A week of 1sts

This week we met quite a few milestones in the family. I'll tell you about one for each of us...

Sharon. Took her first independent steps this week. She's crawling quite well now (she's doing stairs too) and has started pulling up on anything she can. She walks along the edges of couches and other furniture (see video below) and will take a few steps trying to venture out on her own.

Eli. Eli has been potty training himself for a while now, but has always kept us involved in the process. This week he decided to go to the bathroom without informing us--he'd just walk over, climb up on the toilet to turn the light on, climb down and go to the bathroom, and then leave. Potty training with him has been a ton of fun.
Natalie. She finished the cover of her book--A.P. Giannini: The Man with the Midas Touch. She is now done (10 illustrations, 2 maps, and the cover) and has been paid for her first official book. It should be published sometime in the spring. You can see more samples of her work at www.nataliechristensen.com.

Tyler. I went on my first "more than marathon" run on Saturday, doing 28 miles in a little more than five hours (so it's my first five hour run as well). It was a great training run and I feel more prepared for my marathon in four weeks than I have been for any race since high school.