Haircuts with Daddy

Phil Brancato has been cutting daddy's hair since he was Elie's size. He and his wife Marie have become like family to the Patterson's...cutting Big Bill, little Bill and Evan's hair for over 30 years.

So like her Daddy did before her, Elie goes to see Phil even though she doesn't have any hair to cut yet. If you are wondering why she looks sooo cute the outfit is one Phil and Marie gave her...plus she has a soft spot for older men.

Sundays with Grammy and Grandad

One of our favorite things to do on Sunday morning (besides going to church of course) is meet Grammy and Grandad for breakfast at Bell Steet Mamma's. Today was no different. It was especially good for momma and daddy as Elie has been getting up a couple of times in the night again. A good old waffle and a diet coke will cure just about anything. Afterwards we headed over to Grammy and Grandad's for some quality time with them and the dogs (Harley and Morgan). Elie helped Grammy shop, watched fun videos with Grandad and let Harley lick her feet. Momma and Daddy had a little quiet time together, then headed off to shop for appliances.

We ended the day at our neighborhood favorite Sharpe's. We usually go there for breakfast, but have recently found they have a good affordable dinner menu. Elie ate her biscut and our pal Jenny the waitress got a kick out of the mess she made...good thing:)

Getting Bigger

Just a quick note to say that Elie is doing well and growing as expected. We had our six month check-up and shots just moments ago. She is 27 1/4 inches long which keeps her in the 90th percentile in height and she weighs 17.2 pounds putting her in the 80th percentile. Fortunately she didn't get the Berger head...that remains in the 40th percentile.

The bigger news is that he encouraged us to start her on REAL FOOD, not just cerel. So sweet potatoes, avacados and bananas here we come!

So I promise to get photos from the beach up. Maybe I'll start that right now while Elie sleeps and the boys bang away at the kitchen downstairs.

And the Walls Come Crumblin Down

So what you probably really want to see are pictures of Elie at the beach. But I have to tell you as fun as they are the Kitchen renovation will blow your mind.

Week One: Elie, Bill and I are off to the beach and the first picture is what our kitchen looked like before we left.

The next two are what we returned to. OH MY GOSH. It was crazy and exciting all at the same time. What an incredible transformation this will be. Not only for our kitchen but for our relationship as well.

Let me illustrate by asking you to describe window depth and header beams in Spanish to a Frenchman. Think you can do it? Well, we think we can and actually are doing it. Inches of dust, no airconditioning and living in one room with Elie haven't detered us. We still love each other...but let's remember it is still week one.

I'll put photos of the trip up tomorrow. Until then, dare to dream.

Learning To Swim

The dog days of summer are here and just in time for our trip to the beach. To prepare I thought Elie needed to have been to the pool at least once, since taking a bath really isn't her favorite pass-time. Much to my glee she took to the water like a fish. Looking pretty cute in the swim suit Miss Kim and Delilah Belle gave her.

Lucy is still taking great photos of Elie's summer (Monday's and Tuesdays) this past week Miss Fonise played with the kids in the sprinkler and Elie LOVED it. Since we won't make it to the pool this weekend I hope she will still love it next week when we reach the beach.

We had a quiet 4th of July. We went for a walk then over to Grammy's for a picnic. When we got home Elie took a nap and it began to rain so we skipped our annual picnic for some quiet family time.

This weekend has been a bit of a blur. Bill and I have been preparing for the kitchen remodel. I'll blog about that maybe tomorrow or later in the week. We have also been visiting Grammy in the hospital. Wow does she look great for someone who just had hip replacement surgery. I'm not sure we will make it out to see her today since Elie is napping as I write and will hopefully go down at her ususal bedtime of 8pm.

Did I mention how much I love my husband?

You know how you have those weeks that aren't bad but they just make you tired? Well that would describe last week in a nutshell. Nothing particularly bad happened, it just made me tired. And then there was Bill. He sent the most amazing arrangement of flowers...just because. His words were, because we made it through June, because it was a rainy day. Just because.

We had a quiet family weekend. Stayed in all day Saturday, dinner at Sharp's on Saturday night. We had a fun breakfast today with Grammy and Granddad at Bell Street. Then Elie went over to play with Grammy and Granddad while mommy and daddy worked in the basement. We think the dogs weren't the hit they had been the week before because poor Grammy and Granddad had a crying baby for 2 hours! They are the best!

So it is Sunday night and we are winding down. Elie is looking forward to hanging out with Lucy, Max and Miss Fonise tomorrow and mommy will be working on her project with Miss Wendy and the Kitchen renovation.