When I Grow Up...

Eli- I'm going to work, Mommy.

Me- Well, have a great day. What work do you want to go to when you grow up?

Eli- I want to be a lawyer.

Me- Wow, that would be a good job to have. Bella, how about you?

Bella- I want to be a princess. (runs off) Where's my tutu?

Eli's Style

Eli has developed a style all his own. It has come to evolve over time. It first began with Eli wanting to tuck his pants into his boots. This is okay if he's outside playing, but he started wanting to go to school like this! He didn't seem to care when I tried explaining that it just didn't look right and that boys don't wear their pants tucked into their boots. "Well, I do, Mommy!" How could I disagree with him wanting to be his own person? I gave in and allowed him to go to school with his pants tucked into his boots. Eli, later pointed out that Woody wears his pants tucked into his boots. Ah, yes, Woody. Woody knows so much more than Mommy does about fashion. What was I thinking?

Next, came Eli wanting to tuck his shirt into his pants, ALL shirts. This included pajama shirts and muscle t-shirts. One day, he even wanted to tuck his sweater into his pants. Another day, he tucked the jacket of his Batman jogging suit into his pants. Along with the shirt tucking thing, Eli decided that he really needed to wear a belt and he needed to wear jeans. So, goodbye to the days of dressing sporty. This kid wanted to wear jeans everyday! One day, he came home with a reminder sticker on his shirt about picture day. At nap time, I went in his room to check on him and found this on the floor. He picked out his clothes and had them ready for the next day. He even removed the sticker from his shirt and put it on the shirt he would wear the next day. After waking up from his nap, I guess he couldn't resist the nice clothes on his floor. He had to wear them that afternoon and told me he would wear another "nice shirt" tomorrow. After he got over the jeans things, he decided that he needed to wear dress pants all the time. He really likes wearing "nice pants" and "nice shirts" with his belt super tight. This is all very comical to me, and I find myself saying to my trendsetting little man, "Eli, you are something else." He has decided that he doesn't like it when I say that. He does like it, however, when I tell him he looks handsome. Recently, I bought him a tie. He wears the tie around the house a lot, and yep, you guessed it, tries tucking the tie into his pants.
His latest style is to find items of interest, many items of interest, to put on his belt and in his pockets, front and back. I find myself having to explain to Eli each morning that he cannot take all of these things to school. Sometimes, it is difficult for him to sit down, or even bend down, with all of these things around his waist. I have decided that as long as he doesn't want to wear a romper with a bib collar, it's all good. That's just wear I draw the line.

My sweet boy keeps me laughing everyday, and even though Stephen is not here to share these precious moments, I am thankful we are able to talk each day and I can share stories about our babies so he can laugh, too.

Klhhypnngvfsaa

I knew I started a post about our Chattanooga trip, so I went looking for it. To my surprise, I found a post that was titled, "Klhhypnngvfsaa." Huh? Where did that come from? Then I remembered Bella somehow being on my Blogger app about a week ago. While she was looking at pictures, she said, "Mommy, this is not working," in her little raspy voice. When I looked, she was in Blogger. I guess her post saved. Of course, I cannot delete it, so it now becomes a post on our blog. I love you, my precious little princess!

We Have a Reader!

I have wondered when this would happen. Even before Eli was born, I would read to him. After he was born, we would sit in the floor, or on the chair, or out on the swing and read books, many books. With his big brown eyes focused on each page, he was intrigued with the pictures and how the words on the page sounded as they rolled out of my mouth (or Stephen's when he wasn't working). There was an alphabet, eye level, in the playroom, and I remember when he first started to say the letters of the alphabet. Stephen and I were quite impressed with our little budding genius. Then he started pointing out letters in the book we read all the time, Brainy Baby ABCs. Wow! We had him do it over and over and had to record it, of course.

Since our sweet Bella has joined our family, I have often felt, at times, like I don't do enough with Eli, as far as reading goes. For the past few months, he hasn't really had an interest in working on phonics or sight words, and when we have a moment to read during the day, he would rather be playing hide-n-seek or acting like Spiderman. I haven't forced it at all. I want him to love reading; I don't want it to be a chore for him. Over the past week though, it's as if a light has gone off in his head. It's all just clicking now. I can give him a string of letters, he will sound each letter, and then put them together. No problem. Oh how I love hearing the excitement in his voice when he figures out the word he has in front of him.

Tonight, he read his very first book ever! I mean he really read the book; it wasn't memorized. He looked at each word, mostly high frequency words, and said each word, needing help with only a few. As Mom, Dad, Bella, and I sat there and listened, we were all so proud of him, and he was proud of himself, too. Way to go, Eli!

(video coming soon)

Our Visit To Troy

Last weekend, Mom, Eli, Bella, and I packed up the van and headed to Troy for the weekend. When we arrived, Mamaw was greeted with a great big hug from Eli. Too bad I didn't have my camera ready; it was very sweet. Eli and Bella were both very excited when we finally arrived at Mamaw and Papaw's house.

Our first night in Troy, after dinner, Mamaw wrote Eli and Bella's names on the table... with Whip Cream. I don't think grandparents (even my mom and dad and we live with them!) understand the impact sugar has on a child, especially our children. Maybe it's because I've never given them a whole lot of sweets, I'm not sure, but sugar is like a drug! It's not often that Mamaw is able to spoil them they way she wants to, so the name writing on the table continued for a while. Eli and Bella, loved it, of course.




Another night, Mamaw brought cupcakes home from the shop so Eli, Bella, and Wesley could decorate them. I guess that's one of the benefits of having a grandma who is a baker.

Yes, that is my child sucking blue frosting out a the bag. Oh goodness! He is my child, though, and I love frosting! I kept having to tell myself, "This doesn't happen very often. It's okay."

While in Troy, we went to a really cool playground we had never visited before, and we went to a small zoo.


When we arrived at the zoo, we started looking at a bear. Eli, not knowing it, was standing in an ant bed. When the ants started biting, Eli started screaming. His screaming scared the bear who began making noises and pacing back and forth in his cage. After Eli's crying stopped, we all kind of laughed about that bear pacing like that.

We all had a wonderful visit. I am happy Eli and Bella were able to spend time with Mamaw and Papaw. Eli, of course, always looks forward to playing with Wesley. They play so well together and definitely keep each other entertained.



Please note the Batman jogging suit Eli is wearing in just about all of the photos. Joyce gave this to him when we got there, and well, he wanted to wear it the entire time we were there!

Of course, Mom, Eli, and Bella took a nap on the way home. Mom loves it when I take pictures of her sleeping. Hahaha!

Spidey Goes to Afghanistan

When Eli mailed Spiderman to Stephen, he had no idea Spidey would be going to work with Daddy. Sadly, Spiderman sustained a battle wound and lost his arm. (I think Stephen tried to move his arm so he could wave at the camera, and his arm broke off.) Hopefully, Spiderman's arm will heal. Eli is going to think these pics are so cool!

Three Months Down!

Nine more months and we get to see this face everyday...

Nine more months and our family will be together again. We may not know exactly where "home" will be, but as long as we are all together, that will make all of us do a lot of this...


I can't wait to get some of these from my sweet husband...