Vacation!

Elliot had quite a week, as did we. You'll see his first boat ride here, a pontoon with grandpa as the captain. Also, grandma and grandpa had a small pie in the face happening, courtesy of their grandkids who won the treasure hunt that morning. Needless to say, we didn't want to come home. But we're thankful - it was a great week!

Small, Medium, Large, Extra Large

Sometimes there are lots of babies here. Left to right, Robert (Boobie) Rhodes, Jackson Rhodes, Elliot Gordon, Maddie Parr.

Just playin'

Though at heart he's obviously a Caterpillar fan, it seems Elliot has come to love the other guys for awhile. He keeps trying to grab pieces of light he finds on the floor. He is now fully pulling up on the coffee table, but not yet ready to defend his head when he then falls down from the standing position. I am currently playing defense for his head. He's also taken lately to feeding the dog from his high chair. Maybe I'll catch him in the act later. He particularly loves to give her Cheerios.

Various parts of a day

We found Elliot's ballcap the other day. It fits now. Only this ear of corn seemed to make Maddie happy last week. I caught Elliot in the midst of his daily scurry from place to place for a smile on the floor. Michael and I have both been sick these last couple of days. So the poor kid has had to entertain himself, and cry a lot. He has, in the meantime, taught himself to pull up on the coffee table, at least to his knees.

Elliot's babysitter

She's a little young for a babysitter (4 months), but definitely loves Elliot. They can't wait to see each other in the morning... Nana (formerly Beatrice, which we immediately decided was NOT her real name) was living at the pound for 4 days before she found her true home, with us. She is a Newfoundland mix, maybe Rottweiler? She was the sweetest, quietest dog at the place, and we met her in the "get acquainted" room just because Michael had always wanted a Newfoundland. We had actually chosen another dog, Gromit. But Nana and Elliot immediately hit it off, and Newfoundlands are known as "gentle giants" and "babysitters". What mom would not be taken by these titles? She housetrained in about 3 days - amazing for a puppy. She's timid and frightened of most things. This would be funny if she stayed this way, considering she'll probably be 100 pounds when she's full grown. 4 months and 26 pounds - this tells of her future. You should see her feet. She and Elliot and enjoying each other. And when she comes into the living room just to sit on my feet while I read, well, I don't mind that so much, either...