Jazz Fest 2013

Another great year at fest! This year is was just the four of us making the trip and we stayed in a hotel we've stayed at in the past. Eli and Maddux were very excited about this because they remembered that the hotel has an indoor pool. Perfect for post-fest relaxation.

We arrived in time for a late dinner with Uncle Catfish and his family on Thursday night. The kids had a great time playing with Caleb and Emory (who just turned 3) while we ate. That night was the only rough bedtime we had - the kids were exhausted from school, the long drive, and the late dinner, and that mixed with big excitement over Fest the next three days was a bad combo for 'happy hearts'.

The next morning the kids woke up early early....a real struggle for us since it'd been such a late night. We ate breakfast at the hotel and then went for a drive. Unfortunately this was the one day we knew we'd be getting rain. It poured all morning but started to let up just in time for fest to open at noon. However, the temperatures did not let up...it was so cold! I'd warned the kids, so Maddux and I had sweatshirts, but Eli left his in the car. Guess who had to borrow Daddy's shirt! We walked around to a few tents and stages (through some pretty intense mud and muck) until about 4PM when we called it quits and left to get an early dinner. We even had time to visit the pool before bed!

Saturday morning was the complete opposite of Friday. The kids slept in a little longer and kept themselves very quietly occupied (together!) in their room while Lehr and I took our time waking up. (We had a two-room suite...thanks, D!) The sun was shining, but the kids still took their sweatshirts into fest; I guess they learned from the day before. We planned to be at the gates when they opened because The Revivalists were opening on the Gentilly Stage. We got there early enough to snag a front row area and also plant a chair back where they were allowed. It was our loose plan to stay at that stage for several bands. Maddux made a friend right away: a chef who lived in NOLA. He was so nice and totally helped entertain the kids for a few hours with hula hoops, face paint, flags, and more. An added bonus: he had pink stickers promoting his new popsicle line.

After about four hours, we left to find another stage. (Gentilly is one that leaves you in the sun the whole time, so we were pretty beat by this point.) The kids got their first mango freeze of 2013 and we stopped at a few tents while they ate. After we finished our last show, it was too late to try for any mainstream restaurant, so we went a little off of the beaten path to the burrito place where Chef Neal worked. We ate and then tried some of the famous popsicles - the kids were very excited about that!

Sunday was windy, but sunny again. We met Uncle Catfish's family for beignets before fest. The restaurant was located in a park, so we ran around with all four kids for a while before we ate. And after we ate. We arrived at fest just after noon and went to the Economy Hall tent right away so Maddux and Eli could use their umbrellas in a Second Line. After that we made our way to the big stage (Acura) to try and grab a spot for Trombone Shorty. Of course we were all of the way in the back, but given the muck still on the field, a spot on the track behind the field was a good call. I set up a blanket to sit down on and Maddux almost immediately laid on my lap for a nap. She got about 15 minutes before she woke up and cozied with Eli for a few songs. The two were tired, but very well behaved and happy. We stayed for The Black Keys, but not for Shorty. After hitting a few more stages and having one more mango freeze, we headed back to the hotel. The kids wanted to swim just a little more, so Lehr ran out and grabbed a pizza for dinner. All in all, another great year at Jazz Fest!

2013 05 NOLA Jazz Fest from Nicole Eliason on Vimeo.

The Moments That Count

What a day. Lehr has been gone since Friday morning on a camping trip, so the kids and I have been flying 'solo' this weekend. Friday was pretty normal with playing after school and PT, but we did go out for a special dinner. (The kids chose Doc Chey's.) Today the only scheduled thing was Eli's morning baseball game. We left just after breakfast and managed to avoid the forecasted rain throughout the whole game. The game was amazing - Eli's team was absolutely on fire with batting and field defense. Eli had several great plays in there, making at least three outs as pitcher and second baseman. After the game we hung around for about 15 minutes so Eli could play catch with one of his teammates.



When we got home, Eli played outside with a friend (baseball, of course) while I made lunch and Maddux started packing for NOLA. After lunch there was some more playing, but just with Maddux and Eli this time. Eli was really REALLY patient with Maddux and tried to teach her a few rules about whiffle ball. (This is not the norm for him.) After they finished, Eli asked to look up some information and videos on the Bermuda Triangle. (He's been very interested this week.) Once we were done with the computer, we I set up some paints outside so the kids and I could paint the wooden alphabet I bought for the baby's room. The kids loved doing this. They each painted one or two before I made them take a break so the work area could dry. I heard the two of them discussing what they were going to play and it was A-MA-ZING how well they cooperated and it blew my mind how accommodating Eli was. Maddux always bends over backwards to make sure Eli is happy and they do something he likes, but this time it was him working around her. He even went on the swings with her (she loves them; he's over them). In the end they decided to do a boot camp/obstacle course thing (her choice) first and then play kickball (his choice). Somewhere in all of this, Eli brought up his birthday celebration again. He updates me at least once a week on what he thinks he wants to do this coming August. Today he said for our family celebration he wants to play kickball and for his friends he wants to play whiffle ball. More importantly, he asked that Maddux be on his team for both games. Wow.

Once they finished, we painted a few more letters and then went to pick up pizza. I'd told the kids we would eat pizza while we watched a movie. They've been asking to watch "The Princess Bride" for about a month. Eli lost one of his very very loose teeth on the way, making his day even better. He told me at least a dozen times that 'this was the best day ever', and he even told me that I was a good mommy because I plan fun stuff. I do love that kid! Now the kids are sleeping (or close to it), both in Maddux's bed. Life is good.

2013 04 E&M Backyard Obstacle Course from Nicole Eliason on Vimeo.

Baseball

Eli's team has been on quite the winning streak! After a rough start to the season between rain, cold and many losses, they have now won six of the last seven games. As it is every season, it has been so neat to see the growth in these players....they have come so far in just a few months! Eli has become an all-around player, rotating to different positions almost every inning. He is often found at pitcher or second base. Eli really shines in those two areas; he's very focused on where the ball is, and he often assists in or makes a few outs each game. His batting is solid, but he's not a big hitter by any means. He can hit some great line drives that advance him one or two bases (he's not the fastest runner), and because he is able to control the bat and ball so well, the coach sometimes signals him to bunt.

What I've noticed more this time around than in other seasons is his on-field relationship with his teammates. Some of it is likely due to the 'growing up' of the boys, but also this team is made up of at least half of the kids we were with in the fall. Our current coach is amazing and everything Lehr and I could ask for in someone coaching our child. He really focuses on the right things, as far as we're concerned, and we have seen more high-fiving, congratulating, and over all team support on the field than in any other season.

Perfection

Oh that girl. I can't get enough of her. It's been a while since I've had an opportunity to spend some time with her and the camera, but during spring break we had an unexpected 'free' afternoon. There is a field near us that blooms awesome little yellow flowers (weeds) for about a month in the spring...I've been waiting since last March to shoot Maddux there, and this week provided that opportunity. She is amazing. She is crazy, she is silly, she is beautiful and she is love.....

Night Shoes Breakthrough

So finally, after wearing the original shoes for almost a month, and the 'new' custom shoes for a week, we had almost a full week of Eli wearing the shoes for at least eight hours each night. Wow. There were many times in the last month when I thought this would never happen. Even now, after a 'good' week, I know we are still not over the struggle....this is still a difficult thing for Eli every night, but at least his feet have accepted the shoes more than they've rejected them. I'll take it.

Eli-n-Mommy Trip

In the last year or so, Lehr has had the opportunity to take each of the kids individually to the beach. Then last spring, Maddux was able to fly out west with me for a one-on-one trip for us. Recently I realized that Eli and I are the only combination that hasn't taken a trip, and time is ticking!

The only time that seemed to work for a trip was during a spring break weekend because sports and photo shoots were on hold. However, that meant a 7-month pregnant Mommy, which limited our options for where to travel. After much deliberation, I decided on a little touristy town in Tennessee. Eli was so so SO excited.

We left on Friday, just after Eli got home from school. We arrived at the hospital only in time to grab some dinner before bed. The next morning we woke up, ate some breakfast and walked to our first destination. The weather in Atlanta has been so cold and rainy, so when we woke up to sun and 60-degrees, I decided we'd walk the almost-mile stretch from the hotel to the Titanic Museum. Eli LOVED that museum, as I knew he would. I struggled to find things to do on our trip that I could still do with my growing waistline, and I knew the museum would be a home run. We had some afternoon time after we finished, so we went to the pool. Eli had a blast going down the water slide and playing UNO with me (waterproof cards) on the pool deck.

We then hopped in the car and drove about 15 minutes away to hike a little in the Great Smoky Mountains. We only did a few miles, but it was nice to be out of the touristy part of the city. Back at the hotel, we stayed outside and threw the baseball for about 30 minutes - Eli was calling all of the shots and he loved it. Before we ventured out for dinner, the two of us spent about 30 minutes on the balcony of our room, reading. I bought Eli a chapter book at the Titanic Museum and he wanted to sit on the 'porch' and read. (Can't argue with that!)

The next morning we went to another indoor activity area (we walked again!) where Eli could do some VR rides, pitch balls and see how fast and accurate he was, and do an indoor ropes course. I would have loved to do the course with him, but they wouldn't let me because of the pregnancy. I was SO proud and SO amazed of Eli. Even though Eli was connected by a rope in case he fell, he did a portion of the course all by himself - amazing. It was several stories up; we were inside a very 'tall' room and he went up as high as the middle level while he was working through the course. I held my breath the entire time, and kept watching in awe as he maneuvered the insane course. I could tell he was scared, but he never cried or let go or anything. When he got down he told me he was scared, but man, did he impress me!

We took another trip to the pool that afternoon and then got dressed for dinner. I'd secured tickets to a "Lumberjack Feud" dinner show for us. Eli absolutely loved it. It was probably the highlight of his trip. The lumberjacks threw axes and competed in log chopping contests and climbing contests, dogs came out and jumped over water and logs...its was awesome. This trip is one neither of us will forget any time soon, I hope!

More New Shoes

So we've been working through Eli's feet challenges for a month now. He's been wearing UFO 'boots' at night to help stretch his calves/Achilles, but we have only had one night where the shoes have actually stayed on all night. Most others, they are off by 9PM, only to have me put them back on as Eli sleeps. And that is done in vain because they end up getting kicked off/taken off again before midnight. It's gotten really bad in the last week and I think we may get one hour each night at most.

A few weeks back we went to the orthotist to get fitted for custom boots. The thought was that if we go custom, they'll fit and feel better, so they'll stay on better. This last Monday the boots finally arrived. While they felt 'fine' to Eli, they still ended up off by 9PM, so lehr and I put them back on, but once again, they were on the floor in the morning. Ugh - defeat.

Yesterday afternoon I took Eli to his weekly PT session. We do exercises and stretches every day at home, but he goes in once a week to work with the therapist. I brought the new boots to see if there was anything else she could suggest. She put them on, just as we had, and talked to him, just as we had, about the reality of casting should his feet not show progress soon. (We've all reminded him that the shoes are vital to his foot stretching and showing progress.)

Before bed, Lehr and I talked to him separately about really working hard to not take his shoes off during the night. I've reminded him that it will be uncomfortable for a few nights, but once he gets past that 'hard' spot, it will get easier. He called me back in just before 9PM because he felt the boots sticking together (heavy Velcro), so i helped rubber band his pant legs over them. He fell asleep and they were still on at 10:30 when Lehr and I went to bed (for the first time in a looooong time). And let me tell you it was like Christmas morning when we woke up this morning and he still had both boots on. He was SOO excited (as were we!) and soo proud of himself. We talked about a few things that bothered him through the night and how we can hopefully fix that tonight. Then we celebrated with a big pancake, egg and bacon breakfast before school. Big time.

I know he did not get quality sleep last night as he was surely in and out of consciousness several times, but he made it.... So hopeful this is the start of success.

Shades

Eli wears my old sunglasses to his games these days (the ones that aren't cancelled due to rain, anyway). I bought this pair about 10 years ago for biking and I never liked the way they fit (too big). Somehow he's recovered them and decided they are perfect for baseball. He asked me, "Mom, do these look cool?" when he put them on before the game this week. I love that boy with my whole heart and soul...

Game Time

What a crazy 'spring' it's been. Eli has had more games and practices cancelled (to be rescheduled) than he's actually played; our weather has been cold, wet, and COLD! Today was a bright spot in the season of cold sleet as it was 60 degrees and sunny. And the weather couldn't have picked a better time to cooperate because Eli's team was playing against Drew's team (Eli's BFF). The boys were sooo excited, of course. They didn't have much interaction during the game except for one play. Eli was playing second base and Drew hit a pop fly/line drive right into his glove. Eli didn't even have to move his feet to catch the ball.

Maddux's Musical Performance

This morning the Kindergarten classes at Maddux's school put on a musical performance for all of the adults. Maddux has been practicing songs and hand motions in front of the mirror (and not in front of the mirror) for weeks now, so I knew many of the songs already. The theme was "Squirm" and the songs were all about animals that make people squirm (snakes, bats, worms, spiders). As in the past, when Maddux catches Lehr or I watching her practice, her performance changes (less outgoing and intentional), and today during the performance she appeared to be not as 'into it' also. Such a shame; I'll try to catch some video of her practicing at home when she doesn't know I'm watching.