Happy Birthday Grandpa Tom!

This weekend we headed to Indy for a couple of big reasons: to celebrate Grandpa Tom's birthday and to meet our new niece Erin! We had a great time with everyone...Griff saved most of his kisses for tiny adorable baby Erin (for real) and he had a blast playing with Connor. We even got some pretty good pics of the family together which doesn't happen often! I've posted a few of the weekend, in absolutely random order.

"That's right, Mama, I just almost climbed OUT of the pack 'n play and then I was almost able to climb right back IN...but I'm so stinkin' cute...so who cares?"

[Seriously, it isn't going to be long...he was this close both on his attempt to get out AND his attempt to get back in]

Grandma Kris, Grandpa Tom, Erin, Connor and Griff

Cousin crash!

Loving the swing! Griff was very, very upset when we had to go inside to eat dinner. He was having such a good time in the sandbox...swing..."mowing" the lawn...and following Connor around in a general state of awe

The general "awe" I mentioned above... Griff followed Connor everywhere and was so QUIET around him...like he was afraid if he made noise, he'd miss something Connor did or said.

Another crash!

Clowning around with a mouth full of SNACK

And another mouthful...this time of birthday CAKE!

Singing to Grandpa Tom

Grandpa and his boys

Having daddy push him around in the car chasing Connor was so tough that Griff needed a beverage

Back in the cupholder and time to roll

Wrong way!

Grandma Kris got this family pic of us out and about on Friday

Cozin' Grandpa Tom

He Grew...

Overnight! I swear!

Elmo!

Griff and I were out and about yesterday picking up some necessities...when Griff "wows", points and yells "ELMO!" He saw a stuffed Elmo sitting on the shelf and was hopping up and down in the card in excitement...I asked him if he wanted Elmo to which he replied "YeaH!" while rapidly nodding his head. I honestly am not sure how he is even too aware of who Elmo even IS...other than one of his favorite songs being "Elmo's Song" (where there are no visuals of Elmo) he has only seen Elmo once (a big Elmo) at Learning Express...I don't think we've watched Sesame Street before...so it's pretty interesting to me how he sure he was that he saw ELMO and he wanted ELMO.

Here is a cute pic and video of Griff and his beloved Elmo. In his short time with us, Elmo has received quite a few Griff kisses and bear hugs. I'm definitely jealous, but I love it.

More Children's Museum Pics

Auntie Honey sent some more pictures from the Children's Museum last weekend so I thought I'd share. Griff got to spend even MORE time with her yesterday - she came over to hang out with Griff while Ben and I went to (another) wedding. I am pretty sure they had a blast and that Griff was fairly good for her, until he refused to let her put his pajama bottoms on after bathtime (quite common for him...he's very happy pants-less). THANK YOU Auntie Honey for helping us out. :)

"wowing" at lunch

New Nephew!

We are so happy to announce that we also have a new nephew! Mason Cole McElfresh was born this morning at 4:52 a.m. (EST) weighing 6 lbs, 8 oz and measuring 19 3/4 inches. We are told that mama and baby are doing well...and Eric has informed everyone that he looks just like Kayla: short with red hair! Ha!

Again, we cannot wait to meet this little cutie pie...especially Griffin. Griff has taken a very special interest in babies lately. Whenever we see one out & about he "wows", points and says "baby little, little". Well Griff is going to have a fun couple of upcoming weekends when he gets to meet both of his new cousins. They certainly are both worthy of "wows" and they are both "little!"

Congrats Kayla and Eric!

Who Loves Griff??

As I posted about before, Ben and I were recently gone for the weekend, without Griff...for the first real time. What made it much easier to be gone was that he was in such good, loving hands while we were gone: with our nanny and with the Atkinsons. Our nanny said that when Griff woke up on the Friday (Ben and I had left early that morning before he got up), he asked for me. She said she got the magnet of Ben and I that we had on the side of the fridge and gave it to him for him to look at. Not only did he look at it but he carried it with him, and she said even when they went to the library for storytime he kept it in his pocket and would stick his hand in periodically to make sure it was still there.

And, when he was very little, he had a teething book with pics of "who loves baby" in it...which was his favorite toy for quite some time. So, considering all of that coupled with the fact that Ben was scheduled to be out of town again on a six-week retrial, I decided to make a Shutterfly book for him of family pictures. It just came in the mail today, and when I handed it to him he would not put it down. In fact, when I asked him to sit with me so I could "read" it to him (help him turn the pages to see all of the pictures) he ran and emphatically said "MINE." I was finally able to get him to let me look at it with him, but then he took it away, went in his playroom, turned his back and got on his favorite car. When he turned around I saw that he had "hid" it in the hood compartment. Griff generally knows where the books go - on one of the shelves, or tossed on the floor in that general direction - but I've never seen him put one in his hood compartment...I don't think he's put anything in there at all, for that matter.

I think it's pretty stinkin' cute that he wants to hide away his book of people who love him, so he can keep it only for himself.



p.s. the good news is that we found out Sunday that Ben doesn't have to try his case any longer...so while he will likely still be traveling, it won't be for a straight six weeks. We are all VERY excited at that development, as we'd already endured that stretch once this year and we weren't looking forward to doing it again. :)

Children's Museum

Today we headed to Aurora to visit Auntie Honey. We had some lunch in downtown Naperville and then hit the Children's Museum. Griff had a blast and exhausted himself and Honey, Ben and I had lots of laughs.

Griff took a little snooze on the way there...

Fun w/ magnets...


Crazy laughs on the teeter totter

No time for posed pics when there is so much to do & play with!

The museum had lots of water fun, including this big bubble tube....we saw one little girl get it up over her head!

Yes, Daddy had a good time too.

Fun w/ rubber bands

And Griff, very deservedly, took a long snooze on the way home, too.