Back up your computer!!!!!

Well VERY bad news... the other day I turned on the computer and instead of it turning on all I got was a folder with a question mark in it!! It turns out that our hard drive is broken.....

Good News:
We have Apple's extended care plan so they will fix the hard drive for free!!

Bad News:
They can't get our data back... including all of our pictures of Eli, etc.

Good News:
A private company may be able to get our data back!

Bad News:
It can cost up to $3,000!

Good News:
We have an external hard drive that we backed up our computer onto!!!

Bad News:
The last time we backed it up was August 28!!

So, lesson learned... back up your computer and do it often!!!!!!!

The blog will be silent until we figure this all out! :-(

Super fun weekend in Durham!

We went to Durham this past weekend to go to two Christmas parties and we had a blast.  We got to spend some time with Andrea's parents and see a lot of good friends.  

Bath time in the sink.

Duck blanket.

Jeremy and Eli.

We went to the Hawkins' second annual christmas party and of course there was food everywhere and the house was beautiful!  The ornament decoration station was in full swing and all had a good time.  I was a zombie around 9:30 but we stayed around until 11:30 because we couldn't pull ourselves away.

Walt and Heather.

Hawkins' Party

For the Hawkins fun, click on Eli.

On Sunday, we went to the late service at the Summit and thoroughly enjoyed it.  We really miss the Summit, and it was great to get a fun, true, and well prepared message from scripture!  After church we all watched "I Now Pronounce you Chuck and Larry" and we really liked it.  It was a little crude but it was very funny!   Then it was off to the bible study christmas party.  

Looking festive with Grandma.

The rare naked time.

Elvis has left the building.

Eli in the boot.

We had an awesome White Elephant gift exchange and then laughed for hours!!  I had set a strict departure time of 9:00 PM and we ended up leaving at 11:00 PM.... it was a late night getting home but it was worth it!

Almost the whole bible study gang.

Bible Study Party

For all the bible study party fun click on Elvis above.

Fun at the Mall and other randomness!

As the title states we ventured to the mall this weekend... actually, believe it or not, it was not our first trip to a Charlotte mall since we moved here!!  I would be ashamed but it is the Christmas season and REI was our main destination both times!!! :0)  At REI I promptly spend my Christmas gift from Pops, and then we went to the mall where Andrea used a small portion of her gift from Pops.   (I am sure the rest of it will be here for a while...)  

Walking around the mall with Eli pointed to the world in the sling was a lot of fun.  I don't know if it was because of the crowds, or Charlotte, or if I just noticed it more but we got a TON of smiles, stares, and comments.  He's a looker!

Eli tucked into his sling.  He has graduated

to a sitting position and loves it!

I didn't think he would fall asleep like this but he did!  

He takes after his mom a lot :-)

We don't really read to Eli much yet because he doesn't seem ready.  However, the other day I read to him one of his books from Aunt Jill; he didn't really care, but baby books are cute and fun!

Story time that Eli could have cared less about.

Eli and I also listened to his first UMaine hockey game on Friday night!  Maine played Northeastern and unfortunately lost in OT 3 to 2.  At least they are doing better than predicted this year!  

Eli sporting his "first t-shirt from UMaine" that our friend 

Aimee got us... probably an original from campus!!!

Finally, as I type this post Eli is INTENTIONALLY playing with some toys that hang from above his chair!!  This is very fun because although he has hit them before it always seemed random and spastic or he was not looking at the toy when he did it.  This time he is starring at them and being very intentional with his hand movements.  It looks very awkward for him and like it is taking A LOT of effort and focus, but he is enjoying himself!!!

Thanksgiving in Kentucky

This past week we went to Elizabethtown, Kentucky for Thanksgiving with my family.  We had a good time and came home exhausted.  It took eight hours to drive to my parents house from Troutman and Eli did great.  We left at 4:50 AM and Eli slept almost the whole way and didn't get upset until we were one mile from my parents house.

Wild and Wonderful West Virginia.

We ran into a bunch of snow in West Virginia and it was great!  I love and miss snow so much so it was a nice treat!

While in E-town we pretty much hung out and Eli entertained us all.  It is fun to see Pops and my parents play with and hold him.  Eli also got to meet some new people.  He got to meet some long time friends from the lake, Deborah and Mike and Stan!  

Eli & Grandma

Eli & Grandpa

Eli & Pops

Eli & Aunt Jill

Of course we had Thanksgiving dinner and it was great.  Turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, cranberries, corn casserole, sweet potato casserole, rolls, and chocolate chip pie!!  There was also a discussion about corn vs green beans.  I love corn and was pro corn casserole, but a few others would have traded the corn for green bean casserole....

The day after Thanksgiving we did Christmas because we were all together and it beats mailing gifts.  Eli got a doorway bouncer, books, clothes, and some They Might Be Giants kids CD's!!  

Dad and I put up the Christmas lights.

Eli & TMBG!!  AHH starting him early!!

Eli's first time in the doorway bouncer.

 

Eli and friends Stan, Deborah, & Mike

The whole family

On the trip back we tried the route through Tennessee because MapQuest said it was about the same as the route through West Virginia.  I did not like this route because the interstate slows way down through the mountains, where as the WV route is 70 all the way :-)  Thankfully Eli did great again sleeping most of the trip from 2:15 PM until 10:45 PM when we got home and then he slept again from 1:00 AM until the morning!!!!

Three Months Old

Eli turned three months old today!  We all came into town to run some errands and update the blog after work :-)  It is crazy that he is three months old already!  Some days it seems like he just arrived while others it feels like he has been part of our family since the beginning.  We love him so much and really enjoy watching him develop!

As per our last post the very next night he went to bed around 10:30 PM and stayed in his crib.  Bedtime has been much smoother every night since!  

Eli Update...

Eli has been doing a few fun things recently.  He now hangs on when you hold him.   He will put a hand on your shoulder when he is held high and look out like a big boy!   We also put him in the Bumbo for the first time.  He is now in some of his 3 to 6 months clothes and has great neck control.  He will also suck just his thumb every now and then.  He is grabbing things too.  He will grab his bibs and pull them in front of his face or suck on the edge, or he will hold his burp cloth like a blanket!

Thumb sucking.

Ranger Joe's tribute hair cut!

Do I like this?

I think I like this...

Oh YES, I like this!!!

Fun on the play-mat.

Relaxation!

Unfortunately, we are not sure how much Eli likes the new place. He has started each night in his crib but by about midnight, when we are too tired to keep trying, he ends up in his swing in our room. Hopefully Eli will start liking the new house and sleeping in his crib and going to bed around 10:30 again!!

The Move....

Well, we are in Troutman now and trying to get settled. We do not have internet access at home right now but are working on it.

Eli sleeping in Mutti's arms.

The move went okay. We had a truck dropped off at our house a week early and were able to fill it up over time. We got it filled by Thursday night, thanks to Andrea’s parents!!! (Thanks!). Friday morning we got the other truck loaded with furniture in about an hour, and then had to wait another 30 minutes for the keys to the first truck, which were forgotten :-) 

Truck #1 loaded up.

It was a rainy day for the move and we had a scare on the drive to Lake Norman. About seven miles from the park Andrea went through a wet curve too fast and did a 570 spin!!! She hit nothing and landed almost perfectly in a driveway. It was scary and Eli was with her but stayed asleep in the car seat the whole time!!! We know God was watching over them and we also had a bunch of friends say they had been praying for our move. We got to Lake Norman and unloaded quickly. Now we are working through the boxes and trying to get the house settled.

Living Room post unload.

Kitchen explosion...

Bedroom with anxious and confused Doc.

On Saturday Andrea’s parents again came out to help. They helped unpack and move furniture around and Andrea’s mom scrubbed both bathrooms. We doubt the bathrooms will be this clean again :-) 

We have made some good progress and I started work on Monday. It is going well and I like the new park and staff.

Packing and a "Cook Out"

We have been packing like crazy.  Sunday was my last day at the Eno and I have had this week off.  Last Thursday a truck was dropped off for us to fill as we packed, this has been an amazing blessing!  I would say we are 80% packed and doing well.  Friday a second truck will come and we will load the big stuff into it and be off to Lake Norman.  It still doesn't really feel like we are moving.  I guess it will sink in when we are staying in the new place and I head to work at a new park.  

Eli in his super fun hoodie.

Even though we had a yard sale earlier in the year and got rid of a bunch of stuff we have already filled up four GoodWill bags and thrown some other stuff away.

For example we had a plethora of 

water bottles and insulated mugs....

Sleepy Eli in his car seat this morning.

Last night we had a "Cook Out" as a farewell to Durham.  All of our kitchen stuff was packed so we told people to stop at Cook Out (a NC chain of fast food restaurants) and come over and hang out.  It worked well, with most of our stuff in the truck we had plenty of room for people to gather, just not enough seats.  It was not very Eco-Friendly but it was a lot of fun!

Caleb was hungry!

Eli hanging with the girls.

Tiffany and kids.

Kids gathered at the table, with supervision.

Walter holding Eli preparing for his 

niece/nephew to come this spring.

We even had door prizes like Smokey the Bear key chains, vases from our wedding, a mug from a 1999 social at UNC, and an awesome sparkle pen!!!  Some people loved their gifts, others were in a hurry to pawn them off.  All but one made it off of the premises.....

Caleb loved the sparkle pen that he won!

Courtney was the winner of a roll of tulle, 

which I called kremlin meaning crinoline and

apparently was wrong on both counts....

We really appreciate how many people have helped us get ready for the move.  From collecting boxes, watching Eli, and helping pack, we have been blown away by our friends once again.  We cannot believe we are having to leave you... so you will all have to move to Troutman :-)

Fun times on the Work Day

The work day was not all work, we had some fun too.  We got to spend time with each other and the kids.  We snacked on Halloween candy and drank a lot of soda!!  There is also a small fire ring adjacent to the house and we took advantage of it.  

Eli being super cute on Halloween.

All three kids in their Halloween costumes.

A pumpkin in fall leaves.

Eating Pudgy Pies and S'mores.

Campfire with the Pudgy Pie maker, making a pie :-)