Doggies

Since Elliot is a bit under the weather this weekend I thought I'd share some recent adventures with doggies in this weekend's post. A few weeks ago the SPCA visited Elliot's daycare to talk about pet safety and pick up donations from a dog food drive for the local shelter. One of the gals at daycare took this picture of Elliot meeting the little beagle "spokes-dog". I think Elliot and the dog are making the same face.

Elliot gets very excited about dogs and really wants to play with Zsi-Zsi. We taught him how to throw the ball to her, which he thinks is hysterical. Hopefully Zsi-Zsi will catch on that there are benefits to having a little brother. Unfortunately we didn't get any great shots of Elliot actually throwing the ball but you get the idea.

My How They've Grown

This morning Elliot and I went to October Play group at our friend Clare's house. October 2007 was Elliot's first play group. I remember thinking at the time, "Elliot is so small, I can't imagine him playing at play group." Boy, have things changed. Our sweet little sleepy babies are now active curious (still sweet) toddlers!

I thought a little Before-&-After would be fun. As you can see, this year's photo was somewhat harder to coordinate (Top photo 10/2007, bottom 10/2008).

Left to right: Haley, Elliot, David (puppy), Clare (lamb), Maddox (zebra), Allie (chili pepper behind Maddox), Myles (pea pod)

On the sofa left to right: Elliot (buffalo), Clare (ladybug), Allie (Halloween outfit), Jenny Leigh (octopus), and Evie (cat)
On the floor: David (Red Skin), Myles (cowboy), Finley (bee), Zant (Super Zant), and Maddox (banana)

First Hair Cut

The Farnum family enjoyed a very productive fall weekend in Richmond. Daddy ran all kinds of errands and fixed the computer; Mommy volunteer for the Junior League, did yard work, and cleaned house; and Elliot got his first hair cut. After being asked, "how old is she?" by two different people on Saturday (Elliot was wearing denim overalls and a very boyish shirt), we decided it was time for a little trim. Elliot did very well and looks quite handsome with his new do. Unfortunately he got a hold of Mommy's camera and deleted the best photo of the bunch.




In addition to errands etc, we also took time to relax and enjoy some of the first signs of fall. While on a walk in the park on Sunday, Elliot and I came across one of the first leaves to turn. It was very pretty and Elliot enjoyed looking at, holding, then tearing up some of the brightly colored leaves.




I am so excited that fall is here and can't wait for Halloween. Elliot will probably be running by then. He is constantly learning new things and is more of a toddler and less of a baby every day. He is now trying to feed himself with a spoon, he walks everywhere, blows kisses, and loves to say and point out dogs.

Adventures with Grammy and Papa

In addition to having a super fun birthday celebration this weekend, Elliot also had a lot of fun exploring Richmond with his Grammy and Papa during their visit. They went to the Children's Museum where Elliot had a blast in the "under 3" room. Apparently he wanted to push every toy truck they had. He also enjoyed the museum's massive water table, the scene of what may have been his first tantrum. Elliot liked it so much, that he cried his little eyes out when it was time to leave.

Elliot, Grammy and Papa encountered numerous wild and not so wild beasts at Maymont. During their visit in March, Elliot slept through the entire trip to Maymont. This time he managed to stay awake until the end. I am sure Grammy and Papa got quite the work out pushing 22 lbs. of baby up all of those Maymont hills.

After the trip to Maymont, Grammy and Papa took Elliot to Toys R Us to pick out his birthday present. Elliot decided that he would like to have a Tonka Truck ride on toy. I think Papa may have liked the truck almost as much as Elliot. It is very cool - it has a horn, turn signals, side mirror, and it can scoop up other smaller toys in its path.

Last but not least, we all toured the Museum of the Confederacy and the Confederate White House on Sunday. I carried Elliot around in his Ergo Baby Carrier and he was very well behaved during the house tour and in the museum.

Wow, Elliot did a lot of stuff! No wonder he has been pooped every night at 7 PM on the dot. He is still recovering from his adventures!

Happy 1st Birthday Elliot!

Elliot had a wonderful birthday filled with fun and festivities. The fun started on Wednesday with a little birthday celebration at daycare, Mommy made little cupcakes for Elliot's friends and teachers. His Grammy and Papa arrived in town on Wednesday afternoon. Elliot played hokey from daycare on Thursday (his actual birthday) and accompanied his Grammy and Papa to the Children's museum. Later that night we had a little celebration with cake at home.




On Thursday night, Elliot's Aunt Lindsay came to town to help Mommy with the party preparations. The fun continued on Friday with a trip to Maymont (more pics of these adventures to come...). By late Saturday morning we were all set for the party. Elliot and his friend Allie had a joint party at Allie's house. Elliot fell asleep on the way to the party, so he was little bit cranky at first. After a few gold fish and a sippy cup Elliot was ready to play. It was a great party and a fun time was had by all! Thank you to all of our friends and family who came from near and far to share this special occasion with us!

The ball pit, the hit of the party!

The Cake!!!

What a fun Party!

After the party we had a little celebration at home with Grammy, Papa, Mimsey, Granddad Cliff, Tasha, and Aunt Lindsay. Elliot LOVED all of his presents and wanted to stay up and play with them all night. Eventually he gave into sleep and happy birthday dreams...

...and he was rested and ready to play with all of his new toys today!