Happy Birthday, Elizabeth!

January and February were extended “Birthday Season” – partly at our house and partly on the road...

We were on the road on the actual day. Daddy embarrassed his little girl by telling the servers, who then sang to her!

They also brought a huge slice of chocolate cake to share!

Our main celebration, a Tea Party, took place between travel engagements:

The aunts and grandmas made the day by playing the part!

The ceramic tea set from Yaya was a special highlight!

Thankfully, the theme cake (a rush job) met the Little Princess’approval!

She actually ended up with five cakes for her fifth birthday:

Happy 5th Birthday Season, Elizabeth!

More Travel Tips

Traveling with little people is definitely a learning experience. Journaling the lessons learned can be personally profitable and, I hope, beneficial to others who may be traveling the same road...

• Patch the Pirate is a great travel companion!
• Singing seems to make the many miles go by faster.
• Disposable diaper blow-outs are not a blessing anytime but especially not on the road!
• Not every Wendy’s restaurant has a diaper changing station...
• In a pinch, the bench in a restaurant booth (in a small town) can work for a diaper (and entire outfit!) change.
• Dreft laundry soap is a blessing...
• Charlie’s Soap is also great stuff!
• A portable bassinet is a wonderful help, providing familiarity for Baby when we sleep in so many different rooms.
• Turning on the air in the room as well as the exhaust fan in the bathroom provides great “white noise” at EconoLodge (which is pet friendly).
• Knowing that God’s people are praying for us encourages us along the way...
• Our loving Shepherd encourages us: Let us not be weary in well doing; for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not… (Galatians 6:9)

Our latest travels...

Our latest travels took us to OH and back...

We drove up I-77 through the mountains!

So, what do we do to help so many hours in a Toyota Camry go faster for a very energetic recently-turned-five-year-old and a vigorous three-and-a-half-month-old?

Here's a glimpse...

Elizabeth is thrilled that DJM has recently discovered his hands and is learning to grasp objects – including her fingers!

My fingers also provide much entertainment...

DJM also enjoys interacting with his reflection in the backseat mirror, and Elizabeth loves to draw! JellyCat is always willing to jump in and help out with the entertaining, too.

Here's some of Elizabeth's latest artwork:

inspired by "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" by Eric Carle

On a playground slide with DJM

(imagining what playing with him will be like someday...)

I love the action lines of her stick figures!

DJM loves high-contrast patterns and bright colors; those come in many shapes and sizes – including warning labels on car seats! (He reads those only on burping breaks, of course!)

The pictures on the current bags at Wendy's are also highly entertaining!

Elizabeth loves to sing! (By the way, Patch the Pirate is a great travel companion.)

JM does most of the driving...

Most of the time, I ride in the back seat with the little people: supervising, entertaining, meeting miscellaneous needs – and taking pictures! (Of course!)

Jabbering with JellyCat!

We now have two very talkative little people!

"Chubbs" has been "talking in his own language" (as Elizabeth likes to say) more and more. I've been wanting to capture a sample on video. As we traveled this past weekend, I finally had a golden opportunity to record one full minute of the conversation I was witnessing with JellyCat...

We're in for a lot of listening...

(Almost) unbelievable...

At least for us… (Due to our previous experience!)

He was doing this:

And then this:

No crying… No fussing… Just studying and studying – until his eyelids won!

I saw it happening – and could hardly believe it! (Could I be dreaming?!) I remembered watching one of our little nephews decide he’d “had enough” at an extended family gathering, and then crawl into a corner with his blanket, curl up – and fall asleep! I actually wondered aloud if he might be getting sick...

“No...” I was reassured. “He does that when he’s tired.”

“Wow!” I remember thinking: “Just like that...?!”

A certain (intense!) little person we know and love “never” did that! Well, I take that back. She actually did once… Yes, once! After all the excitement of her first birthday party, she fell asleep in her high chair – on her own!

Oh, how I wanted to capture that historic moment on film! However, the camera battery needed recharging...

Anyway, I guess “Chubbs” is normal...

When he woke up – happy – he did this:

Almost unbelievable!

ridiculous & sublime

Recently, Elizabeth said to her Daddy:

I like it when girls wear bracelets on their teeth!

He had to explain that boys also wear braces on their teeth sometimes. I think Elizabeth really was thinking that she was seeing jewelry for teeth! (She’s into dressing up, etc. these days.)


Moving from the ridiculous to the sublime...

Yesterday, Elizabeth asked me to sing a Sunday School song she’s recently learned: My Sins Are Blotted Out, I Know! – except that she mispronounced blotted.

I corrected her, explaining that the verb blot means to erase or mark out, and she replied:

I prefer to say /blooded/!

Why? I asked.

Because it sounds like blood, and that’s what Jesus does with our sin!

That’s quite a picturesque understanding of the forgiveness Christ offers. Isn’t it?!

multiple milestones

January 30, 2011: A red-letter day on our family calendar! At 4:26 a.m. Elizabeth turned five; at 10:38 p.m. Daniel James reached the three-month milestone.

We enjoyed celebrating and even got some good (smiley!) pictures...

Best Big Sister just adores her Little Brother!

JellyCat, the Lion, is looking smaller and smaller... 

We also got some great candids this month...

Elizabeth loves to "read" to our Baby Boy,

and he lights up when he hears her voice.

DJM is getting to where he smiles whenever a camera is aimed his way... 

Gotta love those baby smiles!

Smiley Girl (at almost 3 months) and Smiley Boy (at 3 months)!

Yes! We're enjoying our little people!