Hiking @ Rock Bridge State Park

The State Park near our house is loaded full of trails. We love to go for hikes on nice days. It's beautiful. We even saw a huge doe this particular time, but I couldn't get the camera to get a good enough shot through the trees in the shade.

On our way to go "fiking"... that's what Elijah calls "hiking"

Gathering his nature treasures in his special zip-loc bag

"Indian's Toilet Paper" is what I told him it was last summer... he still remembers what it is and points it out to me... smart kid

Notice that his bag is empty? That's because he threw all of his treasures in the water behind him. What a fun "fike".

Our final summer picnic

I have been watching my nephew since last fall (today is my final day of that business, however) and let me tell you, 2 two year old boys are a lot to handle at times. This summer, we took lots of outings to the park right around noon. We played for a while, then had ourselves a picnic. My hope was always to burn the boys out enough for them to fall asleep in the van on the way home, but alas, it never did quite work out that way. Here are a few pictures from our last summer picnic... Nothing like some good 'ol PB&J

Serious Business

Hurry and eat so we can play some more!!



BUBBLE TIME!


Now, this is just sweet


He lost his shoe so Elijah was being a helper

However, why hand it to him when you can throw it... Here, Catch!

Due May 12, 2010

A few short weeks ago we found out that I was pregnant. Due to the miscarriage in July, we decided to keep it a secret until we had our first doctor's appointment. We had that appointment today; Wednesday, September 30th. We have been so excited and wanted to share with everyone but didn't want to jump the gun. Today I am 8 weeks along with Baby Helvey. Elijah was at the appointment and got to see his baby brother or sister on the screen... however, he is set on it just being a brother. Today, at the doctor's office was the first time we told him I was pregnant. We are really excited about this pregnancy and have a good feeling about God's timing on it. I have been feeling the normal symptoms; tired and nauseous. Fortunately, though, I have only thrown up a few times. That's good for me. We'll see what the next few weeks bring, but hopefully I won't spend this whole pregnancy with my head in a toilet wherever I am. My doctor will be seeing me again next week and just about as often as that throughout the pregnancy. He has no reason to be concerned right now, but due to the last two losses, he just wants to be on the safe side. How comforting. We love my doctor. We are so blessed to have a doctor as wise and loving as he. He is a strong Christian man. He is a widower with 5 children and has a heart bigger than most anyone I know.




I know the pictures aren't much to see right now, but they are to us. You can see the heartbeat in the 3 second video clip...Heart rate is 142- the same as Elijah's first ultrasound.... does that mean Elijah will get his wish of having a baby brother? We will find out in about 12 weeks!!!!!

(Not a) Twins Fan....

While visiting my family in July, my parents graced us with this lovely outfit for Elijah... Nothing against the Twins, but we are Cardinal's fans here. Later, while leaving Valleyfair, we found this ginormous Twins baseball bat... later creating the perfect photo op! All candid photos, since Elijah refuses to pose for the camera

Nostalgia

When I was four years old, I wore this belt. As I grew, it became something to tie my sleeping bag with. Once I moved from home, I debated getting rid of it, but the pack rat in me (that part of me was inherited from my daddy) decided to hang on to it. I kept it with my other belts, as if I were going to get small enough to wear it again at it's largest extension. However, one day a couple of weeks ago, I put a new pair of shorts on Elijah. For some strange reason, these 24 month shorts had a waist that was too big for my 3T boy. He has short legs, so we have to get him pants in a smaller size or roll the legs up, but he generally doesn't have issues with the waist being too big- it's usually the opposite.
Anyway, I thought "this boy needs a belt, but what am I going to do? We have to leave for church in 10 minutes." Then, it dawned on me... I still have a child's belt tucked away in one of my un-used purses! So, I put it on him and it worked perfectly! He was so excited! He loves to be "just like mommy and daddy", so this was right up his alley.

My Biking Maniac

This particular bicycle can be found at Wal-Mart for $60 or Toys 'R Us for $75. However, we found it at a Rummage Sale for $20! Elijah always goes for this bike when we are dodging the toy aisle in Wal-Mart. He hops on and pedals away (he has been pedaling for about 3 months, now). Well, we just couldn't justify paying what the stores charge- even though those big blue eyes are so sweet. So, we were so excited when we found this, barely used, bike.


Now that he has an awesome bike, he suddenly has become the coolest kid on the street. We live on a street with a cul-de-sac at the end. He gets his helmet, jumps on his bike, and off he goes. It's so funny. We can just sit in our driveway and watch him as he heads down the sidewalk, rounds the cul-de-sac, and comes back down the street on the opposite side. Then, when we say it's okay, he crosses back to our driveway and does the same thing all over again. The big kids all want to ride his bike, but I tell them no. Seriously, he's a 2 year old, very territorial boy. There's just no way that can end well. They can't catch him anyway, he's surprisingly super fast!


Really, can it get much cuter?!

Torn on da Tob (AKA: Corn on the Cob)

One night for dinner we were eating corn on the cob. I always cut the corn OFF the cob for Elijah, so it's easier for him to eat. Well, for some reason, he thinks it tastes better ON the cob (just like his mommy). So, his "bite" of mine turned into my whole cob, plus another! It was pretty cute, if you ask me, so I got out the camera and started shooting because I couldn't resist.