Just Peachy!

Yesterday, Matt took the day off work to have some dental work done. Yes, we're all about the dental hygiene around these parts. We can't start looking like all the native Johnston County folks (just kidding, y'all)!

Anyway, after said dental work, Eli, Matt, and I headed to the Farmer's Market. If you aren't from around here, Raleigh has a huge Farmer's Market with tons of great produce, free-range meats, baked goods, canned and pickled stuff of all sorts, and gifty-type items. We were there for the produce (and to get out of the house).

We walked around and gathered up some goodies. Snap beans, squash, zucchini, sourdough bread, and some ginormous peaches (that's Matt's word, by the way)! I had already started planning the baby food cookfest that was to take place with all this wonderful food, when Matt mentioned peach cobbler. I figured the little guy could sacrifice some peaches for his daddy and brother's enjoyment, so I set out to find a great peach cobbler recipe today. Here's the link to the one I chose to use.

While Matt took Jacob to baseball practice tonight, I headed into the kitchen to start baking. Eli was in his Bounce, Bounce Baby toy as I peeled and sliced peaches. As is typical Eli-style, he began to fuss when he realized I was not giving him my undivided attention. I finished peeling and slicing to the beautiful music of baby whine. Determined to finish this cobbler for my boys, I headed upstairs and grabbed the sling (that I never use), threw Eli in it and pressed on. Eli was a trouper and hung out while I finished up. Here's the finished product.

And the boys say it tastes great, which makes all the work worthwhile!!

Time flies...

So, this week, my boys hit two big milestones. Jacob started fourth grade and Eli turned six months old. It seems like yesterday that Jacob was starting kindergarten and Eli was just a twinkle in his daddy's eye!

It's so exciting watching the boys grow and mature. Jacob is truly turning into a gentleman--thanks to some excellent modeling from my wonderful husband (and a great stepdad)! He even remembers to open my car door. The girls are gonna be swooning before you know it! I pray that as Jacob starts this school year that he has favor with his peers and teachers. I pray that he can be a shining light for Jesus in his school! His personality is blooming and he is such a funny kid. I know that God will use him for big things! Love you, buddy!

Jacob-Apr. 2005 Jacob-Aug. 2008

Eli is changing everyday. Sitting up is his newest skill. And, boy is he good at it. Books are becoming a fast favorite, too...he takes after his mama. Boy, is he getting big. According to the reports from the doctor today, Eli weighs 17lbs 11oz (55%ile) and measures in at a whopping 29 inches (95%ile). Grow, Eli, grow!! He's still not a fan of sleeping...he takes after his daddy, too apparently. We put him down and pat him until he falls asleep. He makes it through the night with a brief interruption for a little 4oz booster. It is such a joy to be home to witness all the little advances and changes. I thank God that I can do this! It's hard to believe that it's been six months already! What a joy! Love you, Bubba!

For all you fans who are wondering, there will be a Jacob video in honor of that upcoming special occasion in September. I can't wait--I hear rumors of a special cheesecake for our house and a Steelers' helmet cake for the party. Fun times!!

Greeting a Great-Grandmother

My Nanny is in town from Pennsylvania and Eli finally got to meet her. What fun!! I love to see little Eli with his grandparents and great-grands. The impact the older generations can have on children is immeasurable and our kiddos are certainly blessed!

This is Eli and Nanny (my dad's mom)

Here is an older pic of Eli and G.G. (my mom's mom)
Nobody can do for little children what grandparents do. Grandparents sort of sprinkle stardust over the lives of little children. ~Alex Haley

Wishful thinking

Today we made an unexpected trip to Mema and PaPa's house. While Jacob, Eli, and I were running errands this morning, I got a call from Mema on my cell phone. She was experiencing anxiety, depression, fatigue, and trouble thinking clearly. No, she's not coming off the bottle, she's coming off grandkids. My mom was clearly having grandkid withdrawals and since she was keeping my niece and nephew, the boys and I decided to give her a fix and headed off to Wilson.

We stopped by the house to pick up the swimsuits just in case the afternoon would involve some swimming. I asked Jacob to head upstairs and bring down his suits. He came back with just one. I asked him where the other suits were and he let me know that the orange one is the only one that fits well. "Oh, really? What's wrong with the other suits," I innocently asked. He replied with words that have never rolled off my tongue, "They're too big. Because, even though my legs are long, I have a really skinny waist!"

OH!

YES!

HE!

DID!

Disclaimer: Situations on the blog are not as exaggerated as they appear!! But Jacob is as skinny as he appears!!

Doin' the Charleston!

The Sloan family just returned from vacation in Charleston, SC. It was a wonderful week of relaxation, fun, and bonding. We were able to do so many things. We took a Pirates and Buccaneers tour, spent the day at the beach, visited two waterparks, caught a movie on a rainy day, went on a treasure hunt through Charleston, explored a historic plantation, and visited an aircraft carrier ship. The boys also took a side trip to Parris Island where Matt attended Boot Camp for the Marine Corps many years ago. Or course, we ate at some fabulous restaurants, too! Jacob had a great time and Eli proved to be an excellent traveller. What an awesome trip! But I must admit, it sure is nice to be home. There really is no place like home! Here is a slideshow of pictures from the trip. It's a couple minutes long, so only you die-hard fans need to press play! Enjoy!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Dedicated...

Wednesday night, Eli was dedicated at church. This is a time in which we as parents commit to raising our children in a Godly home and do our part to introduce them to Jesus and lead them to the cross. It was a wonderful time and we were able to share it with Jacob, Niki and Thomas, and my parents! Here are some pictures from that night!

This was taken before service. We think the picture turned out great, but were sorry that Jacob couldn't be in it. He was with his mom that day, but they were at service to share with us!

There were quite a few of us having our children dedicated on Wednesday. We're over on the right!

Here's a close-up of the cutie being dedicated. I know...his excitement is just too much! Actually, it was almost 8:00 and he was SOOOO sleepy, but was a champ!

We are so thankful for the children that God has blessed us with! We pray we can be the hands and feet of Jesus as we raise them and that He will lead us as we parent!

"Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a reward from him" Ps. 127:3

Sweet potatoes, silly boys, snakes and spiders...oh my!

Eli has begun to show more interest in food, so we decided to offer him a new food. Rice and oatmeal cereal definitely get old after a while. So, on Sunday I baked some sweet potatoes, gave them a spin in the food processor, poured them into ice cube trays and froze them--yummy homemade baby food in perfect portions. Eli seems to love them!

While Eli was eating his new food, big brother Jacob was hamming it up for the camera (and cracking up his baby brother in the process).

And, on a completely different note, we've had some creepy crawly critters take up residence here recently. This spider spent the day outside our dining room window. As you can see, he's a pretty big guy! That's Matt's pager for a size reference! Please ignore the dirty window sill. Just keeping it real, folks...just keeping it real!

This cute (not really), black snake slid through our backyard that same day. He's not a small guy, either! Thank goodness it kept right on going and ended up in the neighbors yard. Sorry, Adam and Janice!

Hope you are all having a great week! We leave for vacation on Saturday...can't wait!!