Grammy/Papaw Detox

We were excited to have my parents visit this past week. They arrived on the 4th, and we all headed out in the evening to watch the fireworks display at the state fairgrounds. Elaina didn't cry, but she definitely held on TIGHTLY. During any sort of pause in the show she would say, "All done!".

By the end of the show, she was asleep. Who falls asleep during fireworks?!

On Monday, we headed out to Jordan Lake for a picnic dinner. You'll notice that I'm sitting on top of the picnic table with Elaina. This is to avoid the GIANT spiders (as big as my face!) that were lurking under the table.

After dinner, we headed to the lake. A trip to the water just isn't complete for Elaina unless she gets her clothes wet an INSTANT after we say it is time to go.

It took three of us to change her clothes and get the sand off her legs.

Later in the week, we went to a local dairy for some homemade ice cream. They have a giant front porch with rocking chairs where you can watch the sunset.

During the days while Matt and I were working, Grammy and Papaw filled part of the time by letting Elaina swim in her pool. They took the opportunity to teach her how to splash, dump water on people, and squirt them with the hose. Thanks, Grammy and Papaw.

They started their trip back to Indiana this morning. Elaina is quickly realizing that Mommy and Daddy don't respond to her whimpering and fussy whining like Grammy and Papaw do. We'll get her back in line just before we go visit with them again in August. :) Thanks for a great week, Grammy and Papaw. Elaina says, "I miss you!".

Elaina's First Trip to the Beach

For the second year in a row, we took advantage of the long Memorial Day weekend to take a family vacation. This year we extended it to a week-long trip to celebrate (a little early) our five year wedding anniversary.

We spent the weekend in Savannah, GA touring throughout the town all day Saturday and learning--the hard way--that you should never get sunscreen in the eyes of an 18 month old. We took the recommendations of one of Victoria's colleagues and had two excellent meals. If you're ever in Savannah, check out the Gryphon Tea Room in the historic district for neat atmosphere and snotty service (it's owned by the artsy-fartsy folks at SCAD--Savannah College of Art and Design--as are many of the buildings in the historic district). If you'd like some Cuban cuisine (this was my first experience, and I was impressed) check out Rancho Alegre--Elaina highly recommends the fried plantains.

We left Sunday for our real destination: Hilton Head Island in SC. We had enough day left by the time we arrived and checked in to hit the beach. That afternoon we learned--the hard way--that the only thing worse than sunscreen in the eyes of an 18 month old is sunscreen AND sand in the eyes of an 18 month old.

Elaina was a little timid at first about the ocean, requiring much coaxing to get near the water. By the third day, though, she would start pacing by the door to our room saying, "Ah-Water," "Less-Go." and "Ready?" (Picture a dog trying to get out of the house to relieve himself--she was that anxious).

More fun still for Elaina was the sand. She used her toy buckets and shovels to play with it. She ran her hands through it and rubbed it all over her legs, belly and face (she managed to avoid her eyes after that first day, fortunately). And she ate it--she seemed to forget every few hours that the sand tasted like dirt and would try it again just to make sure it hadn't become sugar. She was always disappointed with the taste and would let it show in the expression on her face. Beach erosion is a serious issue in coastal states and I was half-worried that we would be stopped at the border if the officials found out how much sand Elaina had passing through her system.

Here are a few of our favorite pictures from the week:

Animal Sounds

Pollen and Karate Kicks

Thought I'd share a few photos from our weekend. We took advantage of the cooler evening on Sunday to clean our deck. The lingering coat of pollen was no match for Elaina's water bucket.


She also started practicing her newest trick: a flying karate kick.

Our little shopper

We made a trip to Lowe's this weekend after church to pick up some flowers for our landscaping. We arrived in the parking lot right at Elaina's normal naptime, and she was already asleep in her carseat. We took her out of her seat and carried her in the store- she was still sleeping. She gets heavy very quickly so we put her in the shopping cart- she was still sleeping. She slept like that for the next hour while we did our shopping. This girl spoils us.

Kisses from Laina

Easter Festivities

We had a wonderful Easter weekend. We kicked things off by trying out Elaina's new sidewalk chalk from my sister and her family. Elaina enjoyed drawing the letter "E". (It doesn't look like much of an "E", but this is what she calls it.)

She also tried out a Peep from Grammy and Papaw. She was only able to take a few bites before she handed it to me and said "all done".

Of course, we had to dye a few Easter eggs. Unfortunately, eggs slightly resemble a ball, and Elaina is pretty good at throwing a ball. Needless to say, we had a few casualties.

We did end up with a few colored eggs.

On Sunday morning, Elaina was excited to see her Easter basket filled up with goodies. In an attempt to get her to look at the camera, we were singing "If you're happy and you know it". This is the "and your face will surely show it" part. (I think they work on these movements at daycare- I didn't even know she knew this song until it came on one of her CDs and she started clapping- too cute!)

After the church service, we snapped a few pictures of a pretty girl in her pretty Easter dress.

She also enjoyed an Easter egg hunt. She kept handing them to me so I would get the candy out for her- we gave her way too much sugar throughout the day.

Happy Easter from the Rusts!