We had Easter!
We had Elliot’s 6th Birthday!!!
We had photos taken!
Winston flew!
Cousin Charlotte came up to play!
And Emily turned 4 months old!
Elliot’s trip to Kentucky
I got this email from Grandpa detailing their trip to Kentucky last week. He said I could post it here.
We did have a great trip this week and we have 50+ photos and 19 movies that prove it 
.
Carol and I got away pretty early last Saturday (early for us anyway) and made it to Knoxville for an early lunch with Kate and Logan at Nixon’s Deli. We took Elliot with us and I think that he had at least as much fun as we did. He can handle a car ride pretty well and he kept busy honking his a toy steering wheel and watching movies.
Elliot did fall asleep on the ride up – right before we arrived at Fort Boonesborough. That might have been a good thing because he slept through something he might have found boring and it gave Carol and me time to take in some of the history and culture on display. We visited Williamsburg, VA a few years ago and this Fort Boonesborough visit kind of picked up the story from where it had ended there. I had never really put together the close connection between the Revolutionary War, the settlements west of the Appalachians, and even the establishment of Louisville. We also learned a little about hand-made textiles and blacksmithing.
We spent more time at Ft Boonesborough than I had anticipated, so we didn’t have much time to check out Lexington. We did find a house where Carol’s mom had lived and the church where her parents were married. We got a couple photos but that is about all.
We made it to Frankfort in time to walk around the capitol – what a pretty building and what a nice town! The floral clock is surrounded by trees and we had a hard time finding it! We walked 3/4ths of the way around the capitol plaza and never saw it. We did find it without trouble from the street level when we drove around the building. We also found the overlook and took a couple photos there.
We arrived in Louisville after dark and drove into a big storm. The lightning was impressive. I was glad to get the car into the parking garage with the existing threat of hail. We really enjoyed the Galt House and I’m glad that we chose to stay there. We had a view of the Belle of Louisville and the US 31 bridge from our window. It was still sprinkling rain on Sunday morning, which made it a good time to drive to the campus, Bardstown Road area, and some other places. We made a few photos at the campus. Turns out that you can get the Thinker and J.B. Speed Hall in the same photo!
By lunch time it had quit raining and we walked from the hotel to Broadway and ate Hot Browns at the Brown Hotel. We saw the Churchill Downs clock. Part of the clock was moving but the racetrack figures weren’t. I didn’t anticipate how big the clock would be and we walked right under it without noticing it the first time we went by. After lunch, we went to the Ky Theater and saw a 30 minute film (infomercial?) about Ky. I enjoyed the film and it made me proud to be from Ky.
We went over to Indiana in the afternoon to the Falls of the Ohio park. Again, Elliot slept through the boring, educational part – the visit to the Interpretive Center. And again the Virgina history came to the forefront as it was explained why Gen George Rogers Clark established Louisville. Also, the engineering history of building of the canal was interesting (I didn’t even know there was a canal until Sunday!). When we went back to the Galt House we could see the entrance to the canal and dam from the elevator lobby. Some day I’d like to see the lock if possible.
We tried to go to the Big 4 bridge on Sunday afternoon, but we couldn’t get to River Road through the crowd going to Slugger Field and all the highway construction. I’m glad we didn’t make it then because the weather and timing was much better for that activity on Monday morning. We spent the whole morning between walking across the bridge and watching Elliot play at the playground on the Ky side. I think that the playground was his favorite part of the trip. He climbed ladders, slide down slides, and rode the merry-go-round. Carol and I were impressed with the good manners of the children. I took a bunch of movies there.
We didn’t get to do the Taste of Louisville tour (it was filled by the time we tried to book it) but other than that we did a pretty good job of visiting the town. I’m looking forward to going back. Carol had such a good time that she said she’d even be willing to go back for a basketball game. I’ll be checking the UofL schedule when it comes out and seeing what might be possible .
Howard
Christmas 2013!
We spent Christmas eve with Logan’s family. Elliot had a great time visiting relatives and opening presents!
Cousins!
Elliot with Pappy and Juanita!
On Christmas day, we traveled from Knoxville to Tullahoma to visit my family!
Uncle Tom got some headphones, but the present ended up in Elliot’s pile, so he opened it. He was pretty confused.
Elliot and some penguin sunglasses!
Elliot and mommy decorated cookies!
Daddy and Elliot work on their roars!
http://youtu.be/8rQM5iPWX0M
Elliot and Uncle Arthur!
Elliot and Uncle Tom!
Elliot and his Rockin’ Rider Pony!
We had Christmas with my dad’s family a few day later, complete with presents and a delicious meal!
http://youtu.be/GsVxYA_7wyU
All in all, it was a very cuddly Christmas!
B is for Bonaroo
and L is for Lessons Learned…
We learned that Bonaroo is a very warm and crowded place, and not really suitable for babies. Logan kept Elliot at home while Gingy, Grandpa, Art, and I discovered this for ourselves.
We saw the amazing Paul McCartney (B is for Beatle), but little else. The next day, Logan and I went back and saw The Tallest Man on Earth, who incidentally had the Tallest Audience on Earth. Then we were pretty much done with the Bonaroo experience. Next time, mega RV with AC and bathrooms and VIP passes…
Elliot and me in our souvenir Beatles shirts.
On Sunday, Elliot taught me another lesson. We were washing the cars and Elliot was playing around in the driver’s seat. We soon discovered that he had locked us out… and the keys were of course in the cup holder! I attempted to coach Elliot on how to open the car door while Grandpa went to try to find a spare key. Neither effort was a success. Fortunately, I remembered a secret spare key. I extracted Elliot from the car and told him that he was banned from the driver’s seat until he turns 15. He was soooooo mad.
Also, tomorrow I will be 353 months old. So yay!
Going to Gingy’s
Here are some photo’s from Elliot’s trip to Gingy’s that I have been meaning to post. Logan and I went to LA for a conference and Elliot stayed with his Gingy for a whole week! He did well, but we sure missed him! He seemed happy to see us too!
-
- “Uncle Tom got him a swing”
-
- “Watching Baby Einstein”
-
- “He’s acting for the camera”
-
- “Want to Color?”
-
- “Finally getting a little work done”
-
- “Elliot watching Mattie play tennis”
Also, Elliot had his first dentist appointment on Tuesday. He actually let the dentist do a good examination on his teeth, which she said looked great!
Elliot’s first Christmas, a pictorial review!
Elliot and his new blue ball, the Frederick version of his very similar ball at home.
Linzy: “That better not be my nephew in a tutu!”
Logan: “It’s not…
It’s Scout’s dog collar!”
Elliot found my parent’s magazine basket.
Visiting the Collier’s on Christmas Eve Eve
Elliot’s teeth picked a fine time to make their appearance.
Fortunately, his Gingy was there to help make him feel better!
Splashy baths help too, especially with bubble goatees!
Getting the presents sorted for Christmas Eve gift exchange!
Elliot and his presents!
Elliot’s stacking bowls
Uncle Art reading him I Want My Hat Back.
“Towels, mom? That’s what you wanted?” Oh YES!
Getting interesting video footage.
Uncle Art and his huge arms!
Elliot visiting his Nell and Mosley. He got a cool lime green sock monkey. Also, notice his onesie…
Christmas hats!
The obligatory “baby in a bucket wearing a hat” picture.
On to Gam Gam’s on Christmas Day. Auntie Linzy helped him open his presents!
Fisher-Price Laugh and Learn Stride-to-Ride Puppy
Logan got a Bengals hat.
Finishing up our fun filled Christmas at Granny’s!
Pre-Thanksgiving
We had Thanksgiving a little early this year since Uncle Art and I have to work the holiday. Also, we combined the celebration with Art’s birthday!
Uncle Tom, Logan, Elliot, and I got to Tullahoma late after fighting Knoxville traffic. Fortunately, Elliot (and incidentally Tom) slept most of the way. When we got there, Elliot was ready to play for a bit before going to bed.
Saturday, Logan got up early with Elliot and let me sleep in a bit. Elliot played with blocks and “Arthur Bear” who repeats everything you say. Then, my mom, Elliot, and I went clothes shopping at Peebles. Elliot liked playing with the three boys in the dressing mirrors. We met up with the family and Marm at Fazoli’s where Elliot enjoyed the endless breadsticks!
After lunch, Grandpa, Tom, Elliot, and I went to visit Nell and Mosley. Elliot fell asleep on the way there, but woke up again to show them his new tricks. He even at one point, rested his head on Mosley’s lap. It was very cute!
That night, we had Thanksgiving. Everything was delicious! Logan made a turkey for dinner and I brought the chocolate fountain the the left over chocolate from the wedding shower! Marm, Mary, Craig, Suzanne, Robert, and Matthew were all there.
The Vols lost later, but Elliot was already asleep. Uncle Art went out and got a Wii U at midnight. Logan and I decided to wait until Elliot is old enough to not break the touch screen right away.
The next day, Elliot got everyone up early. We had delicious left over ham and biscuits for breakfast. Then we went for a walk around the house and even played on the trampoline some!
We met Marm for lunch at Arby’s. Elliot enjoyed the curly fries. Elliot took a quick nap while Logan and I got our things together and tried out the Wii U. Then we let him play for a bit before loading up and heading home.
First Trip to the Beach!
Logan did not have court this week and Gingy was off on Fall Break so we decided to go to the beach! Grandpa, Uncle Art, and I took off a week from work for a fun trip to Gulf Shores, AL, a beach that Art, Tom, and I went to when we were kids. Logan, Elliot, and I left from Knoxville on Friday after work and headed to Tullahoma. We met Gingy, Grandpa, and Marm for dinner at Cracker Barrel in Manchester. We showed Elliot around the store and looked at the toys. When we got to my parent’s house, Gingy had a present for Elliot. It was a backpack with his name embroidered on the front and “Gingy loves me” on the inside. There were also some overalls that said “Grandpa’s Little Helper.” Too cute!
Saturday, my friend Sarah and her daughter Claudie came over to do a 6 month photo shoot of Elliot. We put him in his sweater vest that makes him look older and his skeleton pjs from Gam Gam. He was a little tight lipped this time with the smiles but we got a few good shots out of him.
That evening we went to Craig and Suzanne’s lake house for dinner of elk stew. Elliot surprisingly liked the stew. He also liked the graham crackers from the s’mores.
Sunday, we loaded up and got on the road to Art’s place in Birmingham. Elliot did pretty well on the ride there. I worked on part of his Halloween costume on the ride. When we got there we met Art, looked around his apartment complex, and went to Jim and Nicks for BBQ. Logan really liked their T-shirt that said “If pigs had wings, I’d eat those too.”
Monday morning we loaded up for the beach!
The four hour trip was the longest car ride Elliot had ever been on. Thankfully, Logan loaded several Baby Einstein videos on to his tablet for Elliot to watch. When we got there, Logan grabbed Elliot, slung him over his shoulder, and raced towards the beach! I dashed after them with Elliot giggling at me, and once we made our way through several gates we were running through the sand on the gulf. First to take him to the beach! Then we went back to help unload.
We got our suits on and headed back to the beach. Gingy took video footage while we helped Elliot experience the beach. Logan sat him on the sandy shore and after a wave washed over his legs he started crying! It was a bit cold and loud. I carried him and we walked into the water and sat on the shore together to try to get acclimated to the water. Then grandpa and I went for a walk to show Elliot some kids that were having fun in the water. Uncle Art, Logan, and I took him to the pool and swam around some more.
We went to Lulu’s for dinner, which was not a buffet but was owed by Jimmy Buffett’s sister Lucy. Elliot was a “pistol” at the restaurant. He was climbing all over the table and getting into things. The waitress brought us sample disposable cups of the honey ale microbrew and Elliot got some empty cups to play with. He managed to drink a small sip of water from one. We each took turns walking him round and showing him things, from the Halloween lights to the musician playing songs about being retired and the AARP.
The next day, Logan and I took Elliot on an early morning walk towards a pier. We didn’t get close. Turns out, the pier was 2 miles away. My parents made a similar attempt later that morning without success.
We went to the Original Oyster House for lunch. Logan got the oysters and I got the fried green tomatoes topped with shrimp. Elliot enjoyed pickled okras until they fell on the floor.
We explored the nearby shops and Elliot rode an Alligator. Also, if the price had been a little better, Elliot would have left with Beatles and Ramones onesies.
We got back to the condo and Elliot went down for a nap. My parents kindly offered to sit with him while Logan and I went to the beach. We actually got to sit for a little while on the sun and read! It was fantastic!
Then Elliot awoke and we took him swimming again. We also flew a kite and Logan and Art threw a football.
When Elliot wasn’t swimming or going out on adventure, he was practicing standing and watching Yo Gabba Gabba!
That night Logan heated up a pork butt that he had smoked before the trip. It was delicious!
Wednesday we took a drive to Mobile in the morning. We drove up around the bay. I was hoping the car ride would knock Elliot out since we were having trouble getting him to nap that morning, but he thwarted my plans. We got to Mobile and ate at Wintzell’s. I got the po boy with shrimp, which was yummy. We walked around Bienville Square with a fountain. We bought some roasted nuts and fed them to the squirrels. The museum for the Senior Bowl was on the square, so we stopped in to take a look. I played Minesweeper on one of their touchscreen computers.
We headed back to the hotel and Elliot napped some! Gingy and grandpa offered to babysit, so Logan and I went on a date to Louisiana Lagniappe. I had the eggplant topped with crab and Logan got a big piece of yellowfin tuna. It was nice to discover that Logan and I could still have an adult conversation. When we got back, Elliot had missed us and we missed him. I started to head off to go to the bathroom, but Elliot would not let go of me until I fed him! We played and then went to bed.
On Thursday, we went to the souvenir shop with the giant shark and took some pictures and Elliot’s Grandpa got him a dolphin.
Then we drove down to Orange Beach and into Florida a bit. We stopped in some boutiques to look around and then went to King Neptune’s for lunch. We had another beach afternoon once the clouds cleared.
Elliot played around in the sand and even tasted some while mommy was detangling the kite! Can’t leave him alone for a moment!
Friday we got up early again and packed up to go. We dropped Art off in Birmingham and decided that Elliot could make the whole trip to Tullahoma. So we continued on. The last hour was rough, but we made the entire 7.5 hr trip in one day! Aunt Mary and Marm met us when we got back and Elliot was so happy to see them and be out of the car seat!
Saturday, we relaxed and got ready for the party! Elliot and I ran errands with Gingy and then we went on a walk with Logan. We saw Peggy, Kenny, Nell, and Mosley. Tom and Art came in to visit. That evening, the Vols lost to Alabama, as expected.
The next day, we got packed up and ready for Nell and Mosley’s 60th Anniversary Party! Elliot got to meet Aunt Amy and Janie and Cousins Barbara and Robbie. We saw some pictures from my grandparent’s wedding as well as of my dad and his sisters growing up. We unfortunately had to eat and run since we had not been home in a week. Now we are heading back to Knoxville with Elliot peacefully sleeping beside me.
Happy 5 months!
We had another fun weekend at Gingy’s. My schedule changed rather last minute at work so we decided to go to Tullahoma this weekend instead of next.
We went to Hasting’s for a little shopping. Elliot got a bunch of books to read at his Gingy’s! Then, we went and visited Grandpa’s parents. Elliot showed off how he could pull up and stand while holding a stool. Then Uncle Art, Logan, and I did a baby gymnastics show!
Then we went home and relaxed. The guys listened to the Vols win. Gingy, Elliot and I went to Craig and Suzanne’s and looked at the horses and played with the Guinea Pig in a ball. We had Gingy’s family over for supper and they got to see Elliot eat some Turkey with sweet potatoes.
Sunday we went swimming. I dunked him once and he took it pretty well. He thought it was really funny when I sat on Logan’s shoulders in the pool!
Happy Father’s Day!
We made a quick trip to Gingy’s this weekend. Sarah, my Tullahoma friend with the 3 year old daughter, is starting a photography business. I have seen her photographs of her daughter on Facebook over the years and always admired her work. So, I jumped at the opportunity to have her take Elliot’s picture and we set up a session for this weekend.
We made the drive shortly after I got off of work on Friday. We met my parents and Marm at Timberloft’s in Manchester for dinner. There were a lot of little kids there of various ages, which entertained Elliot. The table next to us had a funny 10 month old who was eating with a spoon.
The next morning, Elliot got us up early at 5:30 so we would have plenty of time to get ready for his photo shoot. Then he went back to sleep at 8am. Sarah arrived while he was still asleep. I told her his crib was not particularly photogenic place, but she knowingly stated that she could make it photogenic. So I went up to check on him. Wouldn’t you know it, he was awake! Sarah kindly waited while I’ll nursed him and set up the studio in my parent’s living room for the shoot. Elliot was peacefully resting after his snack, so we got some resting pictures until he needed a diaper change.
Sarah also had a funny scale which provided setting for a few more pictures.
We got some family shots as well!
Per my request, she brought her daughter’s E.T. Doll. Elliot seemed to like him!
All in all, I’d say the session was a great success! She gently coaxed some great expressions out of him. It was fun to watch!
Uncle Art had his board exam that morning, but came up to visit Elliot afterwards.
That evening we went swimming at Craig and Suzanne’s again. Elliot had a bee to swim in, but it required him to hold his head up. So we just carried him.
Victoria warmed him up.
Robert played with Elliot.
Today is Logan’s First Father’s Day! Elliot’s mom dropped the ball and did not take into account handling time on his present… So he will get it Wednesday. I’m sure he’ll like it once he finally gets it! Elliot did find his feet today in celebration!
Logan and I got my dad some W. L. Weller’s Wheated Bourbon and Clarence a Titan’s shirt and a spot light. We had lunch of hamburgers with Nell and Mosley. Gingy held Elliot during the meal and he smiled and cooed at Nell the whole time!
We headed back to Knoxville. Elliot had 3 hours of napping and went 5 hours since his last meal. He actually woke up happy! We stopped at Lisa’s to give him a meal and Lisa had gotten Elliot and Logan Bengals jerseys!
To Logan: Elliot may turn out to be just like you… and I would be so proud! I love you!
To my dad: Thanks for being the dad who’ll turn the garage into a solar system to teach us about seasons, walk a fussy baby so his mom can get her nails done, and always be up for an impromptu jam session! You’re the greatest! Love you!