Park and Pool with Copeland

On our second day with Copeland we went to Picnic Park (a.k.a. Jumping Bridge Park) and our favorite Peachtree City pool, Pebble Pocket. First we went to the park. Copeland and Eli generally explored on their own. Fortunately they were together on the Space Shuttle, or as Eli calls it -- Blastoff, and the swings for some good photo ops.





Then, we went to the pool. We decided that Eli and Copeland have opposite problems. Eli is probably too cautious. He has no interest in getting his face wet and generally doesn't like to be splashed. On the other hand, Copeland probably doesn't have enough fear. She thinks she can swim and seems irritated when you try to hold on to her. But, the second she wriggles out of your grasp she dives in face first, mouth wide open, and tries to swallow half the pool!

Besides watching and playing with the toddlers, Scott, Amber, Ashley and I had a great time chatting. It was fun to compare notes with Amber and try to catch up on the last few years. Too bad all of them don't live closer. :(


*Thanks Grandmas for taking all the pictures! I know it was a hot and rather thankless job, I really appreciate it.











Tonight, Scott and I went out on our second date since Eli was born. I know -- crazy! We were planning on going out with the gang to catch the new Batman, but all the excitement pushed back Eli's nap considerably and we weren't able to make the movie. We'd been talking about how Eli was going to be a big boy and stay at Dendi's with Aunt Lora, Copeland and Dendi while Mommy and Daddy went bye-bye. He seemed interested, so we dropped him off anyway and went out for Five Guys' burgers and Cold Stone Ice Cream. It was fun, but we both missed him, and realized that we'd generally rather be with him than without him.

Eli Meets Copeland

Eli met his second cousin today. Her name is Copeland and she lives in Sacramento, California. Dendi's twin sister Lora, her two daughters Amber and Ashley, and her granddaughter Copeland will be in town through the weekend. I've been preparing Eli for their arrival for a while now, I've been showing him pictures, talking about his cousin and talking about how he'll be sharing his toys (he shakes his head no, I shake my head yes.) I wasn't sure how he'd do with another baby in his turf, playing with his toys and getting some of his attention. He passed my big brother test with flying colors.


Copeland is adorable. She is constantly shreiking with delight at everything around her: her grandma, her auntie, her mom, the dogs, the cats, tomatoes etc. She is full of boundless energy and she doesn't seem to suffer from stranger danger at all.



She was especially enamored with the cat...



and picking and eating tomatoes off Dendi's plant.





The cousins generally did a great job of playing together (or near each other) and sharing.





This football caused the only slight problem of the evening -- one ball, two toddlers, not great odds.





Luckily, Dendi came to the rescue with another yellow ball.

Basket Head, Nudie Boy and Dinner with Aunt Seana

Eli started walking around with a basket on his head. I'm not sure why... Fortunately, he can see through it. He likes to stand in it, and sit on it, too.





This morning while I was in the kitchen, Scott started laughing and told Eli to go show Mommy. Eli came into the kitchen naked, holding his diaper. He said, "Wet." I took the diaper, he giggled and ran into his room talking about how he was a "nudie boy." I'm sure he would've played naked all day, but I don't trust him without a diaper. So, mean Mommy made him put a new one on, but not before I took these pictures.




Aunt Seana came over for dinner tonight. It was really nice to see her. Eli and I used to go to Trader Joe's with her every week, but with gas getting so expensive we try to go about once a month now. Eli always seems to do better with people in smaller groups and on his own turf. They were very cute together. Additionally, I had a great time with her, too. We talk for hours and still could talk more. As you can see from the pictures, I did get a diaper on him today, but not much else. He loves running around as nudie as possible.

COUNTDOWN TO DISNEY WORLD!!!

Have I mentioned that I have the best husband in the world? We're going to Disney World on Monday!!! It's kind of a long, convoluted story, I'll do my best. Originally, we were planning on going camping next week at Vogel State Park. Then, in a completely separate conversation we were talking about how camping at Disney World wouldn't be much more expensive than camping in the Georgia mountains. So... we were talking about possibly going to Disney World over Thanksgiving. Scott called Disney today to check the availability over Thanksgiving -- there was none, so he booked next week instead. He was planning on surprising me, but I checked my email where the confirmation was sent before he had an opportunity to intercept it. So, now I know and I can indulge in some good old-fashioned anticipation. As part of my growing excitement I'm going to reminisce a little about our last trip to Disney World.

We went to Disney World in February and had a great time. Most of my favorite pictures from the trip were of Scott and Eli. But, these are three of my favorites of Eli and I. These were taken right at the entrance to the Magic Kingdom. We sat down on a bench with Goofy to take a picture and I put my hand on Goofy's leg and he started talking -- totally surprised. These three pictures show Goofy talking, us reacting, me checking on Eli and then finally a happy pose.





Before we went to Disney World we read up on the internet about how to be successful with a young toddler. One of the things that kept showing up was not to schedule too much, because often for toddlers it's the little things that are important and magical. This is also one of the reasons that I'm excited about camping Fort Wilderness. They have lots of free diversions that are toddler speed: a petting zoo, bike trails, nature trails, pools, a swimming beach, campfires and pony rides. Last time the little magical things for Eli were sprinklers and speakers. Everywhere you go in Disney World there are sprinklers to count and speakers to dance next to and touch.






There were a few other things that made our trip special for a nominal price:

-- Playgrounds. Disney has playgrounds everywhere you look. They were a perfect break from the lines and larger attractions.



-- Downtown Disney. There's no admission price, a playground, a water play area and $2 for a carousel or train ride.



-- First Visit Pin. Disney employees were walking around handing these big buttons out for free. Eli loved his.



Then, of course, there's all the "real" park fun that we had. Eli liked Dumbo the Flying Elephant.



Eli did well in the long lines because his crazy Daddy always makes him smile or make a squishy face (these are some of my very favorite pictures of them.)






His favorite attraction of the trip was The Tomorrowland Indy Speedway (a.k.a. Autopia.) It started to rain after we drove the first time, and Eli just wanted to keep driving. He was kind of scared of the ponchos at first, so he and Scott went on it two more times, pancholess, got soaked but had a great time.




He also really enjoyed Typhoon Lagoon's Ketchakiddee Creek. It was a toddler wonderland. There was sand, fountains, and shallow water pools everywhere, not to mention plenty of speakers to find. He played happily for hours and had an even better time when Mallory from New York showed up.




I can't wait to go back!

Tent Time with Daddy

When I got home from the Chiropractor this afternoon, this is what I saw...




Eli had convinced Scott to read books in the tent. Dendi got Eli this sun shade tent for his birthday. We haven't used it for it's intended purpose yet, but it makes for a great play tent. Scott said that it was hot and a little stinky in there, but worth Eli's excitement.




As you can see, Kodi was very interested... She's so funny, she seems to really love Eli now. Until about six months ago she liked to pretend that he didn't exist. But, now when she comes in from outside, she checks his room first. And, the other day, she was begging for love, Scott and I kept calling to her, and she went to Eli instead. So cute! Of course, he tries to tell her to sit or play and she is so annoying and doesn't listen. Scott told Eli today that cats are a lot like toddlers, they don't take direction well, but they still want lots of love and attention.




Scott told me that Eli would open the tent flaps, run into the living room, get a book, come back to the tent, reattach the flaps and read the book. Scott tried to encourage him to get more than one book, but of course, that wouldn't be nearly as fun and he wouldn't be able to open and close the tent so often.




As you can see in this picture, playing in the tent is not a new idea. This picture was taken over Memorial Day Weekend at the Lake House. We brought the tent up with the idea to use it as a sun shade on the beach. But instead, we set it up on the screened in porch and it became a play destination instead. So, he liked it before, but I think now, as a tent veteran, he has new appreciation for it.