Changes at the Gutierrez House

Things have been changing in our home - some big changes!!!

Elijah is now in a new room and in a new big bed! That's right...we have finally graduated him from his crib. (yes, that means Natalie is not in the crib yet - or in her own room. Elijah has been hogging her bed and room...or maybe it's just the parents who are taking forever to get things done so Elijah can get out!!!) Anyway, Wednesday night was the big night! Elijah has been watching and helping us as we worked in his new room so he got used to the idea that he was moving rooms/beds. He was so excited to finally sleep in his new room! We weren't sure how he would do in the big bed, if he would stay in there or think it was fun to get in and out of bed or the room. We had no problems though! The first night he fell asleep right away (which doesn't usually happen but was probably because he didn't have a nap at all that day). Even for naps, he has been great at getting in bed and staying there. He is still calling for us in the morning though. He hasn't quite figured it all out that he can get out on his own. For now, we'll enjoy that time. :) Here are a couple picture from the first night in his room. (We'll be sharing more photos of his room and all that Dave has done/built soon. Dave built the bookshelves and the window unit will include a bench seat with drawers too - eventually.)









Another big change with Elijah...no more diapers!!! Hooray! Three weeks ago we started potty training. He had been showing signs for a while but after a day with lots of dirty diapers, I decided we should try using the toilet. We had success right away! (thanks, God!!!) Elijah used pull-ups for a couple weeks and on Monday transitioned to big-boy underwear. (Thanks big cousins, Micah and Jacob!) Eli is now so proud to be a big boy like his cousins Mi-mah and Jay-jah! :)
(Sorry, no pictures of Elijah on the toilet or modeling the new underwear. Eli can thank us later!)

Now just a couple random pictures. Natalie has been taking baths in the big bath with Elijah now for a few weeks. She loves it and Elijah does too! We still remind Elijah of being gentle or no big splashes, etc, etc. :) And the computer picture...Elijah likes to play different computer games with me at pbskids.org. Natalie just wanted to see what all the excitement was. She wasn't too impressed. :)

Another Weekend

This past weekend, we had another fun time together. We really are enjoying weekends with nothing scheduled!!! (Sorry, WI friends, who were in meetings on Saturday morning and to CPA friends, J & E!)

Saturday morning Dave and Elijah spent some time taking care of our beautiful grass!

I haven't asked lately but I'm pretty sure Dave doesn't mind mowing our grass because it took so long to just get it this great!!! After the grass was cut, we headed to one of our favorite family hang-outs - Home Depot. :) We just had a few things to pick up...but here was the crazy part -- last Thursday when we were in Burbank at In 'N Out for lunch, we noticed a young guy there who looked like he was back in the 50s - dark hair all slicked back, tight jeans - rolled up...all he was missing was a pack of smokes rolled up in his shirt sleeve. Anyway, while at Home Depot by downtown LA on Wilshire Blvd (not close to Burbank), we saw the same guy working in the garden section!!! Unbelievable! What are the chances?! It really is a small world!

Sunday we spent time relaxing. We decided we definitely needed a day to not work on projects so we went to a park. We packed the van with Elijah's tricycle, Natalie's stroller plus a lunch and drove to MacArthur Park, just a few minutes away. Now those from WI LA know that the park isn't really that clean or well thought of for leisure time (unless you're homeless or dealing drugs) but we had a great time walking around the lake while Elijah rode his bike, and then relaxed on the grass in the warm, sunny weather, eating our lunch.

Finally, Sunday night we had some friends over to watch the last Bourne movie - Bourne Ultimatum. Dave got it for his birthday but we had never seen it yet. We loved it!!! What a great movie and fun to watch with friends.

Overall our weekend was relaxing yet busy with work on projects and fun with friends yet quiet (but entertaining) with family.

Lastly, we leave you with a video from our time at the park. There's always some fun for Elijah! :)

Happy Valentine's Day

We actually celebrated Valentine's day last night. Several of the World Impact staff watched our kids along with other staff kids so parents could go out on a date. We went to Chipotle by USC and then to Cold Stone afterward for a little ice cream treat. It was a lot of fun! We brought our camera, but took no pictures, so you'll just have to imagine us having a good time out on the town :)

Today, we went to IKEA and then out to lunch at In-N-Out. Elijah and Natalie received Valentine's cards from Nana and Papa, Grandma and Grandpa, and Auntie Tricia. They loved them! Especially Natalie who got her hands on everything and was even quicker to get it in her mouth.










And here is a video from Elijah that says it all!!!

Happy Valentine's Day Everyone!!!

Sunday Family Time

Today was a fun day for our family. We didn't do anything real spectacular - just enjoyed being together! This weekend the weather was unseasonably warm, up into the mid-80s and we loved it!!! This morning before lunch, we took a little walk down to the elementary school (Elijah rode his tricycle) and spent some time playing on the playground, kicking a soccer ball on the field and getting hot in the sun! Elijah loved going down the slide while Natalie loved watching in the shade while trying to eat the grass. :)









Later for dinner, Dave made pizza for us. Elijah decided to help out too and actually made his own little pizza. He did the work of rolling out the dough and finished it by putting on both the sauce and cheese. After cooking, he enjoyed eating every little bite!





























I don't know how things can get much better than spending all day with family, enjoying beautiful, warm weather, and having your husband make a super yummy pizza for dinner! Life is good at the Gutierrez home! :)

Hope your day was good too!

What Natalie's Been Up To

It has been a while since we have shown you all some pictures of Natalie. She is growing so much, so fast. At 6 months, she has now mastered sitting up and is even starting to like rice cereal - yummy! She smiles a lot, laughs, grabs/wants everything she can't actually reach and seems to find any little tag - more yummy-ness!:)

Super Bowl XLII

The Giants won the Super Bowl! The Giants won the Super Bowl!! The Giants won the Super Bowl!!! Can you tell that we're excited?

Final score: Giants 17, Patriots 14.








I'm really glad the Giants won because it was a double-victory for us. The Giants won AND the Patriots lost; we really don't like the Patriots. I was getting sick of hearing about Tom Brady and the Patriots all season long...this is the best football team ever...Tom Brady is the best quarterback ever...the perfect season 19-0...blah, blah, blah. It seems funny to me that they had a perfect season until tonight going 18-0 and then losing in the only game (that in my opinion) really matters. Technically, if they can't win the Super Bowl, then their entire season was for nothing. Greatest team ever? Not by a long shot. A good team, yes, the greatest team ever that couldn't even win the Super Bowl? Enough said. I guess the '72 Dolphins can sleep well tonight, and I guess cheaters never prosper (18-1 just doesn't have as nice a ring to it).









The Giants on the other hand, were a NFC wildcard pick (who many thought wouldn't make it past the 1st round)! Then they beat the Bucs, then the Cowboys, then the Packers, and now the Patriots. This is only the 2nd time in history (other than the Jets upset of the Baltimore Colts in Super Bowl III)that a wild card team has made it to the Super Bowl and threw a huge upset like this! And on top of that, the Giants have won 11 consecutive games on the road.

Congratulations Eli Manning (MVP) and the rest of the Giants team!













Here are some pictures from the Super Bowl party we hosted at our house. Check out our cool shirts :)