to running everywhere, and his few words have grown into a large vocabulary.  I am continuously amazed by how much he understands, and remembers.

So, to get you up to speed on what Elliott has been up to in the month of February (and to get this post up quickly before Elliott wakes up), here is a collection of photos and stories from the month, in no particular order.

The weather has been gorgeous here in SB over the past few weekends, and we have been enjoying family walks around the neighborhood, including up the street to Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf.  Elliott and Reese played together while we enjoyed our afternoon pick me up.  Elliott is getting quite good at throwing the ball, and has finally turned into the playmate Reese always hoped he would be.

We made a quick trip down to Newbury Park so Elliott could visit Great Grandma Claire and Great Grandpa Harry.  On the way down I couldn't resist sneaking a shot of Elliott content in his car seat.  He read books to himself the entire trip down. It was so sweet to watch, and I'm happy to find him turning into a book worm.  I had my doubts during the earlier months when all he wanted to do was eat the books we were trying to read to him.

Our good friends the Quinns had us over for dinner.  While we enjoyed good food and conversation, Elliott and Camryn enjoyed playing together, pushing each other around the house in the stroller.

And how could you live in beautiful Santa Barbara without enjoying Happy Hour on the beach from time to time.  Elliott was super happy to play in the sand with an array of beach toys provided by the restaurant, which freed us up to relax and enjoy the view.

I brought Elliott in to work one afternoon to meet my work friends.  He absolutely loved it, especially all the trucks owned by our operations staff.  Trucks are his absolute favorite (he has to point out every one we see in the car), and he must think I have the best job ever getting to be around them all day.

Even the one bad weather day over President's day weekend didn't stop us from hitting the beach.  Elliott had so much fun digging in the sand that we are still discovering sand patches throughout the house that he tracked in.

One of the best tweaks we have made to our evening routine is feeding Elliott in the kitchen while we cook dinner.  Someday I hope to have more regular "Family Dinners", but for now it is nice to relax, chat with him and cook dinner, as opposed to rushing to get dinner on the table while he is fussing and tugging on me because he is hungry.

Another neighborhood walk to the park.

We stopped by the new Santa Barbara REI.  I was hoping to find him a new winter coat on clearance, but he got sidetracked by the hats.  He truly is a little hat man.

We even got to squeeze in a mommy & me kids music session at a local baby store.  Elliott was overwhelmed by the small room with lots of moms and babies, and clung to me the whole time.  I was a bit surprised since he loves music so much, but maybe next time he will warm up to it.

Elliott's favorite place to spend his time is our backyard...  He runs around exploring everything, but if he catches us watching him he pauses, and then flashes the hugest grin.  Like he knows he is the happiest kid in the world.

Elliott is fascinated with socks, and had to try on Daddy's socks one day.

We all continue to enjoy his little play station at the front window...

Back to Reese and Elliott being buddies - Elliott has discovered our hiding place for Reese's treats, and daily will open the cupboard, grab the bag, and then pester us until we open the bag so he can give Reese a treat.  Too cute.

I served on a jury last week, and got to spend my days at our beautiful court house.  It was a very interesting experience, and a reminder of why we live here.  One afternoon while taking a walk, a tour bus drove by, and everyone leaned out to snap this picture.  I may have mentally gloated a bit over the fact that I was doing my civic duty here, while they only got to snap a pic.

Elliott discovered the moon one evening during a walk with Reese on the bluffs.  He was fascinated, and kept pointing and saying "moon, moon".  The earth science teacher in me was proud.  Maybe he'll be an astronaut one day...

And that was our February!  We're looking forward to what March will bring.

Elliott's weekend adventures

And we're back!! I can't believe my last post was about Thanksgiving.  The holidays and beginning of the year were stressful for me (not bad, just too much going on with not enough time, aka - "the usual"), and I began operating on "bare minimum" mode to get by.  My goal for this year is to have a more relaxed and peaceful life through organization, simplification, and doing things I love, like sharing my awesome kid and his adventures with you.  So enough about me, and on to Elliott's latest shenanigans.

We had an unexpectedly fabulous weekend full of good friends, family, and relaxation.  It started on Friday night with this little guy, running around the house with a few of his favorite things, and literally jumping for joy on the couch (I'm wondering if, as a parent I should be discouraging this kind of behavior, but it is so darn cute).  He loves to wear hats like this trucker hat he got for christmas, and that is a battery operated drill Santa brought him.

And then it was off to his play tent for a few stories before bed.  He's showing me how he can wash his hands like the boy in the book.

Saturday was a housewarming party for our friend Heather at her cute new (2 bedroom!) cottage.  Can't believe I didn't get a pic of Elliott with her.  When we first got there he was a bit shy and just stared at everyone, but soon warmed up and began running circles through her house, chatting up everyone, crawling up and down the stairs on her deck.  When he started playing in the toilet we took it as our cue to head out.

Steve's friend Eric stayed with us on Saturday night.  The boys had a much needed jam session - Elliott included! (I don't know if you can tell, but that's a dog shaped guitar Elliott is playing)

Sunday morning we had coffee at the French Press with Eric before he left town.  Elliott fit right in to the hipster scene with his cool hat, and charmed just about everyone around us with his sweet smile.

We set up a playstation at our coffee table in the front window, and it keeps him engaged and focused for about 5 minute spurts, which is pretty impressive these days.  He also gets to watch all the activity at the retirement home across the street.  His favorite thing to do is yell "bus" when one drives by, and wave at all of the passengers.

Elliott is also learning how to surf.  Maybe one day he will upgrade from cutting boards on the kitchen floor to a real board in the ocean.  If Papa (my dad) has anything to do with it, that will be next summer at our 4th of July camping trip.

Sunday afternoon we took a family hike at the Ellwood bluffs to visit the monarch butterflies in their annual migration.  While Elliott was a bit to small to notice the butterflies, he had a great time being outside with Reese.

However, our walk was very slow as he got excited about every single rock we saw and had to investigate.  The joys of being a kid are very simple.

It's funny that Papa came up in our conversation earlier in the day, because he and Grandma surprised us with a visit as they were passing through town.  We had a lovely dinner on the beach, 

and then came back to our house where Elliott got to open his Valentine's day gift - a new book about trucks.  He even read it to Papa saying "truck, truck,..."  

There was even some time for a few snuggles with Grandma before bed.

And now that it is 6:30 on Monday morning, I'd better go wake up my cute kid, get him dressed, off to daycare, and start another week.  I 'm already looking forward to the next weekend I get to spend with my special guy.

Have a great week!!

A Happy Thanksgiving

Hi Everyone.  I hope you are thoroughly enjoying the Christmas season (and not letting it's potential stress catch up with you).  Elliott is walking up a storm these days, so I figured I should post our Thanksgiving pictures before the holidays are over, and before he changes too much more.  So here you go - a small slice of our Thanksgiving week festivities...

We started off the week by driving down to see Grandma Claire and Grandpa Harry in Newbury Park. They are such joyful people, and Elliott adores them.

My parents and Steve's parents showed up Wednesday night, and we celebrated Steve's parents 44th wedding anniversary at The Palace.  Sadly I didn't get any pictures of the two of them at dinner, but I did manage to capture Elliott and Grandpa Wayne holding a drum circle in Cost Plus after dinner.

Congratulations Sandy and Wayne!  Thank you for sharing your wonderful son with me.

Thanksgiving morning we got down to the business of cooking a tasty dinner.  Even though there were only 6 of us and Elliott, we still felt the need to cook all of the traditional dishes, plus some (about 8 total).  And to top off the meal, my dad baked his famous apple cranberry pie.  It was delicious as usual.

No day spent at home is complete without a project or two going on in the background, and Thanksgiving was no different. Steve's dad built an amazing bar for our new kitchen/dining room border, and helped us to install it.  More on that in a later post.

And of course no day is complete for Reese with out a bit of ball chasing (Elliott gets pretty antsy also if he doesn't get his outdoor time.)

After his afternoon nap Elliott got all dressed up in his Thanksgiving best, and entertained the grandmas with his impressive toy collection and shaky walking skills while we put the finishing touches on dinner.

After 8 hours of cooking we were ready to eat, and it was quite a spread.  The turkey Steve cooked was amazing, but my kale-brussel sprout salad got quite a few compliments as well.  Check out the mostly finished kitchen in the background, and a sneak peek of our new bar behind my mom to the right.

We passed on the black Friday sales, and opted to enjoy lunch at the beach instead.  Here are my guys  looking cool while waiting for a table at the Shoreline.

And our awesome table in the sand.  Does life get better than this?

After lunch we walked down to State St.  - Elliott included!  On a side note, our family walks with Reese take forever these days because Elliott insists on walking and not being carried, but he is still pretty darn slow.

When he got tired of walking Elliott did let Grandpa Wayne carry him on his shoulders while we were passing through the harbor.

Our ultimate destination was actually the waterfront shuttle - Elliott's favorite thing ever.  Here's the giddy grin he flashed while we cruised up State St.

We hopped off the shuttle for coffee and snacks before turning around and hopping the shuttle back down State St.  Elliott loves his Grandmas!  He wanted to sit directly between them.

It was a very happy Thanksgiving/Black Friday, and our little guy was wiped out as we made our way back to the car.

Just for fun - here is Elliott last Thanksgiving.  What a difference a year makes!  

Hope your Thanksgiving was as great as Elliott's, and that you were able to take a moment to reflect on the things in your life that you are thankful for. Top of my Thankful list is definitely the time I get to spend with my family, and our beautiful (and ever improving) home in Santa Barbara.  I do my best to soak up the moments of our daily life - big and small.  Elliott is changing on a daily basis, and each new phase is more fun and exciting than the one before.