Oh hello, blog

I have been such a bad blogger lately, but we still haven't decided what to do about our camera, so I'm lacking in pictures and therefore motivation to blog.  But we are alive and well!  It's getting pretty hot around here so we've been going to the pool once or twice a week and staying indoors a lot more.  We've also been going to the library a lot but they're closing tomorrow for a few weeks because they're moving into a new building. :(  It will be great once they get in there - I've heard it's much nicer - but that takes away one of the three places we go to regularly (pool, Walmart, library - exciting, I know), so that will be a bummer.

Tomorrow marks 7 weeks since we arrived in Alabama and there will be 7 weeks left until Jeremy finishes his internship.  So we're about halfway!  Crazy.  I'm glad we've survived.  Time flew by during the past year in Pittsburgh, but it's definitely slowed down since coming here.  There are certain things we'll miss about being here - Jeremy home a lot more, central air conditioning, lots of space and yard - but other than that I'll think we'll be happy to get back.

The boys have been really cute and entertaining lately.  Eli talks ALL THE TIME.  He's jabbering away as I type this, playing with his legos and some other random things, narrating stories and dialogues as he goes.  And Connor is starting to talk a lot more too.  Not very coherently, but he's starting to act like he's talking with all the right inflections and everything and it's so cute!  I love this stage.  He says a few things that resemble "Thank you" (daydoo), "There you go!" (ay-oh - with the right inflection) and "uh oh"...all the time.  It's very fun.  He always helps Jeremy get ready in the morning by handing him his shoes and socks while saying his "ay-oh".

We've also started a document on the computer where we write down funny things Eli says.  Here are a couple:

• When he was picking up some pieces of a game, he says in a discouraged voice, "I'm having a hard time!"
• This one was from a few months ago, but he went in to go to the bathroom by himself and closed the door.  A couple minutes later Jeremy knocked on the door to see if he was okay and he says, "I'm just workin' on it here, Daddy.  I'm just workin' on it."
• One night while reading scriptures Jeremy and I got very silly and animated and started reading in a loud preacher-ish voice and he yells, "Stop reading so loud!  I can't understand you when you read so loud!!! Talk softly!"
• And last - the other day I went to take a shower while Connor was napping, so I told him, "Okay bud, I'm going to go take a shower now" and he says, "Okay. I'll be good.  I'll be a good boy for you."  What a sweetie. :)

He also amazes me with his vocabulary.  Of course now that I write that I can't remember a single interesting word he's said lately so I'll have to start writing those down too.  Mostly they're words we've read in books - yea for reading!

And here are some phone pictures.  It's so hard to get good ones of the boys with my phone because the time delay is forever, so by the time it takes it they've moved on, but whatever.  Here we go.

 This was at the pool last Saturday.  It was sunny when we got there, but you can see Tropical Storm Debby starting to roll in...

 So we moved to the indoor pool...

I've been so amazed with how well Eli has done in the water.  He used to be really afraid, but he loves it now!  He just hangs out in his little tube and kicks around and never wants to leave.  He starts swim lessons in a week and a half, so I'm hoping his enthusiasm will stick around for that!  It should be fun.  We've been very grateful to have the Rec Center to go to - there are two huge pools and a big splash pad thing, so that has been a lifesaver for us.  We all get some exercise and sunshine without melting outside in the heat.  It's a win!