country roads.

...take us {HOME}, to the place we {BELONG}...

Andy, Eli, Carmen, and I are so, so, sooooooooo thrilled to share that we are moving back to West Virginia! Starting July 1, 2011, Andy will begin work at Cabell Huntington Hospital's Joan C. Edwards Comprehensive Cancer Center in Huntington, West Virgina as their new Radiation Oncologist! Affiliated with Marshall University, our blood will continue to bleed {blue} and {gold}, but we are overly thrilled for this new beginning at Marshall and our move closer to our sweet family. Needless to say, we are very excited for 2011!

bubble ooodles.

Stockings are always one of my favorite Christmas goodies to make (and still to recieve...thanks, Mom!). This year was no exception! Picking up special things here and there for a few months prior to Christmas, I was excited to see Eli's stocking take shape on Christmas Eve! From snack cups to new books, a few yummy treats and other neat goodies, one of Eli's most favorite new toys are his Gymboree Bubble Ooodles! We play with and love the bubble ooodles each week at our Gymboree Play & Learn class, so as far as this year's Christmas stocking went...the bubble ooodles were a must have. These bubbles are so, SO fun and simply DO NOT pop easily. They rest on your head, on your toes, on your belly, and on the carpet mainly until you decide to pop them! What makes them extra special is the fun bubble wand that this bubble set comes with. The slower you blow into the wand, the more and more bubbles float into the air! What fun they are! I am enjoying the bubble ooodles just as much as Eli...ummmm...can you tell?!?

Yesterday, Eli and I had some fun, quiet play time in his room with the bubble ooodles! I know that we played for at least 25 minutes with these special bubbles and am certain that we could have played even longer. What a nice indoor activity for us to enjoy on cold winter days that no doubt are more numerous to come!

two special beymers.

Eli was quite cozy with his Papaw Beymer as he shared his favorite Baby Mozart DVD with him! In our home, the earth stops spinning when Baby Mozart is playing. A first birthday gift from my Nana and Papaw Beymer, Eli (and us too!) are so appreciative of his portable DVD player. Perfect for our frequent and looooong car adventures and future flights, we were so excited to show Nana and Papaw just how that DVD "contraption" works. These two special Beymers hold a huge piece of this mama's heart. We love you, Nana and Papaw and can't wait for our next visit!

home for christmas.

Safely home in Louisville from Andy's recent interview and Christmas travels, we are happy to be home amongst "our things," but are already missing the warmth of our families that we grew used to having around us for more than one week! What a wonderful, blessed, and special Christmas we had! We kept busy from the time we arrived until the time we left, enjoying last-minute shopping trips, a Christmas cookie party and exchange, a Christmas church program, a few special date nights to Twin Oaks, Lil' Moes, and the more than occasional trip to Shop 'N' Save for our families (yes, a get-away to the grocery store can be a date too) thrown in the mix, as well as a delicious Christmas Eve dinner gathering.

...Christmas morning at Andy's mother and father's home...

...Christmas afternoon and evening at my mother's home...
We hope that you and your family had a very special Christmas with the ones that you love.

welcome back to marshall.

For the last several months, Andy has been traveling by car and by plane to several cities to interview for Radiation Oncology positions following the COMPLETION (whoo-hoo) of his residency in June. We are so thrilled for this exciting new phase of our life, but are eager for all the traveling to s-l-o-w down. Now that he is in final interviews with different practices and universities, Eli and I are invited to travel with him in order to see "the area" with realtors and meet physicians that he could possibly work with in the future.

Yesterday evening, we arrived in Huntington, West Virginia for Andy's second interview with Cabell Huntington Hospital. What a treat to have been greeted with an enormous snack and fruit basket and a small gift for Andy, Eli, and I each! However, the best gift of all from Marshall University - Eli's own adjoining hotel room! While we definitely have differences with Marshall on the football field and other sport arenas where WVU is concerned, Marshall is earning big points for their gracious hospitality from this gal! Whether it be Marshall or any one of the his other opportunities, we are looking forward to our big decision being m-a-d-e!

a new point of view.

I don't know whom was more excited for this special day, Eli or Andy and I?!? After facing rear for almost one year, Andy and I decided to turn Eli's carseat front-facing for the long, Thanksgiving car ride to West Virginia (7 days early). While Andy was ready to do this long before I was (you know...it's the law), Eli's feet no longer "hang up" on the seats, but rather dangle down comfortably. It was funny to watch his expressions change as he got a new point of view while driving...a much better front-facing view. Who doesn't love to see where they are going?!? Although we could always get a peek of him in his carseat mirror mounted on our headrest, we just love the ease of turning our heads to see our little guy checking out the drive ahead of him! Our little traveler is much happier and we are too!

a doctor's visit.

Late this morning, Eli and I bundled up head to toe, to brave the cold and windy weather to visit the pediatrician's office for his one-year-old appointment. What a milestone, but also what a worry on my heart this appointment has been. Excited to know Eli's weight and height, but positively dreading the amount and types of vaccinations offered at this particular appointment, in addition to his first blood drawl, I felt like I was crying as much on the inside as Eli was on the outside following his multiple sticks...a big ouch to my heart. Whew! I can honestly say that "this part" of turning one was not the best gift that Eli received. I'm sure that he agrees!

{ ...who needs toys when you have Noni's kitchen utensils...}

At one year and one week old, Eli weighs 22.6 pounds and is 30.5 inches long. He is currently in the 50th percentile for weight and slightly above the 75th percentile for height.

breakfast.

In our home, most likely just like yours, we are on the constant hunt for easy and delicious recipes to try in hopes that they become requested favorites! With an active baby boy circling my feet, gone are the days of prepping meals for close to an hour and then waiting for them to bake, simmer, or saute for 50 additional minutes. As we are trying to transition Eli from baby food strictly to table food, I find that meals have become even more difficult as I want to prepare things that are healthy choices for him to enjoy. When we find something that is worthy of a second and third fixn', I must admit that I get somewhat excited to add it to our list of monthly meals. I thought that I would share a breakfast favorite in our home and hopefully will be loved in yours as well.

{ pumpkin pancakes }

2 cups of your favorite dry pancake mix
3 Tbsp dark-brown sugar
2.5 tsp pumpkin-pie spice
1.5 cups milk
1 cup canned pure pumpkin puree (not pie filling)
1 egg, beaten
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1 Tbsp vegetable oil (can substitute 1 Tbsp applesauce)

...how to make your pumpkin pancakes...

• In a lare bowl, combine the pancake mix, brown sugar, and pumpkin pie spice. In another large bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkins, egg, vanilla extract, and oil (or applesauce). Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients and stir to combine.

• Heat a lightly oiled griddle or large frying pan on medium high. Pour the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook the pancakes until bubbles form in the batter and the edges begin to brown. Then flip them and cook until the other sides are lightly browned.

• Serve the pancakes with a dusting of confectioners sugar and a drizzle of your favorite syrup - or - if you'd like, enjoy them "Eli Style"... plain.
  

...yum! a perfect holiday, family breakfast...

it's party time.

Following our Thanksgiving celebrations, we were quite excited to move on to our biggest celebration of the year -- Eli's first birthday party! In the planning stages for quite some time, we were finally thrilled to welcome our family! Surrounded by all things "Mickey," we couldn't wait to get our "meeshka-mooshka" party started!

We are so very thankful to our families for spending a portion of their afternoon with us! Although Eli was a bit overwhelmed by the amount of people (however, his delight in his cake somewhat made up for this), we certainly couldn't have imagined celebrating his first year without being surrounded by those that we love!

We simply can't believe that we have a one-year-old and his first birthday has come and passed. We are so thankful for his health and joy.

...Just look at all these boys...
{ nathan. alex. eli. anthony. cousin maxem. & cousin tyler }