The Longest Post Ever... (or Michael's first roadtrip)

And so begins the longest post ever... (Our Spring Break/Easter Vacation)

We started off to Carson with high hopes (which quickly were dashed in the first five minutes)

And though we were slightly intimidated by the fact that it would take us twelve-thirteen hours to get there, everyone was excited! yes, that is a pink blanket - we were running low on clean ones :)Who knew we would drive through Beverly Hills (NV, that is - a next-door neighbor to Pumpernickel Valley - thrilling, I know)
I have no idea where this is - it just has rocks, so Rand made me take a picture of it... :)We asked Michael how he felt about stopping at Elko's Burger King for a burger and fries. This was his response:He did pretty well, overall - He slept most of the way and only non-stop cried for two hours of the trip. Not bad, when you consider it dragged on forever and ever...
Elise, well, she did alright...

She only slept for a half an hour. We became very inventive in keeping her entertained. Who knew singing "EIEIO" for forty-five minutes (or chanting "Granny, Papa" over and over) at a time could be so much fun?
The trip was actually a lot of fun - Elise was so excited to see her grandparents (she adores Papa) and had a blast! Michael has never had so much attention paid to him (that is, in Rexburg), and smiled and cooed whenever anyone looked at him. The best part about it, though, was meeting our new neice.

Caylee Evelyn Greenburg

(Just in case you couldn't tell, Michael is the one on the right - the gigantic one)

On Monday night, we went to Sonoma Park to go fly some kites - Elise, for some reason has some strange fears. Swings, jelly stuck to her fingers, and now kites - I'm not sure where they come from, but she had a lot of fun playing with Papa on the playground...far away from flying Elmo.
Michael sat in his carseat... We think he might have enjoyed it?And we went to the Carson Children's Museum - Elise really enjoyed the supermarket/Asian diner. A little boy whipped her up some yarn (noodles) and poured her some tea. I have no proof, though, as all of the pictures turned out blurry - I credit it to my excellent photography skills :)

Rand, chillin' like a villain
Elise enjoying Mickey in an impromptu puppet showElise playing puzzles with Grandma
This one's for you, Uncle John

After Rand quit his job, Elise has hit the work force and is taking on the bills (namely our new outrageously expensive, bottom of the line washer and dryer).

don't worry, Rand still kept his day job :)

We all had a ton of fun and it was a great stress relief - only the stress came back once we arrived in Rexburg (we moved the next day and our Internet was giving us some major problems). We like our new place (even though it's slightly smaller - there's the lack of a third bedroom), specifically because there's an amazing amount of closet space and a ton of windows (finally! I live in a place with actual light)! School has started up again and we won't get out until the end of July. It's pretty time-consuming, but since there's a park in our backyard, Elise and Michael don't seem to mind. Well, it's been fun - thanks for making it through this entirely long post :)

All About Rand

(It's a three in one post, so be sure to check them all out - there's cute pictures of Elise & Michael)

This blog is supposed to be about our family, but it never includes anything about us (the adults). It's just Elise and Michael. So, here's a little post all about Rand.

Rand is doing really well. He's writing some incredible stuff - he won a poetry book today in class because his poem won second place (based on a class board). The teacher really liked his poem, The Orange, and read it aloud in class; his was chosen out of a ton of other poems, which were also very good. One person said that he is a "fantastic writer" and that his poem was "amazing." So, in an effort to post all about Rand, here's his poem:

The Orange

by Rand Greenburg

Cold, dark, humming, I lay undisturbed
A door, seeping light, a warm palm

Creeping smoothly, it crawls, crawls and sinks

Single, penetrating, thick skin, digging, tearing,

Removing, disregarded, ripped flesh and falling
Naked, trembling, exposed, stand I

Caressed, hold in two, tight, pressure

Divided, dissected, categorized,
Devoured, masticated, sweet, bitter, sour

Spewing juices, trickle, run

Ever flowing down an empty throat.

The Bumbo!

Michael has finally entered a new phase of his life - He can sit in the Bumbo, now! He is such a chubby little guy that sitting up is no problem for him :)

He looks so angry... Anyway, I thought it was pretty cute :)

I can't help it - he's too cute! :)

I May Be Biased...

but I think they are absolutely adorable :) Happy Easter!

The Amazing Michael (he can outdo any kid in spitting up...)

No, that is not my hand pushing down his head, but his helpful (little) big sister :)

Just a little update:

Michael (as of last week) is 13lbs 7oz and Elise is 19lbs 8oz - this is crazy! He's going to outweigh her at six months old... Technically, children who are twenty pounds should still be sitting backwards in a carseat (we talked to her pediatrician and he says we should have Elise face frontwards, so don't worry), but she's two year's old! The doctor thinks she's perfectly healthy and we do too, but these genes... She'll definitely appreciate it when she's older :)

Proof that Michael Smiles, and Other Random Things

Ok, there's a ton of posts in one, so be sure to check them all out - you have to see the winter wonderland that is Rexburg, currently, and the pictures of us at the Snake River. I'm trying to free up some time by posting all at once. It's not really working, though, because I spend forever on one night, trying to include everything that's happened in the last two weeks :)

So, here's a couple of videos of Michael smiling:

Again, bad filming :)

Elise tried to feed her bear Shepherd's Pie the other day - at least it had a bib on :)

And a picture of Michael in an adorable sweater (it fits him perfectly, Aunt Helen - thanks!)

And finally (for this post), thank you to whoever sent us the Red Sox catalog - it made us laugh pretty hard :)

Forget the Lotto -

How I plan on paying for my college education (thanks for the idea, Mike!):

They're too cute!

Our Snake River Hike

Believe it or not, it was warm last weekend! So, we decided to celebrate and walked through a grove of trees beside the Snake River. We saw giant moose tracks (and other "markings" - you've got to love the nature thing), lots of mice (oh so much fun), and a hawk that looked like it could eat Elise (I've never seen a bigger bird!). This place is incredible. Something about the lack of people here, I guess it's conducive to wildlife. Who would have thought? I have to say it's pretty amazing to see bald eagles while I drive Rand to work.

The river was amazingly clear and we had a lot of fun. Elise learned how to say "touch it" and used her new phrase whenever seeing a prickly tree, anything remotely looking like water, and this weird straw stuff where mice lived. She loves being outdoors. Michael, on the other hand, could have cared less. He slept the entire time and was not very cooperative when we were taking pictures, as you can see from the photos below :) Rand took a couple of pictures of the scenery - I think they turned out pretty well.

Spring in Rexburg

Hmmm....March 21st is supposed to be the first day of spring. I don't think Rexburg got the memo.

Some day we'll see blue skies :)

Princess Elise & her little brother

Elise and Michael -

Michael hanging out on the couch with Daddy

Michael's first St. Patrick's day -

I like her pose here -

I was getting ready to go to the airport on Friday and was rushing around, trying to pack for all four of us, clear out the poopy diapers so our home wouldn't be condemned, and manage to feed the everlasting pit that is Michael's stomach (I cannot believe that it is the size of a grape...), and feeling very irritated, when Elise comes up to me and says, "I a princess." I looked at her, her face covered in some sticky substance from her last meal, and began to realize how silly I had been acting. She was so right - she is a princess, and I was greatful that she was inspired to remind me just how innocent and sweet children are.

Michael and Granny watching Cinderella
He really does like his swing...

Michael is a big fan of Grandma Rose :)

 

Michael is learning to smile (so adorable, I just can't get over that kid) and is weighing in at a whopping 12lbs. 9oz. However, he is slowing down in his weight gain (ha ha makers of infants' clothing) - he is only in the 75th percentile now - whose genes are these? On the flight, someone apparently thought he was pretty cute, because they anonymously bought him a first flight certificate, complete with wings :) Also, he enjoyed the warm weather down south and was the happiest baby wiggling around in just a onesie (I don't know, I guess a balmy 45degrees here in Rexburg just doesn't sit well with him...).

Elise and Papa

We went to Boulder City for Elise's birthday - I was amazed that the kids did so well on the plane (that and the people who sat in front of us had enough sense to bring massive headphones), though, it probably had something to do with the fact that we were seated next to the jet engines, which compared to sitting next to a large freight train for an hour. But anyway, she had a fantastic time, namely because Nana and Papa have turned their home into a small child's dreamland, complete with pretend kitchen and a strangely realistic rocking horse that wags its tail - she keeps asking us to go visit them - I've got to wonder if this is part of their plan :).

Elise looks entirely confused (the filming is pretty bad, so brace yourself)