Family of Three

Prior to the arrival of baby #2, we decided it would be nice to have some family photos taken. We found a wonderful photographer in Florence names Tracy Wright and she turned utter chaos into something we will cherish for years to come.

Happy 2nd Birthday Elijah!

Elijah is 2 years old!!!! Despite us nearing the end of this pregnancy, we managed to pull together a little get together with some of his friends. The weather was so beautiful, so we had outside water fun and ice cream cake! It was a wonderful time and Elijah loved playing with friends and playing with all the balloons (for days after the party too).

Elijah with his friends, Kate and Richard Genoble

Elijah's Aunt Carol was so sweet to stop by to say Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday to you :)

Opening his present from Mommy and Daddy. A Thomas the Train Lights and Sound big wheels! Choo choo!!!!!

Elijah doing a Boogie Monster dance in his Boogie Monster legs, a gift from the Hanners Family

It's PETE THE CAT and his shoes! Thank you Aunt Carol!

Balloon fun. Matt got these all tangled up for Elijah so he could attack them and roll around with them on the floor. Then, we realized to could throw a soft blanket over them and bounce even more while attacking them! So much fun and they've lasted a week now!

Thank you to everyone who came by and made this day really special for our beautiful 2 year old boy. 

Sara Elise Graduates!

Sara Elise Spinazzola has been Elijah's first and favorite babysitter this past year. We met her very shortly after we moved to Florence. She started out as our babysitter, but quickly became part of the family as she and her mother helped to keep Elijah after I returned to work this past fall.

Today, Sara Elise graduated high school and we're thrilled for her and a little sad too. We were invited to the party and were so excited to be able to attend. It was extra exciting for Elijah, since he was going into Carol and Sara Elise withdrawal.

Elijah quickly familiarized himself with the guests, many of which were high school girls that he has met over the last year with Sara Elise and he became the adorable little guy of the party. It was so sweet seeing all the girls gush over him....he is pretty handsome. He loves being at the Spinazzola house so much, what with his favorite ladies, Lucy the dog, their cat, a fish and fun stuff to do!

Sara Elise, Elijah and Aunt Carol (Elijah's stand-in-mom). Aunt Carol was also Elijah's teacher at All Saint PMO this past year. He's really going to miss her so much next year as he moves into the next class.  

Our little photographer

"Cheese"

Mommy, 37.5 weeks prego

Elijah flirting with everyone

It was wonderful getting to congratulate Sara Elise and give her our best wishes for this new chapter in her life. Although we'll see her throughout the summer, we're so sad to know that we won't be able to see her everyday. 

Ms. Kim's Horses

This weekend, we had a wonderful opportunity to visit a friend at her home. Kim Gregg, one of the wonderful women I get to work with at Carolinas Hospital, owns several horses on her family property and had given us an open invitation. I decided to call her and we scheduled a visit. It was AWESOME!!!!!!! Little did I know, it would turn into a full afternoon of horses, riding Gator 4-wheelers, food and fun! Kim was a wonderful hostess, as well as her very kind and welcoming family.

When we arrived, we were greeted by the entire family and extended family as well. They all live in close proximity and get together most every weekend for "Sunday Funday". They're just those kind of wonderful people. Since I'm big and pregnant, Matt was kind enough to do the demonstration of riding a horse, to encourage Elijah a bit.

A real live horse! :)

Cowboy Matt

Matt rode off into the woods and since it seemed he would be gone for a bit, Kim's daughter (she has twin 15yr old girls) Carolyn, took us on a Gator ride. Elijah and I sat in the front seat together with Carolyn and we rode off for a fun tour of the trails. Elijah LOVED it. He even took some time to drive himself afterwards.

Elijah driving the gator and loving it!

After awhile, Elijah agreed to get on a horse for a ride. See, Elijah has a stick horse, which actually used to by mine when I was a child. One of his favorite things to do is to ride the stick horse while carrying Daddy's phone listening to the Lone Ranger theme song. It's hilarious! Anyhow, we knew he would love to see a real horse and maybe even go for a big horse ride. He did!

The video is on Matt's phone, so I'll have to try to add it later, but Elijah really enjoyed his time with the horses and we greatly appreciate the entire Gregg Family for making us feel so welcome in their home and farm. 

Just a few random shots

Summer is in full swing here and we've been having so much fun. Elijah has also been growing by leaps and bounds. At his last doctors appointment, they noted he had grown 2 inches in the past 6 months! Still approximately 30lbs, but growing like a weed and running everywhere he goes! It's difficult to snap great photos, but here a few great shots. Enjoy.

Elijah going super high in his awesome swing from the Palka Family, on his new swing set!!!

Vacuuming his truck on a random morning. 

Elijah and Mommy, 36 weeks pregnant. 

Oh, you know, just your usual Saturday morning, trying to use the potty with coaching from Daddy and an iPad for entertainment. 

Our big happy boy.  

One word, handsome. 

Nucor Lunch Date with Daddy and Friends

Today, our amazing Nucor family threw a Baby Shower Luncheon for us! We feel absolutely blessed and honestly humbled to be a part of such a closely knit family.

So, I picked Elijah up from school a bit early and we headed over to Nucor to "see Daddy". We were greeted at the gate by Matt and he escorted us right up to the front door, since at this point, with my sciatic pain, I'm not walking well. Elijah was scooped out of the car and despite his initial shyness, he warmed up to people quickly.

Elijah making friends over the radio with Joe Fronzoglio

Nucor's next summer intern, in charge of communication, with a side in safety

Elijah opening a very special gift, just for him, from Kathy Palmer. She is over the HR department and has been a cornerstone in our overall extremely positive experience with Nucor. 

Who doesn't love BALLOONS!!!!!

A rare picture of Elijah and Daddy (in one of his work uniforms) :)

Georgetown, SC Vacation

It seems that I somehow missed the entire month of April, but maybe Matt has pictures to recap the fun. In May, we went on a family vacation to Georgetown, SC, about 2hrs from our home. My mom flew in a day early to help with packing the car and entertaining Elijah on the ride down. The next day, Uncle Juju, Trink, my dad, his eldest sister, Karen, and Matt all joined at various times. It was a really wonderful and enjoyable week at the "Debi-doo".

Baby brother being utilized as an armrest. We're 34 weeks and counting down. 

My modest baby-bump-suit. My Aunt Karen and I were deep in discussion about the woes of pregnancy. She carried twins!

Aunt Karen and my Daddy. She helped raise and mold my father into the man he is today, though her stories were quite enlightening :) She was an absolute joy to be around and we all wished she could have stayed longer than 2 days. 

Our handsome little wild man

Dinner date

Fun in historic Georgetown

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Uncle Juju digging a very deep hole on the beach. 

And....Elijah. In the 3 foot deep hole!

Aunt Trinka stuck in the hole. At least that was more entertaining for Elijah. 

Hmmm....the similarities are uncanny. 

Spring and Easter Fun

As spring went into full swing, we had tons of things planned as we enjoyed our last few months of being a family of three. I've tried to plan activities and outings to make the time more special and I think it's been a huge success. Furthermore, Matt has been making a huge effort in being home each night for dinner and at the very least, bath time, since it's getting quite difficult for me as I grow bigger by the day. Elijah really enjoys his time with Daddy also, since Daddy has the unique (at least for now) ability to run, chase, wrestle and play as hard as Elijah can handle. I'll be back in the game soon enough.

This update starts with our Easter fun. No pictures of decoration eggs, since it was a bit tricky already. We did make awesome bunny faces though, which was possibly more enjoyable for Daddy than Elijah.

Daddy's bunny face, with some coloring help from Elijah. 

I also had a wonderful opportunity to attend Elijah's school Easter Egg hunt and party. It was so much fun being able to watch all the children search for eggs and see their excitement when they realized there were treats inside! 

Elijah and Mommy selfie :)

Elijah on his egg hunt

Elijah's "CHEESE" face while enjoying snacks in his truck 

Elijah and Daddy had some special fun over Mommy's drill weekend. They played at home, had a date at the mall and then some. Elijah loves the Thomas the Train table at Barnes and Noble. He also had a blast getting in the rides, although he didn't like it when they actually moved. 

Thomas the Train, or "CHOO CHOO"!!!

For Easter, we decided to do a little get together with our good friends, the DeFiori's. Their daughter, Ava, is several months younger than Elijah and really enjoys all the funny things he does. They play together very well and it was pretty adorable watching them search for eggs and eat the little toddler treats inside. 

Elijah snacking on treats and flirting with Ms. Ava

Easter morning :)

Daddy has also been helping out by taking Elijah to school occasionally. Elijah definitely loves that special time with Daddy, though I think sometimes he tries to pull a stunt to see if he'll get away with it. 

What goldfish??? I have no idea how this happened?!

During Elijah's Spring Break, we ventured down to the Myrtle Beach Aquarium for a morning. It was awesome, though I wasn't able to capture too many great photos, what with chasing Elijah and being prego. Matt, unfortunately, was at work and unable to join. 

We were right up close to several sharks when we were going through their glass  walkway. Elijah, with his new interest in shark and other scary/loud animals, was amazed!

Captain Elijah, reporting to the hull.

And with it being spring break, we spent a ton of time outside (though the temp dropped mid-week). Elijah enjoyed playing with Maggie, riding around in his wagon and playing at the park. 

Snacks in the wagon

Swinging on the big swing at the park

Elijah's "CHEESE"...love it!

And on the cold and rainy day, we did a profuse amount of BUBBLES in the tub. I think he enjoyed it, as did I.