Safe and Sound

We are home now, safe and sound and getting back into the groove of island life. All the summer fun has begun. Soon we will bring pictures of the festivals and cultural summer. Elijah is into everything and just recently taken his first steps. He's still not too sure about the walking thing, but he's gaining confidence.
Elijah loves playing in the water...good thing since it's all around us. We spent this afternoon at the pool and he hated getting out. He splashed and played, then took the best nap of his life! Wooohooo! I think we have a little olympic athlete in the making.

Truly on the Go

Most of you know, we are in the US visiting friends and family while Chris is taking a school in Atlanta. All three of us enjoyed some time in Phoenix just relaxing, hanging out with family and catching up with friends before parting company. Chris then headed East to Atlanta to sit in front of a computer for three weeks, while Elijah and I spent a couple of days in Southern California and then headed north to Roseville. It was good to see friends and family in Orange County, but unfortunately there is never enough time to catch everyone. For those of you we didn't see, we truly missed you. It was a genuine surprise visit because my mom actually had no clue we were coming. Needless to say she has enjoyed every moment with us.

Everyday, Elijah is doing and saying new things. He has the essentials down including 'mama' 'dada' 'poop' 'dog' 'grandpa' and 'grandma'. Everytime he sees a dog he just wants to play. Check out the new videos and watch him thoroughly enjoy harassing Aunt Alexa's little puppies.

He also likes playing in the water. I think he may be our little swimmer in the future. He's got it down.

Family and Friend outing

Before Chris left, we went on a day trip with our good friends Ryan and Angie Miller. They took us to some cool places, including the volcanic cave. We decided to save that adventure for another time, but we did continue our travels and ended up stopping at this beautiful 'miradouro' (lookout point). The boys spent their time throwing large boulders and pebbles into the ocean far below. For those of you planning to see us, you too and enjoy this great past time. We also took some scenic pictures and family portraits with the beauty surrounding us. We hope you enjoy them as much as we do.

Growing Up

It is amazing how time flies. I realize it seems to go faster as we get older, but nothing tells time like the maturation of a child. It seems like not too long ago our little bundle had just arrived. I remember cradling him in my arms and snuggling with his serene body as the skin just hung from him bones. He was so tiny even his skin was too big. Now, I soak up every half-second where he will be still in my arms and maybe rest his precious head on my shoulder. He has turned into a boy who is full of life, laughter and motion. First, he began to roll over and enjoyed life from a new perspective. Then he began to do the 'dead man's crawl' (he still doesn't do a true crawl). Now, he is learning to pull himself to a stand and walk along the edges of the furniture to get where he wants to go.
I often hear parents complaining about their children growing up. They say "I wish he/she would stay this age forever." This is not so with the Noll's. Chris and I often discuss how exciting it is that Elijah is becoming more independent. We glow with pride as we watch our baby develop new skills and reach for new things (usually stuff we leave on the couch accidentally). It is actually an engrossing process watching a child grow in independence. We especially look forward to watching Elijah grow in his knowledge and love for Jesus. As exciting as it is to watch all the earthly developmental stages, I can only imagine it being 100x's as exciting to watch a child grow and fall in love with his Creator, His Maker and begin to call Him his Friend who sticks closer than a brother. We are glad to have all of you share in the joy as we watch Elijah become a boy, and eventually a man of God

An Ear Fettish

Elijah has discovered his ears. At first we thought he may have an ear infection because he was pulling on his ear, but soon he discovered the other ear. As he is developing his fine motor skills he is learning how to play with his ears. One of his favorite things to do is to use his pointer finger and slowly find his ear hole. It is not rare to find him playing with a toy in one hand while laying or sitting there with his other index finger in his ear. Maybe he finds it comforting because he often falls asleep in this position.