Stinker toe who loves the outdoors...

"As a child, one has that magical capacity to move among the many eras of the earth; to see the land as an animal does; to experience the sky from the perspective of a flower or a bee; to feel the earth quiver and breathe beneath us; to know a hundred different smells of mud and listen unself- consciously to the soughing of the trees." ~Valerie Andrews, A Passion for this Earth

This past week has brought some amazing weather and now we are patiently waiting for the leaves and flowers to blossom! We are truly looking forward to this spring with our little stinker toe who absolutely loves to be outside...in the warmth of a spring day or the freezing cold of winter, he just loves it. We can't wait to watch him discover and explore the world around him as the earth begins to unfold! I have a feeling he will be eating some bugs this spring as he has discovered a passion for the ladybugs that live in our house!:)
Here are a few random pictures from the past month... Mama and Eli on a ski...

On a hike in the arb with papa. Eli loves to ride in his backpack and look out at the world!

Little stinker toe loves to have his feet free of those things we call "socks". Really though, he does not allow socks on his feet...they go into his mouth the second we put them on. I love this picture...his sweet little toes all full of dirt! That's our little stink toe!!

Oh so happy!!

These pictures are from last weekend at daddy's hockey tournament in Somerset, WI. I think we have a little hockey fan on our hands!

Capturing memories...

When Elias was a few months old, I remember feeling so overwhelmed with how quickly our little peanut was changing and how I was going to capture and document all of the "firsts" that were blossoming daily. I've always dreamt of being an avid journal writer and what a great time to start right? But really, how could we possibly forget these milestones...they will for sure stay written in our minds forever! Well, I've learned how fast the months drift away...how the memories we felt would be so clear forever do fade and that I will continue to strive to write in a journal.:) I've also learned that these feelings will continue to be present and that we will remember the specific moments, like the first time we held our little miracle, that are instilled in us forever and the rest will be captured through photos, videos and our blog...yes indeed, the blog has become a journal, a techno-journal! I am truly greatful to have documented some of the many memories through our blog. My sister Sally discovered something fabulous that I want to share...you can make your blog into a book through blurb.com. I believe it's called blog to book where you basically insert the words and photos already present into thier numerous layout options. We have a book of our blog from the first few months that Sal put together for us and I look at it daily... I love having a hard copy and can't wait to create the other chapters to have as a keepsake.

Our little boy is only a few days from turning 11 months old, which means he is almost a year old...what?... and mom and dad are having a hard time believing this. Just this week he has learned to crawl on his knees, clap his hands and play peek-a-boo. He is starting to repeat some words and is really absorbing his world...and everything that goes into his mouth! He is watching, listening and doing everything! Oh, it is so much fun!! I love this stage...every stage brings new worries and adventures as we watch him become a little person with personality and understanding. Here are a few captured moments...

Elias has found a love for hockey through his papa. Chris took him out on the ice at the Rhino tourney a few weeks ago and Eli absolutely loved skating with dad. He has a little hockey stick that has become his favorite toy which you will see in the video!

My buddy August...he is four months old and I love him!

Did we mention peanut grew a tooth? Yep, it's a snaggle tooth!!

Thank you Grandpa John for the MN Gophers outfit!

Crawling...

Favorite toy...hockey stick! This was the first gift we recieved in the hospital from uncle Tim autie LyLy and the kids.

And here he is crawling to get his hockey stick...look for a dog who is longing for attention..poor Mikko!