What?!? Me messy???

We're a little backblogged here at the Rickert household, but until I can catch up, here is a little tidbit o' Elliott...

Elliott fingerpainted some art for Daddy for Father's Day. I think the real present was that Daddy wasn't there to help clean up.

Super Sunday

So, today was the BEST DAY EVER! For breakfast, we went to Busch Gardens and had breakfast with Elmo, Big Bird, Cookie Monster, Bert and Ernie!!!!

In this picture, Elliott looks like he is in shock. He was definitely starstruck.

They came out on stage (which was only like 15 feet from us) singing, "Sunny Days," and I swear, Elliott peed himself in excitement. Fortunately for all involved, Elliott wears diapers.

Elliott is saying, "Hey Mom, Look! Its Sesame Street! At breakfast! Look! Cookie Monster! Look! Elmo! Look!" They don't really have words for this emotion. I think ecstatic might come close.

Elliott touches Ernie's nose. "Is this really happening, or am I dreaming??"

Elliott awed by Elmo's greatness.

Every time Elliott was around Cookie Monster, he said, "Num num num num," while pretending to stuff cookies in his mouth.

Mommy and Elliott with Bert.

Then to finish off the day, Mommy and Elliott made cupcakes. Elliott did the sprinkles. And then in a fit of joy, Elliott got to eat one. One word... bliss. While eating his cupcake, Elliott would randomly laugh or say "Yum."

Best day ever.

Melancholy: Love of Locks

So, today it finally happened. We said goodbye to Elliott's baby curls. And I must say, I was not expecting the immense sadness that came with it! I mean, he's already had his first haircut, but they left the curls intact (mostly due to necessity - Elliott said the haircut was done!) But Elliott was cruising dangerously close to mullet zone and I recently had a couple of older women who asked, "Its a boy, right?".... so I knew the time had come. The curls had to go.

I thought I was prepared. I packed a snack and brought several favorite items that I hoped would entertain Elliott for a couple of minutes - a "chip clip" from the fridge and two of his swirly glitter-in-water cups (weird selections I know, but our child is not your average hand-me-a-toy-and-I'm-happy kind of kid.) I was even prepared for the awful keening that erupted when the hairdresser brought out the clippers and water bottle (I'm not sure what part of "my kid doesn't like to be squirted with water" that she didn't understand.) But I was NOT prepared for the raw mom emotion that rose up in me after the hair cut was over and the stylist was positively sweating in relief that her most difficult client of the day (or possibly week?) was finished. I was SAD. Hmmm.... maybe DESPONDENT is a better word. I felt like the kid who ran out of the house with a dollar in hand just as the ice cream truck turns out of the neighborhood. (Do ice cream trucks still exist?) Who knew a couple of (shimmering, silky, bouncing, joy-imbued) blonde locks could instigate such a postpartum response!

But he is so HANDSOME in his big boy 'do. See for yourself... along with a couple of photos pre-haircut - for nostalgia's sake.

Front view
Side view

Making pancakes with Dad Saturday morning. Elliott wants to "cook" all the time now.

Elliott plays peek-a-boo.

Elliott feeds himself yogurt. He looks pretty satisfied with himself!

How big is Elliott?

SO BIG!! Elliott has been embracing summer in a big kind of way. I swear, I blinked and it turns out that I have not a baby, but a little boy! Here's a little of what we've been up to since our last post.

I see you!! Elliott got a big kick out of the lids to the pots when he realized he can see through them.

Elliott helps Mommy cook eggs for breakfast. He put pepper in his pot, and at one point, he stuck his finger in and tasted it... wow, do I wish I had the camera ready for that face. That was even better than the popsicle!

Reading Hand, Hand, Fingers, Thumb, with Dad. This is Elliott's favorite book of all time, and he is now finally able to say the line, "Dum ditty dum ditty dum dum dum." Well, kind of. It kind of sounds like "duh duh duh," but we know what he means.

Here's Elliott at the playground, perhaps waiting for cute little girls to come kiss him. In the meantime, Elliott practices crossing the bridge.

Elliott takes his new horsey for a joyride on his pony. Thanks Mrs. Lynn and Mr. Jim for the Clydesdale - E loves it. Now, if we could only think of a name...

Playground Love

Just a quick post... no pictures, but I had to share this. Yesterday, Bret and I took Elliott to the playground before dinner. At the park was this cute little 2 year old named Kylie who was playing in the sand. Elliott sauntered over and was acting interested in the stick she was moving around in the sand. In no time, Kylie is leaning over giving Elliott kisses. We got Elliott a stick too and he played side by side with her for the rest of the time we were at the park. It was the sweetest thing - albeit, kind of scary! My son's a player! The girls are already swooning over him at the playground, and he's not even 15 months yet.

E-I-E-I-O

"Old MacDonald" is Elliott's favorite song. He requests it (by saying "e-i-e-i-o") incessantly when we are in the car. So this post is dedicated to Old MacDonald.

Baby Elliott had a garden, E-I-E-I-O...

Elliott helps Mommy plant flowers (those are Elliott's own gardening tools - kid-size!).

Elliott helps Daddy plant vegetables. He weeds, too!

Mommy, do you see how dirty the garden is? We have lots of sweeping to do here!

And in that garden, there was a tractor, e-i-e-i-o. With a vroom, vroom here, and a vroom vroom there....

Elliott when Daddy takes him off the tractor.

Elliott eats the first strawberry of the season.... fresh out of the garden.

Still sweeping...

And dusting off the pepper plants too. What a good little helper!

Elliott watches the Today show

So, if you know me, you know I am obsessed with the Today show, and most other NBC news programming. Well, most mornings Elliott watches the first hour of the Today show with me while I drink some orange juice and he drinks some milk. Well, last week, they had this bizarre segment on about tummy tubs, where infants are placed in buckets to bathe and it supposedly simulates the womb (do check out the link... it's quite hilarious.) Well, apparently it must have made an impression on Elliott. Later, while Mommy was at the gym and Daddy and Elliott were cleaning up the kitchen after breakfast, here is what Bret found:

That would be Elliott sitting IN a pot. Just goes to show you... children pick up on everything.