Just shy of 23 months of bliss. :)

Elliot is getting more and more verbal everyday.  He's always chattering away, singing to himself, "reading" out loud (he starts every page with "One day..."), or telling us stories.  He has a mind like a steel trap and will recount events that happened weeks and weeks ago.  He's into any animal that he learns about, and can even tell you little facts about them... like robins have red tummies or owls live in the forest in the dark.  Today he also told me that birds lay down in nests with eggs and go to sleep.
He gets more and more imaginative, and even likes to dress up a little.  He puts on Erik's hats and ties and also puts a box that has a mesh side on his head, like a helmet, and walks around like that.
He tries to talk me into letting him do more art... particularly with markers, but sometimes he doesn't like to listen to me tell him that drawing is for paper only, and after the 200th time, they get taken away and he hates me a little.
Thankfully, he's not super tantrum-y so far.  He has his moments when he gets pretty ticked that what he wants and what I want don't jive (For example, if I have Erik cut his grapes so he doesn't choke.  The nerve!).  And, I would be mad too if I lived with two people more than twice my size who almost constantly kept me from coloring the furniture or playing with knives, and didn't always understand what I wanted or tried to say.  Overwhelmingly though, he is very happy, very loving, and very polite.
He's also a bit of a pack rat.  I'm not sure if this is part of his personality, or if just feels a kinship to squirrels or other hoarding mammals... but he has several little caches around the house for treasures.  Case in point... today I realized that a credit card of ours was missing (I had set it on the desk one afternoon and the realized today that it was missing.) After searching high and low, Erik just said to him, "Elliot, where's the card?" and he walked over to one of our bookcases and pulled it out from between two books! Sneaky!!!
He also has an unhealthy (?) interest in batteries. He takes them out of remotes, chargers, etc. and carries them around... it's kind of weird, but I'm choosing to not worry about it until he tries to eat them (hopefully that doesn't actually happen *knock on wood*).
Here's a little gem of a story from last night's bath... as related to Erik...
On our walk we saw robins.  With red tummies.  Six of them.  Then there were pandas.  Their tummies hurt. They had to poop.  They drank water.  (Obviously these are not the complete sentences that Elliot says, but he's close.)
Then, at a colleagues of Erik's house the other night, he was confused that they didn't have a TV (spoiled).  Or a remote.  When he said that he wanted a shower, I told him that we would wait until we got home... and he said incredulously, "Have no bathroom???"
Today at the store, we were perusing the toy aisles when we passed some Elmo toys.  In the next aisle I found some cute wooden puzzles that looked like they were on clearance (not clearly marked) and I said, "These look nice, but I'll have to check the price."  For the rest of the shopping trip he kept, intermittently asking, "Check Elmo? Check Elmo?" hopefully.
The best of all though, Elliot now realizes that there is something funny about passing gas.  He likes making toot noises with his mouth (or having either of us make them) and then saying, " 'Scuzi! " and laughing hysterically.
I can't wait to see what he's like once he actually turns 2!

morning hair and breakfast

PAINT!!!

spaceman?  beekeeper?

this is why mommy hates markers

Good Ole Days

So, for our birthdays (Erik and I are 2 years and 4 days apart) our friends Michael and Caroline made us the most amazing gift ever...
* Background - We have been talking for a preeety long time about someday buying a parcel of land together and both of our families living on it and hobby farming the heck out of it... we call it "The Moore-Anderson Compound" or just "The Compound".  I understand that that sounds kind of Big-Love-creepy, but it's not.  I promise.*
... anyway, we received in the mail yesterday, a photo album full of old timey pictures of us down on the compound.  I laughed so hard I almost puked.  I'm going to share some of the best with you now... brace yourself.

This looks almost real.  Possibly having this framed.

Just me and Caroline on our motorbike.

Michael in Minnesota.

Getting some exercise... olden days P90X.

Chilling after a swim.

Elliot and Sophie's wedding.  I seriously almost died when I saw this one. Comedy Gold.

Thanks you guys, for the funniest birthday present ever!  We'll cherish it forever... Now we just need to buy some land! :)

The problem with angry women...

Okay, in my second to last post, I think I made it sound like I spend a lot of my day thinking about angry things and fuming.  This isn't quite true... I would rephrase it as "I spend time hearing and reading things that bother me and I think a lot about my true feelings on the subject(s) and how I can change those things in my life."  That sounds a little better, right?

Basically, most of my "deep thinking time" is  spurred on by what I read out there in the blogosphere.  And unfortunately, a good portion of that is based on blog posts by what appears to be angry people, specifically angry women.

I'm not going to sugar-coat it... Most of the time, I am guilty of thinking that whatever I do is best.  Best not only for my family, but everyone. "Why don't you  just see it like this???" I silently scream at my computer screen.  But, through Erik's anthropological ways, I'm beginning to understand why this just doesn't work.  From his stand point, you can't do things like pass judgments on people's priorities or world view.  Instead I should be doing something like, oh, trying to see where they are coming from.

Lately, I think I've had a break through.

I have read plenty of attachment parenting blogs that I have nodded my head along to happily while simultaneously trying to ignore certain posts that made me feel like a monster or fool in my parenting choices.  And then I read a post of a lady who said that she too had labeled herself an "attachment parent", something that was meant to be all about warm fuzzies and love, etc etc.  But then she felt also, that some people got a little to severe in their judgments and rules about what was AP and what was not.  I feel generally like they are kind of, how do you say, militant?  I'm still all about going with my instincts and researching what my child is coming into contact with, and deferring to what makes me feel like a good parent rather than guilt-racked.  But I just can't hack the mommy wars any more.  And my kid isn't even two.

I'm all about breastfeeding, but I'm not going to go on and on about how if you don't you're a jerk and "how dare you nurse with a cover, you prude!" (Yes I have read that and yes it made me really sad.  Sorry that in order for me to nurse comfortably, I had to show some skin and wasn't comfortable showing it off to just anyone at any time, but I nursed like a champ anyway, so nuts to you.  Sorry that it allegedly held so many people around me back from seeing the natural beauty of breastfeeding.)  I'm all about loving support, not so much about demoinzing other mothers.  It's hard enough for every mom out there as it stands.

But those blogs weren't enough, my opinion's ego's final blow came over the past week.  I was wasting time on the internet and came across another group of women who seemed mighty miffed about something.  And that thing was allegedly equality or lack thereof.  Oh yes, they were feminists.

I have been thinking about feminism off and on for many years, seeing as how I am a woman.  I never got too into it, and then once I got married and started having kids it came up in my mind again.  Generally, my stance is that women should totally have equal rights as men but I really don't feel like my husband and I are "equal" in every way.  There are some things that each of us are better at, that have nothing to do with gender.  I'm better with the car, he taught me how to cross stitch.  We have equal say in our budget, goals, household activities and responsibilities... But I can also do awesome woman-only stuff, like have babies.  And he can do awesome man-only stuff, like pee standing up.  If we were totally exactly equal in everything and could do everything the same, how could we complement each other?

From what I gathered from this particular website, equality seemed like just the tip of the iceberg.  Many women went on and on about hearsay and the way their parents screwed them up...  And there was a lot of resentment and hate directed at other women, who I suppose were less than these feminists because they "bought in" to gender roles or some such. I guess anyone who's "educated" has to feel that way, or they're somehow warped.  There couldn't possibly be stay-at-home moms who spend a lot of time thinking about the world around them, right? I thought this was extremely odd, because I thought feminists were all about women in general, and it seemed like other women garnered sooo much ill will.  I seriously had to stop reading today... I literally felt nauseated from all the hatefulness.

And that's when it hit me.

If your parents screwed you up, try extra hard to be good to your kids. (There will always be people who are doing it "wrong", but you don't know their lives... and at the very least, by doing it "right" you could be giving your kid a leg-up in society.) If you want someone to see your point of view, gently support them. If you want to make a change, do it peacefully.

You catch more flies with honey than vinegar, after all.  And in the words of my father, to my PETA-loving, teenage self, "No one likes a tree hugging, femi-nazi."

The bow tie is askew, but I made it. *ta da!*

Harry Potter?

Counting his fish.  There is one less as of today :(  Never buy fish at a Mississippi Wally World.

Finger Paint

I'm accepting any good fingerpaint/play dough recipes, because this finger paint was a little too thick and weirded Elliot out.

Getaway

Once again, it has been a while since I've posted.  Shocker of the century!

I think this time I can actually narrow it down to two things... first is was cold and I didn't want to do anything and then it warmed up and I got pretty productive and I just didn't feel like blogging at the end of the day.  Then recently it got cold again, and that was kind of a bummer, but I'm hoping with the warmer weather, that my productivity will be back up but I'll also take time to try and blog.

Oh!  I just thought of a third... I think that I also generally spend most of my thinking time, thinking about things that make me mad... and I don't want to dump that all on you, dear internet.  There are far too many ignorant, whiny people clogging you up as it is.

Anyway, like I said, it was cold, and then it warmed up.  On our spring break, we went down to New Orleans and Gulfport for two days.  It was a nice short little trip, but we definitely want to go back for longer next time.  Elliot loved it and was a champ.  I just felt bad for having him in the stroller all the time in New Orleans... it's just too crowded/dirty to let a small toddler walk.  He'd get knocked over or beer poured on his head or a voodoo curse put on him or something.  We made up for it though on the beach.  I have never seen him take to something new so fast.  Elliot is a pretty adaptable kid, and he gets pretty enthusiastic about almost any situation (except for the time he growled at one of Erik's students)... but he L-O-V-E-D the beach.  I honestly felt bad that we had to go.  Even yesterday, at a store, he was looking at a display of beach stuff (umbrellas, lounge chairs, beach balls) and he kept chattering about the "fun beach!".

This whole trip though, really cemented in my mind how fun it is to travel, even just within the US.  Going to another country is fun I'm sure, but I think Erik and I are pretty committed to taking our kids on vacations in the states as they grow up.

Next summer, we're planning on going to Walt Disney World (I went when I was 6, Erik has never been.)  and let me tell you... it is an obsession for me.  Seriously.  If we could already book for next summer - the cut off right now is the end of 2011- we would be.  I practically have each dining stop picked out.  It's sad, but I can literally feel the joy and excitement welling up in my withered old heart, just thinking about how much fun Elliot and Erik are going to have. AHHHH!  I'm not going to lie, it's like going to cost more than 15 x what we spent in New Orleans, but that's what our tax return is for and after the disaster that is Mississippi... We deserve it.

artist's rendering of how awesome disney world will be

Now if we can only get that high speed rail thing going, we'll be zipping around the country in no time, hahaha!

Spring has sprung!

Even though the Delta isn't my dream destination, I have to say... I'm all about the warmer weather.
Suddenly, Elliot and I have purpose to our days!  Chores every morning, walks around town, exercise, fresh air.  It's a beautiful thing.

Also, I finally had a stroke of genius and finished Elliot's room.  (actually I just shifted his crib and rug over and brought in his wagon...) Suddenly, he loves playing in there.

Unfortunately, something else Elliot loves (drawing) is manifesting itself on surfaces around the house.

 And last but not least... Elliot is now the proud owner of 2 little goldfish. There were 3, but with fish from Wal*Mart you can only expect so many to make it.  The tank is a little sparse right now, but that's partially because we're growing actual aquatic plants and not plastic ones, so they take a little time.  We'll be sprucing their little home up with maybe a treasure chest or something, and probably a couple more companions, this week.

Valentines Day : Revisited

Have I ever told you about our first Valentine's Day as a married couple?

It was February 2007, Erik and I had been married a mere month and a half.  I was still a faithful vegetarian, but thought that I would treat my husband to a nice steak for dinner. 
On February 11th, I cracked open a bottle of marinade, slapped some steak in a ziploc bag (and a portabella cap in another for myself) and tossed them in the fridge.  Yes, you read that right.
Sometime also in the week leading up to the big day, Erik surprised me with a complete set of Shakespeare's plays and sonnets... He may or may not have said that they were a Valentine's gift and I may or may not have had that statement stricken from my short term memory.
Then, on the 14th, it was a Wednesday... I came home from work and busied myself around the house.  I tidied up, got the stove heating up, put some candles around the bath tub (eyebrow wiggle... sorry mom and dad). 
At some point, I looked at the marinade bottle - maybe for some cooking tips - and noticed that it said something about a meal in 30 minutes.  "That's funny," I thought, and I looked closer at the label... Yes indeed, it said that you only had to put the food in the marinade for a half an hour.  "Huh." 
I believe that at this point, as the food was grilling away on our range, Erik came home.  My memory is fuzzy, but I think I gave him some sort of gift, and he said, "Oh yeah!  I got you something too!" He then reached into his backpack, pulled out a small box of chocolates and may have handed them to me.  This might have hurt my feelings a little, teensy skosh... because I might have long forgotten that the Shakespeare set may have actually been my gift, just early.
I'm using vague terms, because for a long time, I would have sworn to remembering him tossing the box in my general direction and my heart shattering into a million microscopic pieces... but like I said, the memories are hazy due to time and/or reality and/or the trauma that followed...
It was time for dinner, after our gift exchange, and I served up Erik's steak as he sat on our futon (before we had a table) and I hovered nearby to see if he liked it.
Erik gets 100 zillion good husband points for eating the steak without barfing immediately. 
I then served up my mushroom cap, took a bite and realized what a difference 3 days makes to a marinade.   I would describe it as, my tastebuds being burned in a forest fire.
After that doozy went in the trash, I went to salvage the rest of the evening by drawing a romantic bath.  I turned on the faucet, lit all the candles, checked the water and discovered that, apparently, our water heater was broken.
I'm not sure what all followed, but I remember maybe getting a little upset... Possibly resenting my candy box from Erik, perhaps laying across our bed sobbing in anger, maybe looking back a few years later and feeling like an idiot/laughing at myself.

For the next 3 Valentine's Days I was working in floral capacities, and barely had the time to look at Erik, much less celebrate (unless it was to celebrate not seeing that many roses in one place for another year).

This year, I decided to make steak again.

While we didn't have the money to even get each other a box of chocolate this year (thank you so much IRS for cycling our return through for an additional 2 weeks, for no apparent reason that anyone can give me! :D !!!) and I may have picked the wrong cut of beef for an optimum steak experience (I'm assuming that, because I just picked the thing that looked the most like steak but cost least - no cooking suggestion on the package {I hate you WalMart and I miss you Maceys} I'm pretty sure that paying only $3.50 for a package of "steak" means it's not like, NY Strip, yeah?).
It turned out pretty great!!! No marinade this time, baby, just some butter in the pan and a sprinkle of seasoning... BOOM, we each had seconds! 
Elliot was not impressed, but he's not a beef fan. 

Anyway, Valentine's Day was good this year.  MUCH improved since our first one... I'm hoping that we're just getting better with age.  I was happy to be with my two special guys, relaxing and reflecting on how much we love each other.  Hopefully next year, I can improve on my Valentine's skills even more!

Here are some pictures of my smallest sweetie...