Eli and the Big Truck

A typical conversation with Eli these days is about one of the following things:  trains (choo-choos), back hoes (dig-digs), or big trucks (beh chruck).

So you can only imagine his joy and delight when his Pappy drove his rig to Athens for Thanksgiving and let Eli sit in the driver seat.

 

He was, simply put, over the moon.

 

Pappy even showed Eli how to honk the hydraulic horn!

 

My big boy doesn't look so big when he is behind the wheel of this big truck!

Such fun!  Thanks, Pappy!

Thanksgiving in Pictures

Josh's family joined us in Georgia for Thanksgiving.

Which also meant that we got to meet our nephew, Jack, for the first time.
Which also meant that Eli had a new source of entertainment for the week!

 

Eli got to help his Grammy roll out the dough for the pumpkin pie crusts! (Pretty sure more flour ended up on him then on the counter!)

Thanksgiving place cards...

Sweet Jack...

Chris and Eddie loved the chance to hang out with their grandsons!

With family in town, we decided to celebrate Eli's birthday a little early... stay tuned for pics of Eli riding his cool new balance bike!

Jack couldn't keep his eyes off Eli the whole week... you could just see his wheels churning as he tried to figure out how he could keep up with his cousin!

Proud grandparents!

Happy 2nd Birthday, Eli!

I don't know how it happened.

I blinked and my chunky little baby turned into a energetic and joyful toddler.

Who turned TWO today.  TWO!

He doesn't really know what all the hubbub is about, just that he has gotten some extra treats and a huge Lightning McQueen balloon.

He was not really in the mood to take a picture in the chair this morning.  So I am lucky I got a usable shot!  Most of the rest looked like this:

Happy Birthday, Eli.  We love you to the moon and back.

Ringing the Chapel Bell

It has been a busy, busy Fall.

And I have neglected you, blog world.

The volleyball season ends next week and then the Lauer family will breathe deeply for a few weeks before gearing up for the beginning of Josh's recruiting travels.

We have been enjoying the seven game win streak of Georgia's football team... and figured last week's trouncing of Auburn was a good time to partake in a Bulldog tradition.  (We discovered after moving to Athens that Georgia fans hate Auburn almost as much as Alabama fans do.  Almost.)

From www.georgiadogs.com:

The ringing of the chapel bell after a Georgia victory is a tradition that continues even though freshmen are no longer ordered to do the chore. In the 1890's, the playing field was located only yards from the Chapel and first year students were compelled to ring the bell until midnight in celebration of a Bulldog victory. Today, students, alumni, and townspeople still rush to the Chapel to ring the bell after a gridiron victory. 

On Oct. 27, 2007, as tradition warrants, Georgia fans rang the Chapel bell to celebrate the 42-30 win over the Florida Gators. The excitement caused the yoke holding the 877 lb. bell to give way, and it fell from the support platform. Physical Plant has returned the bell to its post. 

I didn't know that last part until just now when I went to look up the specifics of the tradition!  I'm sure that scared the pants off of whoever was ringing the bell at the time!

Eli wasn't sure what to think at first.

You really want me to pull that thing, Daddy? 

Ok... if you say so!

Happy Halloween... from our little monster!

Random happenings

1.  Eli decided the other day that he was tired of waiting for me to push him on his trike.  And just like that he started pedaling.

Cupcakes for Noah

One of the best parts about living in Georgia is being close to friends from college who live in the Atlanta area.

Two of these friends happen to be married to each other.  And they happen to be some of the funniest people I know.

Back in August, when we celebrated Noah's birthday, Brian and Laine drove up to Athens with two of their five kiddos and some cupcake mix.  We enjoyed each other's company and then enjoyed some cupcakes in Noah's honor.

Eli wanted to be front and center for the cupcake making process...

Austen wanted in on the action as did Cameron, but she was sleeping peacefully upstairs in Eli's crib.  Poor Cam-dog!

Eli and I put on the sprinkles as the finishing touch...

Thanks Bennetts!

Under the Sea

Life continues to be busy.  Really busy.   I'm trying to get a handle on it but that is whole different blog post.

My parents came to town last weekend and we had a wonderful time doing nothing in particular.

While my dad was at a meeting in Atlanta, my mom and I took Eli to the Georgia Aquarium.  The timing was perfect... it was a weekday morning and there was hardly any crowd at all.  Eli could run and point and yell 'Ma-MAA' to his heart's content.  

It is a magical place.  I took lots of pictures but this is the only one that comes close to capturing the experience.