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 :-)

Work Day

This is the house at Lake Norman.

It has a very fun layout inside.

This past weekend I had four days off so Andrea, Eli, and I packed up and headed to Lake Norman to work on prepping the new house for move in day.  On Saturday our reinforcements showed up.  Matt, Alison, and kids, and Dan and Mary came.  Two people entertained the kids and the rest of us cleaned and painted all weekend.  

It is amazing how much harder it is to do things 

with a baby.  Here Eli fell asleep so he is

 helping mommy tape for painting.

Painting the master bedroom.

Alison entertaining Wyatt and Eli.

The house was pretty darn disgusting!!!  There were layers of dust and cat hair on the fans, on walls and in the corners.  We slaved away and now the house is sparkling clean and fit for baby!  (Well we are about 80% there.)

Mary scrubbing the top of the refrigerator.

Matt and Mary spending quality time in the kitchen.

       

Nursery                 Hall Bath

Kitchen                     Living Room

Master Bedroom

Claire's Dedication

On October 18 our niece, Claire, was dedicated at Matt and Alison's church.  It is a pledge from the parents to the child to do their best to raise them in the ways of the Lord.  It was a good time.  Baby dedications are some of the noisiest church services you will attend with lots of crying and screaming!  After the service we went to a local restaurant and had a very yummy meal.

Claire is a very happy baby!

The NCRenfrows.

Claire showing her three bottom teeth.

A super cute off topic picture of Eli in a Pooh bath sack :-)