It's the BIG Day

We had Eli's party about a week before his birthday. However, I felt like it was very important to also do something special on his actual birthday (because he would know if we did not and never forgive us-right?). Soooo we had BIG plans for weeks for Mike to get off work early and go to the Children's Museum. However, I ended up also haveing to work, Mike did not get off until 5pm, and the Museum has something against working parents and closes at 5pm. So after I cried (and I really did) we came up with plan B. We went the Toys R Us and bought this awesome tent/tunnel thing with lots of little plastic balls, the NEW Christmas Tigger and Pooh Movie (more for Mike then Eli), and picked up some popcorn (more for Eli then us). It was a great evening and we only spent 10 more dollars then we would have at the Museum (much smarter of us).
It's even big enough for daddy!

Popcorn Picture in different Post... Mike thought his new like for popcorn was worthy of it's very own entry.

Birthday Boy

Eli had a Colts Birthday Party about a week ago. You ask why Colts for a baby boy... it went like this...

Mommy: Eli's birthday is coming up, what do you think the theme should be?

Daddy: A Colts theme

Mommy: OK

A week latter...

Mommy: I found a cake pan that would be good for Eli's party and have some decoration ideas.

Daddy: I only suggested that because I thought you would never let us have a Colts theme... it was to get a rise out of you.

Mommy: Too late... Colts party it is!


It is tradition in Mike's family "the daddy" makes the cake... well decorates it at least. Mike made the top cake (well done for his first cake) and I make the bottom one for Eli to stick his face in.
He was not so sure about all the singing!

This is about a messy as it got! At this point I think he was done this the cake!
He did a great job opening presents! I have spent months attempting to keep him from tearing paper... the toilet paper, Kleenex, my grocery list, books... so he was not hesitant when we told him to go at it and tear the paper.
And last... I have to picture my Football Jello creation!

Eli loves popcorn!!!!

Eli loves eating popcorn with the mommy...
Eli loves eating popcorn with the daddy...
Eli loves eating popcorn with the grandpa...

All that popcorn makes Eli a very happy baby boy...

Eli eats an ice cream cone

Uhhhhh Eli, you start on the other end.

Random Pics of the boy

With PepawWith the Grandpa

With the Mommy

With the Daddy

With himself

Halloween Pics

Eli started the night with Nana coming over to help get him ready for Halloween. After her pep talk, he was ready to put on his bumblee outfit.

Here is Eli after his outfit was put on for the first time. For the 3 hours after we first put this outfit on, he never tried to take it off. I think he liked his first Halloween.

Eli poses next to his "great pumpkin." Linus was jealous.

Nana gives some final words of encouragement. She warned him, "watch for razor blades in your candy bars. Perhaps you should give them all to your father so that he can test taste them for you. Oh, and remember which houses hand out arrow heads and pencils instead of candy so that you can skip them next year." Wise words, very wise.

Our first stop was to trick or treat at Memaw's CVS. It turned out that Eli was more interested in the cute Tech than the candy. He got game, but....

instead of a phone number, Eli got a Peanut butter cup instead. Plenty of fish in the sea, son, plenty of fish in the sea.

Here is Eli working as Memaw's #1 Technician in the Pharmacy. Would you take advice from a bumblebee?

Next stop was a visit in New Pal to see Eli's cousins. Eli explained his heartbreak at CVS. Alyssa wisely reminds him that he is too young to date. Lainey told him, "Duck!"

Here is Eli with Pepaw. Pepaw's smile is mostly from the fact that he was home alone to hand out candy to the kids. "Here's one for the kids and here's one for me."

Here's Eli after hanging out with Pepaw...in a great mood and finally over his heartbreak.

Our last stop was to Mamaw's house. Mamaw was sad, she did not have one trick or treater alllll night. So Eli consoled her, letting her know that he showed up and he'll take all the candy.

All in all, Halloween was a fun night. Here's a picture of Eli counting all his candy that he is too young to eat in the first place. Maybe next year buddy.

We are back!!!!!

Good news! We have purchased a new digitial camera and will now be able to update our blog on a regular basis. Thanks to Eli's bumble outfit for Halloween, we were inspired to go ahead and buy a new digi now instead of waiting for Santa Claus to hook a brotha up.

Torture Devise?

We thought Eli had been sick in the past... we did not know sick until last night. He had the highest fever he has ever had last night along with pucking, coughing, and crying that resulting in sleeping with Mommy and Daddy (so of coarse we did not get any sleep). I took him to the doctor today and he had to have a chest x-ray (which turned out fine... just bronchiolitis). However, this is picture of the devise/torture chamber he had to be placed in for the x-ray... very effective but enough to make a sleep deprived mommy cry and laugh at the same time.
Who thought this up? What doctor/x-ray-tech thought it would be a good idea to buy? And what mother allows her child be be put in this? Last, who published this false advertising ... as if kids don't cry when placed in this thing!

Time with Mama and Papa

Papas' little helper

Mamas' little buddy

If he only had a carrot

You have to love those teeth

We have never got him to wear these without crying... but his "friend" (pictured below) stopped by to see him and got him to wear them with a smile... the things he will do for the ladies.

And speaking of Carrots... We have advanced to some "big people" food and feeding ourself. As you can see he loves it. This is Eli setting an example for Mike... eating veggies!

Eli's first word (or two?)

Two weeks ago Eli spent the night at Nana and Grandpa's. He was gone less then 6 hours before he started pulling out new tricks... he said his first word when we were not there. However, we have heard it a ton since then. We got it on video which is amazing because he normally does not perform on command. Also, he has a new favorite toy featured in this short film... Mr. Spoon.

Is this really good?

A few months ago I was reading an article about "playtime". I specifically remember it talking about how good "daddy playtime" is for a baby. This was defined as the type of play that makes a mommy uncomfortable when she watches. Here is a video of what the article was referring to. Don't ask me what Mike's thought process was when he decided to do this.

Who was it?

We have this new feature at the bottom of our blog to see how many people visit and from what part of the world... it is very interesting. We can not tell who visits but we can tell how they get to our blog. So my question is, WHO FOUND OUR BLOG BY GOOGLE-ING "Stupid Family Fun"?

First field trip

Eli went on his first "daycare" field trip today... you can see pictures on the Perez's website: http://theperezprogenypipeline.blogspot.com

Rainbow at Rainbow Camp

(First year I think I have ever seen a rainbow at Rainbow Camp)

For those of you that don't know, Mike and I volunteer at a Camp called Rainbow Christian Camp every year the second week of July. I attended for 4-5 years as a camper and this was my seventh and Mike's fourth year as counselors/nurse. It is meaningful to us for many reasons...

1. We love to work with the kids
2. It is always spiritually refreshing
3. We love spending time with our friends who attend the camp.
4. It is where Mike and I first developed an interest in one another

Rainbow recap
(from the years Mike and Kari have gone together)

2004/Year 1 - Sparks began to fly (we tried to ignore them)
2005/Year 2 - Engaged
(This is Mike with my small group... they loved talking about our wedding and LOVED Mike!)

2006/Year 3 - Pregnant

2007/Year 4 - Baby Eli with us

2008/Year 5 - Yet to be determined?????
Any predictions... don't say pregnant!!

Here are some pictures from this year.
This is Mike's small group in the pool. All week Mike plays sports and runs around like a kid... needless to say he is exhausted now.
Eli fit right in. These are pictures at one of our staff meetings. Eli was very polite and listening very closely to Aaron (sitting to Eli's right)Everyone was so excited to see him and the campers loved having a baby there... he got a TON of attention!! And Mommy got lots of breaks while Eli received much love from everyone!
And there must have been something in the water, because Eli grew a whole head of hair while we were gone.
We don't have a picture of this, but one other thing that was really neat was that Mike was asked to speak at campfire one night. He shared some of his story about his Christian path and lessons he learned and what God has taught him. It was awesome and he did a GREAT job. I told him he seemed less nervous in front of 170 people then in front of 5.

Last... At camp they have lots of big kid toys like a climbing wall, a Cat Walk that is 50-60 feet high, a vertical jungle gym that is the same hight, a zip line, and now what they call the "V swing". The V Swing consists of two poles about 60 feet tall that each have a rope coming down and joined by a bar that two people can be clipped onto. Then the swing is pulled back on a pulley system and you are raised about 50 feet up in the air and then it is let go and you swing very very high. Mike and I did this together. These are not pictures of us but our friends Rachel and Daren. The picture does not do it justice as they are less than 1/2 way up when it was taken. It was pretty fun. I will admit the free fall feeling with the initial drop made me scream like a little girl.