Snakes, Snails and Puppydog Tails (that's what little boys are made of)

Elliot has been up to a lot over the last few weeks. We've had lots of company, sunshine and mud puddles.

The biggest news this week is that he's started potty training! The last few days have been hit and miss, but more has gone in the potty than on the floor, so I guess that's all a Mommy can ask for. He's very proud of his accomplishments, as are we. Maybe we'll be able to have no diapers at all soon?!

A few nights ago, our neat new friends Anaswara, Jason and Malia (age 4) came to visit. We have never seen Elliot so compliant and utterly taken with another child.

Here's "Strong Man" Malia carrying Elliot around the dining room.

Here's "Baby Elliot" being craddled in her arms. Yes, we couldn't believe it either. He won't even let ME do that anymore! Haha.

Also this week, as you can see in the picture above, Elliot got his own bed. We weren't sure how the transition would go and if he would miss the secure bars of his crib. Alas, he did not! He sleeps better now than ever before and hasn't fallen out once.

One day, Elliot decided his toys (and shoes) were too messy and they needed to park by the door.

Lately, I've been into making my own bread. Elliot loves bread. I walked into the kitchen just in time to see...

Grandma and Auntie Come to Town

Jeremy's mom and sister made the trek from Missouri out west to visit...They made it sound as if they wanted to see us all, but we know they only cared about seeing Elliot!! And boy, did he have fun with them. Nancy and Elliot bonded immediately and were joined at the hip the whole week. "Where'd Gamma go?" was a common question around here for a week after they left.

Elliot and Grandma share a joke.

"What is it?"

"A purple vroom-vroom!" (Purple is his favorite color right now)

We spent a few lovely days at the beach. The weather was warm and sunny the whole time.

They took Elliot on a train ride through the redwoods. "Choo choo!"

Here are the three generations.

Pottery Class 2008

This year, I am experimenting with low fire clay and glazes; inspired by the shelves of gorgeous pottery we saw in Italy. The idea is to get those vivid colors (with high fire you can only achieve earth tones) and to explore painting subjects rather than plain glaze colors. Below are two I have created so far.

This bowl was inspired by 17th C French porcelain design. Intricate patterns and a limited palette. This is one of the first pieces I've made for myself.

This bowl is for Elliot, of course! His favorite animals are painted inside and out and since he's learning his ABCs, I thought a daily dose of them on his morning cereal bowl would do him some good! (In addition to these, there's a pig and a butterfly painted under their respective letters)

W is for Whale

G is for Goose

Life in the Country

Here is the 62 year old redwood in our back yard. It was planted (supposedly) by my great grandparents. (notice the shade it cast)

Here is our yard without the tree! Yay sun! For all of you cringing out there (why cut down a redwood?!), there was no sun in the backyard and the roots were snaking all over the yard, not to mention the debris it shed.

We got nearly a cord and a half of fire wood out of the top 30 feet or so. The bottom 12 feet will go to replacing the back fence. So the tree will always be a part of our household.

Here's the stump ground out, leaving me with about 8 tons of mulch! Yay tree!

Easter egg hunt! Easter is my favorite holiday. We don't celebrate it in the religious sense, but the jellybean and baby chick beginning of spring celebration abounds at our house. Elliot had a good time finding the little plastic eggs and immediately devouring the jellybeans inside. There are only a few days a year when Elliot can eat sugar with abandon...and he really took advantage of it.

Elliot Turns 2

March 20, 2008 Elliot had his second birthday (well, third, depending on how you define "birth" day). This year, he has a group of little buddies that we wanted to celebrate with so our great friend Allison opened up her home and we partied!

The "last us for a month" sized ice cream cake was enjoyed by all.

There was an Easter egg hunt

And the most joyous time in a kids life: PRESENTS!

Time for a much needed sun bathe... What a day!

Playing on the Coast

Life and Times

This week, Elliot had a few events. Some ordinary, some not. The first to mention is the hair cut (see above). Jeremy got the clippers out and Elliot sat still for a whole 5 minutes while we buzzed off a good 3 inches of hair. Doesn't he look so grown up?!!

Elliot playing with a very interesting train at our weekly play group.


Snack time at the play group with Juliana (standing), Emmi, Ben and Abilene. Elliot in foreground.

More snacks, but this time I caught some reluctant Mommies (Monique and Pam) in the pic.

After the playgroup, we went with Allison and Ben to get a snack. Elliot looks upset here for some reason, but he really was having fun. This is the first time he and Ben have willfully held hands. Cuuu-ute!

More cuteness...Ben and Elliot looking like twins here. Do you believe Ben is actually 6 months younger? He's gigantic! And adorable.

Carousels and Playgrounds

Over the past year or so, we have stopped at many many playgrounds and ridden on countless magical carousels. While browsing through our pictures one day, I noticed that we have some great ones from around the world and throughout Elliot's short but rich life. Here is a selection of some of my favorites; in chronological order.

Elliot 6 months old at Disneyland.

8 months in Kansas City.

Approx 11 months at Confusion Hill, CA a whacky place indeed.

16 months in Fort Bragg at the creepy carnival.

17 months at Tot Land in Berkeley.

Ok, it's not a carousel or a playground, but it's a Fire Truck! They drove around the block. (18 months)

19 months. Fontvieille, Provence, France (both above).

Florence, Italy. 19 months old here too.

Above two in Paris, France, 20 months old.

Finally, here with Grandpa at Wiggly Giggly Park in Fort Bragg, Xmas 2007.