The Best of Elijah

The weather in November in Arkansas is unpredictable at best but for the most part has been beautiful. The following are a conglomeration of pics from different times throughout the month. As you will see, we have enjoyed very warm and very cold but thankfully, no snow. Enjoy!

Elijah loves to wander around the yard. You have to love the 70 degree weather in the middle of November!

Here are before and after pictures of Elijah's first haircut. His hair was over the tops of his ears and so Leigh Ann deemed it was time. Jeff had to distract him with tools in order to keep him from turning his head every time Leigh Ann brought the scissors near. Thankfully, Eli still has both his ears and Leigh Ann still has all her fingers. He now looks more like a little boy and less like an infant.

Here are Eli and Daddy at Mt. Nebo. We were out hiking after church. The weather was perfect and the views were amazing (those are mountains in the background)!

The weather actually got rather chilly one day and so Eli got to try out his snowsuit. The suit was a little cumbersome but he still managed to get around just fine. You may notice that he doesn't have any mittens on. The simple explanation is that he won't leave them on...go figure.

Here are a few pics of Elijah on Thanksgiving. The weather was in the upper 60's and gorgeous. Eli spent time playing ball with Dad outside and riding on his 4-wheeler. Apparently, he didn't get enough for dinner because we kept having to fish rocks out of his mouth.

We hope you all had a great Thanksgiving and were able to find many things to be thankful for. I know that we did. God is so awesome and we can't thank Him enough for the many blessings that he has showered upon us!

I'm a Big Boy Now!

Can you believe that it has already been a year? Elijah celebrated his first birthday this past weekend and had quite the party. He had an Elmo theme complete with an Elmo cake.

His guest list included family (both sets of Grandparents, Uncle Amos, Aunt Meredith, and Isaiah), and friends from the ranch and church. A great time was had by all. His gifts quickly piled up but he and the other kids had the most fun playing with the paper and boxes. He received books, puzzles, tub toys, DVDs (Elmo and Baby Einstein), clothes (including a Packer outfit), a John Deere tractor, a Tonka truck you can ride on, and a Power Wheels Batman 4-wheeler. He also has a new outside swing hung in the tree.

It is hard to say which are his favorite but suffice it to say that he has played with and slobbered on all of them multiple times already.

At the end of his first year Elijah had seven teeth, hair long enough to go over his ears, and the strength of a 1st grader. He walks, jumps, and runs on his own. He says Mom, Dad, Bawey (Bailey), and a host of other sounds that don't resemble words yet.

He can figure out any toy you give him within minutes (if not faster) and follows simple directions (no, sit, up, bring it here, come here, etc).

He eats anything you feed him and can drink from a regular cup (if you don't mind half of it ending up down his front). He loves to play outside and chase after Bailey. He still takes two naps a day and hopefully will for a while so that Leigh Ann can keep her sanity.

On another note: Eli was a lion for Halloween. He showed off his costume for Grandpa and Grandma Rice. No trick or treating this year. Check back soon for pics of Elijah's first haircut!