We've been busy here at the Rumpus. Kevin and I are both back at work after a delightfully long family-filled summer. We have a great nanny, Cristina, who watches Linden two mornings a week while Kevin is teaching and lucky Daddy gets to be with her the rest of the time. Eli continues at his school where his teachers report that he is a great classroom ambassador and is really growing up into a smart boy. As if we didn't know that!
Eli has always taken an interest in housework which pleases his mother to no end. He especially loves running the vacuum cleaner and using the swiffer mop. I have a funny feeling that this infatuation with cleaning will wane just about the time when he is old enough to do it unsupervised.
Anyway... this morning, I mentioned I was going to clean the bathrooms and Eli enthusiastically exclaimed that he wanted to help. We suited up with rubber gloves and paper towels and I gave him a spray bottle of vinegar to clean the sink with. I figured that vinegar is non-toxic and won't damage anything if he starts going haywire with it or gets it on his clothes. Bathroom #1 gets cleaned beautifully with my little helper on sink duty while I did toilet, floor and tub. We moved into bathroom #2 and just as I lean over to scrub the toilet, Eli starts to scream. He squirted vinegar IN HIS EYE. So I put him, fully clothed, into the bathtub and start flushing his eye under the faucet, practically waterboarding the poor child, meanwhile hollering to Kevin "Google 'vinegar in the eye... VINEGAR IN THE EYE!!!'"
Thought traumatized, Eli was fine after a good eye flushing and actually wanted to go back to cleaning the bathroom. So we dried him off, changed his clothes and went back into the bathroom to continue.
A few minutes later, Eli says to himself, "Now I'm not going to squirt it in my eye 'cause I've already done that."
He. Is. So. Weird.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Sunday, September 06, 2009
People ask from time to time where our children got their names. Kevin and I thought long and hard about what to name our kids. I grew up loving the fact that my name has a good story attached to it. I know where it comes from and why it was chosen. I wanted to make sure my kids could know about the stories behind their names, too.
Eli's given name is Ellis Justus. "Ellis" is for Kevin's great grandfather, Ellis Washington Mills. Grampa Mills was a wonderful person, from what I hear, and his legacy in the Simmons family is all of the furniture he made by hand. We have a few pieces in our house. We wanted to give our child a biblical name, so we nicknamed him "Eli" after the prophet. "Justus" was my great grandmother Pearl's last name. The Justus family founded Rabun County, Georgia, I'm told. Justus is also biblical. He was the runner up to fill in the apostle chair left open after Judas defected.
Linden Holly is named after her grandmothers. Kevin's mother Linda died shortly after Eli was born. We really wanted to name her granddaughter as a tribute to that amazing woman, but recognize that she's not a carbon-copy, but her own little person. So we came up with Linden. The linden tree is also known as the tree of justice since it was where court was held in Germany in the olden days. Guitars are made of linden wood. Her middle name is Holly, after my own mother. "Holly" has been one of my favorite names (and favorite people!) my whole life and I am glad to have a daughter to pass that one along to.
Eli's given name is Ellis Justus. "Ellis" is for Kevin's great grandfather, Ellis Washington Mills. Grampa Mills was a wonderful person, from what I hear, and his legacy in the Simmons family is all of the furniture he made by hand. We have a few pieces in our house. We wanted to give our child a biblical name, so we nicknamed him "Eli" after the prophet. "Justus" was my great grandmother Pearl's last name. The Justus family founded Rabun County, Georgia, I'm told. Justus is also biblical. He was the runner up to fill in the apostle chair left open after Judas defected.
Linden Holly is named after her grandmothers. Kevin's mother Linda died shortly after Eli was born. We really wanted to name her granddaughter as a tribute to that amazing woman, but recognize that she's not a carbon-copy, but her own little person. So we came up with Linden. The linden tree is also known as the tree of justice since it was where court was held in Germany in the olden days. Guitars are made of linden wood. Her middle name is Holly, after my own mother. "Holly" has been one of my favorite names (and favorite people!) my whole life and I am glad to have a daughter to pass that one along to.
Saturday, August 22, 2009
Tuesday, August 18, 2009
Sunday afternoon, I put a quilt down on the porch and laid Linden down while Eli and I ate popsicles on the swing. He couldn't resist lying down with her. As previously mentioned, she loves any attention from him, so the two of them rolled around on the blanket and giggled at each other for a long time.
As promised, here are a few nice photos of our new house. I realize this isn't exactly what folks were thinking when they asked for pictures, but these are some of my favorite spots in the house.
Here are our new comfy chairs for TV watching (and computing, apparently since I'm sitting here now). Also of note is one of the FIVE fireplaces in the house. Only one of them works, but they are so beautiful, three have original tilework.
Linden and I spend a lot of time on this swing. It is so comfortable and the porch is so inviting. We have a great neighbors that stop by from time to time and lots of friendly foot traffic.
This little guy is a ceramic pie bird that was my maternal grandmother's. You bake him into a pie with his beak sticking out of the top crust and when the juices start bubbling, the bird's belly contains them so that they don't spill over. He just looks so happy in the window!
We have three beautiful stained glass windows.
The kitchen is so sunny in the afternoon. These flowers were my anniversary gift from Eli and Kevin.
These are MY CABINETS! When we bought this house, I realized that I wasn't going to have a room for all of my craft supplies like I had once dreamed of. However, with the way our furniture has worked out, these cabinets don't have any other use, so I've co-opted them for my sewing machine, paints, papers, beads and assorted other crafty stuff. I'm also sharing the craft cabinets with some of our desk supplies, but it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make. The cabinets are in the dining area, so I can pull things out and work right on the table and clean up is easy. I've already done my first project: curtains for Eli's room. I might have pictures of those someday, too.
Here are our new comfy chairs for TV watching (and computing, apparently since I'm sitting here now). Also of note is one of the FIVE fireplaces in the house. Only one of them works, but they are so beautiful, three have original tilework.
Linden and I spend a lot of time on this swing. It is so comfortable and the porch is so inviting. We have a great neighbors that stop by from time to time and lots of friendly foot traffic.
This little guy is a ceramic pie bird that was my maternal grandmother's. You bake him into a pie with his beak sticking out of the top crust and when the juices start bubbling, the bird's belly contains them so that they don't spill over. He just looks so happy in the window!
We have three beautiful stained glass windows.
The kitchen is so sunny in the afternoon. These flowers were my anniversary gift from Eli and Kevin.
These are MY CABINETS! When we bought this house, I realized that I wasn't going to have a room for all of my craft supplies like I had once dreamed of. However, with the way our furniture has worked out, these cabinets don't have any other use, so I've co-opted them for my sewing machine, paints, papers, beads and assorted other crafty stuff. I'm also sharing the craft cabinets with some of our desk supplies, but it is a sacrifice I'm willing to make. The cabinets are in the dining area, so I can pull things out and work right on the table and clean up is easy. I've already done my first project: curtains for Eli's room. I might have pictures of those someday, too.
I'm back at work these days and we're settling into a routine. So far, the routine has actually been good for us here at the House O' Rumpus. I'll speak for all of us, though, when I say we miss each other during the day. After a summer of so much transition and family togetherness, it is a little hard being apart for hours at a stretch. It seems like Linden gains three pounds every day while I'm gone and Eli is getting smarter and sassier by the minute. They are good kids, really good kids. We're incredibly lucky parents.
Tuesday, July 28, 2009
We spent last week at the beach with Aunt Jaime, Uncle David and Cousin Hunter. I didn't get many pictures, but am hoping that David and Jaime will send me some. I know they got some great ones.
The boys got along famously and helped us decide that this should be an annual event. Linden is going to have her hands full chasing those boys around next summer. We all had a great time!
Here are the boys with their popcorn at the Friday night Boardwalk Bash. They are serious about popcorn.
One of the things I worried about when we found out that the new baby was a girl was whether or not the two would get along. My own brother and I weren't very close growing up (thankfully, he's turned out to be a stand-up kinda guy) and I hated the thought that my kids would have a tempestuous relationship, too. Now, I know there are still many years ahead of us, the teen years of special note, but as of yet, the two get along famously. Linden is a source of neverending delight to Eli (he calls her "my baby") and the reverse is true, too, as she smiles when she hears his voice and she loves to watch him play. You can almost see the little wheels in her head turning when she is watching him, trying to figure out how to do each thing that he does.
Eli has been acting larger-than-life recently, and with all the changes, it is no wonder he has been having a tough time. mostly, though, he is a trooper, and when he acts out, he is usually expressing outwardly what the rest of us are feeling: tired, cranky, uprooted and confused. He is such a great kid, so enthusiastic about everything and so hilariously energetic. Linden has a lot to learn from her big brother (and, I admit, a few things, I'd prefer she not learn...).
I took these one morning when we were all lounging in bed.
In other news, Eli is turning out to be quite a little athlete. I wish I had some pictures, but he loves to play all kinds of sports. His current favorites are tennis and swimming, but he's also a huge fan of football, golf and baseball. There is a full-sized basketball goal (though we lowered it!) at the new house and Eli's favorite pastime in the afternoons is shooting hoops. Luckily for him, he has his father's coordination otherwise he'd be more suited to checkers.
Early this summer, Eli just decided one day that he wanted to swim and so he did. he still wears his swim vest in the pool, but he can motor around on his own while he's wearing it. We've practiced a little bit of swimming without it. He can do it for short periods of time, but he loses confidence quickly. No fear, there's another month of summer and a whole lifetime ahead for more swimming!
Early this summer, Eli just decided one day that he wanted to swim and so he did. he still wears his swim vest in the pool, but he can motor around on his own while he's wearing it. We've practiced a little bit of swimming without it. He can do it for short periods of time, but he loses confidence quickly. No fear, there's another month of summer and a whole lifetime ahead for more swimming!
As I mentioned, Linden's a peach. She is what I have heard referred to as an "easy" baby. We have no experience with such so this is a delightful surprise! She is the spittin' image of her daddy, especially when she furrows her brow. She is a spitter, like her brother was, so I am changing clothes several times a day, oh joy, oh rapture. But otherwise, she's about as perfect as a baby gets.
I want to back waaaay up, pre-Linden. I found a bunch of sweet pictures of Eli on a camera that hadn't yet been downloaded.
With an attitude like this, my money is on Eli over the rhinoceros in a one-on-one.
We bought Eli a little baby doll to practice being gentle before Linden was born. He did a great job and really likes to dress and feed her. As we've recently been getting Linden used to a bottle, he has gotten his baby's bottle out and is practicing for when he gets a turn with Linden. He is a great big brother. She is a lucky little girl!
Early in the summer, we hosted a family of robins on our (old) front porch. They were in the perfect spot to watch out the window without having to go outside and bother them. We watched Mama Robin feed the three babies and watched the babies leave the nest, one by one.
Poor Eli is cursed with hair like mine, very fine and straight. So when it goes crazy after a bath, it is reason to celebrate! Although I did just notice that his hair looks just like the birds' nest, above.
With an attitude like this, my money is on Eli over the rhinoceros in a one-on-one.
We bought Eli a little baby doll to practice being gentle before Linden was born. He did a great job and really likes to dress and feed her. As we've recently been getting Linden used to a bottle, he has gotten his baby's bottle out and is practicing for when he gets a turn with Linden. He is a great big brother. She is a lucky little girl!
Early in the summer, we hosted a family of robins on our (old) front porch. They were in the perfect spot to watch out the window without having to go outside and bother them. We watched Mama Robin feed the three babies and watched the babies leave the nest, one by one.
Poor Eli is cursed with hair like mine, very fine and straight. So when it goes crazy after a bath, it is reason to celebrate! Although I did just notice that his hair looks just like the birds' nest, above.
It has been a phenomenal summer. I mean that, this is one of the best summers of my life, despite the chaos.
Linden is an amazing baby, so lovely, so quiet. She's a good sleeper and has been from the start (my posting this will guarantee me three sleepless nights in a row, of course, but whatever...), which helps the attitude of the whole household. She has an incredible smile that lights up a room and she uses it liberally, much to her advantage. And did I mention she is deliciously fat? Yum!
Our new house is beautiful, twice the square footage of the old one. It is an old center-hall Craftsman with room for everyone and our stuff. I love the big kitchen and the DUAL VANITIES and the huge wraparound front porch with its swing. We're still working on where everything goes, but the chaos is being driven out, little by little. A brief shout-out to Kevin goes here: he moved our entire household by himself in a week. One day my brother helped him with the heavy furniture, and thus Arthur gets a big old THANK YOU!! But otherwise, Kevin did it solo with nary a complaint. A good man, that one is!
Now for some pictures...
Linden is an amazing baby, so lovely, so quiet. She's a good sleeper and has been from the start (my posting this will guarantee me three sleepless nights in a row, of course, but whatever...), which helps the attitude of the whole household. She has an incredible smile that lights up a room and she uses it liberally, much to her advantage. And did I mention she is deliciously fat? Yum!
Our new house is beautiful, twice the square footage of the old one. It is an old center-hall Craftsman with room for everyone and our stuff. I love the big kitchen and the DUAL VANITIES and the huge wraparound front porch with its swing. We're still working on where everything goes, but the chaos is being driven out, little by little. A brief shout-out to Kevin goes here: he moved our entire household by himself in a week. One day my brother helped him with the heavy furniture, and thus Arthur gets a big old THANK YOU!! But otherwise, Kevin did it solo with nary a complaint. A good man, that one is!
Now for some pictures...
This has been another long post outage. I know I always use this excuse, but really, we've been busy. There's a new baby in the house, in case you hadn't heard, and a new house over the baby, too. Somewhere in the move, we had internet issues, lost the connection cord for the cameras (and found it, thank heavens), took a vacation to the beach all while also trying to keep life and limb together. so I'm going to spend the next few posts updating all y'all on what's been up in Casa YoSim.
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