Just Us

A Time of Reflection

2012-01-01T14:08:00.000-06:00

Since Alfred and I met in 2007 this is the first New Year's Day that we aren't either expecting a baby in the near future or just had a baby in the past year. It's the first time I sit down to reflect on the past year and it isn't about major life changes! We haven't had to spend any time this year getting into the routine of adding a new person to our life or anticipating how our life would change when the new baby arrives. This makes part of me very sad but it makes another part of me very happy because although we didn't add to our family in size and the changes within our family this year are something an outsider wouldn't even consider, I, as an insider know we grew in comfort and love.
Sometimes it's all about the small things. It's about waiting to cross the finish line at your first half marathon because your husband is injured and it's more important to run it together than to get a time you've been training for. It's about cheering your 18 month old on at his big brother's first soccer game because that's when he decides to take his first steps. It's getting tons and tons of bad news in one week and your husband packing up the family for an impromptu camping trip because he knows you just need to be away from it all. It's the wisdom I am given daily from a 3 and a half year old that reminds me how simple it really can be.
A lot of great accomplishments were made this past year. Alfred and I ran our first half marathon together and completed another Ragnar Relay in Chicago. I finally allowed someone other than my mom or mother in law keep both boys so that Alfred and I can actually go on dates. Beckett finally took his first steps after months and months of anticipation. Kingston played T-Ball and Soccer for the first time time this year. And yes all of these things are amazing and make it into my journal at night but things that don't seem to make it in there are the things that have been on my mind a lot lately. The things that occur everyday without me even realizing it. The growth of a family. Becoming comfortable with the everyday.
I don't necessarily do good at keeping so called resolutions but in 2012 I want to enjoy the little things more. I want to appreciate my husband more for all that he does for us. I want to breathe in every minute with my boys and not take one second for granted. I want to tell those that mean the world to me just that, often. I want to say thank you more. I want to be better at living in the moment and not wishing them away. As I very tragically learned this year we never know when this is the last moment we will get. I want to make sure that I make as many moments count as I can! Happy New Year!! It really is great to be an Eller!

Kingston Chromicles-Thankful Addition

2011-11-21T08:33:00.000-06:00

As I was dropping the boys off for school this morning and Kingston was hanging his jacket up I saw on the door of his classroom there were notes of what all the kids were thankful for. Kingston's was as follows:

Mommy
Daddy
Beckett
Aunt Amanda
Pawpaw's Chickens

I guess we know this was asked just days after returning from Ohio!

Kingston Chronicles-Question Addition

2011-10-03T19:01:00.000-05:00

I was looking around pinterest and found a post of 21 questions to ask your kids every year, tonight while Alfred was making dinner Kingston and I did a little interview session. He did well for the first 8 or 9 then ask to take a break! You will also think by his answers that I might be a good singer! And although he and I sing at the top of our lungs quite often, a singer of any kind I am not! So here goes the first Interview of Kingston Homer Eller:

1. What is something Mommy always says to you?
Goodnight

2. What makes Mommy happy?
When I share

3. What makes Mommy sad?
When I'm not here

4. How does Mommy make you laugh?
Sings Funny Things

5. What was Mommy like as a child?
A Singer

6. How old is Mommy?
3 1/2

7. How tall is Mommy?
Bigger (And hold his hand really high in the air)

8. What is Mommy's favorite thing to do?
Get some Flowers

9. What does Mommy do when you're not around?
work

10. If Mommy becomes famous, what will it be for?
A singer

11. What is Mommy really good at?
writing

12. What is Mommy not very good at?
Saying bathroom words

13. What does Mommy do for her job?
looks on the computer

14. What is Mommy's favorite food?
sandwiches

15. What makes you proud of Mommy?
that you know how to get gas

16. If Mommy were a cartoon character, who would she be?
Lady GaGa

17. What do you and Mommy do together?
Play

18. How are you and Mommy the same?
We love Saturdays

19. How are you and Mommy different?
We have different faces

20. How do you know Mommy loves you?
To the moon and back (I say this when he asks me how much I love him)

21. Where is Mommy's favorite place to go?
in our yard

So there you have it! This was really fun! I can't wait to do more and ask him next year and then get Beckett's answers when he's old enough!! So much fun to see things from their view!

Geocaching Is For This Family

2011-06-21T21:49:00.004-05:00

When I was growing up my parents used to take us on rides through the country to look at the leaves changing or to see what was going on in different areas of town. We would ride around for hours and hours, sometimes stopping at the lake to walk around or have an impromptu picnic or climb a fire tower if we came across one.I thought every one's family did this kind of stuff, until my sister, Amanda, invited a very rude friend along. She spent our 2 hour ride telling us how stupid this was and bored she was. Needless to say Amanda wasn't allowed to invite her back over but I realized not everyone had this special time! I now realize one of the reasons mom and dad probably did this was for the family time it gave us, in a closed space none the less! And yes Amanda and I declared war in the back seat and threatened death if you crossed the middle line but we also learned to get along and share and talk and tell our parents about our day and learn things about our parents and where they grew up.

Fast forward 25 years and I want this kind of stuff for my boys, I want these awesome memories, but I'm not a drive with no destination person. I'm too plan every moment, get nervous if we don't have an agenda, go go go kind of person. Then in March we went to Gatlinburg for our annual adult get a way and our friends Mark and Annie took us geocaching for the first time, I was hooked!! This is what I'd been looking for. A reason to get out of the house and just enjoy nature and life and things with my family!! And the element of competition between Alfred and I makes it even better! Since our first find at the end of March we've found 100 geocaches!! We have spent hours upon hours searcning everywhere from the woods, to light posts to guard rails to a little bitty house to greenways and parks! It has been a blast and reminds me of all those hours I spent with my family in the car. And we've introduced a ton of people to the sport ourselves!

My mom, sister, nephews, Kingston and Beckett out geocaching across the street from my parents in a cemetery my sister and I grew up playing in!

My dad who was made to geocache and if he ever gets a GPS watch out World!

Susan finding a geocache after our run!

Our friend Mel found her first geocache!

My sister, Brett and I at a break in the Ragnar Relay, this was his first geocache but he went home and hasn't stopped finding them since!

Of course the most important thing to me is the memories we're making as a family and the places it's taking us!

Kingston finding his first grocache 100% on his own!

Me finding my 80th geocache! We found 21 this day to make 100 finds total!

We found a geacache 10 miles from our house and had this amazing view!

This is the neatest one we've found to date! This house the actual geocache!

Kingston loves to be the first to open them!

Beckett likes when we find secluded little off the beaten path park areas where he can play and crawl around to his hearts content while we all look!

We have absolutely loved making memories and seeing so many places we probably wouldn't have seen otherwise! Our friends tease that we're addicted to geocaching and they're probably right but as long as we enjoy it this much I don't see it changing anytime soon!

Beckett's Bio-12 Month Check Up

2011-05-26T10:54:00.006-05:00

We tried to get the 12 month check up taken care of a month ago but Beckett was running a fever so the well visit became a sick visit and everything else was rescheduled for today. By everything else I mean height, weight, head circumference, eye exam, general exam oh yea and 3 shots :(! I'm lucky, since Alfred's weekday schedule is a little more flexible than mine he's the one that gets to deal with most of the doc visits and today was no exception! Of course I expect a full report the moment they leave :)!

The vitals:

Head Circumference: 18.41 53.79%
Weight 21 lbs 21.47%
Height 29 3/4 in 35.12%

Beckett wouldn't sit still long enough for them to get a picture of his eyes for the eye exam, he was too interested in the machine that was taking the pictures. They were going to keep trying but since we already have a great pediatric eye doctor due to Kingston's astigmatism and he is due for a check up in June Alfred decided we would just take Beckett for his first eye exam then too!
Alfred explained to Kingston on the way to the doctor that Bubba was going to be getting shots and Kingston would have to be strong so Bubba wouldn't get scared. When the nurse came in to give Beckett shots Kingston kept saying "Bubba you are doing so good, you are being so brave" and encouraging him. Beckett of course cried a little when she gave him the shots but Alfred said for the most part he did great!
As for everything else Dr. Collins said he's right on target. He's still not walking but apparently that's not a big deal. He says a few things! His newest thing is to say "Bye Bye" and wave very dramatically! He loves to give kisses! He can get from room to room very quickly and can climb stairs like a pro! He puts everything in his mouth including dog bones and mulch!!
Beckett sees the pediatric urologist that did his surgery next week. We are hoping to get some definite answers as to weather or not he will be having surgery again. I hope every thing isfine just taking it's sweet old time but to be honest I'm a little skeptical so keep us in your prayers next week! I hated him going through surgery the first time and I know if he has to have it again I will once again be a basket case!
All in all we have an awesome little dude that is growing up faster than we are ready for but it's amazing watching him turn into a toddler!!

Country Music Half Marathon Recap

2011-05-12T11:14:00.007-05:00

This update is almost a month old but hey better late than never huh!!

The Country Music Half Marathon was my first Half and it was a blast!! The fun started the night before when my sister, her husband and 3 of their friends drove down from Ohio to spend the weekend with us and run the race. Throw in 2 3 year olds, a one year old and my mom to babysit us all and what you have is a house full of awesome!! Friday night Alfred made us a huge pot of spaghetti and salad so we would be properly fueled the next day. We sat around ate, laughed, talked strategy and attempted to turn in as early as possible. Of course I'd been sick with sinus issues and Beckett had croup so he was coughing nonstop which kept some of us awake. Somehow we still managed to get up at 4:30AM, shovel in some peanut butter and honey sandwiches and we were ready to go when our ride got there at 5:15! (FYI if you ever run the CMM beg or pay someone to drop you off, don't park it's packed!!)

The All Guts, Not Nuts/Nuts crew ready to get this started! (From Left: My hubs Alfred, me, Mel, my sister Amanda, Ashley, Damien, and my brother in law Scott)

This race is HUGE - Approx. 35000 people ran it this year. The race directors did an awesome job pacing people so it didn't seem too large! Everyone in our group but Alfred and I were assigned to Coral 4 (AKA the speedy people) Alfred and I were assigned to Coral 22 which meant after the initial gun went off we had about a 40 minute wait before we started which gave us time to people watch and really take in the enormity of this race. Finally it was our turn to begin. I couldn't believe all the training had led to this moment.

This course is notorious for it's bands and fans so I chose to go musicless. For the most part this was a great idea. It is also a very hilly course! Just when you've tackled one HUGE hill another one is there to smack you in the face. I don't mind hills, I think they keep it interesting but this was a bit too much. Next time I know to do better with my hill training!

Since this was mine and Alfred's first half marathon, and I love him more than life we decided to run it together, rather than separating and seeing what we could do. His knee had been giving him a lot of trouble so I was worried about him but somehow he managed to hang in there. The first 4 or 5 miles weren't bad at all, I was still on the adrenaline high from actually starting the race. It was about mile 6 when I really started to rely on the spectators. They were awesome. There were so many wonderful signs (Your running while I'm having mimosas-IF Donald Trump can run so can you etc.) and there were so many awesome people. As we ran through neighborhoods people were spraying us with water hoses which was so needed. I was having such a good time I almost forgot I was running a half...almost. Then around mile 8 I started to hit a wall, I ate a salt pack, ate some more gu chomps drank some Gatorade and started running into other friends running the marathon, we chit chatted and ran and got through it. At about mile 10 we headed in the gulch. This is right before the half marathon and marathon split. I did a body check and knew I could finish the half but knew I would be crying if I still has 15 miles to go on the marathon. The Gulch was fun, there were bands and beer and people cheering. I knew I was getting ready to go into some pretty major hills but I must have turned on auto pilot and just went for it because I don't really remember much until mile 12. I wanted to finish in under 2:30 and at this point I knew I wasn't going to do it but I still had a chance to finish in 2:45 if I booked it. I looked at Alfred and he said "I can't go any faster, I'm hurting all over" to which I replied "If I don't pick up the pace now I'll never get in under 2:45" and I took off.

I almost cried when I had half a mile left. I was tired but I knew I was about to accomplish something I had been thinking about for 2 years. I had trained so long for this moment and I was about to accomplish my goal. I don't know what I expected when I crossed under the finish line at 2:45:01, I guess I thought I would feel like screaming from the rooftops but I didn't. I felt calm and empowered. This was my moment to reflect on all the hard work I had put into this, the hours I had scarified, think about the people who pushed me and made this possible. It was so surreal. Then I realized I was starving and I better find my husband and our friends. Turns out Alfred was right behind me. He said pain or no pain he couldn't let me get too far ahead! We are very competitive with one another :)! We went got food, found our friends talked for awhile then went home to rest and devour wings! It was an awesome experience!!

Some of my favorite things were our shirts made by my sister. People kept telling us how much they loved them which only fueled us to do better!

The fact that I got to share my beautiful city with such awesome people!! I'm so proud that Nashville is my home and what better way to show it off then to run through it!

The fact that I got to run with this guy!! It's amazing when you find someone in life that will go on so many crazy adventures with you!

I felt good about a lot of things during this race. Three days before the race I started drinking water like it was my job so I would be hydrated and because I was sick with a sinus infection. During the race my fuel was spot on, which had been my biggest issue during training. I woke up and ate a bagel with peanut butter and honey and a banana. I filled my fuel belt with gatorade, gu, gu chomps, sweet tarts and salt packets. They were also handing out salt along the course which I took every chance I got. I'm glad I didn't run with music so I could really take it all in. I paced pretty well although I think there were times I could have went faster but I'm probably glad I didn't because of the hills in the last 2 miles.

There were some things I would have done differently. The biggest thing was to have cut my toenails the day before :). They weren't bad but they were just long enough that I ended up bruising my toe under my toe nail and really started to feel it around mile 6! I wore Swiftwick socks and I love them but I had a seam that rubbed a blister on my foot. I used 2Toms blister shield but even it couldn't combat 13.1 miles of seam rubbage!! The blister did go away fairly quickly though. I would try to get more sleep the night before. I would like to run a 1/2 when I'm not sick with sinus funk but that's pretty unpredictable.

As for my training I used a very basic plan that my friend Dean put together for me, it was very effective and the mileage was spot on. I felt really ready for this and was super happy with the results. I went into wanting to get under 2:30 but really just wanting to finish and still love running! I can't wait to do another one!

Team All Guts No Nuts/Nuts Half Marathon Times

Amanda Davis 1:53:14 (PR by 3 Seconds)

Scott Davis 2:01:47

Mel Smith 2:03:26

Ashley Southard 2:03:36

Damien Southard 2:03:37

Rachel Eller 2:45:01

Alfred Eller 2:45:03

And even though she didn't run wearing one of our shits because her entry fee was paid for by her company I have to give a huge thank you to Susan Bakaitis who dragged me through many hours of running. I wouldn't have trained as well as I did without her pushing me with our e-mail updates and hours spent talking and running or as I like to call it our alternative happy hours!! She set a goal to finish under 2:30 and she did just that with a 2:29:51 finish!! I am one proud running partner and friend!!

Beckett John You are 1!

2011-05-03T15:18:00.003-05:00

Again I'm a little behind on the birthday post and you've been 1 for a few weeks now. I was trying to wait until you went for your 1 year appointment but that is taking forever and I can't wait to tell the world how wonderful my little boy is so here we go! I can't believe how fast a year has flown by. You are so amazing. I was terrified when I was pregnant with you because we had it so easy with your brother, I knew you were going to be the baby that cried all the time, wouldn't sleep and would be a picky eater but you are none of these things. You are a parents dream. You always sleep through the night even when you're sick or teething. You adjust to things as if they don't bother you at all. Your teachers at daycare said you transitioned quicker than any toddler they've had. You had no problem going from your crib to the cot and you eat your meals at the little table like you've always been doing it (sometimes it's a bit messy but you love to eat). You cry some mornings when mommy drops you off but you are over it by the time I drop your brother off and walk back by the door. I took your bottle at 11 months and you did pretty good from day 1. Mommy only gave in once when you kept throwing the sippy cup back at me and screaming at me but after that you took to the sippy no problem and haven't looked back. You are still a thumb sucker but you only do it when you are sleepy! I think it's cute but I know from trying to break your brother of the habit we have a long road ahead of us but I'm not too worried, we will get through it.
You aren't walking on your own yet but you cruise from thing to thing and you love to walk around if someones holding your fingers. You love to slam small doors (ie. the entertainment center, kitchen cabinets etc.) If we can't find you we just wait a second and we will hear where you are. You have gotten very good at crawling upstairs, especially when your brother is up there playing and you want to be up there. You love your dog Laney and you follow her from room to room and laugh anytime she pays attention to you. You still adore your brother and the two of you are starting to play together and I love it. You two sit at the dinner table cracking each other up, then of course mommy and daddy start cracking up and before you know it we are having the best time. You will eat just about anything. I haven't found anything yet that you hate. Your favorites are any kind of bread, pasta, apple sauce, yogurt, bananas and just about any kind of fruit we put in front of you.
You say a few things like mama, dada, bubba, Laney and you repeat a ton of sounds. We are trying to get you to use signs but you don't seem very interested. I think you've figured out that even if you don't sign we are going to give you whatever you want.
You have 6 teeth and 2 more are currently coming in. You have to have your teeth brushed and you get so excited when you see the tooth brush. In that respect I guess you are your mommies kid.
Everyone comments all the time on how handsome you are and how beautiful your eyes are. They are still blue but they have a green tint to them and since daddy and MiMi both have green eyes yours might just end up green.
You are pretty stubborn. You always want to sit in the front of the bath tub and if Kingston is sitting there you crawl over him and knock him out of the way. If you want to eat you crawl to your high chair and grunt loudly until someone gets you food. Mommy sings you a song she made up and if I'm singing it and I stop you look at me and grab my mouth until I start again. You are very good at letting us know what you want and making sure it gets done when you want it to get done.
We celebrated your first birthday at Pie in The Sky Pizza and you loved it. So many great friends came out to help you celebrate. You ate pizza and cake and then fell asleep in Mimi's lap. It was so so cute!
I could go on and on about you Bex because your dad I love you so so much!! I know this next year is going to fly by and you are going to do so many new and interesting things and although I am super excited to watch all these things take shape I'm also super sad that my little baby is growing up. We are so truly blessed that you are in our lives Beckett! Your giggles melt our hearts and your smile lights up our house! You are a one of a kind amazing child and I'm glad I get to call you my son!!

Kingston Homer You are 3!

2011-04-04T19:57:00.003-05:00

Kingston Homer you are 3! Actually you've been 3 for a week and a half now but every time mommy has went to write this post I've started balling so I had to wait until I could handle it :)! You had such a great birthday week. You spent the first part of the week playing at Mimi and Papa's where you got to spend the night at your Aunt Amanda's with your cousins Corey, Chase and Andrew. And of course Mimi and Papa let you play in the mud and play with their dog Charlie and basically run things while you were there. Then on Wednesday they met mommy and daddy to drop you off so we could bring you home to hang out with GiGi and Pappy. On Thursday, March 24th you woke up to a donut with a candle in it. You have been talking about candles for your birthday since January! We went to Chucky Cheese for dinner and you had a blast. All day you kept saying "Goodbye 2 Hello 3!"

We had you a triathlon birthday party on Saturday at the local park. We had great weather for 2 weeks leading up to your party day and the hour your party started the sky opened up and the rain started pounding us. Mommy debated canceling the party but didn't and it was a good thing since 42 of your friends came to celebrate your big day in freezing cold weather. When we sang Happy Birthday your face lit up. It ended up being a great party and you and your friends had a great time despite the rain. Mommy's favorite moment of the whole party was looking out and seeing you sweet sweet baby boy peddling your tricycle in the pouring rain all by yourself around this loop. You looked so grown up and I was so proud of your bravery.

I still can't believe it's been 3 years since you came into our lives with your HUGE personality. Sometimes it seems like you've been here forever and sometimes it feels like it's all went by so quickly. You are such a good kid. I mean you're a 3 year old and you are very head strong but you listen really well most of the time and you are so so smart. The things you say amaze most everyone because your vocabulary is so vast. Your pediatrician said you have the vocal skills of a 5 year old. Of course you talk all the time and when I ask if you will be quiet for one second you say you can't! Here lately you try to talk your way out of doing your chores or cleaning up at school instead of actually doing it. You are still a small guy, you only weigh 28 pounds and you were the shortest kid in your class until the younger kids moved up :)! You sing and dance around the house all the time. You love watching Mickey Mouse, Handy Manny, Phinnias and Ferb and movies! You adore your teacher Miss Caite, she is a wonderful wonderful influence in your life who really cares about you and your friends. Mommy hates leaving you to go to work but you are so so lucky to have someone like her in your life. You are good at memorizing things. Most recently mommy taught you "The Pledge of Allegiance" and you get frustrated if you mess up a word. You say your prayers every night and you are starting to know some of the stories from the Bible and repeat them to us. You have been completely potty trained for about 6 months now which has been so nice for mommy and daddy. You caught on to it rather quickly. You get yourself undressed but you still have problems dressing yourself but we are working on it. You will eat just about anything and everything! You eat a lot!! You just got strep throat for the first time and you were pretty miserable but you were a great patient. You just laid on the couch drinking water and watching cartoons. You are wonderful to Beckett, most of the time! You always want to be the one to go in his room after his nap if you're already up. The 2 of you are starting to play together and it's so so cute. You want him to walk so bad you can't stand it! I'm sure I'm leaving out tons of stuff but these are a few of the things I want to remember about this time in our lives! My heart over flows with love for you and your brother. I was never the girl that sat in class dreaming about having kids, I sat there dreaming about being joining the Peace Corp and being President and although I'm still sure those things would be awesome when you came into my life 3 years ago I couldn't figure out why I had ever dreamed of anything else but being your mommy. Happy Birthday Kingston Homer once again I am so so proud of you!

Homework Art Project

2011-02-10T20:59:00.005-06:00

Kingston's teachers Ms. Caite and Ms. Shannon decided to start giving home work assignmments this year. His first assignment is to make a Valentine's Day Box out of a tissue box so his friends can put Valentine's Cards in it at thier party next week. Today was really the first day Kingston has felt much like doing anything since Sunday so it was nice to have a project Alfred and I could get in on. And get in on it we did......

I'm pretty sure Kingston is happy with his finished product! And mommy and daddy loved spending time with Kingston! I don't remember homework being this fun before!

A Party of a Weekend!

2011-02-09T11:05:00.004-06:00

We had a very busy weekend full of party fun!! It started out Saturday with a PJ Birthday Party Brunch for Gavin!! Here's the birthday boy enjoying a sucker from his birthday cake! Beckett spent the first half of the birthday party crawling in Jen's lap. We're pretty sure he thought she was me because when he would see me he would look at us like we tricked him. It was super cute!

The highlight of the party was the fish pinata that wouldn't break!! All the kids took a turn hitting it with a stick and they were having a blast!

But after several attempts from some pretty heavy hitters, Gavin's dad, Ian took a swing at it and out came the candy and the kids wasted no time diving right in!

Of course there was cake which is always a hit with Kingston!!

All the party fun got the best of Bex and he had to have a nap in the middle of the party!!

When daddy got home from work I headed to my friend Rosanna's sleepover birthday party!!

Here's the birthday girl with her smokey eye birthday look!

We had such a great time playing catch phrase, doing each others make-up, gossiping and of course playing dance off on the wii!!

Rosanna wasn't the only one who got smokey eyes!! We all did!! Watch out Snooky!

Since it was Superbowl weekend Alfred spent most of his time at Publix! He decided to let his associates have off during the game so he worked. The boys and I were invited to a few parties but by the time Sunday rolled around we were all exhausted so we watched the Superbowl cuddled up on the couch which was perfect!

Of course Kingston had to get up to belt out the Star Spangled Banner!

And was speechless during the Half Time Show!!

All of that partying and staying up late finally took a toll on Kingston, Monday he started running a temperature that got higher and higher and finally maxed out a little over 104. He once again didn't manage to escape the flu even with the flu shot.

We seem to finally be on the mend today. His fever is still between 99 to 101 but he's starting to act like he has a little more energy, his appetite is starting to return and we've been able to skip a dose of Tylenol or ibuprofen here and there!! Now let's hope the rest of the Eller's don't get it because we have another Birthday party this weekend and my sister's family is coming to visit. Here's to another great weekend and no more sickness!!

America's Next Top Chef

2011-02-02T19:29:00.005-06:00

Alfred is working late tonight so I decided to let Kingston make our main course!

His Gigi got him this cookbook for his 1st birthday and he loves making things out of it.
On tonight's menu...Cheese toast made with both Swiss and sharp cheddar on sour dough bread and cooked in the toaster oven.

Every young chef must consult the cook book often!

And of course there is plenty of ingredient tasting!

And finally all the hard work pays off and dinner is served!

The Chef enjoying the fruits of his labor.

It is a great night in the Eller house!

Huntsville AL

2011-01-22T12:38:00.004-06:00

Although we love the Holidays around here they are very hectic. Since Alfred works in retail it's nothing for him to put in 60+ hours per week during the months of November and December; and since his birthday is January 9th we decided yet again to take a little family get away for his birthday so we could spend some time together. We chose Huntsville AL so we wouldn't have to spend much time driving and because we had heard such great things about the US Space and Science museum there. And everyone was right, this place is awesome! It has a giant rocket in the middle of the museum which Kingston thought was awesome!! The inside of the building tells the history of space travel and how Huntsville AL contributed to that. It has a ton of memorabilia and fun things to look at and do. There is a scientist that does experiments and a kids play area! You can get into a space ship and feel what take off would feel like. There's even a rock wall! It was really neat. Outside there are helicopters and even amusement park rides that are open in the summer. I really recommend this place to anyone with kids or without.

Of course Beckett got a little bored and decided to take a nap while we were there! So I guess it isn't the most fun place for an 8 month old :)!

A lot of our time was spent in the hotel! We decided on the Embassy Suites which was super nice! They had a really cool water feature in the lobby that Kingston loved playing on and throwing money into!

We spent a lot of time swimming since we have fish for children!

And a ton of time in the hot tub, hanging out!

Of course when we finished working up an appetite from our busy day playing we ordered Ruth's Chris room service and ate in bed!

Being on the 9th floor had the advantage of aweome views which Kingston took advantage of every chance he got by standing in the window!

All good things must come to an end so after 2 nights away and before the big snow hit we headed home where we ended our trip with some porch time playing with sparklers!! That's how every great vacation should end!

White Christmas

2011-01-07T10:51:00.005-06:00

I love all things Christmas!! I love the lights, the music, the decorations, the time off work but my absolute favorite thing is the time I get to spend with my family making memories! This was the first Christmas that Kingston actually understood there was something different going on. He talked about Santa and Jesus' birthday and he knew something was different about this time of year. He doesn't totally get it yet but he was a blast!! He and I got really into tracking where Santa was and I took this opportunity to show him videos of other places around the world. I actually stayed up after he had went to bed and tracked Santa myself, I am like a kid this time of year :)! Of course we had to bake cookies for Santa and leave him a thank you letter so he would know we really appreciate all the hard work he puts in!

After the boys went to bed Alfred and I sat back and enjoyed a nice fire while enjoying the view of our stockings...

oh who am I kidding Alfred and I were up until 2AM helping "Santa" get his toys put together!! I hope we've learned our lesson about waiting until the last minute and thinking it will be easy because it wasn't!!! Of course it was absolutely worth it to see the looks on the boys faces the next morning!! And as an added bonus we woke up to this....

that's right a White Christmas. Being born and raised in the WV-Southern Ohio area I have seen many of these but they never loose their excitement. For the boys however, and yes I mean all the boys including my GA raised husband this was their first White Christmas! It really did make everything better!!

Of course the boys enjoyed their toys and we spent the better part of the morning upstairs in our PJ's reading letters from Santa, playing with toy cars walking around the bonus room with Beckett and his new toy and just enjoying being together!!

Finally after a wonderful Christmas dinner cooked by Alfred we ventured out to Yogi Bear Camp Ground to see an amazing display of Christmas lights set to music! We had such a good time, even if the roads were a little treacherous on the way home!

It was a great Christmas!! And the end of it all the boys were worn out beyond belief!!

I hope your family had a wonderful Christmas too!

Beckett's Bio-8.5 months!

2010-12-24T09:39:00.003-06:00

Well my sweet angel it's hard to believe you are 8 1/2 months old. Where has the time gone? You can roll everywhere you want to go! You get up on all fours like your going to crawl but you haven't done it yet!! Yesterday you finally got your first tooth. Your poor gums have been swollen for weeks so we have been patiently waiting and finally yesterday you got a tooth. and it was Festivus so what perfect timing!! We are about to celebrate your first Christmas and mommy and daddy are so super super excited!! I weighed you on our bathroom scale yesterday and you weigh 21 pounds! You currently eat between 24 and 32 ounces of formula and you eat solids 3 meals a day. You love waffles, your favorite baby food is anything with mangoes, and you would eat your weight in yogurt. You just this week started feeding yourself puffs and shredded cheese but it really frustrates you and you would rather have us do it for you most of the time! You practice drinking water from a sippy cup and you do pretty good. Anytime mommy, daddy or Kingston is eating you try to pull whatever it is out of our hands, it's super funny! You had surgery at 6 months old to repair a hernia and some other issues and you did great! You were a little confused when you woke up from surgery and you were screaming but as soon as you saw mammy and daddy and we got to hold you, you were fine again. You healed wonderfully and so far it looks like everything was successful, We won't know for sure until after your 1st birthday. We celebrated your 1/2 birthday with a 1/2 cake and you loved cake!! You had a great time celebrating with us!! You had your first earache 2 weeks ago and you got fifths disease which is basically a rash that looks like someone slapped you on your face and body that goes away in about 48 hours. Through it all you continued to sleep through the night and you weren't fussy at all. You really are a great baby. You say "Dada" and "buba" all the time. You dance every time music is on and you LOVE to flirt with the ladies!! You are an absolute joy to have around!! We love you so much and can not wait to see how you like your first Christmas!

Kingston Chronicles-2 1/2 years old!

2010-10-02T09:53:00.003-05:00

On March 24th you turned 2 and 1/2 years old. You currently weigh 26.8 pounds on our bathroom scale! The opportunity came up for us to go to Gatlinburg so we decided to take you there for this big event! We had a wonderful family vacation and it was so awesome getting to spend 5 undivided days with you and your brother. You are such an awesome little guy. You are hysterical and you say so many things I know I'm going to want to remember forever. Some of them are very frustrating coming from a 2 year old but still hysterical-The best one is when we put you in time out and you say "Oh no what am I going to do" the entire time you're there. Or every time we get into the car and you ask, "Are we going to wreck.' Or when you say "You snap out of it" and try to snap your fingers. John David and Avery are your friends from school and you talk about them all the time. You call them "my John David and my Avery". You still talk about driving Noah's boat even though we haven't been out on the lake in weeks. You are very good about saying your prayers before bed and you are thankful for so many things, your friends, your feet and legs, your Jesus, your bubba, your mommy and daddy, your food and so many other random things. You are learning to go to the potty and you are doing pretty good. You go many many days in a row with out a pee accident and then sometimes we have a rough day but for the most part you're doing good. We are still working on the poopy though but you will get it. You hardly ever use a sippy anymore unless mommy makes you because we're going to be in the car. You aren't a very picky eater but the new food you are in love with is peas and you ask for them all the time. You love to run and you always ask mom and dad to race you and of course we do and of course you win :)! You love accessories, you won't leave the house without your sunglasses and sometimes you want a hat. You have a very strong opinion about which shoes you wear. You are very head strong and know exactly what you want. You are happy all the time. You wake up happy and you go to bed happy! You know your alphabet and your numbers to at least 10 in both Spanish and English. You can look at objects on a table and count them up to 5. You know more songs than I can even keep track of. You still love music of all kinds and we started you in a music class that you love!You love your stuffed animals and call them your babies. Sometimes you end up sleeping with 10 or more (good thing you have a queen sized bed). You are a great brother and Beckett thinks you are the coolest person in the world. I could seriously go on and on, it's so hard to fit everything I feel for you in a few paragraphs. I know all of this is going to pass me by so quickly and I want to remember every minute of it. You are one of a kind and I'm so glad I get to experience your growth sweet baby boy. You are amazing and awesome and all other words of affection rolled into one. Since you came into my life 2 and 1/2 years ago my life has gotten nothing but better! I love you and I thank you!

Franklin For the Cure

2010-09-20T20:52:00.004-05:00

This Saturday I did the Franklin for the cure run in the West Haven neighborhood. We did this race last year because my friend Steve lives in West Haven and we knew it would be a great opportunity to see his fantastic neighborhood and hang out with him. Little did we know how much "a cure" would mean to him this year and how special this race would become to me! Earlier this year Steve was diagnosed with cancer, I would tell you which one specifically but the name is so long I can't pronounce it much less spell it, I do know it is extremely aggressive and Steve was put on a very brutal chemotherapy treatment for it. 6 rounds of chemo lasting 5 days a piece with roughly 3 weeks of rest in between. Steve is the first person I've ever know while they were actively going through chemo and although it has been very difficult for him at times he has remained positive and even calls his treatments "chemopolooza"! A friend of his sold shirts in support of Steve and his fight, Jodi and I thought this would be the perfect race to sport our shirts for our wonderful friend! And even though Steve finished his last round of chemo last Sunday and wasn't feeling the greatest he came out to cheer us on!

This was also Beckett's first official 5K stroller ride!! I was going to push them but Jodi decided she would walk and push the boys so I could run the race, the boys were great for her! Of course when you grow up in a jogging stroller I guess you get used to it!

Kingston is becoming quite the little athlete and he completed in the kid's 1/4 mile fun run! Here he is at the start line. He was doing stretches before the race and trying to get some of the other kids to stretch with him. One of the other parents said "You can tell his parents are runners" and I smiled because I've worked hard to earn that title!

And he's off!!

Rounding the turn!

Crossing the finish line and getting his medal!!

I sure was one proud mama especially when I asked him if he wanted to be picked up after he told me he was tired and he said "No I'm a runner." And he kept saying "Mama you can do it"

What a great day for a race! I left West Haven feeling full of hope and love and realizing once again how very lucky I am! It sure is great to be an Eller!

Beckett's Bio-4 Months Old

2010-08-12T14:40:00.004-05:00

You are 4 months old today and it has been way too long since I've updated!! On one hand I can't believe it has flown by this quickly, on the other hand I can't believe it's only been 4 months. Daddy and I were talking today and it seems like you've always been here. You have had such an exciting 2 months since my last update. You started daycare full time at 12 weeks and you really like it. You kick your little feet every morning when I go to drop you off in your class room. They love having you there too. They fight over you and are amazed that you never ever cry. Which is another thing---you never cry! I thought your brother was a great baby but you are amazing. You are always in a good mood! You started sleeping through the night on your own a few weeks ago. You go to bed at 8 and get up around 6, we hear you stir sometimes at night but you always put yourself right back to sleep. You gave up your pacifier and switched to your thumb which made it so much easier on mommy! You went to Mimi and Pawpaw's in Ohio for your first overnight away from mommy and you stayed for 4 nights. It was hard on daddy and I but you had a blast and they had a blast having you. Your cousins couldn't get enough of your cute little self. You rolled over a few times on 08/09/10 at daycare, from back to front. Miss Rachel says you really wanted a toy but you've yet to roll over at home or in your crib. You still love your big brother and he loves you. You have been to Chuck E Cheese, Cracker Barrel, visiting friends-it doesn't matter where we take you, you just take it all in and have a good time. You are amazing my sweet little baby! You have your 4 month well visit next week and we will find out how much you weigh and how tall you are but since your wearing 3-6 months and about to outgrow those it's safe to say you're a pretty big dude. You are as laid back as they come!! You amaze me every single day! I don't know what I did to get lucky enough to have you but it makes me so so happy to be your mom! Happy 4 months on Earth Bex!!

Kingston Chronicles-2 Years 3 Months

2010-06-24T09:52:00.007-05:00

Well sweet boy you are 2 Years and 3 months old and you are a funny funny little dude!! You have grown up so much in the last 3 months. Partly I'm sure because you're not the baby anymore but also because you are learning to do so many new things. The biggest change we've seen has been your vocabulary. You can say complete sentences and any word you want. For the first time you don't just repeat what we say you actually have thoughts and express those. And boy do you express those opinions, you talk from the time your feet hit the ground in the morning until your head hits the pillow at night! You say "I like that, or I not like that" about everything! You are really funny!

Mommy has had the pleasure of staying home with you for 12 weeks while on maternity leave and we have gotten so close. You are my best little friend. We do so much together. We hang out outside a lot, we do art projects, we dance in the living room with our Beckett's (mine being the real Beckett, yours being mommy's cabbage patch which Mimi gave to you and you pretend is your Beckett), we made up a dance routine because that's how we roll :) and you remember all 32 counts of it,we call it Oh My Goodness because there are some spots where mommy lifts you up and you say "Oh my Goodness", we cook dinner and you have actually gotten very good at stirring and scooping and staying away from the oven, we take care of Beckett, we do laundry which you love to help with, we go shopping and to the lake, we meet friends for lunch and play dates, we do workouts and you even use little cans of tomato paste as your weights, you love when people come to visit especially Jodi! We watch videos on YouTube, you love ACDC and can't stand Nirvana, you could listen to Cold Play as long as I let you watch Chris Martin play the piano, we watch the Swagger Wagon video more times than should probably be allowed and every time the commercial comes on TV you say it's my Swagger Wagon Family. I have loved being home with you and although I'm very sad to go back to work I know you have a good time hanging out with your daycare friends too and you talk about them all the time because you do still go there Tuesday and Thursdays.

You did your First Triathlon this month and you did so good. You can't reach the peddles on your tricycle but you wouldn't let mommy push you. You looked at me half way through and said "Mama this is tough" but you kept going and you got a trophy which you couldn't wait to take to the Music City Runners group and show Stephen, our coach. Mommy, Mimi, Beckett and Jodi all wore shirts that said "We support the King", and Susan came to watch you, we were all so proud of you!

We took you to your first Circus on Father's Day and you loved it! I'm pretty sure you would have ran away right then and joined if we would have let you. You didn't take your eyes off the performers. You road an elephant with Daddy and your friend Noah and his daddy and you boys loved it!

You are a little OCD. You hate to be dirty. You won't drink chocolate milk unless it's completely stirred up because you think it's dirty. You have to be buckled into your booster seat even though you don't really need to be. You are obsessed with people wearing shoes and shoes in general. You take a paper towel and wash your cars everyday because you think they're dirty. Things have to be where they belong or it stresses you out. You ask us to wash your hands a lot! People think you're Mr. Safety because all baby gates have to be shut at all times!

There is so much more I could write about you but this is already pretty long! I just don't want to forget a moment of your sweet life and you are such a busy little dude it's hard to find time to write it all down. So when I get a chance it's a lot to fit into one blog. You are special and an individual, everyone you meet loves you, strangers even tell mommy and daddy how silly and handsome you are. But we already know that! You truly are one of a kind and I'm so glad you're ours!!

Beckett's Bio-2months old

2010-06-17T13:47:00.004-05:00

On June 12th you turned 2 months old and you are an awesome little dude. You smile all the time and you even laugh sometimes. You love to coo and your Bubba makes you the happiest. You love when he lays beside you and makes faces or plays where you can see him. You smile at everyone but he makes you smile the most and that makes mommy and daddy very very happy! We can take you anywhere and you will just lay there and look around at all your surroundings and you hardly ever cry. And if you do it's because you're hungry and as soon as we feed you, you are happy again. You have been sleeping in your own room for a few weeks now and you are doing very well. We put you in there wide awake and you put yourself to sleep. You still wake up 1 or 2 times a night to eat but mommy and daddy love those moments with you so we haven't pushed for them to be over. You usually take showers with mommy and daddy and you love when the water hits you. Mommy and daddy take you and Bubba in the double jogger on walks and runs almost everyday and you absolutely love it! You are so calm and happy just like your brother was. I have enjoyed everyday of the last 2 months and I am so glad I get to be your mom. Every time you smile it melts my heart. Every time you lay your little bitty head on my shoulder I am turned to mush. You are amazing and I can't wait to see who you become!

Today you went for your first well visit at the pediatrician and with that comes your first set of shots. When the nurse gave them to you, you turned bright red and let out the worse scream ever. It broke mommies heart that I had to see you like that but I know it's for your own good. You also got weighed and measured today:

Weight: 12lbs. 12oz. 70%
Height: 23.5 inches 66%
Head Circumference: 40.5cm. 58%

It appears to me you are going to be a big guy and will probably catch up with your brother rather quickly!

Happy 2 months on earth baby Beckett I can't wait to see what you do next!

Much needed Family time!

2010-06-07T12:57:00.004-05:00

Alfred recently became the meat manager of the new Charlotte Pike Publix so he's been working 6 days a week and long hours getting his old store ready for him to leave and getting the new store ready for the Grand Opening. Although we are so thankful for the promotion it hasn't been the same without him around here. He finally got the weekend off and it was much needed. We had time to lay around being lazy. And he had time to help Kingston work on his art. And we both got to see the boys being silly brothers!
We went out to eat at Friday's with our running group. Here's a picture of Kingston with our trainer Stephen Taylor, and yes Kingston has a Jersey like his triathlon team.

Saturday we went to our friend JoJo's 2nd birthday party and had a great time. We were able to get the rare family photo.

And Kingston had a blast playing on the play ground.

And look what this guy has been doing lately...

That's right! He's been smiling and laughing and cooing! It's so so cute! I could watch these little baby smiles all day long!

We had a great weekend and we have a pretty busy week planned. Mimi will be here Thursday so she can see Kingston's first ever triathlon on Saturday. I'm sure there's a post coming about that and Beckett turns 2 months on the 12th. It's so hard to believe. Thanks for checking in on us! Have a great week!

Kingston Chronicles

2010-05-25T23:31:00.007-05:00

So what has our busy little 2 year old been up to the last few weeks! Well Mimi and Papaw came to visit 2 weekends ago so that Alfred and I could go out for my birthday but more about that in a later post because we had a blast :)!! While they were here we took them to love circle to show them both the view and our hill repeat running route. It was a little foggy and rainy but we had a good time anyway.

Kingston really enjoys love circle every time we go he loves running around up there! Of course he really enjoys running around anywhere so I'm not surprised!

When it was time for mom and dad to leave, the boys and I decided to head back to Ohio with them so we could go to Camden Park with Kingston's cousins and hang out for a few days. He had a blast and Mimi and Papaw took an opportunity to get there picture taken with both boys!

Kingston went to Camden Park last year but this is the first time he actually rode a roller coaster. The Little Dipper is for kids but it has quite a few dips and turns. Kingston wasn't a big fan. It threw him all over the car and he hated when it went down hill. It was just a bit too much for him although when it was over he said "Yay" and clapped. We also discovered on this trip that he hates any ride that spins really fast and pretty much hates the carousel although he loved it last year. He did however love playing in the water puddles!!

At mom and dad's Kingston and dad found a frog. Kingston loved playing with it. He put it in his little riding car and carried it everywhere. Dad and Kingston let it swim in the bathtub. Finally we let it go and he watched it hop away. It's always good to go back home for a little while and Kingston loves walking everywhere with dad and playing with the animals.

We also have very big news this week!! Someone has decided they want to use the potty!! I'm not really ready for this. I like the security of diapers but he keeps taking his diaper off and going at daycare so I decided it was time to buy big boy underwear and get this process started. We aren't jumping totally in just yet but we are getting our feet wet. He tells me he has to go but doesn't always tell me in time and I'm still working out the details of how to handle this in public but I'm hoping to really get this done in the next few weeks. He's ready mommy just has to get there. He sure is proud though!

Kingston's really been a big help with Beckett. He even fed him half a bottle today with only a little direction from me. He is very good to him. When he's at daycare apparently he "calls" Beckett on the phone and he can't wait to see him when we pick him up. He's a great Bubba!!

As you can see Kingston's been really busy this week and so have the rest of the Eller clan but it's been a blast! I hope you all are getting out and enjoying this wonderful weather!

Beckett's Bio- The Sleeping edition!

2010-05-16T18:37:00.004-05:00

Tomorrow Beckett will be 5 weeks old!! It's hard to believe it's already been 5 weeks! According to our bathroom scale he is already 11 pounds even! I checked Kingston's baby book to do a comparison and Kingston weighted 10 pounds 9 oz. at 8 weeks so it seems we have a chunk on our hands! The other day I walked into the kitchen and back into the living room and Kingston had put my cell phone in Beckett's hand! They are already so cute together.

Beckett loves to sleep as most babies do at this age!! It seems that while he sleeps he gets a lot of his thinking done!

Of course Beckett's favorite place to sleep is on a parent or on anyone for that matter.

Or on his play mat when he's supposed to be doing tummy time!!

Or in his co sleeper in mommy and daddy's room!!

Although he sleeps quite a bit he is starting to stay awake for longer periods of time and it is great getting to actually spend some time with him awake. He is starting to get into a schedule with his sleeping. He typically eats at 10:00 or 11:00 before I go to sleep and wakes up about 2:30 or 3:30 and then again about 7:00 so it hasn't been too bad. During the day he takes short naps on and off but typically takes a long nap from 11:00 until 2:00 which is perfect because this is Kingston's nap time. He sleeps in a bassinet or a co sleeper at night in our room. During the day he naps in his crib and does very well. In a few weeks we will make the transition to his room at night. It will probably be really easy for Beckett and really tough for mommy. All in all Beckett is a very easy baby! He rarely cries and goes with the flow. He is really laid back just like Kingston was. He is taking his first 6 hour road trip tomorrow with Kingston and I to go visit my family in WV. I'm confident the trip will go well because so far he loves riding in the car! I'll keep you updated!

A Day at the Zoo!

2010-05-14T10:53:00.003-05:00

I haven't been a very good blogger lately probably because my days are taken up chasing a 2 year old and loving on my sweet 1 month old as well as volunteering to help with flood victims and flood clean up every chance I get! However, prior to the flood hitting Nashville we had one of our best times ever at the Nashville Zoo. My friend Elizabeth posted on facebook that they were going if anyone wanted to join and before we knew it there were 4 moms from the moms group there with their kids. That's what so great about our little group, you can always find people to hang out with! Here are some pictures from that day!

It was Beckett's 1st Zoo visit and we was actually awake for quite a bit of it and was a great baby!!

Daddy and Kingston playing in the bamboo!! Kingston loves doing this and I'm pretty sure daddy does too!

Kingston and Madeline in the Bamboo!

Riley and Kingston, yes we spent quite a bit of time playing in the bamboo!

The kiddos at the petting zoo!!

It was such a great day!! It's so wonderful to have friends with kids the same age as ours so we can build these memories together! Stay tuned for a Beckett's Bio our 1 month old is up to a lot these days!

Kingston Chronicles

2010-04-29T20:11:00.004-05:00

We've been going and going and going since Beckett was born so although I've had a lot to blog about and Kingston has been up to a lot these days I haven't really had time! So these pictures are a little out of order but I wanted to give you an update on our Big brother! Last night we went to the Baskin Robbins .31 scoop night in support of the fire department. Kingston had a blast getting in the trucks and wearing the gear. The firemen were awesome and we loved meeting them. We didn't wait in line for the ice cream but we had a blast anyway!

Kingston got in trouble for the first time ever at daycare today for not helping clean up a mess he made. So when he got home he had to help us clean the house. Hopefully he will learn to love cleaning again! Prior to this incident he was the first one to start cleaning up.

Kingston's been spending a lot of time hanging out with Beckett and helping us feed him and soothe him, he loves to hug on him. He's very good to always ask before he touches. He is a great big brother. The other day Beckett was crying and Kingston went running through the house looking for a pacie so he could give it to him. It was a very sweet moment.

Kingston's daycare had Storybook character day the other day and Kingston dressed up like a pirate. He loved dressing up and didn't want to take the costume off.

Here at the Eller house we start them playing corn hole early. We went to our friend Marsha's 30th birthday party and Kingston showed her friend his mad corn hole skills.

My mom and sister came to visit last weekend and my sister brought my youngest nephew Corey. Him and Kingston had a blast. They put on shows for us which we loved to watch.

We went to Crockett Park where my sister took this picture and I had to include it!!

Kingston and Corey playing at the park!

The zip line!

Kingston has been a little trooper since we brought Beckett home. He has his moments that's for sure but for the most part he's been amazing! A little more needy and not quite sure how to share us just yet but we're all learning and he knows we love him and we are willing to do whatever it takes to help him adjust even if that means singing at the top of our lungs, dancing around like fools most nights! He is a cool little dude!

Beckett's Bio-A Birth Story

2010-04-20T20:12:00.006-05:00

When I went to my 38 week appointment we decided to go ahead and induce on April 12th. It was a back and forth decision for me because I couldn't decide if this was the right thing to do but I was ready to get rid of this belly and hold my sweet baby Beckett! Even though it was pretty fun to belly bump with :)!

So on April 12th we got up bright and early and said goodbye to this sweet baby and headed to Baptist Hospital to check in at 6:00AM. Oh if he only knew how his life was about to change!

I got my computer set up so I could play on facebook and keep everyone updated the best I could. They started the induction at 6:30AM, my doctor came in to break my water at 8:30 and I got an epidural at 9:30. Everything was going good up until the point where I got my epidural. My blood pressure kept dropping really low (77/55) so they had to keep giving me ephedrine. At 11:30AM the nurse came in and told me we'd have a baby within the hour. I was shocked because again this was a super easy delivery!

Then at 12:39AM Beckett John Eller came into this world weighing 7lbs. 14oz. and measuring 21 inches long after only about 10 minutes of pushing! Daddy got to cut sweet Beckett's cord and he was so excited!

They wrapped him up and handed him to me for our first meeting. I was a little teary but very out of it for the first 30 minutes due to the ephedrine but so excited to meet my little boy!

When I came back to the land of the living I got to feed Beckett his first bottle. He was such a perfect little angel. He had a head full of hair and the sweetest little face. He looks a lot like big brother.

Daddy got the honor of changing the first diaper!

And here's one of the first close of pictures we have of Beckett!

The Grandparents had been waiting all day to get the OK to come visit and they couldn't wait to meet little Beckett! They fell in love with him just as fast as we did!

But the best meeting of all was when Big Brother met Little Brother. It was one of those moments I will remember forever. I would have stopped time at that exact moment if I could have and enjoyed it for as long as I could. The look on Kingston's face was priceless! He was already an amazing Bubba!

Beckett's birthday was perfect and all the worries I had about not loving him as much as I did Kingston faded the moment I laid eyes on Beckett. I love him so much. Not more or less than Kingston just the same only different. I know it sounds weird but it's true. I can't put it into words. He is already such a part of our family. He has always belonged here. He's always been a member of our family we've just been waiting on him to arrive. It is absolutely wonderful to be an Eller!

Beckett's Bio-37 Weeks Pregnant

2010-03-30T14:49:00.002-05:00

It's been a little while since I've updated on my pregnancy with sweet Baby Beckett and I can't believe I am nearing the end of it. I have to admit my emotions are all over the place these days. On one hand I'm so excited to meet our sweet baby and not be pregnant anymore. On the other hand I'm a bit nervous. I've never juggled 2 kids full time. I know Kingston's likes and dislikes. Kingston has always been super easy what if Beckett's not? How will Beckett effect our family? How will Beckett effect Kingston? Am I really cut out to be a mother of 2? I know when the day arrives it's going to be perfect and all these things I fear will melt away and it will be as if Beckett has always belonged in our family. I know this because I had these same fears when I was pregnant with Kingston and the day he came into our lives every fear I'd had about him not fitting in melted in a second and it was as if we'd always been waiting on him. Even so, I can't help but fear the unknown once again but more of me can't wait to hold this little bitty person who I've grown to love so much over the last 9 months! It will be nothing short of amazing!

OK now that the emotional stuff is out of the way let's get onto the stats. I still have heartburn although it isn't it isn't as bad as it was due to the fact that Beckett has dropped. Although I'm starting to swell a little on and off it's not bad at all. I'm dilated to 1 but my that doesn't really mean much. Beckett is head down! Sleeping isn't all that bad here lately. I mean I still get up to pee 4 or 5 times but getting back to sleep isn't too bad. I'm outgrowing a lot of my maternity clothes but everyone says I'm all belly, it's just a BIG belly :)!! I still pick up Kingston and get on the floor to play although Alfred has taken over most of his baths! I waddle... a lot!!! I've gained a total of 26 pounds so I think I might just stay under 30. I walk as much as I can although that's becoming less and less lately. All in all it's going pretty well! I feel pregnant but it's really not too bad!

We are ready whenever Beckett is ready to meet us and we can't believe it's so close!!

Kingston Chronicles - 2 Years Old

2010-03-28T08:15:00.007-05:00

It's hard to believe it's been 2 years since this! To celebrate such a big day we decided to head to the park and have a picnic! Kingston loves the park and had a blast sliding over and over. I can't believe what a grown up guy he is! We are so proud to be his parents! Yesterday we had his Birthday party at Gymboree in Cool Springs and he loved every minute of it!

He had so many friends that came out to help him celebrate! And his GiGi and PaPa even made the trek from Macon. At his party he got to do things like blow bubbles, play with a parachute, eat a cookie cake, play on toys with his friends and sing a lot! He had such a wonderful time!

Afterward we decided since it was so beautiful out we would head to East Nashville for Ice Cream at Pied Piper our favorite little ice cream shop! Kingston loves it because there is so much for kids to do there!

All this fun made for one tired little 2 year old! He was out cold before we ever made it back home!

It is such a pleasure being Kingston's mom! His aunt Amanda said it best when she said he is such a delight! He really is! He wakes up every morning singing and so so happy! He listens very well as far as 2 year olds go :)! He loves all things cars and trucks, Barney, American Idol, singing into anything that resembles a microphone at the top of his lungs in true performer style and by that I mean he tosses his hand in the air and really gets down, dancing! He isn't fond of salmon or grape fruit but will pretty much eat anything else you put in front of him. He will eat blueberries by the case if you let him and asks for a cookie all day long, and no we don't give them to him all the time he just asks! He prefers water over milk. He loves his mommy and daddy unless Mimi is around then we are chopped liver. He loves playing dress up and being the center of attention. He sleeps great anywhere and will fall asleep just about anywhere he's sleepy! He loves being outside and screams when we bring him in! He is the youngest member of Music City Runner's and treats everybody in the group like they are his best friend. Like I said it's such a delight being this little guys mom! I can't believe he's 2 but it's been the best 2 years of my life and although I'm sad he's growing up so fast but I can't wait to see all he has in store for this world! Mommy and Daddy love you very much Kingston and we can't wait to see how wonderful you are with your little brother, Beckett!

Kingston Chronicles

2010-03-18T20:09:00.004-05:00

It has been awhile, OK a long while since I've updated on what my adorable almost 2 year old has been doing! So let's just jump right into it. Yesterday was St. Patty's Day, I had to go back to work so Alfred and Kingston spent the day running errands and playing outside. It was beautiful here and they had a great time. When I got home I joined them! It was a great evening and we've really enjoyed having the extra hour of daylight! This past weekend Alfred and I went to Gatlinburg for our annual friend trip and Kingston went to Mimi and papa's to be spoiled rotten and spend time with his cousins. 2 of my sisters 3 boys and Kingston were all born in March so they decided to have a March boy birthday party. Of course the March boys didn't mind letting our January baby, Corey, in on the fun!! According to Mimi the party was a success and they had a blast!

While visiting Kingston and Corey thought it would be fun to put dish towels on there heads and pretend they were hats! I love the imagination of a kid! They did this for about half an hour and had a great time!

Kingston spent most of the weekend getting Papa to take him outside so he could play with the dogs but most of all so he could splash in a mud puddle and get filthy! He cried every time they tried to bring him in!

Of course he had to earn his keep while he was there by helping Mimi cook! Looks to me like he's doing a lot more eating then he is cooking.

We loved having some time alone before Beckett arrives and we were very thankful that Mimi and papa got to spend so much quality time with Kingston but it sure is nice to be home and since it's been so beautiful outside we've been hurrying home from work and hitting the backyard until the sun goes down. Kingston thinks it's just great!

Sorry it's been so long! I'm going to try to do quite a few updates on the Ellers this week! We've been really busy and with only 4.5 weeks left until Kingston gets a baby brother we've been busy doing a lot of preparing! It's still great to be an Eller!!

Beckett's Bio-30 Weeks Pregnant

2010-02-11T09:32:00.003-06:00

I'm at that emotional time in pregnancy when you realize every thing's about to change and it' s very exciting but very scary at the same time. I know I just had a baby 2 years ago but I already forget what it was really like. I don't carry a diaper bag anymore, I don't worry about packing stuff for Kingston to eat or to keep him entertained. I'm about to start all of that over and it's a little scary but mostly very exciting because once again I will get to stare at sweet baby feet all day long and I will get to cuddle for hours on end while a little tiny dude sleeps on my chest. It is pure joy and long nights and so worth every minute.
This has been an eventful week for Beckett and me, I got maternity pictures taken and of course they are all about Beckett :)!! We had a great photographer Sara Rose take them. She came to our house and we had a blast hanging out and taking pictures and she had so many wonderful idea! It really was a fun day and here's just one of many of the great pictures she took of my sweet Baby Beckett in his first home!!

I also had a doctors appointment this week. I'm up another 3 pounds in weight which brings the grand total to 22 so far! According to my doctor I am still right on track so I'm not all that worried. My appetite has finally leveled out and I'm not ravenous to eat everything in sight so hopefully my weight gain will slow down a bit. I got to hear the sweet sound of Beckett's heartbeat again which is always nothing short of amazing.
Beckett is already so different from his big brother. He is a mover and a shaker. When I was pregnant with Kingston he moved and kicked but it wasn't an all day event he was very laid back even in the womb but Beckett is a mover. He moves at times in a way that makes me feel like I'm on a roller coaster! I love feeling him move and kick and squirm! I feel so much better at this point in pregnancy than I did with Kingston. I didn't realize with Kingston that it could be different so I didn't realize I was feeling so run down. My iron is low again this time but not nearly as bad as it was with Kingston although I'm starting to eat ice at an irrational rate again and driving Alfred crazy :)!! And so far I haven't started swelling like I did with Kingston and hopefully that will remain the case for the next 10 weeks!

Beckett's Bio-28 Weeks Pregnant

2010-01-25T14:41:00.002-06:00

Could I really be 28 weeks already??? It doesn't seem like I should already this far along! I had my gestational diabetes test this morning and got to hear Beckett's wonderful heartbeat! I've managed to gain another 7 pounds which brings my grand total to 19 pounds which according to my doc is right where I'm supposed to be, but I'm not so sure-this belly looks pretty big! Since I lost so much weight in the beginning with morning sickness I've finally caught up. I have terrible heartburn and can't get enough crushed ice. And I would eat my weight in Little Debbie Nutty Bars if I didn't stop myself! I did a 5K Zoo Run (waddle) this weekend and I was really proud of myself. I didn't set any records but I finished it and didn't feel bad at all. I'm glad I'm still working out and I'm hoping it will make the transition after the baby a lot easier. With Kingston my knees killed me when I tried to get back into running. As for other Beckett news we have officially started working on his room. We still have some furniture to move out of there but we have made some progress. The great thing about this being #2 is we already have pretty much everything we need. I'm at the point in my pregnancy where I start going to the doctor every 2 weeks which is just fine with me since that means I get to hear his little heartbeat twice as much!!

Kingston Chronicles

2010-01-20T20:47:00.004-06:00

First Haircut Addition!! OK technically he's had trims by my mom and my sister when they couldn't stand it anymore but this is his official in a salon really give me a style haircut!!

Here's were we started! And while I think this is adorable I do agree he probably needs to see where he's going and this is getting a little out of control but it is just so darn cute! And the back was way out of control! When you have to use 2 different conditioners and wet his hair every morning I think it's time for a haircut!!

This is Kim cutting his hair. She is Alfred's stylist and she is awesome! She has 5 kids of her own and her boys all have longish hair so she did very well sitting me down and explaining that she would leave it long and he was in good hands!

The back of his hair finished!

And the front! He got a cookie for being good! He was actually very good and loved when she got out the blow dryer and have I said how wonderful Kim was. She saved hair for me in a little envelope and when the cut was over she threw confetti in the air which Kingston loved! It was such a wonderful experience I might do it again in another 2 years :)!

Kingston Chronicles

2010-01-18T20:19:00.004-06:00

Yesterday was a pretty big day for Kingston! We decided to move the crib into Beckett's room and upgrade Kingston to a Queen Size Bed! His room looks so grown up. I cried and cried as we moved the furniture. I know it's just a bed but to me it represents him growing up more and more every day and that is so hard to deal with. His new room is very cute though. His baby room was GA which made it easy to upgrade with very little changes. I bought new bedding and that's about it. We already had the bed in our spare room so it worked out perfectly!

This is the amazing picture our friend Natalina made for Kingston's first birthday. We've been waiting until we upgraded to hang it over his bed and I think it was a great addition!

Daddy and Kingston doing the night time routine in his new bed!

Sound asleep like a big boy!

As for how the transition affected Kingston,it was a little rough. We have never had sleep issues. If Kingston is sleepy he will fall asleep in the living room floor or by my bed while I'm getting ready. This change for some reason was a little harder on him. He cried for about twenty
minutes for us to lay with him but we held our guns which was really hard and he came out of the room twice and I told him he had to lay in his bed and he did. He woke up crying at 2:30 which is only about the 10th time he's done that since he was 4 months old. I went to his room and told him I loved him but he had to lay back down and he said "OK" in the sweetest little voice ever! Then tonight I laid him down and told him to stay in his bed and he cried for a minute and ask me to go "Night Night" with him but he was done crying by the time I made it to the door. Now let's see if he wakes up tonight! I'm so proud of by big boy! He is so grown up! And I'm doing OK with it too!

Happy Birthday Alfred!

2010-01-14T19:44:00.007-06:00

This past Saturday was Alfred's 32nd birthday and we packed so much into the weekend and had a blast! The morning started off with Kingston performing "Happy Birthday" for his daddy! And by perform I mean using his "microphone" snapping his fingers, dancing the whole bit! Alfred of course loved every minute of it! He was lucky enough to get some beautiful snow for the special day so after breakfast we went out to play! Kingston loved the snow until he fell in it and got cold then it was over!

I decided this year for Alfred's birthday we needed to get away just the 3 of us for a night so I surprised Alfred with a trip to Chattanooga so we could go to the Aquarium. We got there Saturday night and decided to ride the Incline Railroad which takes you to the top of lookout mountain, from there it looks like you can see forever! It was so cold but it was so worth it. Kingston loved riding in the train with no restraint!

The ride down was a little scary but so beautiful!

Kingston at the top looking over!

I made sure to get a hotel with a pool since our little fish loves the water so much and he had such a good time! We were in the pool for about an hour and he still wasn't ready to get out. He's also getting very good at swimming and even when he goes under he keeps going back for more!

The next morning we headed to the Aquarium and had a wonderful time!

Alfred had a great birthday! We discussed the fact that even though this
was Alfred's birthday trip it was a lot about Kingston but once you have kids the joy you get to see through thier eyes is what makes you the happiest so this was just perfect!! That's why every picture is about Kingston :)! Happy Birthday Baby we are so lucky to have you in our lives! Thanks for sharing your wonderful weekend with us. And because it is his birthday I think he should be in one picture!

Beckett's Bio - 26 Weeks Pregnant

2010-01-08T12:08:00.002-06:00

This is the first Baby Eller 2 Post where we've actually known his name! Beckett John Eller! We knew his middle name would be John because it is Alfred's dads name but we could not come up with a first name, we looked at about 4000! Then my sister called and said how about Beckett! I loved it! I was certain Alfred would hate it but when I ran it by him he thought it was perfect. We slept on it, couldn't get it out of our heads and just knew that was supposed to be his name. As it turns out that mom was named after a lady whose last name was Beckett which cemented this even more in our minds. It is so awesome to finally have a name for our little boy!

I also had a doctors appointment this week and we got to hear Sweet Baby Beckett's heartbeat which never ever gets old! Everything else seems to be going rather well too. I've only gained 12 pounds total, although, I'm really showing now and there is no doubt I'm pregnant. I also have really bad heartburn again just like I did with Kingston so if the Old Wives Tail is true yet again Beckett should have a head full of hair just like his brother had. I feel him move all the time which is something else that never gets old, and I know from last time is something I will miss very much for months to follow.

I can't believe I'm already 26 weeks pregnant. Time has flown by with this pregnancy. I'm trying to take it all in because I'm 99.9% sure this will be the last but it's so difficult when I have a toddler to chase and laugh at and play with! I'm able to sit back and enjoy this pregnancy a little more and not worry so much. I don't worry about every pain and every symptom but at the same time I know what's coming this time around. With the waddling and the uncomfortable sleeping. And who knows maybe I'll even get to experience the last 5 weeks this go around. I already love Beckett so much and I can't wait to meet him but for now I really am enjoying having him all to myself because I know that will be over in a few short months and I will miss it.

Happy New Year 2010

2010-01-06T20:32:00.004-06:00

This year Alfred and I decided to ring in the New Year at our friend Gwen and Tim's. We got to dress up and go on a date which we haven't done in a few months so it was really great and the party was fun too!My parents came in to visit so Kingston stayed in and watched "Hip Hop Harry" on the laptop with Mimi!

And staying up until midnight is tiring so the next day daddy and Kingston decided to take a cat nap while watching football.

On Saturday we decided to take Mimi and Paw paw to Pied Piper Creamery for some ice cream. If you haven't been here you need to go. Not only is thier ice cream amazing it is such a neat place. And so kid friendly. Kingston walks in like he owns the place and loves playing with all the toys!

It was a great start to what is sure to be a wonderful year!!

Now it's time to do a little reflecting on 2009. Well on the resolutions I made anyway! Last year my goals were to Recycle, which I'm proud to say I did very good at. And our community finally offers curb side pick up so it just got easier. My second goal was to Run which I am also proud to say I've done pretty good at. I did 10 5K's and competed in the Muddy Buddy. I also found a running group that I love which has helped so much. And this is something Alfred, Kingston and I love doing together so that's a huge bonus! My third and final goal was to be better at recording Kingston's life. I give myself a big FAIL on this one! I've managed to save a lot of his important stuff but I haven't been great at keeping up with his baby book or writing in his journal so I still need to work on that but I'm not dwelling on the negative!

Instead I'm moving on to my 2010 Resolutions!! Resolution #1 is to complete a half marathon. I wanted to do it this year but when I got pregnant with Beckett I wasn't far enough along in my training so I decided to wait until this year. Resolution #2 is to be better at printing my pictures and backing them up. I still need to print the pictures from Kingston's birth :)! Resolution #3 is to cook something from a cookbook every week this year. As many of you know Alfred does almost all of the cooking around here and I really need to be better at pitching in and coming up with new ideas. So there it is in black and white the 3 things I would like to accomplish this year.

So here's saying bye to a wonderful 2009 and hello to what I'm sure will be another wonderful year because it's great to be an Eller and we can't wait to meet Mr. Beckett Eller!

Merry Christmas

2009-12-26T08:16:00.004-06:00

I know I know I've been a terrible blogger lately but hopefully since I have a new camera and a great new laptop I'll be a little better. You have to bear with me though as I get used to this camera. It's nothing fancy but I'm still learning all the settings and it's making for some pretty rough pictures. I wanted to share our Christmas with you anyway though! We decided last year that with Alfred's work schedule and the fact that I want Kingston to wake up in his own house on Christmas morning that we wouldn't travel. So this year we went to Candlelight Service at church which was beautiful and moving and just wonderful, I, however, didn't get any pictures of that so you'll have to use your imagination.
On Christmas morning Kingston woke up and had no idea what was going on. We took him upstairs to the bonus room and he immediately ran to this Harley Davidson Power Wheel toy that his Great Grandma sent.
Next he opened his first ever pair of Converse and he loved them. For the rest of the day I would say "What's the Reason for the Season?" Hoping he would say "Jesus" but instead he would say "Shoes." I think he might just take after me after all!

He loved his tent and tunnel and of course this item meant rearranging the bonus room yet again! But it's worth it to see him having such a great time!

After we opened all the gifts we put his new booster to use and put the high chair in the attic for a few months before Beckett needs it! He does really good with it and really likes eating like a big boy! Now if we could only get a little bit better with those utensils!

After all the morning festivities we decided to take Kingston to see his very first theater movie! Alvin and the Chipmunks Squeaqel. He did so good during the movie. He only squirmed around a little and laughed and cheered! We all had a blast!

It was a great Christmas! And our last as a family of 3 which is crazy to imagine! But we are so excited to see what the future holds for our little family! I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas too! And took a moment to realize the true "Reason for the Season" and no it's not "Shoes"!

Baby Boy 2-Week 21

2009-12-07T10:39:00.003-06:00

It's official all my intuitions were wrong and despite how very different this pregnancy is we are having another little boy. And we couldn't be happier. I haven't cared one way or the other from the beginning but I dreamed about a little girl and everyone I talked to was certain I was having a little girl. We named her Scarlett Inez and never really thought of boy names. We had the most awesome ultrasound tech this time around and we were discussing which I would prefer and I was telling her my pros for a boy and I went to launch into my pros for a girl and she said let me stop you right there Kingston's going to have a brother. I said "Obviously" as she showed me and we all laughed and it was perfect. Exactly how it was meant to be. We of course got to look at many more of his features. We think he looks a lot like his brother but then again I'm sure we are just making ourselves see that. He hid his face a lot when we tried to see him in 4D and he put his hands behind his head once like Kingston does and we laughed. I was worried since I've been through this all before that it wouldn't be as special this time around but it was! Seeing him for the first time was just amazing!! And of course his heart and lungs and brain and everything looked just "perfect". They actually said the word perfect to us so much we went out right after our appointment and bought a onesie that said perfect. It's officially his first article of clothing that's not a hand me down! Since then we've been trying to come up with a name so we don't have to keep calling him Baby Boy! It's rough since I love Kingston's name so much I want to come up with an equally perfect name for this little boy. We have a few ideas and we hope to narrow it down really soon.
As for me! I'm doing great! Right on track with everything. I've started incorporating some maternity clothes into my wardrobe but I can wear some of my regular clothes too so not much has changed there. I'm not sick anymore and for the most part I'm feeling pretty good. I've had a little bit of heart burn and my back is hurting a little but I'm still running about 3 miles at a time and doing 5K's whenever I get the chance. And so far I've had no swelling which was a big problem the last time. The 2nd trimester is pretty darn good!
As for big brother Kingston he's been doing a lot too and I really need to catch you up on his little life which I hope to do in the next few days! We've been pretty busy lately but that's not an excuse to not catch you up on our first little boy!! And as always It's great to be an Eller (even a pregnant Eller)!

Baby Eller-17 Weeks Pregnant

2009-11-12T11:10:00.002-06:00

We had our 17 week appointment yesterday and it might have been the sweetest appointment yet. Kingston's daycare was closed yesterday for Veteran's Day and I didn't plan my appointment very well so we had no option but to take him with us, which didn't bother us but keeping a 1 year old entertained in a doctors office for 40 minutes can take some patience. When it came time to hear the heartbeat though Kingston looked at the doctor like she was awesome and started dancing around. She let us listen for about 3 minutes because Kingston loved it so much. My heart melted! I know Kingston didn't understand what it was but seeing him already interacting with his little sibling means the world to me!
Everything else looked great! The heartbeat sounds wonderful, I'm finally gaining weight since I'm not sick all the time and I got the controversial H1N1 vaccine! Our next appt. is Dec. 2nd. This is the one we've been waiting for! The one where we find out if we will be bringing home a sister or a brother! It can't come quick enough for me, I want to know right now! I have very little patience when it comes to this kind of stuff!

Kingston Chronicles

2009-10-22T21:16:00.005-05:00

This edition of Kingston Chronicles is dedicated to Kingston's 18th month birthday! However, it's a little late since he turned 18 months old on September 24 and he's about to be 19 months old in a couple of days. Oh well I'm getting to it now and we've been really busy :)!!! So let's start with the stats:

Weight: 22 pounds 13.04 percentile

Length: 30.5 inches 7.86 percentile

head circumference: 18.9 inches 57.25 percentile

So what do you do when your baby turns 18 months old!! Have a half birthday party of course!! And what's a birthday party without a birthday cake!!

I think Kingston loved his birthday cake!! Or he just had one heck of a sugar rush :)!! This mess is spaghetti mixed with birthday cake, not the best idea we've ever had!

And we have one busy 18 month old these days!!
He's been "running" 5K's with his mom and dad (and our running friend Jodi of course)-rain or shine!! And we're even in a Monday night running group downtown and he's the mascot and loves the people in the group! Of course they spoil him!

He spends a lot of time loving on his mommy which is just fine with me!! The free unsolicited kisses are the best!

And of course he went to his first UGA game with mommy and daddy at Vandy and GA won! It was a cold game but we had a blast and we were yet again reminded this kid can sleep anywhere! He fell asleep 4th quarter laying on Alfred!

As for other things in his 18 month old life. He says quite a few words. And is starting to answer our questions correctly! He can repeat a lot of words and has started saying words unprompted. He still loves to dance and loves Barney and the Wiggles and Sesame Street. He is a very social little guy and has never met a stranger. He strikes up conversations with strangers in the grocery store. He loves pushing everything from the kitchen chairs to the shopping cart. He has still only woken us up during the night about 5 times since he was 4 months old. The kid loves his sleep. He is a great eater. He loves fruit and will try most anything you put in front of him. He does break down sometimes. Mainly when you won't give him what he wants. He hits at times and gets put in time out. He does very well in time out and hugs and kisses you afterward as if to say I'm so sorry. He is overall a wonderful little dude and I wouldn't want him any other way!! Happy 18 months baby boy mommy and daddy think you're pretty amazing!!

Baby Eller-12 Weeks

2009-10-06T16:31:00.001-05:00

Has it really been 4 weeks since my last post? I guess that's what happens when you're sick all the time :)! Oh well at least I know it's all worth it in the end. At this months appt. we got to hear the sweetest sound on Earth. Our little babies heartbeat! It was wonderful adn perfect according to Dr. M! I forget how easy it is to fall in love with a woosh woosh woosh and know that in just a few months you will be holding that little person in your arms, getting to know there little personality and falling more in love then you ever thought imaginable and this time we know what that will be like and we have Big Brother Kingston to thank for paving the way and teaching us what a joy parenthood truly is! So all's well and until next month mommy and baby will keep growing :)! (Although at this appt. Mommy is down a few more pounds due to chronic sickness but I know that will all change soon enough!)

Baby Eller - 8 Weeks Pregnant

2009-09-09T08:52:00.003-05:00

When we talked about having another baby and decided the time was right I figured I had it all figured out since I'd done this before. That couldn't have been further from the truth. This time around I've been really sick which didn't happen at all last time! This time around I have a toddler to take care of so I don't get to lay around all the time. This time is just different, I don't exactly know how to put it in words. It's different because we are giving Kingston a sibling. It's different because I know this time around how much in love with this baby I'm going to be because we've been here before. I can't wait to see Kingston with his little brother or sister. I can't wait to be a family of 4. But even before that I can't wait to hear the beat of the heart, to feel the first kick, to see the first ultrasound, to decide on a name, to decorate the nursery, to fall in love with someone more than I ever thought possible without laying an eye on them! As different as it's been it's still wonderful!

Labor Day Weekend

2009-09-07T19:50:00.005-05:00

This weekend Kingston and I headed to Ohio to see my family and hang out with my best friend since Kindergarten and her family. We had a blast catching up and laughing until my sides hurt! The kids had a blast too! They played in the yard for hours despite the rain! Kingston of course spent a lot of the time pushing around there push toys since that's still his favorite thing to do! (Sorry the pictures sideways, I didn't realize until it was too late and I wasn't redoing the entire thing to change it, so tilt your head :)!

And when he wasn't doing that he was playing a little badminton! He's not very good yet but if he's anything like his Aunt Amanda and I he will soon be a pro. We used to spend hours every evening volleying badminton in our back yard! I still love the game!

All summer the boys have been growing watermelons at Mimi's and Pawpaw's. They've been in a contest with my Uncle Wilkie who actually didn't even grow watermelon's this year due to a heart condition but made them think he did, and boy were they competitive. This morning was the ceremonial watermelon picking day that they've been waiting on, and one of the main reasons Kingston and I made the journey! And wouldn't you know it rained. But that didn't stop them from picking thier prize!

And good thing because it sure was tasty!!

After a 6 hour ride back home we finally got to see Daddy who was thrilled to have us back!! I think he had a rough time this weekend since his Dawgs lost and we weren't here to console him!!

Tomorrow we go to our first Dr's appt. for the newest Eller! We are beyond excited! This time is so different because we already know the joys of parenthood and can't wait to do it again! I can't believe I'm already 8 weeks pregnant today! But enough about that I'll dedicate an entire post to the first 8 weeks tomorrow!

Kingston Chronicles

2009-09-03T18:46:00.002-05:00

Friday morning we headed down to Vanderbilt Children's Hospital so that Kingston could have surgery. Oh course he had to wear his GA outfit for good luck! Mimi came down and went to the hospital with me since we weren't sure when daddy was going to be able to leave inventory at work and get to the hospital. Luckily he made it in plenty of time!

Finally it was time to get in the standard Vandy baby PJ's and head off with the team. This is a picture of Kingston getting a little overwhelmed by all the stuff happening!

I don't have any pictures of Kingston immediately after because we were too busy holding and loving on him! He did wonderful though and other than the 10 stitches you really would have never known he had surgery. Oh course he got some post surgery presents out of the deal. Mimi bought him a pack of match box cars which he loves and daddy took him out and bought him a red bean bag chair so he will have somewhere comfy to sit while he watches the GA games.

This looks like one happy baby to me!!

I have to take just a moment to give a shout out to Vandy Hospital! We are so lucky to have such a fabulous place to take our children should they need care. They not only took exceptional care of Kingston they went out of there way to make Alfred and I feel comfortable. They understood we were handing our little baby over to 12 perfect strangers and he was going to be put to sleep and that all of it was very scary for us. I would rather have not had to do it but since we did I'm so thankful for this hospital and there wonderful staff!

This weekend Kingston and I are heading to Ohio to see my sisters new house and hang out with my family. Alfred is staying behind to work but will be hanging out with friends on Saturday to watch the first GA game of the season! Enjoy your long weekend I know we will be!!

Don't Stop Believing!

2009-08-27T20:46:00.003-05:00

This past weekend Alfred and I drove to Louisville to see Journey at the Kentucky State Fair for our Annual concert with our Louisville friends!! We had a blast! And we had great seats!

I even got to sing along with some of my favorite songs!

My wonderful mom drove up to watch Kingston and my friend Annie's 3 kids! Abby her oldest had a blast pushing Kingston through the neighborhood in the stroller!

And all this hanging out made for a tired mommy and Kingston!

I hope you all have a great weekend. Kingston is having his surgery tomorrow morning and I'm super nervous but I've put my confidence in our wonderful Lord and I know he will take care of my little baby! I'll keep you posted!

Kingston Chronicles

2009-08-18T18:40:00.004-05:00

This weekend while Alfred had to work Kingston and I went to Louisville for our friend Gavin's 1st Birthday Party. The birthday boy had a blast eating cake, playing with his new toys and hanging out with friends and family!

Kingston had a great time too! He rode, or pushed, all of Gavin's toys everywhere he went!

And we discovered Kingston is a HUGE fan of the slip and slide, of course there shouldn't have been any doubt since he loves all things water!

And speaking of things he loves let's hope he loves sharing come April 20th!

It was time for a Haircut!!

2009-07-24T09:11:00.004-05:00

I knew Kingston needed another haircut. It was getting in his eyes and starting to look like a mullet but I couldn't bring myself to do it or have it done where I would have to witness the aftermath! Since he's visiting my family this weekend I mentioned to my sister that it might be a good time to give him a trim since she cuts her boys hair all the time. I was imagining this would happen on Sunday as an afterthought before they brought him home to me and I would be missing him so bad I wouldn't even notice. Not the case. She called me at 7:30 this morning and said check your e-mail I trimmed Kingston's hair and sent you pictures.

I have to admit it does look pretty cute even if I did cry a little!! Not because I don't love it only because my sweet little baby is looking like a little boy!!

Kingston Kronicles

2009-07-21T21:08:00.002-05:00

This is the reason Kingston had to have a helmet. That's right folks we have our very own bike rider! Alfred and I have been riding quite a bit lately so we decided rather than riding separately we'd get a baby bike seat so we could all ride together and we're so glad we did because Kingston loves it! Cell phones are something we thought we'd have awhile to worry about but no, Kingston picks them up whenever he sees one and starts gabbing away! I have to admit it's too cute!

Saturday Kingston and I went to A Monkey's Tree house in Bellevue to play and had such a great time. The Lego's were his favorite. If he found them anywhere else he would bring them to the peg board to try to put them on there. I think we have a smarty!

Saturday evening Alfred and I sat up Kingston's pool on the back porch while we worked and played outside and he loved it even if it was a bit cool.

Thursday Kingston is heading to West Virginia for the weekend so he can hang out with my family while Alfred and I go to Brewfest so I'm sure we'll have plenty to tell you about this weekend!

Kingston Kronicles

2009-07-08T18:41:00.010-05:00

The Kingston Kronicles is going to be a new edition to Just Us, this is where you can read about all things Kingston. I'm going (hoping) to update this atleast once a week with the things he's been into. For this first edition we're going to share some of Kingston's new favorite things.

Line Dancing! Always the fan of dancing he's now taken it to the next level and in this particular shot he's mastering Soldier Boy!

Glow sticks!! Someone dropped a box and he quickly picked up about 100 of them! Good thing daddy can teach him to dance with them, therefore combining 2 of his favorite things!

Chasing girls! Need I say more?

Playing in boxes while mommy puts his clothes away!

Unrolling all the toilet paper in the house every chance he gets!

And his newest favorite thing required mommy and daddy to make this adorable purchase -- but more about that later! We have to keep you coming back for more Kingston Kronicles!

Boom Boom Pow!

2009-07-05T11:09:00.011-05:00

What a difference a year makes!!

4th of July 2008
This fourth of July weekend has been a blast! I got an extra day off work so Kingston and I met our friends Rachel and Oliver at the zoo on Friday for a little fun. Kingston could have cared less about anything except the little water area. Once we got there he was in heaven!! He was such a big kid working his way to the front so he could get splashed, of course when it was time to leave he threw a fit like I was kidnapping him, good thing Rachel had some fig newtons!

Bright and early Saturday morning Kingston and I got up to do the "I run for the Party" 5K downtown with some of work friends. We had a blast even if I did discover too late that I would have to do the race with 2 flat tires on my jogging stroller! Oh well I figure this way I got an extra are workout! And Kingston did much better in this 5K then he did in the Zoo Run when it was freezing outside!

Finally on Saturday night Alfred got some time off so we could go see some fireworks together. Our friend Elizabeth gave us Kingston's patriotic outfit when he was less than a week old in a bag of hand me downs and I've been waiting until this night for him to wear it!

Kingston thought the fireworks were pretty cool. He was very calm during the entire event and just laid on me watching all the pretty colors!

This is the 2ND year in a row we've watched fireworks at the Church by Crockett Park, with our friends. We have such a good time. We get there early have a picnic of Mexican food, play cornhole, listen to music and just hang out until the main event. This year was a little rainier than last but we still had a blast!

We have one more party to go to tonight then it's back to work for mama! I hope all of you had a safe 4Th of July!

15 Month Update

2009-06-25T16:49:00.008-05:00

Kingston turned 15 months old yesterday and it just so happened that his 15 month appointment fell was on the actual day:

Official Stats:

Weight 21.63 lbs 12.72 percentile
Height 29.5 in. 9.08 percentile
Head 18.5 45.2 percentile

He is such a cool little dude. I know I say this all the time but it's so true. He is so laid back. He rarely, if ever cries. He laughs all the time and gets the most of life. Ocean, no big deal I'll jump in, pool-dunk me I love it!

His favorite things right now are bubbles, all things water and dancing! He dances constantly to anything that sounds like a beat. He even got voted toddler with the most rhythm in his day care class! He loves watching So you think you can dance, Barney and Sesame Street.

He currently has 10 teeth and loves to show you his big smile any chance he gets. He eats everything you put in front of him, we haven't found anything he hates. He loves to flirt with the ladies and when we go out and eat he spends most of the time hamming it up for the server. He still doesn't say very many actual words. Mama, dada, papa, uh-oh is about all we get but he sure thinks he can say a lot and talks all the time!

He walks everywhere and is becoming more and more independant. He climbs stairs but has no clue how to get back down :)! He closes everything. a door or cabinet can't be open or he has to shut it! This is such a neat time in our lives. I don't want to forget the giggles, the firsts, the squeals of excitement with everything new! It is so awesome being Kingston's mom, I am in awe of him everyday!

Kingston's first Beach Trip

2009-06-23T19:26:00.004-05:00

Last week we went to Amelia Island Plantation, FL with my mom and dad, my sister and her 3 boys and Alfred's mom and dad. We met my friends Annie and Mark and there family there. It was amazing! The Plantation was more than we ever could have asked for. Very private, very

family oriented, very relaxing--In a word Perfect! Here's some pics from the week!
As you can tell Kingston loved it!! We all did!!! He dived right into the sand and the Ocean and didn't look back!! Good thing mom and dad were there to save him!! What a great week!

One Crazy Weekend!

2009-06-01T20:09:00.002-05:00

My parents were nice enough to come down this weekend and keep Kingston while Alfred and I did the Muddy Buddy on Sunday. My mom finally talked me into letting her trim Kingston' hair to get it out of his face. It wasn't as bad as I thought it was going to be and I didn't even cry! Kingston was a bit squirmy though. Stay tuned for a picture of the finished product later in the week! I will say he is still one handsome little guy!

Now on to the main event of the weekend. Alfred and I woke up at 5:00AM and headed to Cheatham County to compete in the Muddy Buddy as Team Ralph (Get it Alfred and Rachel :)! It was a packed house.
We finished the race in about 1 hour 40 minutes which wasn't a great time but we didn't come in last and we finished which on leg 3 where I had to push my bike up a 1/2 mile 9 degree hill I wondered if even that would happen. But we did it and the obstacles were a blast and not as hard as I thought they would be.

Here's me crawling under the net at obstacle 3!

The best part for me was getting to do this with Alfred and knowing that no matter how long it took me to finish he would be waiting for me cheering me on and ready to jump in the mud pit together! Of course the Red Hook Beer Garden at the end wasn't bad either!

And when it was all over we got to come home to our biggest fan!

Play Time!

2009-05-28T18:46:00.003-05:00

Kingston and I got home from daycare today and found that Daddy had been hard at work taking out the old couch in the bonus room and putting together a play area! Kingston was so excited he could hardly contain himself! He now has his very own slide! And mommy was very happy the old couch was gone!
These pics are from our weekend pool party but I thought they were cute so I wanted to share!

Well gotta go grill! Have a great weekend! We will be doing the Muddy Buddy so if I survive I will post pictures!

14 Month Update!

2009-05-25T13:50:00.004-05:00

I don't have any pictures to post this week I left my camera at my friend Lori's so my cute pictures of Kingston playing in the pool will have to wait until later. But since Kingston was officially 14 months old yesterday and it's been a pretty big week I wanted to do a quick update. Kingston went to the doctor twice this week and both times he weighted in at 21 pounds!! Yippee!! We finally broke the 20 pound mark.

He has also been a drooly little dude and we finally discovered why, he's getting his molars!! One has broken through and another one should be through any day. He's been a little fussier then usual which for Kingston isn't bad since he is a very chill little dude.

He's also really taken off in the walking department. If he falls he has learned to get back up instead of crawling. He's doing so well we passed his walking toy along to our friend Ian!

He eats everything we put in front of him. He prefers some things to others but so far we haven't found anything he hates which is good. This week he tried imitation crab meat and portabella mushrooms and loved both of them.

This weekend we went to a pool party and Kingston loved the water. He was a little fish and loved to be dunked under so he could kick back to the top. I have some pictures that I'll post as soon as I get my camera. We all had a great time and want to say thanks to Lori, Jason and Ian who opened there home up to many many babies for a very fun day!

Last night we went and played games at our friend Rosanna's and had a great time. Kingston was the only boy baby there with 3 girls. That seems to never happen! Today we are hanging out at home, catching up on chores and waiting for Daddy to get home, it's great to have an extra day off to do nothing but relax!

A Storybook Day!

2009-05-17T21:51:00.005-05:00

Two years ago I walked into a bar and yelled at a boy for sitting at my table. We began to talk, I played hard to get for about a week, we went on a great date. I talked about him while sitting on the beach with my mom. I said I never met anyone so determined to treat me well. She said that's how my dad was when they met. I knew he was special but I didn't know he would change my life and we would get married one day and have a beautiful little boy. Two years ago I didn't know I could be so happy, I didn't know I could have everything I never knew I wanted and be happier than I've ever been in my life! The two of them are my life, my entire world. They mean more to me than I could ever express in words! I am so lucky!

Since we are living our fairy tale we decided to go to the Renaissance Fair today so we could tour the ultimate in fairy tale land, a castle! I don't think we realized what we were in for though. It was a great people watching event and we had a blast!

Watching the Joust!

Almost getting eaten by a tree man!

Taking Kingston his first bus ride!

And of course we saw our castle!

What a great weekend with my wonderful husband and little bitty boy! I am so blessed!

Steeplechase-One Muddy Good Time!

2009-05-16T15:49:00.005-05:00

I'm a little behind on the Steeplechase post but with it being mother's day and my birthday week we've been a little busy. This year some of our friends got a tailgating spot at Steeplechase and invited us to go so we decided to do that instead of going out of town for my birthday! It was an absolute blast! There was mud everywhere but that somehow made it more fun!

Yes I wore white! Probably not the best decision I've ever made but it all worked out! And my beautiful hat was decorated by my wonderful husband! Who knew he was so good with flowers he sure didn't! It was a great day!

Then to make the weekend even better I got a yummy cake decorated by Kingston and Alfred! How did they know to get me my 2 favorite things Kingston's artwork and cake!

Eller Happenings!

2009-05-08T22:13:00.006-05:00

The last 2 weeks have been a little hectic. Alfred and I took turns getting strep throat so we spent the better part of a week laying on the couch feeling pretty miserable. Luckily Kingston felt great and took the opportunity to explore the drawers and cabinets a little further!
Finally by Cinco De Mayo we felt a lot better so we had the Brewer's over for tacos and Mexican beer. Alfred thought it would be a funny idea to paint goatees on him and Kingston.

And of course I had to join in the fun!

And when Riley got there he had to have a mustache too!

What a fun night! Kingston is in Macon visiting his grandparents this weekend while Alfred and I go to Steeplechase as an early Birthday present to me! It should be a great time and I should have lots to tell you about on Sunday! Have a great weekend!

A Day Outdoors!

2009-04-27T14:53:00.005-05:00

Sunday was so beautiful we decided to spend the entire day outside. We started by heading to Franklin for the Main Street Arts and Crafts festival. It was really fun and we got to meet a lot of very talented people, eat brats and listen to some great music. And of course spend time together!

We've been putting off washing the cars for weeks now so we decided to continue our day outside washing my car inside and out. While we were doing that Kingston enjoyed watching us from inside his pack and play! He had a blast being outside and of course tossing things out so we would have to pick them up, then laughing at us!

And since we were already outside we decided it would be a great night to have a mini picnic on the front lawn. What a wonderful weekend!

And then today for the first time ever Kingston got to experience riding in the car facing forward! It's a little premature since he STILL doesn't weigh 20 pounds (we are currently at 19.4) but he's 13 months old and starting to get really bored with staring at the back seat so I made a judgment call and turned him around.

Apparently riding forward makes for a tired baby!

Happy Earth Day!

2009-04-22T20:30:00.005-05:00

Reduce, Reuse and Recycle! That's the motto we're trying to follow around here and although we slack at times we are trying to get better and raise a more environmentally conscious little dude.

Around here it's beginning to look a lot like Spring which means yard work!

Yes he did all the yard work including mowing the lawn with Kingston on his back while I was at work! I love these two guys! Hope you all are having a great week!

Rugby...simple, football...piece of cake...1 week in Toddlers tough!

2009-04-18T19:09:00.006-05:00

This is Kingston's first official week in the Young Toddlers Class at daycare and boy these kids are no joke. In a full year in the infants class we signed one incident report and that was when Kingston was learning to stand up while holding on to things and he fell and bumped his head. This week we have had 2 incidents! One scratch on the face and a bite on the arm. I told Kingston he better hurry up and choose sides so he'll have some protection :)!!

If you look really close you can see his bite mark on his arm in this picture!! Poor little guy didn't even cry but all day today he's been trying to bite me so I think he's learning bad habits :)!

This week has been pretty low key. Alfred was really sick for most of it so when I wasn't at work we just hung around here. We went to our friend Rosanna's last night and hung out with some of our friends and today we went to the park to play before the rain comes rolling in again. Since Kingston is finally out growing his front carrier that we use all the time our friend Lisa gave us this awesome baby backpack so of course we had to test it out and we love it! Thank you so much for giving this to us Lisa!

Thanks for checking in with us this week! ! We're about to get our food off the grill, hope you enjoy this beautiful Saturday night! It's great to be an Eller!

Another wonderful Easter Present!

2009-04-12T17:02:00.003-05:00

Last Easter my water broke and the next day Kingston was born. This Easter weekend I went home to visit my family and my sister worked all weekend trying to get Kingston to walk. He never took that first step. Then today we've hung out at home all day because Alfred is running a 102 degree temp so I've spent the day working on getting Kingston to walk and all of a sudden it all clicked and it's official we have a walker!

We're still a little shaky but I think he'll have the hang of it in no time!! Hope your Easter was as wonderful as ours!

Well Kingston your name does start with a K!

2009-04-08T11:22:00.003-05:00

We went to see our friends Lori, Jason and Ian this Saturday where Kingston took it upon himself to take a letter out of Ian's play mat! Just so happened it was the letter K! We of course think it's because our little boy is brilliant!
Hopefully I'll have time to post some pics of Kingston and Laney playing over the last few days but I'm heading to West Virginia for my first 6 hour road trip without Alfred since Kingston's been born so I have a lot to get ready tonight!

No tornado will keep me away!

2009-03-30T15:32:00.008-05:00

This weekend the grandparents came in for Kingston's birthday party. I decided this would be a wonderful time for Alfred, me and some of our friends to go to Murfreesboro and see
The Peter Moon Band. In case you don't know our history with this band I'll fill you in. Alfred and I heard them on our 2nd date at Bailey's and feel in love with thier music. We put the CD on and dance to there music all the time. We danced our first dance to their song "For the Rest of my Life" at our wedding. We have seen them countless times. I have pictures of me 7 months pregnant at Flying Saucer with the band! We love them. Since having Kingston, however, we haven't gotten the opportunity to see them as often as we used to so when the storm of the year was bearing down on us and everyone was suggesting we maybe shouldn't make the trip to Murfreesboro, I said the heck with that I have a baby sitter and I'm going! We got to Murfreesboro to meet some friends and headed to the club. On our way there the sky got really dark and the stop lights went out. We got over by Marty and Liz Shoes and noticed the roof was collapsed and there was sheet metal in the power lines. We narrowly missed some sort of tornadic weather. But we pressed on! And the result was amazing. We were the only 6 people to show up so we got an exclusive Peter Moon Band Show!! Front Row, Dance floor to ourselves, singing the songs along with the band as loud as we wanted! It was another wonderful Peter Moon Band adventure!

1st Birthday Party!!

2009-03-29T19:09:00.004-05:00

Kingston had his first birthday party on Saturday and it went off without a hitch! We had quite the turn out and Kingston enjoyed celebrating with all his friends and family. I found the day bitter sweet. it was such a fun time but I'm pretty sad that my little baby is growing up to be quite the big boy! And that he will never have a 1st birthday again! Here are a few shots from the fun day!

Wearing the cool shirt his Aunt Amanda made him! It says the King is one!

His cake made by our friend Elizabeth at Publix!

Kingston got lots of books, some DVD's, a basketball hoop, a drum, some clothes, an upgraded hammer that lights up. Money to buy shoes! It was a great day to be a King!

And of course getting to eat as much cake as possible!! Which he took full advantage of!

Here's mimi, pawpaw, Kingston and Noah enjoying some of the party food!

And here's the 3 of us looking a little different than we did just a year ago!!I think the difference comes with a little more confidence that yes we can do this! We can raise a respectful little boy who knows the joys of life and how much he is loved!! And Kingston is confident that we will always be there for him no matter what! It's great to be an Eller!

One Year of Fun!

2009-03-28T09:29:00.002-05:00

Kingston is officially a one year old! Technically he was 1 on the 24th but he got sent home that day with a 104 degree temperature and yesterday was the first day he didn't have temperature over 100. So I really haven't done much this week but lay on the couch and cuddle with my sick little boy! He was well enough yesterday to go to his wellness visit and get 3 shots. His stats are as follows:

Weight: 18.63Lbs. 3.33%tile

Height: 28.5In. 13.26%tile

Head: 18.11in 39.34%tile

As you can see we have a tiny guy with a big head! The doc says don't worry about his weight just yet since he's very active and eats a lot and is alert we will hold off on the worrying for a few months. He also said considering Alfred and I are pretty tiny we just have a tiny baby! It will be awhile before he gets to sit forward in the car though.

Last Friday I had the pleasure of going to Kingston's daycare to read to his class for Read to Your Child Day. I read The Little Engine that Could since it's Kingston's favorite. The kids did rather well paying attention to the book. After I was done reading I got to hang around and watch them all eat lunch. It was hysterical. They all sit at this little table and they act so grown up except of course they are all eating with there hands. They are trying to teach them to eat with a spoon but all they do is hold the spoon in one hand and eat with the other!

I'll have more to talk about tomorrow after Kingston's birthday party today but for now I have to go get things ready for our BIG day! Hope your weekend is great!

Chillin'

2009-03-19T18:21:00.003-05:00

Chillin' at breakfast in my highchair!

Chillin' in the buggy at Publix visiting daddy!

Chillin' in the cabinet mama cleaned out for me!

Hope you get time to relax and chill this weekend!

Happy 4th Birthday Laney Jane!!

2009-03-18T20:37:00.008-05:00

Today is our lovable lab Laney Jane's 4th birthday! To celebrate we took her to the park to roll around and play while we all enjoyed the beautiful weather! It was a wonderful afternoon!

Yesterday for St. Patty's Day we met some people I work with at Noshville Deli before we went to work and before Kingston went to daycare! They had a fund raiser for March of Dimes and 1/2 of the proceeds went to the charity.

They offered Green Eggs and ham, however, the only one brave enough to try it was Alfred :)!! I stuck with the BLT!

The Crew!

And of course Kingston and I had to have our picture taken with the pickle :)!! Again he's completely mesmerized!

Hope you have a great week!

Sick Day!

2009-03-12T09:46:00.004-05:00

Yesterday I went to work and at 9:00 daycare called to tell me Kingston's temperature was 101.5 so I went and picked him up. We called the pediatrician and they wanted us to bring him in since he had a cough and a temperature. They originally thought RSV but his lungs were perfectly clear so they looked at his ears and said he had an ear infection in both and gave us antibiotics. However, the red rimmed eyes, sneezyness and itchy face is due to allergies so they put him on an allergy medicine. He can't go back to day care today so I'm staying home with him until noon and then Alfred is relieving me so I can go to work. Although I really hate that he feels bad he has been extremely cuddly which is typically not a Kingston trait. He feel asleep with me last night on the couch and today he's back to clapping, yelling, making clicking noises with his mouth and being silly but I know he still feels bad just a little better than he did!

Busy as Can Be

2009-03-10T20:17:00.003-05:00

It has been a busy few days! Friday night I went out to Jonathan's in Cool Springs with my friends from work then we came back to the house watched music videos and played Apples to Apples! It was a really fun night!

We woke up Saturday to the most beautiful weather, which was perfect since we were going to get our family pictures taken by our friend Sarah who is an amazing photographer! We went to this beautiful battle ground she knew of, which was not only a beautiful back drop for pictures but also a fun place to hang out! It was such a fun photo shoot! And our little baby model was amazing! He didn't fuss one time!

After our day as celebs :)we dropped Kingston at our friends Phil and Elizabeth's and Alfred and I headed downtown to our friend Shay and Glen's wedding reception at Noshville on Broadway! It was another wonderful time and our first wedding related event that we've been to as husband and wife!

Monday while I headed back to work Alfred caught up with Phil and Riley and they had a daddy and son day at the zoo! I would have pictures but I accidentally took the camera to work with me :)!

Last night I headed out to Bellvue to play Bunco with my group! Where I won $20 for getting the most baby buncos with 13! Woot Woot!

Maurisa and I after bunco

I had a wonderful weekend but it sure was nice to come home tonight sit on the back deck and read a book while Kingston played! And when we came in he was so excited from being outside he couldn't stop clapping (yes he claps with anything in his hands)!I hope you have a wonderful week we will be relaxing for our next big weekend!

Happy Blogiversary plus 1 Day!

2009-03-04T18:08:00.008-06:00

OK so technically yesterday was my blogiversary but I've been sick so I came home took cough syrup and pretty much went straight to bed so I'm celebrating today! I'm going to save all my sappy one year things for Kingston's birthday since it's only 20 days away but I will say I'm so glad I started doing this (thanks Sarah). It's really nice to look back and see how far we've come and what we've been doing. It's also been nice to follow other people's blogs and get to know them a little better if only in the blog world.

As for what we've been doing in Eller Life lately! Last Tuesday we headed to the Cajun Steamer in Cool Springs to celebrate Fat Tuesday, listen to a band and show Kingston what this day is all about. He was a huge hit and loved the beads he received. I asked him what he did for those beads and he said what happens on Fat Tuesday stays on Fat Tuesday! Of course he thought the band was a blast and mommy and daddy had a great time too! It's so wonderful to celebrate these things with our little boy!Kingston is really getting close to walking (at least I feel like he is)! He will hold our hand and walk everywhere!

And because of this mommy and daddy finally got around to putting up a baby gate at the top of our stairs!If Laney accidentally gets locked downstairs Kingston spends all his time trying to find a way to get her in!And I just wanted to end on this adorable picture of Alfred and Kingston in the bath! These 2 are 2 peas in a pod I tell ya! I'm just glad they're my peas! Have a great week I know we will!

Laying Low!

2009-02-23T20:37:00.005-06:00

I realized when I got in my car this morning and my gas light was on I hadn't left the house since Friday night and yet I had a wonderful weekend.

It started with a wonderful Friday night game of Pokeeno at Lori's beautiful house in Hendersonville. I walked away with a $10 Starbuck's gift card and another wonderful time with these great girls!

Saturday night we had our friends Sarah, Patrick, Natalina and Rob over to play Trivial Pursuit! Of course the girls won! And we had a great time!

Sunday we spent the day lazing around doing a whole lot of nothing!

Except for Mr. Kingston he discovered that with his push toy he gained freedom go anywhere he wanted-fast- so he spent his day walking all over the house and screaming bloody murder if he got stuck somewhere, which means mommy and daddy took turns getting him unstuck! Which wasn't too hard since he was so darn cute!

We also decided to do away with bottles this weekend. Kingston had no trouble at all I don't even think he noticed a difference. He even went all day at daycare today bottle free! Our little boy is growing up so fast! Tomorrow he will be eleven months old! It's so hard to believe! Hope you had a great weekend and have a wonderful week! Being lazy felt so great I think we will take advantage of that as much as we can this week :)!

Valentine's Day Delight!

2009-02-15T18:41:00.007-06:00

We had such a wonderful Valentine's Day filled with so much fun! Alfred and I met some of our friends downtown at the Somet Center on Saturday morning to run in the Predator's Fangtastik 5K. Although the race was challenging it was very fun to finish something so amazing with Alfred by my side. After the race we headed over to Rippy's to have a few congratulations to us beers with our friends! It was such a wonderful morning! Of course I have to thank my friend Jodi and her son Peyton for watching Kingston so we could do the race baby free!

As a perk of the race we got tickets to Saturday nights hockey game. So we went home cleaned up grabbed Kingston and headed down to Rippy's to meet some friends for some pre game cocktails. Rippy's was a blast. And although I kept thinking of the line in Sweet Home Alabama "You have a baby, in a bar" there were other kids there and Kingston had a blast dancing to the music and the band even dedicated a song to him!
We then headed over to the game which ended up going into over time and then finishing up with a shoot out which we won. The game wasn't over until 10:30 and we worried that Kingston would get bored but he loved every minute of it! He ate french fries and hamburger and loved the jumbotron. He would throw his hands up when people jumped and cheered. It was a wonderful end to a wonderful day! I hope all of you had a wonderful Valentine's Day too!

Just wanted to leave you with a picture of my Valentine's enjoying the game! Have a wonderful week!

Can I get an upgrade?

2009-02-12T20:14:00.012-06:00

Alfred and I left last Wednesday for a 5 day Adult only get away in Gatlinburg with 7 of our friends! This is an annual trip that we were scheduled to do last year but since Kingston surprised us 5 weeks early (the week the trip was scheduled) we were unable to attend! When we arrived at our cabin on Wednesday night we noticed the things that were promised weren't there such as a theater room and Jacuzzi tubs in all the bed rooms. We probably could have gotten over this since there was an indoor pool but all the TV's had also been stolen (apparently an epidemic right now in GBurg). We quickly called the rental place and they said tough it out for one night and they would put us in a different cabin the next day. So we did what any parents on vacation without kids would do, grabbed our beers and headed for the pool and hot tub. The next day they moved us to the most wonderful cabin I've ever laid eyes on! It was 3 stories, 6 bedrooms, 7 1/2 bathrooms, 2 game rooms, theater and a view to die for. This was an upgrade that was amazing!! No pool but who cared! It was a wonderful time hanging out with old friends and making new ones!

And although we had a wonderful weekend it was amazing coming home to this dude!

And a special thanks goes out to my mom who drove from WV and Alfred's mom who drove from GA to spend a Grandma's long weekend with Kingston and make this possible for us. You guys are amazing!

And the Verdict is.....

2009-02-02T14:15:00.002-06:00

Sinus Infection! This is the 2nd one in his short little life. But if he's anything like me and my family he has many more waiting for him. This one is so severe he will be on antibiotics for 30 Days! I didn't even know you could take antibiotics for 30 days! But anything that will curb the projectile vomiting and runny nose is fine by me! And before you ask it was not the outside freezing cold zoo run that did it. He was most likely already feeling bad which is why he was grouchy in the cold weather! And you know this little trooper has kept to his normal sleeping schedule and hasn't woken up one night! I have to give it to the little dude! He loves his sleep! Just like his mama! Here's hoping for healthy kids!

It's the weekend!

2009-02-01T20:07:00.008-06:00

Let's start with an update from our doctor's visit. All is well with our original problem, however, the doctor is now almost certain Kingston has a hernia so we are on the look out for that and if nothing is seen before May 18th we head back to the urologist and hope for an all clear. In the meantime we are to go about our everyday lives.

Our everyday lives have been a bit busy this weekend. Since Alfred and I will be heading to Gatlinburg on Wednesday for a 5 day baby free trip with some of our friends Alfred spent the weekend working! That left Kingston and I at home to do as we please! Saturday we went shopping and out to eat, then when Alfred got home from work I headed over to my friend Jennifer's for a Hello Kitty themed birthday party to honor our friend Rosanna! Everyone had a blast!

Here's Dawn and I enjoying ourselves at the party.

Sunday Kingston wasn't feeling wonderful but we decided to head to the park and hang out with our friends Elizabeth and Riley. We didn't want to waste such a beautiful day! The boys had a great time but you can tell from this weeks picutes Kingston isn't feeling like himself! I was able to get a lap of running in though!

When we got back from the park it was Superbowl time! I walked upstairs during one of the plays and was able to snap this picture of my boys drinking there bottles while watching the game!

Tomorrow we are going to take Kingston to the pediatrician! Usually I would wait and see if this played itself out but with us leaving in just a few days I want to go ahead and get the OK. I hope you all had a great weekend! I'll be counting down the days until I'm Gatlinburg bound with my hubby!

Busy Week!

2009-01-28T09:35:00.009-06:00

This has been a pretty busy week . Saturday Kingston and I did the Zoo Run 5K with our friends Natalina and Jojo. It was a wonderful time even if Kingston did decide to cry the entire time. Then again I don't know what I expected since he hates being cold and it was 34 degrees outside. It gave Natalina and I chance to catch up and chat and get out there and start moving! And we got to see parts of the zoo we hadn't seen before! It was a very fun day!

On Sunday Alfred, Kingston and I headed to Louisville to celebrate our friend Mary Ellen Baker's 2ND birthday at Gymboree! It was Kingston's first time there and we had a blast! Kingston got to do so many new things and Alfred and I got to see our Louisville friends so it was well worth the trip!

Monday night I headed to Bellvue to play Bunco for Breast Cancer we were able to raise $300 and had a great time in the process! I really need to post some pics of my bunco girls because they know how to have fun!

Today we are heading to Vandy so Kingston can see the urologist! Keep us in your prayers that everything is fine and he won't have to have surgery!! So far it has been a wonderful week and I would love to keep it that way!

Little bit of this little bit of that!

2009-01-21T18:34:00.005-06:00

Just wanted to take a few minutes to post some pics from the week, before American Idol Louisville comes on!! On a side note I am so excited for this one since I lived there for 3 years and a lot of my girl friends still live there Louisville feels like home!! And Kingston who is a huge music fan loves American Idol, I'm talking will sit on our lap for the entire hour and watch! Now onto the pictures!

Kingston turning his walker into a play hut! He takes his toys under there and plays forever (which in baby world is 15 minutes)!

Eating a cracker while watching Caliou! He loves this show!
Alfred caught a picture of Kingston and I dancing around the house (which we often do)! Poor Kingston when he realizes what real singers and dancers sound and dance like he is going to be so disappointed in his mommy! But for now he loves it!!

Doing pretty good with this sippy cup thing!

He feeds himself most of the time now! Here he's eating a grilled cheese sandwich! (OK so it's melted cheese on 2 pieces of bread in the microwave) give me a break :)! Although this new development has freed up more of my time!

Other than loving our little boy we've had a busy week! I played Bunco with my Bunco group and went out to eat with my mommy and me group! We played poker with some friends on Friday and had a wonderful time! I'm walking in the Zoo 5K with Kingston, Natalina and JoJo on Saturday and I can't wait! Then on Sunday we are heading to Louisville for Mary Ellen's 2nd birthday party at Gymboree which I know Kingston will love! Hope you have a great weekend! I'll try to update on Sunday night!

Baby Fight Club

2009-01-13T11:02:00.002-06:00

Just a little update to let you know we're pretty sure Kingston has started his own fight club so if your children would like to join I know where the party's at at 3AM! Kingston has slept through the night since he was 4 months old with the exception of 3 nights. We hear him on occasion wake up and play but he stays in his crib without crying until I come in to get him at about 6:00AM. Well that hasn't changed but there have been a few differences. Last Thursday I went in to get him out of bed and there was dried blood in his hair and on his sheet, after looking him over I realized he had a scrape on his head (right beside his birthmark). I have no idea how this got there. I chalked it up to a one time occurrence that must have happened in his sleep that he didn't feel. Then Sunday morning I went in to get him up and he had blood on his hands, lips and teeth. What in the world? I wiped his hands off, no cuts. I wiped his lip and noticed it was busted! I'm clueless, I never hear a cry or anything come across the baby monitor so my only guess is that he's started his very own baby fight club! I hope this week is injury free!

Eller Happenings!

2009-01-11T20:02:00.009-06:00

Last weekend my parents brought Kingston back after 4 long nights away. It was great to have them here and of course great to get Kingston back. Mom and I went bargain shopping where I got Kingston this really cool Elmo table for $2.50!

Mom and Dad also got to spend more time with Kingston which of course they all loved! I guess the previous 4 days weren't enough :)!

Thursday night Alfred had some friends from work over to watch the game. They had a blast! Alfred might have had too much fun since this is the picture they took right before they left! Then again his birthday was Friday so he deserved it!

And speaking of Alfred's birthday we went to Dave and Buster's for date night with some of our friends and I had such a good time I never even thought about taking my camera out. I have to thank our friend Rosanna for watching Kingston while we were out you are great and I will miss you if you move even if it is just to Spring Hill!

As for Kingston he's had a pretty good week!

Playing in his ball pit!

Greeting us after his naps!

Falling asleep with his bottle!

Helping mommy with the dishes!

Practicing his walking skills!

And of course being as cute as ever!

Thanks for checking in with us! Hope you have a great week!

The 3 R's of the New Year

2009-01-02T11:04:00.002-06:00

Recycle, Run and Record. These are my New Year's Resolutions! I went to Lowe's yesterday and got bins to put in the garage, labeled them and scoped out the closest convenience center so now I have no excuse not to recycle. My parents have recycled since I was very small and I don't know why I got away from it but I'm hoping that Kingston will grow up thinking recycling is the only way!
As for running I will be starting that this weekend. I have to recover from my New Year's festivities before I can think too much about that :)!
Now on to recording. And no I don't mean music I mean life events. I am terrible about getting pictures printed, writing in Kingston's baby book and keeping a journal other than my on-line accounts so I've decided to make this my third R. I bought a journal at Target and put it by my bed so hopefully I will remember to write in it every night! I want to remember the small things that Kingston does that wouldn't necessarily be something I would share with the world but something that makes me smile! A look or a word or how much I love him. So hopefully I can convey these things in my journal!
As for saying bye to 2008 it was pretty hard because it was such a fabulous year! We had Kingston, got married, met great friends and grew up a lot!! I'm sure 2009 will be a blast and who knows there might just be another little Eller to ring in 2010 with! Happy New Year!

Holidays and what not!

2008-12-30T18:12:00.014-06:00

This was my first Christmas in 30 years away from my mom and dad! Luckily I had 2 wonderful boys, some good friends, and an anticipated visit from my sister's family to keep me occupied! Kingston really didn't get the concept of what was going on but he still enjoyed himself. On Christmas morning we woke up to see what Santa had brought!A letter from Santa to Kingston recapping the year and all his big events!

Stockings full of good stuff!

And of course a ball pit for him to play in!

And a brand new bone for our favorite girl!

After we opened gifts our friends Phil and Elizabeth brought their little boy Riley over and we ate dinner, played games and took the boys for a ride around the neighborhood in Riley's new wagon! It was a great day!

On Friday my sister came down with her family for the weekend and it was great to see her and the boys. And of course Kingston had a blast with them! We went to the park and on Saturday when it was 70 degrees and the boys had so much fun!

Kingston's first time on a real swing!

While Corey looks like a pro!

My sister, Chase and Andrew being silly on the turtle!

Even Laney got in on the action!

On Sunday we went to OpryLand Hotel to take a look at the lights and ride the boat! Alfred and I took this opportunity to get a picture taken just like we did last year only this year with our new addition!

We had a great weekend and Kingston went back to West Virginia with my sister to stay there until Friday so Alfred and I are home alone and seem to do nothing but talk about Kingston! We miss our little buddy but it is nice to have some us time!

A Week in Rewind!

2008-12-22T20:23:00.007-06:00

Just a quick look at our week through snapshots I just uploaded off the camera!

Enjoying my cake at the dinner theater with my work girls.

AnneMarie holding up one of our 5 bottles of wine at the table! Yes it was a great night!

Acting silly before the show started!

Kingston working on his skills!

Sitting in the tub like a big boy!

Showing off his pimp jean jacket from his Aunt Amanda!

Kingston crawling on JoJo's mom Natalina while JoJo plays with Kingston's ball!

And me eating steak for the first time in 6 years! Oh yea I'm a meat eater again!

As for the rest of the week Kingston got his picture taken with Santa and we are awaiting Christmas! Hope you enjoyed our week in review!

If These Walls Could Talk!

2008-12-20T17:40:00.008-06:00

One year ago today with shaky hands the dotted line was signed, a 30 year commitment was made and we became homeowners! When Alfred called and reminded me of this little fact this morning I quickly thought back to the memories that have already been made here. This is where we moved in on Christmas day last year (thanks mom and dad),had our first party on New Year's Eve with very little furniture, where my water broke, where we brought Kingston home from the hospital, where Alfred proposed for real on my birthday in front of the kitchen sink, where we came home for the first time as a married couple, the house we learned to become parents in!! And even the small things like the nights we've stayed up just the 2 of us playing uno or scrabble or the wii, the mornings when we lay in bed laughing at the sounds Kingston's making across the hall, the visits from our friends! It's unbelievable how much fun, excitement, heartache, love and overall emotion can be felt in one year in one house. If these walls could talk I'm sure they'd have a crazy story to tell about the Ellers! I can't predict weather we will live her for the next 29 years of our mortgage but I do know that if we don't one day we will drive back here with our family and share the stories this house will be able to tell!

Yippee for 3 Day Weekends!

2008-12-15T20:10:00.006-06:00

I decided to take today as a vacation day so that I could have a 3 day weekend and get some stuff done before Christmas.

Friday night I went to my friend Jennifer's to hang out with the girls, make cookies for the troops, play board games and catch up, it was so much fun. Saturday I hung out at the house all day with Kingston just playing and enjoying some just the 2 of us time. Sunday morning we all got up to go to church and imagine my surprise when I put Kingston in his crib to pick out his outfit and I turned around to this...

When did he learn how to do this and how did I miss it? Was this the first time? I yelled to show Alfred and he said he'd been trying to pull himself up on the couch the night before but hadn't succeeded! I'm going to have to ask at daycare to see if this is something he's been doing! They are usually really good about telling us anything new they see him do! But maybe they forgot this or maybe he had a little motivation to see what Laney was doing!

Guess it's time to lower the mattress! Although he still can't go from laying to sitting but I'm sure that will happen soon enough!

On Sunday we drove to Murfreesboro to see Bethlehem Marketplace. It was amazing! Besides the absolute wonderful job they do portraying the city the day after Christ was born we got to pet camels and donkeys and experience something that was truly unbelievable. Here are just a few pictures from our visit.

It was a great weekend but now we have to get back to the real world and since we are supposed to have ice storms I'm sure I'm back to my 3 hour commute in the morning! Be safe this week!

Let it Snow Let It Snow Let It Snow!

2008-12-12T18:26:00.004-06:00

We had our first snow of the season yesterday and while I spent 3 hours in traffic trying to get home Alfred took Kingston and Laney outside to play.

Laney had a blast running around in the driveway and yard and then shaking the snow off!

A View from our front porch.

My men enjoying the weather! Alfred said Kingston was so excited he couldn't stand it!

And of course after being outside in the cold every baby needs to warm up by the fire!

And although this has nothing to do with snow! Today he had to wear Red to daycare and I thought this was so cute I had to throw it in! Of course the hat came off as he and I waited in traffic for 3 hours this morning on the way to work :)!

Christmas Time Anyone!

2008-12-09T18:55:00.003-06:00

We finally had a chance to put up our tree last night, It was wonderful. We put on Christmas music made coffee and danced around putting up the decorations! It was so fun! I'm so excited to be starting these traditions with my family! It's great to be an Eller!

Nine Month Check-up

2008-12-08T12:30:00.006-06:00

It's hard to believe that it's already time for Kingston's 9 month check-up! Where did the time go? Alfred took Kingston to his doctors appt. today and his stats are as follows:
17lbs. 9oz. - 12.4 percentile
27 in.- 19.9 percentile
He got a clean bill of health except he has a testicle that still hasn't dropped so they want us to take him to Vandy on January 28th to see a urologist and make sure all is well, I will keep you posted. Apparently worst case scenario he has a small procedure but let's hope it doesn't get to that. The word procedure always scares me.

In other Eller news Alfred was out of town last week with work so I was pretty much on my own. I gained more respect for single working moms. It was exhausting doing it all alone, not to mention lonely. I was again reminded how lucky I am to have Alfred and how helpful he is!

Saturday night we went to Opry Mills Hotel to look at the lights and out to eat with my Rockin' Mom's Group for a family outing and we had such a wonderful time. These ladies are great fun and are quickly becoming great friends!

Sunday we were both off work together for the first time since Thanksgiving so we just hung out, cleaned house and enjoyed the time off. I'm looking forward to putting up our Christmas decorations this week for the first time in the new house! Yippee! Have a great week!

Gobble Till You Wobble!!

2008-11-30T18:46:00.006-06:00

This was our first Thanksgiving as the Ellers and our first Thanksgiving with Kingston. I was looking back at pictures from last November, I was 20 weeks pregnant with a little tiny baby bump still living in the apartment and just found out we were having a little boy! I was so thankful last year but so frightened. I knew 2008 would be a HUGE year of change and I was scared I wouldn't know what to do when all that change occurred. I'm thankful this year that God could see into the future and that he chose me to be Kingston's mom and Alfred to be his dad and that we as a family have been given an abundance of blessings. We have a wonderful family, amazing friends, jobs in a time of economic uncertainty, a roof over our head and a love for one another that is unbreakable. I am so thankful for all of that and so much more! I just thought I should take a moment to be thankful since sometimes I forget.

Now as for what we did this wonderful weekend. After I spent most of Thanksgiving day laying around the house sick with a stomach virus.(I'm the orange blob on the couch, and Kingston is sympathy sleeping in the swing.)

We packed our bags and headed to West Virginia to visit my family.

( No we didn't make him ride in there he just thought it was a cool place to hang out while daddy packed)

We had our Thanksgiving feast on Friday and there was so much food to eat!

(Turkey shaped bread courtesy of Publix :)

It was great to spend the weekend visiting even if I was sick and on there couch 1/2 the time! I hope you all had a great weekend too!

And now as promised a picture of 2 of the 4 teeth Kingston has been working so hard on!

Have a great week!

It's mama's world you just live in it!

2008-11-20T09:01:00.002-06:00

Let me first tell you I won't be posting any pics this time although I have plenty of cute ones, my home computer has a virus that we have been trying to get rid of for a week now! I had so many things to say though that I couldn't wait any longer. First Kingston officially has 3 teeth and will probably have the fourth next week sometime. He also might have waited 7.5 months to say his first word but when we were at Opry Mills the other day and he looked at me desperate to get out of his stroller and said Mama it was worth the wait. Everyone said there was no way he would say Mama before Dada but I just knew he would! And according to an old wives tale if a baby says Mama first the next child will be a girl, but with 4 grandsons and no granddaughters in our family I'm a little sceptical.
In other Eller news we had our Christmas cards shot this week and they are amazing! My friend Sarah took them and they turned out so great we are having a hard time deciding which one to use. I guess you'll know which one we choose when you get it in your mailbox :)!
We also had a wonderful weekend when the Baker's decided to come down from Louisville, we love hanging out with this family. Mark and Annie have 3 kids under the age of 5, Abby (4), Eli (2) and Mary Ellen (1). So as you can imagine when they visit the house comes alive. I love these little guys and of course Kingston loves watching them play and enjoys stealing there toys. We went to the Grinch on ice which was so cold but so fun! Kingston's little cheeks were so wind burned but he seemed to enjoy it! We also went to Opry Mills to look at the lights which I can't do enough during the Holiday Season. It's also wonderful to spend time with Mark and Annie.
So as you can see we've been pretty busy lately! I wish I could show you all the pictures and hopefully our computer will be fixed before the next post. Have a great weekend!

Playful Weekend

2008-11-10T20:37:00.004-06:00

We didn't do a whole lot this weekend but somehow we managed to stay busy. Alfred had to work both Saturday and Sunday so Kingston and I got to spend tons of quality time together!

On Saturday I babysat our friend Phil and Elizabeth's little boy Riley.

This is really the first time Riley and Kingston have been able to play together. Before Kingston was too little to get the concept of playing with another baby! It's amazing how quickly they are growing up. And I was reminded more of that when Riley came over with his parents for dinner on Sunday night wearing a hat and looking like a big boy!

Kingston had a cold all weekend! He took longer naps, had a chapped nose and somehow still managed to be so adorable! He never falls asleep in his swing which is how I know he wasn't feeling the greatest!

But you would never know it 15 minutes later when he woke up rejuvenated and ready to play!

We had a great weekend staying close to home! I didn't want it to end especially when I came out of the bathroom to leave for work this morning and Alfred and Kingston were playing on the bed and I saw this face!! I know he was trying to make it hard for mama to go to work!

Have a happy and safe week!!

We are all officially Ellers!

2008-11-06T17:57:00.005-06:00

Wow what a busy few weeks! First I'm officially an Eller!! Alfred and I got married on October 25Th at Union Station. It was a better than perfect day! And by that I mean I couldn't have ask for more! I don't know if it was because I am so in love with him or because so many of our friends and family came from all over to celebrate and celebrate we did but I'm pretty sure it was a little of both! I don't have any pics of Alfred and I at the wedding yet, I was too busy dancing and having a ball but I'll have some in a few weeks when my fabulous photographer (thanks for the referral Sarah these guys were amazing) gets them ready and I'll post some then! Kingston however wore the cutest little tux as you can tell from my banner pic (of course he isn't wearing his jacket in that pic). All in all it was a wonderful day and I thank all of you who came and celebrated with us and I look forward to all of you being in our lives for many anniversaries!

Also this past week was Halloween I might be a little late but I want you to see my little baby Superman!

Actually the city was very safe that night with not one, not two, not three but 4 Supermen!

All my nephews were also Supermen! It was so much fun to get to spend time with my sister and my family for Halloween it has been years since we've been able to do that!

There is so much more I could tell you, like Kingston got his first wagon, met his great grandmother, went to the Pumpkin House with my family. I could tell you about my wonderful honeymoon but you know how much I hate to play catch up so I'll give you the Kingston basics, he has 2 teeth and they are so cute! He can scoot anywhere he wants to go and should probably be crawling anytime now! He's a HUGE fan of mac and cheese and bread, loves those carbs just like his mommy! And he's still as happy as can be! Life just keeps getting better!

I think I can...

2008-10-21T20:12:00.006-05:00

Today was a very exciting day! We got our first book from Dolly Parton's Imagination Library "The Little Engine that Could". (If you are a parent check into this) I was so excited when we came home and the book had arrived. First because it was something new for Kingston and I to read and also because it came addressed to Kingston Eller in care of Rachel Eller!! How exciting is that!!!! I know it isn't official yet but it will be in 4 days!! WooHoo! We had a wonderful time reading the book. Well I had a wonderful time reading it and Kingston had a wonderful time watching Laney while sitting on my lap. Oh well he will eventually understand!

And speaking of I think I can, I think I can I think I can!!

I knew I could, I knew I could I knew I could!

It's official folks we have a sitter!! Have a great week!

Fall Has Arrived!

2008-10-18T17:45:00.012-05:00

The fall weather has arrived and it is wonderful!! Kingston and I went with Rosanna and Dawson today to Gentry's Pumpkin Farm and it was a blast! We went on a hay ride (well minus the hay of course since apparently they don't put hay on a hayride anymore but that's a different story entirely :), attempted a corn maze and got terribly lost, went on a Nature hike and of course Kingston picked a pumpkin! It was such a beautiful day to do such a wonderful fall event and it gave plenty of time for photo ops!

As for Alfred and I this time next week and yes almost this time exactly we will be husband and wife! We got our marriage license this week and I was like a giddy child I am so excited to take his last name and really make our family official! Of course we had to get pictures of us signing the big marriage book!

With that I say have a great week! And I'm sure I'll update once more as Miss Adams!

Big Babies Hold Bottles!

2008-10-13T21:02:00.000-05:00

This weekend was a blast. We headed to Louisville on Saturday where my friends threw us a Wedding Shower/Party. Friends I hadn't seen in ages were there and we hung out and played games until about 2:30 in the morning! What a wonderful wedding preparty! And I would have pics of the party but I was having too much fun and I forgot to take my camera out!

So that we could enjoy our party to the fullest my parents met us there so they could baby sit Kingston and Marcie's little boy Gavin! What a wonderful treat for these 2 little guys and of course for mommies and daddies too! I think it is safe to say dad was in baby heaven!

As for Kingston we have some big news! He is officially a bottle holder! It's been a few weeks coming but now he can feed himself his entire bottle. Of course we have to stay close in case he decides to throw it but this milestone frees up a lot of mommies time in the mornings and besides he's just so darn cute holding that bottle!

And all that bottle holding wears a little guy out!
Have a great week! I'm sure I'll be updating with wedding preperation woes as the week goes on!

A little Catching Up!

2008-10-08T15:27:00.010-05:00

OK I said I wasn't going to play catch up and I'm not but I am going to talk about the last two weekends! Two weekends ago we went to West Virginia, well technically Ohio but right across the bridge, for a wedding shower my family was throwing me while there we got to hang out with my family. My mom and Kingston! Dad and Kingston and although you can't see it in this picture he is where all the big blue eyes come from! Kingston and my nephew Corey. Corey was born January 22ND so he and Kingston are 2 months apart! The oldest of the grandsons and the first to steal all of our hearts! Chase, he's 5 and started Kindergarten this year! And then there's our little artist Andrew who is 3, and yes this drawing is hanging on my fridge! And one more of Corey just because I can't resist those big blue eyes trying to break out of the play pin!

This past weekend Kingston went to his first ever birthday party. It was his friend Riley's 1st birthday and it was really fun! Kingston met a few new friends while we were there!

This is Marissa! Thankfully she was just visiting from Macon because the two of them got a little flirty! And mommy and daddy aren't ready for that just yet :)!This is John! Kingston loved him! He kept playing peek a boo, one of Kingston's favorite and Kingston was laughing out load and cracking everyone up!! It was a wonderful party and of course I have to end with the birthday boy, Riley and his cake!