When are we going to stop having crazy busy months? soon I think. Since the last post: visit from Joe, visit from Grandpa and Nana, 6 Servas guests in a week, visit from Zach, visit from Daddy and Tia's aunt Mildred and uncle Vince, visit from Scott... and I'm probably forgetting something/someone. We really had a blast and love having all the visitors, don't get me wrong. not much time for blogging though... Following is a mixed up collection of photos.



helping in the garden. she really loves to water the plants.


eating watermelon with daddy. she still likes the big piece...


hiking on top of Sandia Peak with mommy's cousin Joe. He spent his 4 day leave with us before he was deployed to Iraq with the WI national guard. Eleri really had fun playing with him and so did we.


at the zoo with mommy and Nana


rockin' out with grandpa


chillin' in the kitchen


hardcore hiking at Chaco. Zach in the lead.


playing in the little doors at Pueblo Bonito at Chaco


very unapproving of having her hat used as a hair tie


on a bike ride with daddy


a visit from Mildred and Vince








at the botanical gardens on mother's day. we had a fun, lazy time playing in the grass for a couple hours


being cute in the plaza


being silly in the plaza


playing canasta with Grandpa and Nana


with James and Jane in the hot tub


hummingbird. taken from the hot tub


coloring with Nana during her way too short visit


for the cosmophiles

April Highlights
Monster post, and plenty left out for later. I guess that's what happens during a busy month.... We'll try to be better bloggers in the future. Pics by Megan, narrative by Sam. Coming soon, visit with Cousin Joe and Grandpa and Nana.


being silly with Rob at the Stinson Beach house


playing sand with Rina at Stinson Beach


at Limantour Beach


hiking at muir woods


golden gate park


enjoying the James Turrell installation at the DeYoung Museum in SF


canoeing with grandma, papa and daddy on the rio grande


baking bread with daddy and papa on easter


cosmo regarding the helicopter


shopping with grandma over easter break


makin' pizza

Here is a short list of some of my favorite Eleri expressions this month:

Right now...or later?
Help! I need help. I need help coloring.
What are you doing?
Let's do it!
Right now, right now!
I excited!
...in the whole world.
...tonight.
I like yooouuuu.
Not yyeeetttt...


She's also on her way to mastering her first full-fledged song - which is still charming even after about 80 times per day.

Do a der a female der
Ray a drop ah goden SUN!
Me a name a call ahh self
Fa a long long long long RUN!
So a needle needle THREAD!
La ahhhh SO!
Tea ah da da da da bread.
...... Do do do do

Here's a little more Eleri trivia for the month:

As of today, Eleri has taken 16 separate airplane trips.
Eleri has been to 3 countries.
Eleri has been to 11 states.
Her favorite restaurant is Old Town Pizza.
She likes to list her favorite friends.
Her favorite pastimes are coloring, tea parties, playing at the playground, playing in the sandbox or dirt, swimming, and cooking.
Her favorite songs are "Dewatis (What is) Love" (Haddaway) and "Turn the Car Around" (O.A.R)

here's some recent drawings. she started a couple weeks ago making faces and then asking, "happy or sad?" Then the faces progressed to having hair and ears and bodies. Then she started drawing particular people. Observe.


the artist at work

her very first face



most recent masterpiece

train with daddy 2

more train vids on youtube. this one features the abc song

with grandma on Lake Nemakagon in Cable, WI

In the van with Damjan and grandma

round and round at the milwaukee public museum



with grandma anne and great grandma at applebees



oops, forgot the coat. forgot that winter is cold outside....

with ian at the botanical gardens a few weeks ago



hiking with mommy and daddy out at the volcanoes -- "empty place"

at the meteor crater visitor center


lunch in Flagstaff




Skiing in Flagstaff



Skiing in Durango

durango skiing

These are photos that Eleri took, with our old camera. I guess that's a milestone, composing photos on the blog and not just posing.

birkie training



if only the rest of us were training so hard....