Welcome to the family...

Jason and Sahsha have been together in what seems like forever!! So we were SO EXCITED when he proposed to her this weekend when they were back home for Christmas!! His creative was very creative.... I don't want to take anything away from it by trying to explain it on a blog... it's a much better story told by Sahsha or Jason. We got a picture with Eli, Sahsha and Jason... we made sure she showed the ring, even though Eli was the center of the picture, it's there I promise!! :)

To celebrate the new engagement all the brothers and sister-in-laws (and of course Eli) went to lunch together before they had to go back to Cinci. It was a wonderful time already filled with wedding discussion.... just the beginning of lots!! And of course play time with his newly engaged Uncle Jason.

Can't wait!! We love you guys!!

Extended Hendricks' Family Christmas

Saturday, we had the Extended Hendricks' Family Christmas. It's always a good time!! It's at my mom and dad's house. My aunts and uncles and all my cousins and all their kids all come. Needless to say is a packed house.... this time it was about 30 people and of those 30, 12 of those were kids mostly under 5. NUTS!!! :) There are so many of us, the only place we can all fit to eat is in the garage!!

This year my cousin Jenny and her husband Todd who moved to Georgia in March of last year were home for it, so we got to catch up with them and their 6 kids!! (They are those parents who should actually have 6 kids :) Last year we had to miss it (we were in the hospital trying to have Eli) so they hadn't seen Eli yet, so that was fun. This is really about the only time where we all (cousins and kids) all get to see each other and hang out. It's also a good time for all the kids because there's like a zillion of them running around and plenty of people to play with. It was utter chaos.... just what family gathering are suposed to be!! :)

Hair Cut

So I can't title this 1st hair cut because in October when I went out to dinner with some girl friends, I came back and Eli's hair was cut. Nico had been "threatening" to cut it but I didn't think he'd follow through!!! He kept saying it looked like Eli had a mullet. So he just trimmed up the back. The good news was he did a decent job and he knew enough to keep it for his baby book.

Hair cut #2.... This time both Nico and I thought it was getting shaggy but we were afraid to cut it before his birthday or Christmas because we didn't want him to look like a FREAK in any of those pictures if we screwed it up, so we waited until after. Nico really did it all, I just took pictures!! :) Eli was GREAT!!! He just sat there and watched it all in the mirror.

We cut A LOT off.... I should have taken a picture of the pile of hair. But he looks SO CUTE!!!! Much more like a little boy and not a baby. (which makes mommy a little sad.... but it's inevitable he grows up:)

Hendricks Family Christmas

On Christmas afternoon, we went over to my mom and dad's to open presents. Cora and Keenan did a GREAT job of waiting until it was their turn to open presents. Eli did a GREAT job of sitting on Grandma's lap. Near the end, they all got antsy and we let them free!! :)

Nico got his GPS which he now spends most waking minutes learning about.

Eli got LOTS of fun stuff including a Laugh and Learn Kitchen.

I got my camera!! See future blog pictures.... it has a FAST shutter, so I can finally get pictures of Eli's face rather than the side of his head because he's moved!! :)


Nico and Keenan also got Transformer masks that can change the sound of your voice.... I don't know which one loved it more!! :)

Lots of presents, lots of laughs and LOTS of love!!

Our 1st Family Christmas

Nico and I were SO EXCITED for our 1st family Christmas!! Before Eli, we always split up our presents and opened 1/2 with both sides of our family. This year, we did it just the 3 of us!!

Like I said, Eli's not really into opening presents, so I had to for him. And if it was up to him, he'd get boxes and water bottles.... he loved playing with those rather than his presents.

It was a GREAT 1st Christmas together!!

Tigulis Family Christmas

Nico, Eli and I have been blessed with WONDERFUL families!! A really cool thing from the beginning has been the ease of time at Christmas. Nico's family has Christmas on Christmas Eve and my family has it on Christmas Day. So there's no arguing over who goes where when. :) So this year our plans were: Tigulis' side Christmas Eve; Just Nico, Eli and I on Christmas morning; Hendricks' side Christmas afternoon. It worked out GREAT!!!

We had a YUMMY dinner at Donna and Tot's house and then Eli opened his presents.

He's still not into "opening" them himself, so I had to help!! Eli got a Laugh and Learn House from Uncle Jason & Aunt Sahsha.

From Uncle Andy and Aunt Andrea he got some church clothes and a VERY NEAT book that has pictures of our entire family and how much they love Eli.

From Baba and Dedo he got a FUN sit and spin zebra.

After all that, it was night-night time for Eli.

The rest of us opened all the presents once he was out. After that, we played Andy's Left, Right, Center Game.... lots of fun, especially since Nico and I won $16.00. Then about midnight we drove home. It was a OUTSTANDING Christmas with the Tigulis Family!!

Eli's FIRST Birthday Part 3

All in all, it was a WONDERFUL day!!

Aa HUGE thanks to Aunt Andrea and Aunt Sahsha who did TONS of behind the scenes work for Nico, Eli, and I!! LOVE YOU!!

Thanks so much all of you that came and celebrated with us. It really meant a lot!! And those that weren't able to.... like we said, we WAY understand and look forward to seeing you in the summer for all the rest of the birthdays!!! :)

Eli's FIRST Birthday Part 2

The cake...

Eli wasn't so much into the cake, so mommy had to help him along.

Then when it came time to actually eat it.... he'd have no part in that. That's when Nico
shouted "That's because we are healthy eaters son, we don't eat junk like that." :)
He eventually got it all over his face, hands, hair, ears... you get the picture.

So we had a quick bath and returned to the party open
gifts. He got LOTS of good stuff!! He's got plenty of toys and clothes to last
him an entire year.

Eli's FIRST Birthday Part 1

Eli was born at 10:30 AM on December 24th 2006!! :) We know the Holiday season is NUTS for everyone, so this is the one and only time we are having his BIG BIRTHDAY party close to his actual birthday. From here on out.... we are celebrating his half birthday. :) I thought this would be a GREAT way to divide up the presents and now after seeing all his birthday AND Christmas gifts, I'm even more in favor of it.

We decided to have his party on Sunday, the 23rd, so we could have at least a few people besides our family there to celebrate and did we EVER. We had a HOUSEFUL and it was WONDERFUL. Lots of good food (thanks to grandma and aunts) and even better conversation and FUN!!

A Few Random but TOO cute pictures

Eli wrestling with Santa Bear

Scoping him out:

Planning the attack:

Attack:

We all LOVE this one.... it's like he's saying "They don't have any idea what I just did" :)

Last Swimming Lesson

Our last swimming lesson was supposed to be a while back, but because of the weather it kept getting cancelled. But there were really good about making sure we got it in. Don't know if Eli's going to be the next swimming Olympian, but he had a GREAT time and now LOVES to put his whole face in the water!!

Nico's BIG 3-0 Birthday

We did Nico's family birthday party the weekend before his birthday because that's when family could all get together (see previous blog :) But we still had to celebrate on his ACTUAL birthday. He had a GREAT Birthday. His fellow RAT teachers at school, put his head on a BUNCH of pictures of JC Penny's models from a catalog from the 1970's and posted them ALL AROUND school. The music teacher even had the 5th graders convinced Nico was a model. They were HILARIOUS!!!

Then after school, All Star DJ's did the Twist for Tot's Dance at CC. A good time was had by all, but if Nico and Mike have to hear 1 more song from either of the High School Musicals or Hannah Montana ever again they might scream!!

Nico got to choose dinner that night, so he chose Pizza King in Auburn. So, my mom, dad, Nico and Eli and I drove up for some GOOD pizza... it was the first time mom and dad had had Pizza King. Nico was SO excited to introduce it to them.

We went home and opened presents then.... Nico's favorite part. :) He got some good stuff, but I think his favorite was the "Daddy & Eli" picture I made for him for his office at school. He took it to school the very next day. I hear he was showing it off like a proud papa.

All in all it was a GREAT day.... minus the part where Nico had to turn 30 :) :)