Sweet Words

Last night our Parents as Teachers educator came for her monthly visit.  During these visits, she always brings an activity and we talk toddlers for an hour.  This month's visit included a shape, color, question activity.  Eli would spin the spinner which would give him a direction like 'find a triangle' or 'find a blue shape.'  He would then pick a matching shape from the floor and would answer the question written on the shape.  Here were some of my favorites...
What makes you sad?  E:  Umm....thunder.  (SO true right now)
What do you like to drink?  E:  Milk
Who lives on a farm?  E:  Horse
What do you do with your food?  E:  Um...make a mess (Touche)
What does a cat say?  E:  Meow, meow, meow.
And then this happened....
What makes you happy?  E:  My mommy, my daddy make me happy. 

Oh sweet boy.  Right back at ya. 

In hindsight, maybe he was just buttering us up.  Because he woke up FOUR times last night.  Not cool kid.  You sleep, we sleep, that's just what we do in this family.  But even in my sleepiness this morning, I am so eternally thankful for a happy, healthy little boy who knows he is loved unconditionally by his mama and daddy. 

That's What He Said...

Eli has something to say about everything.  The kid loves to talk.  He speaks very clearly and in complete sentences, but when he gets really excited and can't form coherent words - that's the cutest.  What a blog can't give you is the inflection and facial expressions, but it can give you the words and I want to at least preserve those.  Hopefully you'll get a chance to hear these for yourself sometime soon.

Anyone:  Eli...
E:  Completely indifferent  What?

Ryan (first thing in the morning):  Good morning Eli.
E:  No response.
R:  How did you sleep?
E:  No response.
R: Walks away.
E:  Dad!  Close the door!

E:  Hey!  Pipe down out there!  Tryin to sleep!

R:  Love you Eli
E:  Uff you Daddy.

E (playing trains): Slow down Wilson!  Track broken! jabber jabber... Puffer Pete come fix the track and my train go forserds and my train go basserds.  Under the bridge.  In the tunnel.  MOM!  MY TRAIN GO IN THE TUNNEL!

And I'm Back

Blogger tells me that this page had 203 page views last month.  Seriously? Who are you? And why do you keep coming back?  I haven't posted in over 6 months, yet you're still checking.  That level of loyalty makes me blush.  Your behaviors are now being reinforced as I have returned from the quiet.  You can thank this return to a Friday morning in which the top half of my To Do list has been completed and the bottom half is being avoided. 
I assume those 203 hopeful checks were looking for updates on Eli so we'll start there.

A conversation with Eli:
Me:  Eli, today is Sunday!  What does that mean?
E:  We go church Sunday.
Me: That's right.  What will you do at church?
E:  Eat snack.  Play backetball.
Me: Who will you learn about at church?
E: Gee-sus (it's all about the pronunciation)
Me: That's right! 
E: Um, Sunday.  Ewi go church.  Play backetball WITH Gee-sus.

(I told this story to some 8th grade students.  One boy looked at me and with all seriousness informed me that the sport of basketball had not been invented when Jesus was on Earth.  I told him he was welcome to debate that with my two year old. :)

Eli's rendition:
Happy birfday today.  Happy birfday today.
Sweet boy told me 'Happy birfday mama' every day for at least 6 days.  Maybe he'll teach his daddy that birthdays can (and should be) celebrated for weeks or even months at a time :)

Eli sitting in time out while we play with friends:
E: Go talk Miss Shannon?
Me: You can talk to Miss Shannon when time out is over.
E: Noooo (shaking head), mama go talk Miss Shannon.
Translation:  Mom, when you talk to Shannon, I get away with more. Oy -we'll chalk that one up to some great critical thinking skills.

As to not bite off more than I can chew,  I'll leave you with that.  Maybe next time I'll tell you about how I want to start a 2nd blog.  Bahahaha. 

#sponge

I suppose there comes a time in ever parent's life when they look at their spouse and think 'when did our kid learn that?!?' Here are a few from the last week.

Me: Next time won't you sing with-
Eli: ME!

Ryan: One,
Eli: Two, THREE!

Me:  "Yellow duck, yellow duck.  What do you see?"
Eli:  "I see blue horse...at me."
Ryan and me: "Uhhh.  What?"

It is amazing to see how much he is learning and to watch his little brain work.  He is a full-blown parrot and we love to watch him discover his new abilities!

Spring Break 2014

Spring break started out with a road trip to Atwood to visit Eunice and the rest of the Braxmeyer clan.  We decided to flip Eli around hoping that riding forward-facing would provide some built-in novelty for the 4 hour drive.  Silly me tried to snap a quick picture which had him requesting 'pitchers' before we were even out of the driveway.

Road trips with an almost-two-year old go something like this.  'Truck!' 'Big Truck!', Sing-along, book, book, book, 'pitchers', 'sock' (snack), iPah, repeat.  Ryan recently purchased Eli his favorite MusicColor app for $4.99.  $4.99?!?  600 miles later...totally worth it.  Other favorites include Peek-a-Boo vehicles, GoodNight Safari, and did I mention 'pitchers'?

While in Atwood we hit up the park, the store, and (while Eli was sleeping) the shooting range.  I have a bit of an optical condition that makes it rather difficult for me to aim at anything.  However, after some expert instruction from the little brother, and the foresight to not shoot with both eyes open, I hit the targets!  The ones I was aiming for! 

Later in the week we hopped back in the car for a little family trip to Omaha.  We headed straight to the Omaha Children's Museum which was great for Eli!  They had an entire area that was perfect for his age and interest.  A fire truck to climb on, a lawn mower to push around, and balls to play with.  What more does a little boy need?  He also loved running through the 'maze' and I loved that all of the 'exits' came out in the same spot so I didn't have to worry about him sneaking out the back.  They also had a few other areas that he can definitely grow into in the future.

After a nice long nap (for all of us) and a little bracket strategizing, we headed down to the Old Market to meet up with our good friend, Mike, for dinner. 

The next morning started out with some truck watching out the window (arguably Eli's favorite part), a hot breakfast (hands down Ryan's favorite part), then a trip to the pool (probably my favorite part).  Eli did great in the pool and hot tub.  He practiced blowing bubbles (kind of), floating on his back (kind of) and fulfilling my dream of having my very own cutie-patootie in a swimming suit (all those years of teaching 3 year olds while dreaming of one day having my very own).

After a little power nap we headed to the Omaha Zoo (along with the entire state of Nebraska) to enjoy the animals and the 70 degree weather .  Eli loved the animals - especially the monkeys and the lion.  Eli did not love having to hold our hands or be held.  Unfortunately, we heard No! loud and clear a few more times than we would have liked.  Needless to say we were exhausted by the time we exited the Desert Dome and headed out of the zoo (anyone else feel like they entered the Hunger Games or The Truman Show in that thing?).

We finished up Spring Break with a visit from Aunt Katelyn.  Eli escorted the girls to Library storytime on Saturday morning where he worked the crowd (he literally shook a little girl's hand) and meandered around the carpet until I convinced him that story time was meant for sitting and listening not wandering.  He could have done without Andy, but all in all it was a pretty successful trip.

Snow Day Pinterest Project

Ha.  Good one, right?!?  However, when it was all said and done Eli had a great time and was able to use some new skills....and that was the point to begin with so I'll call it a win.

Pinterest Finger Painting in a Baggie....

1.  We started off well.  (It looks legit, doesn't it?)

Sweet.  She put tape on the window!  I'll peel it off!

 2.  The tape was distracting.  So we moved to the high chair.

If you're going to put me up here, give me something to eat!

 3.  So we abandoned the paint and went back to the tape.

 4.  The kid played for 20 minutes removing and re-sticking the blue tape.  Happy as a clam.

Great idea mom!  Thanks!

All clean ... time to start over!

Just a boy and his masterpiece.

Making sure it was just right.

The rest of our snow day was spent trying on daddy's shoes, helping with the laundry and dishes, playing with every toy in the house, and alerting the neighborhood to every car and truck that drove by.

18 months

When everyone says that 18 months is SO fun....they aren't kidding.  This age is probably my favorite so far.  I know that I've said that before and I will say it again, but for now Ryan and I are loving this stage of life.  At 18 months, we are blown away by how much Eli is learning!  All of those months of our incessant talking (Look at the truck! It's a red truck!  The red truck goes fast!) to a blank stare have come to fruition!  It was as if a switch flipped and our little boy turned into a parrot.  No longer do we have to repeat a word 563 times before every hearing it again.  He will try to mimic most words and sounds we make.  He is also learning how to make things work - like puzzles, driving his truck, and riding a 'trike.'

Eli, at 18 months you...
- Love to walk/run everywhere
- Love playing outside and throw a fit when we have to come in
- LOVE reading books.  It's the first thing you want every morning and the last thing you want every night.
- LOVE trucks, cars and anything you can 'drive' on the floor or couch
- Still have a fetish for hats (or maybe that's mom...)
- Love reading your Family book - you can point out everyone and call Mama, Dada, Uncle Go, Auntie A, Joel, Gigi and Papa by name!
- Feeding you is all about the presentation.  (Using a fork or bowl makes everything taste better!)
- Feel strongly that everything needs to be in its place (wonder where he gets that??).  Just for fun we put his little chair inside of his tent.  The next thing I know, he is dragging the chair out of the tent and back to its 'normal' spot.  He will also pull out his lawn mower, mow the carpet, and then park his lawn mower back in his closet.  Too funny.
- Still love to sleep!  You sleep from about 7:00-6:45 on school days (you like to sleep in on the weekends) and take a 2 hour nap in the afternoons.
- You have 16 teeth and are working on your 2 year molars (or at least we hope that is what is causing the current fussiness and drool fountain).
- Have really started playing with Maya at daycare.  You two are quite the pair we hear.
- Have been to the doctor 9 times in the last 11 months for your ears :(  In approximately 12 hours you'll have tubes and hopefully no more fluid!
- Wear 12 month pants, 18 month shirts and size 4 shoe.
- Are rocking the 5% in weight, 10% in height, and 47% head.

TRUCK!

You are the biggest blessing little one.  We love you!

Eli at Warp Speed

This post will be shamelessly devoted to Eli's development because I know that, all too soon, I will forget it all.

How you doin?

Eli is apparently growing and learning at warp speed.  I'm not kidding.  It's kind of scary.  Quick little update on what our almost-18-month old is up to...He began walking at 16 months and now that he has that mastered, he's moved on to his verbal development.  In the last three weeks he has gone from saying about three words to:

- Knowing animal sounds (dog, duck, cow, rooster, lion and pig)
- Saying car, more, shoe, hot, hat, and choo choo
- Being able to identify (point to) a dump truck, tractor, cement truck, car trailer, firetruck, garbage truck, crane, monster truck, airplane, train, and bus
- Knowing his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, fingers, hand, toes, foot, and hair
- Being able to identify extended family members...and Santa Clause
- Knowing how to stomp, spin and do a somersault!

In conclusion, this stage is SO MUCH FUN!

All photos in this post are courtesy of the one-and-only Aunt Katelyn.  You're welcome :)

Built on the Rock

At this point, some of you may have received a Christmas card inviting you to visit the blog to see what we've been up to.  In that case, I better get to writing.

Though I will always profess I am an eternal optimist, Ryan and I are good and ready to say goodbye to 2013.  This year has certainly been a bittersweet year of hellos and goodbyes, illnesses and healing.  Our pastor pretty well wrapped up the year last Sunday with a verse I've heard a hundred times.

Matthew 7:24-27
24 “Everyone then who hears these words of mine and does them will be like a wise man who built his house on the rock. 25 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house, but it did not fall, because it had been founded on the rock. 26 And everyone who hears these words of mine and does not do them will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand. 27 And the rain fell, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat against that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.”

I could even sing you a little Vacation Bible School rendition if you'd like.

However, this verse takes on a bit more meaning when it feels like the ones you love are in a constant storm.  Ryan and I were talking about this last weekend and came to the conclusion that we better make sure our 'house' is built on a good, solid rock.  Because, as we saw this year, you certainly can't wait until you're in the midst of the storm to start construction.  You've got to already be there.  Thankfully we have a God who answers prayers and shows mercy every day.

This year we are so thankful for -
- The birth of our nephew Joel and the doctors who are helping him grow big and strong!
- Prayer warriors and modern medicine which are helping Grayson and Berkley kick cancer's butt!
- God's promise of eternal life as He welcomed my Uncle Brent home

We are blessed to be able to live another day with the jobs, friends, family and life that we do.

Happy Halloween Y'all!!

Howdy Partner.

For his first official Halloween, Eli got all gussied up as a genuine cowboy.  You may remember this outfit from his first trip to Texas.  Yep, that's right, his cowboy outfit from Aunt Anita still fits!  But that doesn't mean it wasn't a little stiff.  Walking, bending his knees, and sitting in general proved a little difficult until he got his costumed loosened up.  It was hilarious.

Has there been a cuter cowboy?

Final preparations

Our first stop was Buzz's house.  All Eli wanted to do was walk in their front door - he had no interest in grabbing a piece of candy.

The dads' attempt at getting the kids in a picture.

Does this count as a first date?

After touring the cul-de-sac with Woody, Jessie, Buzz and Stinky Pete, he definitely got the hang of walking up to the door and grabbing a treat out of the bowl!  That didn't stop him from trying to walk into every house we stopped at though.

Thanks for the candy, now can I come in your house and look out your windows?

We had the best night with our favorite cowboy, great friends and a cul-de-sac full of fun neighbors.  It makes me so happy that Eli will get to grow up surrounded by great families. 

Block parties could get a little crazy up here on the hill.

Happy Halloween Y'all!

Sunday Funday at the Lazy T

It is no secret that one of my favorite things about being a parent is getting to enjoy all the fun 'kid' things in life again....and this weekend's pumpkin patch was no different.

Ryan, Eli and I headed down Zeandale Rd, just east of Manhattan, on the most beautiful afternoon in the history of Autumn, towards the Lazy T Ranch Family Fall Festival.  And, as Ryan asked - Yes, it  lived up to everything I had hoped it would be.

Hmmm...so many choices.

Little help over here?  This thing weighs more than I do.

 For you locals out there, the Lazy T has all sorts of fall fun to offer.  We hit up the Old Barn, Hay Bail Maze, Pumpkin Patch, petting the horses and, Eli's favorites - the Pumpkin Bounce House and this little John Deere gator we found abandoned near the Hedge Apple Slingshot.  We chose to save the High Zip Line, Tunnel slide, Pony Rides and Hay Rack Ride for next year. 

Who needs a pony when you've got a gator?

Eli loved exploring all of the different 'attractions.'

Love, love, love, love him.

How can you not have fun with these two cuties?