Hop Hop Hop

This weekend, while John and I enjoyed a lovely adult get-away to Indianapolis for a friend's wedding, my sister and brother-in-law graciously kept our children for us. Thank you Kim and Kevin! While there, Eli apparently became fascinated by the fact that his cousin Callie, who is 4, knows how to hop on one foot. And he's been trying to hop around the house ever since we got home. His heart is definitely in it, but unfortunately those major muscle motor skills just haven't fully developed yet. We have just been laughing our heads off around here watching his attempts.

For your enjoyment, a reading by Eli

"I Can Do It Myself"

Boys will be boys

So it turns out that the stereotypical concept that little boys naturally engage in bizarre behavior such as sticking random objects up their nose is absolutely true and not just something people say....at least not in this house. I can only guess that the dinner conversation went something like this inside Eli's mind:

  Eli to self: Hey look at these peas. They are green like my boogers.
  Self to Eli: Yes! Green and very round, just like the shape of the holes in your nose
  Eli to self: Maybe I should stick one up there and see how far it will fit.
  Self to Eli: Brilliant! Why didn't I think of that.

It turns out he can get it pretty far up there, as in almost to the point of no return.

And with the help of a flashlight, a nasal aspirator, tweezers, and a watermellon lollipop were were able to dislodge that sucker in a mere 15 minutes. To which Eli delightfully exclaimed,"there it is!" and popped that slimy pea right back into his mouth. Mmmm, yummy.

Too funny

A couple of my recent conversations with Eli...

Yesterday as we were preparing to leave for Costello Thanksgiving at John's parents

Me: Come on Eli we're going to Grandma Anne's for dinner. And there's going to be mashed potatoes and stuffing and rolls and turkey. Doesn't that sound so yummy?

Eli: I want to pet it

Me: Huh?

Eli: I want to pet the turkey

Me: Oh, no buddy we can't pet it. We're going to eat the turkey, for our Thanksgiving

Eli: Oooohhh, that sounds like fun

And tonight around the dinner table

Me: What did you learn in Sunday school class today buddy?

Eli: Jesus!

Me: What about Jesus?

Eli: God!

Me: Oh, wow Jesus and God, thats really cool. Do you know where Jesus lives Eli?

Eli: Right there, (pointing) in the pantry

Not quite sure where that one came from, but we definitely enjoyed a good laugh. And a good reminder to work on our theology

From the Archives...

Last night I wanted to show John a video I had taken of Eli dancing earlier that day. We watched it laughing several times and then started looking back at all of Eli's funny video moments over the years. It's amazing how fast he has changed. We had some good laughs watching our silly boy grow. Here is a gem we found from last year when he was 11 months old. Its one of John's famous home videos he loves to take whenever he's on kid duty. Enjoy. (Make sure volume is turned up)

Daddy would be so proud

In his popular book Bringing Up Boys, James Dobson writes, "Young boys bask in their mother's femininity and womanliness during infancy and toddlerhood. Fathers are important then, but mother's are primary."

Ok good, so this is totally normal then. Just checking...

Are You Talking To Me?

I was at Kroger getting groceries today and was trying to hurry because I had already been there almost an hour and wanted to be done and go home. I was walking down the bulk food isle when I heard a woman proclaim loudly, in almost a shout behind me "So I read in a magazine that eating walnuts is really good for your health." I glanced back quickly only to realize that there was no one else around and she was making direct eye contact with me. "Oh really?" I said politely, awkwardly backing my cart toward this stranger as she continued to approach me. "Yes," she said. "They are supposed to help with weight loss." I nodded and smiled and said something in agreement before starting forward again on my way. And then she chimed in again even louder (because I was on the opposite end of the aisle by now) "And I'm also going to make bean soup. Isn't that just the craziest thing, a soup made entirely of beans without any meat?! Have you ever heard of such a thing?" Again, and even more awkwardly, I backed my cart down the long isle to be within a reasonable conversation range. "I actually love bean soup and you wont even miss the meat, and its full of protein" I replied. She smiled and shrugged her shoulders. "Well, I'm off to look for the walnuts then." And she was gone. Alllllrighty then. So Very Random.

Mr. Fix-it

Allow me to introduce you to Eli's latest and constant companion. This is his tool box and when you see him coming around the corner with his muscles straining and a determined look, it can only mean one thing. T-R-O-U-B-L-E! This garage sale gem has a broken latch requiring a two-handed carry and is usually full of random toys, tupperwear, and left-over snacks. It is quite heavy and awkward for a toddler. Eli has discovered that if he totes this thing around he can reach and get his hands on just about anything he wants to by using it as a stepping stool. Creative? Absolutely. Dangerous? Most definitely! I followed him around for a few days capturing his most frequent offenses...

This is the look of trouble about to happen
Notice the form and focus on his mission

He uses it to help himself to piano practice

And who doesn't need a little help getting on that first stair?

Simultaneously unlocking the front door and turning the hall lights on off on off on off....

Helping himself up on top of his table which is followed by a lovely dance jig before not so gracefully falling off the edge

Crawling up onto the couch in order to throw off all the pillows and watch out the windows

And one of my favorites: helping himself to a "dink" by holding down the water lever and then licking his wet fingers while gigantic puddles pool onto the floor

And he can always figure out the exact combination of buttons to push on the cable box so it goes into the "boot" menu and requires a full reprogramming.

And after a hard day of repairs and climbing, sometimes the tool box is just the perfect place to take a break.

As I am writing this entry sitting on a bar stool, a little hand just reached around me to help himself to a handful of chips from the bag sitting open on the counter. And of course I look down to find Eli standing on his tippy toes, atop his beloved tool box munching away with such a look of satisfaction on his crumb-filled little face. And I can't help but laugh because after all, aren't we always trying to teach our children self-sufficiency?

Dear Julliard, this is your future

Yes, I bring you yet another Eli dancing video. Sunday evening as I was contorting my body to finish up a final coat of paint in our half bath, John and Eli were entertaining themselves with a little after dinner dancing. Eli has recently taught himself to twirl in a circle like a "delicate" ballerina. I cannot watch this video without laughing, and I've seen it many many times. What a graceful little guy we're raising.

(You might want to stop watching after the first minute, my video editing program isn't working and I couldn't cut this down)

Hide the breakables, nothing is safe...