Elias - 3 Months

Our precious boy is 3 months old! A quarter of a year! He weighs 17 lbs and is 25 inches tall. He smiles so much and he laughs big belly laughs. 

His current favorite things are "Old McDonald," his play mat where he tries to talk to his floating butterflies while smiling, a sail rattle, and he loves when his big sister plays with him. 

Ellie builds tents for her and Elias to lay in together in the den and she sings to him and talks to him and he coos and smiles for the longest time. 

At 3 months old, Elias has already visited 3 states and taken his first road trip to Asheville where we went to the Biltmore Estate, and in a short time, he will have his first beach experience! 

He has celebrated his second holiday of his life now, that being the 4th of July however, he was in bed during the fireworks. It's not like he would care just yet. 

Every day he gets stronger and sturdier. He loves to swim. I think water in general just relaxes him. He sleeps through the night now nightly, praise the Lord! 

He officially wears size 12 months becuase he is so dang big! He has the sweetest crescent roll arms and thighs and a precious triple chin! I love me a chunky baby! 

And lastly, he has really become insanely alert. He tracks people, sounds, and objects. He listens hard. He now loves books when I read to Ellie. He looks at the bright colors on the pages and listens to all the voices made when reading for the characters and onomotopeia. And he loves the outdoors! He is a really calm, happy, sweet boy and reminds me still so much of Eric in both appearance and temperment. He is such a joy and such a treasure. Forever grateful God changed my heart so I could be this boy's mommy and watch him grow!

Monet & Friends Art Exhibit at Biltmore Estate

Ellie's artist study of the last term of her homeschool year was Claude Monet. We have countless wonderful children's books about Monet, biographies, and guides to his works. Ellie has been doing her own renditions of his masterpieces. It has been a really fun study!

When we can, with homeschooling, we take a field trip relevant to our current area of study or interests. How perfect that an immersive Claude Monet exhibit came to Biltmore Estate! This was a double win for us because I also got to show her a wonderful piece of history that I grew up visiting as we toured the estate. I got to teach her about architecture, art, pulley systems, way of life in the late 1800's - early 1900's,  how estates functioned then and now, their purpose, etc. 

When time came for us to visit the Monet & Friends (other impressionist artists) exhibit, Ellie became deeply excited! She wanted to know where her camera was so she could capture the experience for herself. She immersed herself in the moving images and we were able to discuss and recall information from our studies as the pictues displayed around us. She gasped endlessly with enthralling passionate excitement and pure joy. She hopped from wall to wall. "Mommy! Come here!" "Mommy, look!" "Mommy! It's the water lilies!" These were just some of her comments. I had several people come up to me over and over again to tell me that watching her was just as beautiful as watching the art. They thanked me for bringing her. They expressed how delightful and refreshing it was to watch her take joy in his work and to be so excited. She evoked joy in those around her and they clearly got a small taste of what Eric and I get daily from her! This - this joy of learning and experiencing - getting to be the first witness to that on a daily basis - is only ONE reason why I homeschool her. I LOVE being the one to see her first experience, her first reaction, and her first "I've got it!" moments. And I love the opportunity to do things like this field trip and have adventures!

Going to Biltmore and seeing the Monet & Friends exhibit was amidst mine and Eric's 7th wedding anniversary. We had an amazing, fun, and hilarious time with our two precious babies. 7 years - and doing this life together with these kinds of moments is what makes me so happy! 

Our entire trip was filled with Sierra Nevada for lunch one day, lunch at Biltmore another day, playing, swimming, touring, experiencing, learning, tasting, and lots and lots of deep belly laughs as a family, and just as a couple once the kids were in bed. Take all the trips. Take the kids, do all the things, make the memories!