How Does He Do It?

Dylan has been up to all sorts of mischief this morning and it's only 9am! So far he has pulled all of his books off the shelf and taken all of his toys out of the bin.

Helped mom do the laundry -- and by this I mean he was pulling stuff out of the dryer just as I was putting it in. Oh, and I should mention that he has finally realized the benefit of crawling versus the army scoot.

He also decided that it was okay to stand up on his chair to get to the blind cords. I'm not sure he realized how difficult it would be to get back down.

And the big TaDa of the morning, he thought it would be fun to try going up AND down the stairs. Mom about had a heart attack! After the adrenaline rush, however, I had to just sit back and laugh. He is just learning so much and I love being able to watch it all happen. He is such a joy and I absoluetly love being his mom.

Up to no good

Since my last couple of posts, our little man has been teaching himself how to do all kinds of new and exciting things. He is now pulling himself up to standing, walking while holding onto anything, harrassing the dog, climbing into baskets, etc. I feel like I spend the entire day telling him 'No' and pulling him off of things. The upside is that I'm losing those last few baby pounds! This kid cannot stay away from poor Taz. Dylan calls him "Gog." They are so fun to watch - they behave just like brothers.

Even big boys still need naps. Somedays, this is my best chance at some quiet time.

Dylan finally decided that it had been way too long and he needed to help me unpack from our trip to Delaware.

I'm not really sure why, but he loves the clothes hamper. The other day I actually found him inside of it, but my camera was nowhere to be found.

With all the mischief he is getting into now, I had to start putting him in his own baby prison. Doesn't he look so distraught?

Excursion to Delaware

For Labor Day weekend, we decided to drive up to Delaware to visit Mike's family. We needed to drive up some stuff that we were storing for them and it was his brother Brett's birthday. Dylan ended up not feeling too good the whole weekend. He had a REALLY bad diaper rash and is still working on getting his two front top teeth in. It amounted to him being incredibly crabby, not sleeping, and only wanting mom to hold him. By the time we were ready to leave, he did seem to be in better spirits. The only time he was content was when he was outside. So, pretty much the only pictures I took all weekend are outside. Grandma Elkington and Dylan had a good time on the swing Saturday afternoon.

Dylan and Daddy posing in the backyard.

Mike and Brett decided to have a bike race. Brett won.

Awww, three generations of Elkington's.

Dylan really warmed up to Uncle Brett and soon to be Aunt Wendy.

Other than Dylan being so miserable (and mom not getting a break from holding him), we had a really good time visiting with Mike's family. His mom is a great cook, so of course we all came back home a couple pounds heavier. Thanks Grandma & Grandpa for a fun weekend!

Just because he's so cute

Our Anniversary dinner at Cheesecake Factory was not the greatest night. After 50 minutes of sitting with just our waters, we ended up walking out without ever getting any food. Luckily, we have the cutest kid in the world, so he kept us entertained and somewhat in good spirits despite our crappy service.

Dylan is a little behind other kids his age when it comes to physical progress. I'm pretty sure it's because he's such a big kid and just can't support his weight well enough to move around. He has perfected the army crawl, but regular crawling and standing are a little more difficult for him to master. I spend a lot of time working with him to help get his muscles stronger. This is during one of our play sessions.

Daddy was trying to catch him, but he didn't want to be caught. He knew once Dad caught him, he was going to bed. So he kept scooting away and laughing. So cute!

I had to stand him up in his crib, but he thinks it is the coolest thing in the world.

Grandma Daniel bought Dylan this adirondack chair when we were in Charleston last month. He loves to sit in it while I read him stories or just to play with his toys. He is getting to be such a big boy now!

3 Years?? Really??

Today is our 3 year Anniversary. I honestly can't believe it's only been 3 years. I guess that is what you get when you date for almost 6 years before tying the knot. Unfortunately for us, we don't know anyone in town to get a babysitter. I think the most exciting thing we will do today is brave dinner at a restaurant with the lil' man. I'm thinking some Cheesecake Factory sounds might yummy!! Hopefully we'll be able to get some alone time in a few weeks when we are around some grandparents.

Switchin' things up

After 3 1/2 LONG days of driving in a cramped truck with a dog we arrived in NC safe and were all reunited as a family. We love our new home and all the extra space. We increased our living space by about 800 SF, but amazingly enough, we are already filling it up! Go figure.

Our little Dylan has decided to get two teeth in the past week. While I can't get him to let me take a picture of them, I was able to snap this one during a 'happy' period. Before I saw tooth #2 this morning, I thought perhaps my mom had brought me the wrong child. Even with all the crabbiness, I still think he's the cutest kid in the world.

After unpacking, Dylan thought it would be fun to explore all the boxes. He loved crawling around in this rubbermaid container.

Taz is now learning how to share his toys. Dylan seems to think that if it's on the floor, it's his to chew on. The two of them go back and forth stealing the toys away from each other. It is hilarious to watch.

Meeting the Family

Dylan and I took a trip to Charleston for a family reunion of sorts. My siblings had not seen Dylan yet and this was the first time we'd all been together in 2 1/2 years! It was great fun and everyone, of course, loved Dylan. It could only have been made better if Mike had been able to join us.

Karl has decided to live somewhat of a hippie life in Vail, Colorado. In light of this, he got himself some dreadlocks. Dylan loved to pull on them. He looked like a monkey picking at Karl's head.

Aunt Kathleen thought Dylan was so adorable. I'm pretty sure he enjoyed all the attention she gave him.

Aaron always seemed to make himself scarce when the cameras were out. But, I thought this was a great picture of the other three guys just chillin.