Introducing the Newest Member of the Team!!!!

Our new car arrived today! After a very long few weeks with only the jeep (the Volvo meet its end in a snowstorm) we finally have a second car again!!! Introducing:

 

ROVEY WADE THE LAND ROVER.

Yeah, that's right his name is Rovey Wade (Suck on that Santorum!).  We are super psyched about this car for many obvious reasons, but also because it can do this:

Chuey, Pterodactyls, Bananas, School Learnin' and Extreme Sleep Deprivation

 

Greetings from the end of another week in the lives of Team Solis.  I feel as though I'm getting fairly redundant so from here on out you can imagine I have said the following:  This week was crazy, busy, a doosey, exhausting, etc.  This week has also had the extra benefit of a baby who can't sleep for more than 45 minutes at a time and a Jen who does not do well without adequate sleep.  So it goes I guess. Honestly my muscles are so sore from lack of rest that I think a really hot bath would help, however, my exhaustion level is so high I feel there is a pretty good chance I'd pull a Whitney Houston, so I just don't dare.  

Despite his refusal to sleep,  Eli is still mostly pleasant and enjoyable during the day, so at least I have a break from the tortured screaming during the daylight hours.  Enjoy the pictures,  not many this week.

ELI THINKS HE'S A PTERODACTYL.  

He has screeched like this since he was a newborn. Its pretty funny.  Lately he's started to break out his pterodactyl routine in public to get adoration from strangers.  Its a pretty solid method.  Chics dig it.

VIVA EL CHUEY

I found this picture on my iPhone this week.

Where Sully goes, so goes the Chuey. 

SULLY THE ARTIST

 Sully is not too much into drawing yet.  Stick figure family members occasionally has been the extent of it.  But this is the first thing he saw fit to draw.  A truer Holio there never was, now he is insisting on going to ski school next year (most of his friends already go).  I guess its time to start saving money for gear and passes!

Here is a photo of Eli sleeping.  He probably woke up screaming 5 minutes later.

Hey Mr. Tambourine Man,  take a nap for me.  Please.  For the love of God. Please.

NANNERS FOR NANNERS

This thing he's chomping on may be the handiest device ever invented.  Its a little mesh bag on a rubber ring.  You stick chunks of food in there and then babies can knaw on it and not choke.  We didn't use one for Sully, all though I have no idea why?  Its great.  So far Eli has eaten grapes and banana (pictured).  Its really useful because it gives me a chance to eat my dinner and keep him happy between bites of barley mush.  I think tonight we'll try out some carrots and sweet potato.

SO THIS IS HAPPENING....

In just a few weeks, we'll be registering Sully for kindergarten!  (how the F&$K did that happen?).  He's pretty anxious about it because he realizes this means he won't be going to preschool with Ms. Kara next year (and that would make anyone sad really). But this week we got to visit the school and I think Sully got pretty excited about the place, he's also pretty psyched about the idea of riding a school bus so I think he'll come around. 

We went to a presentation at the school about their dual immersion (Spanish/English) program.  I guess I always assumed I wanted Sully in this program, and I do really want him to be bilingual,  but honestly, Mike and I were just not sold on this program.  It seems like an amazing and crucial opportunity for the native Spanish speaking kids, but more of a risky endeavor for the native English speakers.  My particular hill to die on was the math part of program.  The children in the program (Half native English speaking half native Spanish speaking) spend 1/2 of the day learning exclusively in English and the other half exclusively in Spanish.  But the math portion of their education is in Spanish all the time.  I am just not comfortable with that.  I believe that Sully is inclined to think mathematically and its is imperative to us that he get a solid foundation in that area so he can excel later on.  I just don't think we can risk messing with that by having him learn the fundamental concepts in his non-native tongue?  That just seems too risky to me in too important of an area.  So, I guess we'll just think about other ways to introduce him to Spanish and to make sure he is accepting of other cultures (I kind of don't see the last part being a problem anyway he's pretty much an equal opportunity kind of kid).

Anyway, this turned out longer than I meant, but its literally the first down time I've had all week long and I'm milking it for all its worth,  even though Mike and Sully have both asked me what's for lunch about a dozen times in the past 10 minutes.  Back to the grind I suppose....


Over and out.

That's gonna leave a mark.

Eli Pitches a Fit

 Lest anyone think that Eli is all sunshine and giggles, here is a photographic essay of Eli at his grumpiest.  This happens pretty frequently, without warning and without obvious explanation.  Mike and I sort of scratch our heads at it.  When Sully was a baby, he only fussed when he needed something, and it was usually obvious what it was he needed- fill the need, stop the crying- no big deal.  Eli--- well, he's a different creature entirely.  

All Hands On Deck

Clean 'em till they shine Eli.

SITTING UP AND WISHING YOU A HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!

This week was a doosey.  It was so hectic and traumatic that I'm ending it tonight and declaring tomorrow a day of relaxation, a full day early.  (Who am I kidding?  I'll be busy tomorrow too).  Both of the boys had colds this week,  actually Sully had it last week, he's mostly gotten over it now.  But Eli had it full force this week so there was a lot of sucking snot out of his nose with the bulb sucker thing- accompanied by plenty of screaming.  He's also had a terrible time sleeping at night which means that I have had a terrible time sleeping.  This all coincided with my first college algebra midterm.  I studied my butt off for it and I think I did ok, but I know I didn't nail it which is very difficult for me because I like to hit things out of the ball park when it comes to school. Its a tough reality that I just don't have as much time to devote to studying as I would like. Plus its a night class, which is fine for the whipper snappers but by the end of the day I'm a zombie and its pretty hard to focus effectively. I've just got to get through this semester, then re-assess my plan.  It will likely become easier in the fall when Sully starts kindergarten (yikes) and is gone 5 days a week, and hopefully Eli will decide that afternoon naps aren't so bad (please dear lord!) or maybe we will think about getting a mother's helper a few days a week?  It will all work out, (so I keep repeating to myself).

That's enough for now.  Enjoy the pictures!

 This is how Sully choose to celebrate Valentines Day

Sully had seen a commercial on TV for chocolate covered strawberries that you could have delivered to your valentine.  Sully started yelling that we should "go online and buy those!" which we thought was pretty funny, because how the hell does he know what going "online" means?  Anyway, we made the chocolate covered strawberries ourselves and Sully got to lick the bowl.  The strawberries were amazing!  I should have taken pictures of them, but they did not last long enough to do so.

 

Eli at Sully's school's Valentine's day party.  He's got a few fans amongst Sully's friends.

 I thought it was weird when Sully begged us relentlessly for this awful, gross looking monster toy.  But now, sweet innocent little Eli is obsessed with it too.  Boys!

WE HAVE SITTING!!!

 

He's been working on this tirelessly for a while and this past week he's gotten really really good at it.  He's able to correct when he tips to one side and he's even pretty close to sitting up from laying down. 

 Still getting the hang of it

 No harm no foul!

 Doesn't he look so grown up in this picture?

Another week and we're all still alive

This is why all of humanity should be grateful that A) Jen did not have a girl who needs her hair done.  and B) Sully has a good sense of humor.  He called this his "Hair mountain"  Not to worry though, Mike saved the day.

 "A little help here?"

 This is what Sully picked out to wear for Fro Yo and a trip to the Wildlife Museum.

Fro-Yo Fancy Pants

 Eli has been cultivating his 4th chin this week

 Amongst the critters at the Museum

 Sleeping Indian, keeping an eye on the elk.

 Bow tie wearing member of the explorer's club.

There was a room full of kids (some of whom he knew) next to this room-  he started to run in there, until I informed him that they were doing Arts and Crafts in there.  When he heard that he bee lined it out of there.  The kid just is not fond of craft projects. 

Eli is working very hard at making his swing as obsolete as his bumbo.  He grabs onto the side of it and pulls himself up,  its just a matter of time until he goes head first out of that thing.