a (little) halloween parade

eli is sort of new to halloween. last year, the first year for him to really get it, he was a little sick and only took a stroller ride in a half hearted costume around our neighborhood for some halloween festivities near our place. that was last year. this year, we tried to explain he gets to dress up. i suggested he could be a construction worker and he insisted on being a…. digger! and if you're going to put your kid in a costume it might as well be one they love. so i decided to find my inner cardboard box crafting skills… and with the suggestion of a friend who reminded me that they make yellow duct tape, went to work. 

today was his preschool's halloween parade and party. it was pretty adorable. they walk around the block in their costumes--a little parade of 3 and 4 year olds! henri and i were able to be there too, hang out, eat snacks, watch a little performance (they sang some songs--eli was very serious the whole time). then we eat, they let the kids dance to music (henri was dancing too--he wanted to be right where eli was!), then we went outside and played on their outdoor play structure. it's a sweet little school and was great to see eli have fun--usually i just drop him off and don't get to see what his mornings are like. of course, we took that excavator costume off after the parade and his time on stage. got to make sure it lasts until saturday! (i only have so much duct tape). 

Getting colder...

First chilly days in Abq.

Still sunny, pleasant during the day.

Nights and mornings are chilly.

Pulled out the flannel sheets and wool blankets.

And is there anything cuter than this boy in flannel? 

#biasmama

To the doctor!

Eli did so well at his four year check up. We go to moons clinic to see a family medicine Doctor. Moon was at the hospital on this day, but everyone there knows him so it's great to be a part of the clinic. Eli was well prepped for the appointment including the shots at the end. He still amazed me with how well he did! He didn't like the shots but was so brave and got a treat in the car for the ride home. Sweet boy!

He's healthy and right at 50% weight and 57% height.

(Grandma and grandpa watched Henri which was oh so helpful! He would have been into everything!)

He's 4!

It was an exciting birthday week for Eli! The balloon fiesta ended a week before his birthday party… and we were able to go in the evening to watch all the balloons get lit up, complete with fireworks as we were walking to our car. Eli hadn't seen fireworks before and was totally amazed! These pictures are from the morning we went to look at balloons from a nearby park--it was a bit chilly but it was fun to bundle these boys up and stare in awe at the sky full of balloons!


THEN… while Moon was enjoying his week of vacation we came home on day to see this in front of our house. We let Eli sit in a chair on our driveway to watch this front loader work. The very kind men who were using it to complete some city work took a lunch break and said Eli could check it out, climb inside, etc. while they had it parked. Eli was so, so excited. He talked about it for so long… hoping it would come back the next day! It really was a neat experience for him and the kind workers got a kick out of watching Eli so thrilled. I have to even admit to being a little awed by the power of these machines!

Then these folks came to visit! Just in time for Eli's 4th birthday party. They were so helpful--especially with Henri as we got ready for the party.

We invited Eli's preschool class over along with our wonderful next door neighbors and a couple church friends. It was a mid-morning party so we did a "donut cake", piñata, lots of backyard free play, brought out some instruments. In all, it was so fun to have lots of kids and grown ups in our home to celebrate Eli's 4 years!

Eli got a lot of presents, to keep it under control we let him open one after everyone left. He got to play with this lego set all afternoon! 

Then in the evening after his bath we let him open a couple more presents. His sweet friends were so kind. We continue to feel so blessed here in Albuquerque. 

Happy birthday Eli! You have brought such joy into this family! And I can never forget the moment I first held you 4 years ago… the life changing power of having a firstborn baby placed in your arms…. an indescribable love.

Balloons and nights!

That's about what's going down over here... the international balloon fiesta and moon starting a week of nights (and then a vacation! First one since he started). The balloons are quite incredible.

From our driveway Saturday morning (first of the 10 day festival), we saw balloons in the distance speckled all over the sky. Hot air balloons. Seriously cool to drive on the interstate across town and it's like a parade in the sky! I wasn't prepared for how amazing it would be. Henri just looked out the window making his "bird" sound/word, Eli was thrilled to point out "lots of balloons! Look another one!" 

(Not drops on our windshield but rather tons of balloons in the distance).

And so I learned from a friend that Albuquerque hosts this big event annually because the Sandia mountains create this perfect box for wind/air consistency, which is important with hot air balloons. They launch crack of dawn and because we weren't thrilled about waking our boys at 4:30am and fighting the masses, we opted to head out about 7:45am this morning with coffee and snacks and head to a little park at the base of the big festival park. Balloons everywhere!! All these phone pics don't do it justice--many were so close we were wondering if they were going to land in the little park we were at.

 It's reported that every year one or two crash into things like cars. This morning we saw one as we were leaving that was basically right over our house--strayed a bit apparently! Anyways, another few days of this ballooning around. Eli has fall break at his preschool as all the schools take a break during balloon fiesta. So we entertained ourselves with daddy this morning then let him sleep while we worked on some skateboard skills and then... with that another round of nights has begun! 

early risers

The boys rise early some days,

Like 6 am,

Lately that's been the case.

I can't complain too much,

Henri sleeps until then.

I try to sneak in their room and get Henri while still letting Eli slumber. 

Often while I'm making coffee Eli emerges.

We go up to the loft so daddy can sleep in (on his days off). 

Saturday morning found us like this...

Henri opening the windows to let cool  morning air in. I'm in my favorite corner watching the sun glisten over the Sandias. Eli's playing with toys left up there. It's in these moments I'm reminded of how perfect this home is for us right now. Allowing us a hide away, furthest corner from the bedrooms, where we can wake up, and still let daddy sleep. Eggs were made shortly thereafter...

lately

here we are in Taos, NM

lovely place! 

there is the greatest play spot in the back of a neat playstore, the boys loved it

I ate a really, really good green chile burger...

Henri tasted chocolaté milk for the first time (the sips that his brother left behind)

back home we are doing a lot of playground time on these LOVELY early fall afternoons

plus some front yard, dump truck + rocks time

the boys were sad to see their uncle j leave… i'm pretty sure we could have left for a long time and they wouldn't have noticed as long as he was here (they wrestled him, henri only wanted to be held by him…. and such). they are already awaiting his next visit. (on a side note, these boys and their zip up jammies just warms my heart! thank goodness eli is finally coming back around to full zip jammies just in time for colder weather). 

little brother: happily sitting with a snack (half a cliff bar I think?)

big brother: monkey up a tree in the background

eli has some serious tree climbing skills…. i don't assist at all for as far as i'm concerned if you can get up it then it is probably an "age appropriate" sized tree for you! (and that's why the tree in the front yard is off limits…. eli begs to go up it by standing at the door and saying, "a ladder pleeeeeeease mama??"). he gets a lot of comments from others at the park who notice how he monkeys up these trees! one fellow little boy at the park last week said to his mom, "he's a better tree climber than i am mom!" (his mom and i both had to chuckle over that, then the next morning i actually ran into the mom at Whole Foods and she said she reminded her son at dinner to eat all his food so he could grow to be a good tree climber--which worked apparently!). 

henri on the swings

which he giggles so hard on….

….for about 12 seconds and then is like "all done"

i look longingly at those park benches sometimes :)