Hyper

We took the kids to see the lights and the dinosaurs this weekend. The lights were great; the dinosaurs, not so much. Oh well. It was something to do. I really thought the kids would get bored on Sunday, but they played all day long, never once asking if we were going out. They ran around the house in their PJs all day long, chasing each other and playing games. Our house was NOISY but pure fun. They finally settled down on the couch with us around 8—Eli fell asleep fast, and Tori and Christian went to bed at 9. Everyone seemed a little tired this morning but happy.

Don't Worry Mom

Once I showed Tori my stitched up hand, I decided to show Eli. I removed the bandage, He jumped back, put his hands on the sides of his face and said, “Ewww, gross. Put your band-aid back on!” I fell into the floor laughing, to which Eli sighed and reassured me the band-aid would take care of everything. Band-aids are miracles in our house. Eli uses them all the time, whether he has a real need for them or not. They will solve all of your problems, don’t you know!

Sharing or Not

Generally Eli is pretty good at sharing with his siblings.  He'll play with Tori and she'll lead the playing, but mostly he's playing with his toys with her toys.  He'll help Christian with his lego's and other activities, but once again he is usually the 'helper' or gopher.

Over Thanksgiving weekend, a four year old came to visit.  Eli usually isn't around kids close to his age or boys that are interested in his toys, so this was a true test.  For most of the weekend he seemed to play with C.J. and share his toys.  He had a few instances that were not so friendly.  Eli was playing with is fire trucks in the living room and C.J. came into play.  Eli wasn't playing with his police truck, so C.J. started playing with it.  As soon as Eli noticed, he started crying that it was his toy and C.J. couldn't play with it.  Unfortunately he got a hard lesson in sharing that day.  He was told several times that he needed to share, but this didn't stop the tears.  Luckily he seemed to eventually accept it and a pre-school brawl didn't break out on the playground that day.  Sharing in kindergarten may be his big lesson for that year.

Weave Me Awone!

 Yes, Eli is back to that again, letting everyone know when he is in a foul mood. He has quite the little temper, and sometimes, it can be downright funny. Take the other afternoon, for example. We wanted to know whether he was going into the school to get the kids or sit out in the car and watch his DVD. He put his hands on his cheeks, shook his head really hard and yelled, "I can't do both things at once!" Huts and I burst out laughing, to which he immediately told us that it was not funny,. It was funny and it was funny five minutes later when he yelled at all of us that we were being too loud! There is no guessing with Eli. He flat tells you what he thinks!

A Real Trooper

Eli could not wait to go trick-or-treating. He talked about it all week and got ready fast. Our little firefighter lasted longer than we expected. He hates all things scary, and there were a lot of scary decorations, hut Eli dealt with them. He went halfway around  the block and out again with his dad and sister. He came home with a big bucket full, and amazingly, he ate little of it. We have given much of the candy away already! On to Thanksgiving!

Improvement

Last night we decided to go out to eat. Christian and Tori were happy and surprised. We usually do takeout because Eli cannot sit still. Even with crayons and cars, he likes to get up and get out of the restaurant, leaving Huts and me to scarf down our food so we can deal with him. Last night, however, he did much better. He got a bit antsy from time to time, but for the most part, he sat at the table and made very little fuss. He also ate some of this dinner—a miracle these days—and left the restaurant happy. Eli is growing up fast!

Scrape, Fire and More!

This weekend a lot was happening with Eli.  On our way home Friday night after running a few errands, Eli fell asleep in the car.  Usually he might take a quick nap and be up by 7...not this time.  He slept until 11 pm!  Since I was still up, he and his brother played until Christian went to bed at midnight.  Eli ate a pancake and played fairly quietly until 2 am when he decided, at my suggestion that it was time to lay in his bed.  Luckily he slept until 7 and was ready for our garage sale.  Then during our garage sale, he was out riding his Mickey Mouse fire truck vehicle and lost control and tipped over scraping his head.  He requested a band-aid.  He got a little medicine for the pain in his head.  He wanted me to take it off later in the day, when I tried he kept ducking his head down, making it really difficult to get the band-aid off.  Eventually, I got it off, causing pain, then he wanted another band-aid for the pain.  Again he ducked his head every time I approached his head with the band-aid.  I got it on eventually, but it wasn't great.  He didn't even realize he still had it on Sunday night and requested we take it off, but him ducking prevented that.

He also had to go garage saleing with Tori and I.  While she got a giant doll house to play with, Eli got 4 small Mouse's for his train.  He played with those most of Saturday.  That night we took him to the store to pick out our treadmill.  While I was getting it, he went with his Momma to the coin operated rides.  He played nicely until another kid tried to get in the ice cream truck with him.  He was having none of that and threw a fit.  I heard him still crying when his Momma was walking him out of Sears.  He was still crying when I got to the car and continued his fit when we moved his seat so we could get the treadmill in the car.  He was upset most of the way home, but calmed down eventually.  Luckily he went to bed at a decent time and slept all night until 5 am when he walked downstairs and slept on the couch with his Momma for a few more hours.  He played the day away and even stayed at home with his Grandma  and big brother while we ran some errands.  He fell asleep around 9 while laying on the couch with us and was a little crabby this morning, but was fine by the time we got in the car.

Eli is a Big Boy Now!

Hold on to your pants, folks, because Eli is nearly potty trained! He toyed with it for months, and then bam, he did it this week. Jayden got on board first at the sitter’s and then Eli followed. He told Sharon no thanks one day, that he had his own potty at home, and then he decided to hop up on hers the next. He has had just two accidents—at the park when he was playing too hard to realize what was going on. Last night, he slept through the night in underwear and stayed dry. He also did #2 for the first time on the potty yesterday afternoon. What a big boy, and what a snap compared to Christian who was not trained until age 4! Way to go, Eli!

Teary Boy

Eli did not take to the fact that he was going to the sitter’s by himself very well. He cried, and cried, and cried without Tori. Sharon did her best to comfort him and said the other little girl, Jayden, had done the same when her sister went off to preschool. When we picked him up that afternoon, he was tired and cranky. It took about an hour before he stopped telling me to “weave him alone!” Yep, he tells me that a lot. He is a daddy’s boy most days and wants me to leave him alone. It’s quite funny. Eventually, Eli came out of his bad mood and spent the rest of the night snacking on goodies and giving his big sister kisses!

Train Boy

Eli has become a train fiend this summer. He got a Mickey Mouse train for his birthday and has already run the new batteries out of it. Every time we go to Toys R Us, he immediately goes to the train table and plays with them. While we were there last time, he found the Chuggington toys. They are bigger and more electronically advanced than Thomas the Train toys. He wanted a BIG train. So we got him a remote controlled Wilson train. He loves it. He tries to run it over everything. He keeps asking about trains and if he can have a bigger train. Eventually we'll have to get him a full size one!

He inherited Christians Thomas trains and plays with them when he can get someone to open them for him. He loves putting them in long rows and playing with them in his batman house. Not sure what he'll be into next, but for now, he's got his train obsession satisfied.

Birthday Boy

Eli turned 3 on Sunday. He got a Lego truck and a Mickey Mouse train, plus a few other things. He also went to a water park on Saturday, where he went up and down the big slide with his dad a dozen times. He also played in the baby pool and on the jungle gym. He had a great time and was one happy boy. Does he know that he is 3? Sometimes. Other times he is 6, 18 and so forth. He is ready to grow up before we are ready for him to! Just like his big brother.

Birthday

I got a couple of cakes for a friend’s birthday yesterday and saw a couple of cakes shaped like a dog and hot dog, complete with an ant on it. Eli, I am sure, would love one of these cakes for his birthday, which is “comin’ up,” He keeps talking about getting a cake and presents. Huts and I have NO idea what to get him. He has everything he needs and then some. He loves to ride on his cars, so maybe we will get him that Harley-Davison tricycle Huts saw the other day. We tried a small bike, but Eli is not strong enough to push it. He loves his trike though! Rides it all of the time, up and down the sidewalk as fast as his little legs will take him. We cannot wait until he is big enough for a bike!

Lights Out

Eli got into this habit this weekend of rising early and tuckering out around 7 or 8 o’clock. He liked going to the ball game, but around 9, he gave up and fell asleep in his dad’s arms. We thought the fireworks were going to wake him up, but he slept right through them. The only time he stirred was when we got up to leave. He missed the whole show! Poor fella. He got up early on Monday as well but fell asleep while watching TV that afternoon. He slept for a few hours and went to bed at a reasonable time last night. Little does he know all of the fun he missed. Probably just as well as he went crazy with the sparklers! No doubt he would have burned himself or someone else.

Out Early

After a long weekend of fun, Eli fell asleep quickly last night. We spend much of the weekend working on our kitchen, and Eli helped “fix” things and paint. He also played in the sprinkler and ran around outside a lot. All of this eventually took a toll on him, and he sacked out on our bed around 7 last night. Huts put him into his bed, and we didn’t hear a peep from him until early this morning. He wanted Daddy and he found him on the couch. Tonight he sleeps in our room on another mattress so Annie and the new kitties can sleep in his room. Huts and I need our bed back, and Dreamy, the mother, needs her mom Annie to sleep with. Just 2 more weeks and Dreamy and her kittens will have a new home and their own room to sleep in I’m sure.

My Birthday Coming Up

Eli is catching on to all of this birthday stuff, and he now knows that his birthday is coming up soon. He told me and his dad about it. He also asked me what the name of it was. It took me a while to figure out what he was asking, but he wanted to know what month his birthday is in. I told him August and his dad’s birthday comes right after his. He seemed happy about that. Goodness knows what he will want, as he often gets distracted in the toy store and leaves with nothing. He’s got all of the tools and automobiles he’ll ever need; not sure what he will set his sights on next.

Ewiiiii

Eli now says his own name, telling me all day yesterday who he was. Like most young kids, he turns the “l” into “w.’

Our little talker also told Gama yesterday that he was going to the toy store for a gun to shoot the bugs. He didn’t go, of course, but he did get a water gun to shoot the ants down. He must have spent a lot of time washing away the ants and it must have wore him out because around 5 he climbed up on Ollie’s bed and fell asleep with Hum the bunny in hand. He slept for about and a half and then had some dinner.

Of course, this late nap kept him up and he ended up sleeping with me. Ugh. He moved all over the bed and poked me several times in the head and ribs. He must have gotten some sleep somehow because he woke up happy this morning, ready to go. Ollie went with him, and Eli was happy about that!

Shicken nuggats, friiies, shocolate milk

Eli has turned into a major talker, just like his sister. He talks a mile a minute about most everything, and sometimes you can make it out and sometimes you can’t. It is becoming clearer, however, as his recent request for a McDonalds Happy Meal revealed. He knows what he wants, and he asked for it in his own, unique way. Did he eat it? Not exactly. He is a lousy eater, especially these days. He picks at his food and often avoids supper altogether. We hold back snacks from him until he eats dinner, but that doesn’t always work. He knows what he wants, and if he doesn’t want to eat, he is not going to—no matter what the consequences. SIGH! He can be so stubborn. Wonder where he gets that from?

Jabber Box

Eli has turned into a non-stop talker. Most of the time you can understand what he says, but at times it is still difficult. Most of the time it'll involves movies. He'll ask for Supa babies (a Dora DVD), Iego (Dora dvd with Diego), Punbob (Spongebob), Shek (Shrek - he's watched all 4!) and Caillou. He'll also ask for TV, VD (dvd) and tell us when his show is over whether it really is or not. He tells me when the light turns green to go "Green...go", comments on the busses, trucks and tractors we see while in the car. He likes "yewow bus", "Big Truck" and "Trac Cor". His current favorite movie is Despicable Me because "it funny". He tries to tell us many other things, but we don't get them all most of the time, so he still has to show us. Usually he needs a "nackie" (snack) or "dink" (drink) and will tell you what kind of each.

We are happy that he is getting to the age where he can tell us what he wants/needs so we can stop guessing. Sometimes we still have to guess, but at least its getting better.

Step Up, Step Down

Eli did not get a new bed, but it hasn’t fazed him. He loves tromping up and down the steps on both beds and throwing things off. He also likes hanging out underneath the beds and playing with his brother and sister. I thought we were going to have a problem there for a while because he kept asking where his new bed was. Once we got them into the rooms and put up, he never asked again. Guess he is still happy with his bunk bed and the ladder he can climb.

It rained all weekend, so Eli didn’t get a chance to go outside. Poor kid. He loves outside. Maybe this week he’ll get a chance to help his dad mow. Keep your fingers crossed that we have a few dry days.

Eva Time

Sharon went on vacation this week, so Eli has been staying with her sister Eva. He loves Eva, and she loves him. I think he is having a ball being the old kid there with Eva’s complete attention.

Going to get an M&M jar to see if we can get the potty training going again. Maybe he will do it if he knows he gets chocolate every time. He loves chocolate—A LOT!!!!!!

All Asleep

Eli is doing better about going to bed and staying there. Of course, he will be sleeping with his dad this weekend, so that will probably take him out of the routine.

He also seems less crabby. Now if we could just get him potty trained. He has little interest in it these days. I know he could do it if he just would. I think I am going to have to get a jar of M&Ms to see if that will peak his interest and get him going on it again. I may have to get a jar for the sitter’s too. Speaking of that, Sharon is off to Florida next week, so Eli gets to stay with her sister Eva. He loves Eva, so he should have a good week with her.

Part Boy, Part Girl

Eli got Flicker and Rip for Easter, along with some cars. He carried the tools all over the house, outside and to the sitter’s this morning. He loves Flicker the Flashlight and told me he needed a new one (Grandma already fulfilled that wish for Christian’s birthday). He loves his Handy Manny tools.

When he wasn’t fixing something, Eli was hanging out with his sister, carrying her new purse and playing with the dollhouse. He helped me set up all the furniture and told me where to put the people. Then he did the same for Tori. He followed her around for a few hours, playing with whatever she told him to and singing her songs.

Tori has been teaching Eli his colors, and what’s the first color he has learned? Pink! Everything is pink, though he does know the color blue. Yesterday, he ate all of the pink candy he could find and identified everything that was pink. The girl is rubbing off on him!

Another Cold

Eli rarely gets sick, but he does get colds, and the radical shifts in temperatures had brought on another. He has had a hard time sleeping, and Huts has spent many a night in his bed with him and alone. Sometimes Eli wants his dad to sleep with him, and sometimes he wants to sleep with me in our bed. We’ve had a lot of restless nights here lately. Wish the weather would get warm and stay warm, and Eli’s cold would go away once and for all!

Just A Little

When I got into the car yesterday, Eli was fussing just a little about his brother and sister not being there. Late that night, he got a little sadder when I asked him if he missed them. He seems to, but not much. He played all night long, enjoying the fact that he had Mom and Dad and all of his toys to himself. At this rate, he may never want them to come home!

Busy Little Bee

Eli is a night owl like his dad and sister. Seems like when 9 o’clock rolls around and his brother and sister are in bed, he perks up BIG TIME! He plays and plays and plays, chattering the whole time and always begging for 5 more minutes. It is getting harder each day to get him to settle down and snuggle up by us on the couch. Too much adrenalin I guess. What does seem to wear him down is playing outside, so hopefully, he will get lots of outside time this summer and get into the habit of going to sleep at a decent hour and sleeping in his own bed all night long! Can you tell how much Huts and I long for sleep?

Better This Time

Eli was a monster the last time we had parent-teacher conferences. He squalled and wriggled around. This time we had a sticker/coloring book for him, and that seemed to help. He got a little restless in the second conference, but he much better there than he was last time. He got lots of Chinese rice and fortune cookies as a reward. He also got some candy from Christian’s teacher.

Snakes

That’s what Mom came huffing and puffing about to Huts last night. Piper, our little yellow cat, found herself a baby garter snake and brought it up on the deck. The kids, Mom and I watched Huts sweep it into the shovel and toss it across the creek. At first, it appeared to be dead, but eventually it started wiggling and Huts swept it up into the shovel.

Christian refused to come downstairs and see it. Tori and Eli watched from inside. They were both pretty scared and Eli kept telling Piper “No more nakes, Piper.”

It did not scare me as much as an adult snake, but it was definitely gross and gave me the willies. Piper seemed really confused that we weren’t happy about her little gift. We kept her inside in case she had plans to go get the rest of the family. She stalked around from window to window, eager to find her way back outside. I don’t know if Mom let her out today or not. If so, I hope the snakes had made their way elsewhere.

That cat. She will go after anything that moves. This is not the first time she has played with a snake or brought one up on the deck. Last time, she dropped it in the kitchen and Huts pushed it out. Ugh!

Got A Cold Again

Eli felt like crap on Monday and stayed home. Now he has a cold, lots of coughing and a runny nose. Poor boy! He just can’t get a break. He couldn’t fall asleep last night and Huts said he was all over the bed. He wants his daddy this week, so I am not much help. Maybe he will switch parents tonight and Huts will get some rest. We’re hoping to get some yard work done and it would be nice to be awake enough to do it.

Mr. Crabby

Eli stayed at home Monday because he was sick. He is better now, but he is awfully crabby, and the only person he wants is Daddy. Poor Huts. He has to carry Eli everywhere while trying to make lunches, fix dinner, etc. Eli sounds like he is getting a cold, so maybe that is the reason he is so crabby. His sister is getting a cold, too, and that’s making her tired and crabby in the mornings. Ugh! Spring better come soon so the kids can get well and stay well!

Me Too?

When we get into our subdivision, we tell the kids they can unbuckle. The older two usually say yay and unbuckle their seatbelts right away. Eli always wants to know if we mean him too. I don’t know why he thinks he would be excluded from this; he isn’t excluded from much. We tell him that he too can unbuckle and it takes him just a second to get out. Then he tries to climb into the front to mess around with things. Sometimes he succeeds and sometimes he doesn’t, which usually ends up with him throwing a fit!

Last night he didn’t get to unbuckle. He fell asleep once we got to school and he slept for a couple of hours on the couch after we got home. That made for an easy dinner for the rest of us but a crabby Eli later. He was very whiny but fell asleep rather quickly. We were worried he was going to stay up until midnight.

Pzzzzzz

Like his sister, Eli also likes to pick out things. This weekend, it was a Star Wars gun, which he could not work much less would play with. His way of getting us to buy toys—PZZZZZZZZ (please) with an earnest look on his face. Sometimes it works, but not this weekend. The gun got put back on the shelf and he turned his attention to the games set up. He played with those for a few minutes, or rather fought with his sister over them, before it was time to leave. The trip was worthwhile because we got a microwave and an idea for an Easter toy for Eli—another tool from Handy Manny.

Eli loves Handy Mandy tools. This weekend, he got out his hammer and helped me move the kids’ stuff around on the walls. I would hammer the nail and then he would get on the stool and hammer it a couple more times for good measure. When I put my hammer away in the closet, Eli put his little blue hammer on the shelf below mine. He is quite the handyman!

Moving Toward 3

It’s hard to believe, but Eli will turn 3 in August. He is talking a lot and letting us know what he thinks about things—man, is he loud. He is running around with ease, up and down on stools and stairs like they are nothing. He even tries to put on his own clothes and shoes and often succeeds. I have to remind myself constantly that our house is now baby and toddler free. We have a little boy on our hands now. He even got a big boy haircut a couple of weeks ago, sitting on the bench instead of his dad’s lap.

No more babies, no more toddlers. It’s kind of sad, but liberating. By this time nest year, Huts and I will be free of diapers and hopefully sleeping through the night—Eli is still working on potty training and sleeping all night long in his bed. We haven’t had six months of uninterrupted sleep in nearly eight years. How great that is going to feel!

No Nap

Eli missed his nap on Sunday—wouldn't take one for anything. Then when we got to the sitter's, we learned that he and Jayden had missed their naps yet again. Too hyper I guess. They finally crashed around 4, but that's when we arrived so Eli was asleep for about five minutes. He was a bit crabby that night and did his best to stay up, but Huts finally got him to crash around 9. That boy! We're starting to think he may be done with naps. He's not even 3 yet!

On another note, it is warming up. The snow is melting big time, and the days are growing longer. We can finally see the grass, and before long, the kids will be able to go outside and have some fun!

My Pie

I wanted a French silk pie for my birthday, instead of cake, and Huts and Eli stopped off to get it on their way from the sitter’s. Eli likes pie, so it was his pie, not Mom’s. “My pie,” he told me over and over, even after we got home and he got a couple of slivers. We accustomed to him wasting more food than he eats, so we gave him just a dab. He asked for more, but I don’t think he ate much of it. “My pie” is almost gone, so Eli will soon be sad.

Eli also had fun in the snow, but I didn't get too many pictures of him in it. Below is the video of what we got this past week. Over 14 inches! Hopefully we don't get anymore this year!

Snowed In

Aunt Diane took lots of pictures of the snow when she came up for Christmas. Uncle Travis shoveled the driveway and deck in no time. Well, you two and all of other readers, you ain’t see nothin’ until you see the head-high piles on our driveway now. We were in the path of the blizzard, and it took us a whopping two hours to dig ourselves out. Good thing we shopped for groceries on Sunday. The kids went to school Monday and haven’t been back since. I am betting they will be going tomorrow, but we’ll see. It all depends upon the temperature.

The snow was like powder and easy to shovel. There was just so much of it that we tired quickly. The kids played in it for a while, but eventually, we all made our way back inside where we stayed until this morning.

Pooh Fan

Eli liked the Lady and the Tramp movie so much Huts got out Winnie the Pooh, and he loves it! He says Pooh all of the time now. After a few days of the DVD, Huts decided to switch things up and put in the Lion King this morning. Eli seemed interested, but we’ll see this afternoon. Sometimes, the movie has his undivided attentions and sometimes it doesn’t. He seems to like animal movies, but I don’t know if the lions scared him.

Mr In-Trouble

Eli was fairly good last night, playing with his brother and sister much of the night. Of course, there were fights—there always are—but he did not whine nearly as much. He did get into the cabinets and refrigerator a lot, scarfing down some things and wasting others. Then, he did something we were not happy about. Huts had the teakettle going on the stove. Eli climbed up onto the counter and grabbed the kettle. Miraculously he did not burn himself—thank you, God. Huts scolded him, and that was that for a while.

Once the older two went to bed, the turmoil began again, this time with Eli getting a real spanking. He hasn’t been into that much trouble in a while, and he was very upset. It took him about half an hour to calm down and then he snuggled next to Huts and fell asleep tight. He stayed in his bed all night and was not pleased that he had to get up early this morning. By the time we left, he was his usual chipper self, happy to be watching “Lady and the Tramp.” He loves dog movies, so ‘101 Dalmatians” it is next.

In All Fairness

Eli can be just as sweet as he is rotten. After telling you “No!” and running away, he sometimes returns in two seconds and give you a huge smile and a peck on the lips. He will bring you tissue, clippers and most anything else you want. He will help you cook and clean—much more willing to put things away than his siblings. He can be nice to his siblings, sharing his toys with them and his food.

The best time is when he is tuckered out and climbs onto the couch next to you. He snuggles in tight and drifts away into dreamland, leaving you wondering what he’s thinking about and what he will be up to next.

The Epitome

Obstinate...Check!
Forceful...Check!
Unruly...Check!
Tantrums...Triple Check!

Eli has become the epitome of the terrible two's. Most of his response's to our requests are an emphatic "NO". He doesn't do what we tell him, he runs away when we try to get him to do anything, he is picky and we are always wrong. He'll get a snack, then not eat it and repeat the cycle. He'll undress from his jammies nightly and run around in a diaper, then throw a fit while we force him back into them at bedtime. While he is cute when he stuffs his Grandma's possessions in his jammies and runs around with them, he doesn't take it well when we tell him to give them back.

Christian and Tori version of terrible two's were not this pronounced. I have to put that up to their demeanor being so laid back. Eli is anything but laid back. He has to be involved in everything and will fight (including hitting, but no biting) his siblings for his things. He is going to be a bear to teach about sharing. Time-outs when he turns into the Tasmanian Devil don't help, swatting him sometimes aggravates the situation, distraction seems to be our only ally at the moment and it is temporary in a lot of cases. He just goes back to being aggrieved when he remembers he was crying and screaming. You know, because we are monstrous parents who force him to do things he doesn't want to do like sit in his car seat! He's a Category 5 Hurricane of terrible two's and we've got 6 more months of stormy weather, I hope he grows out of it in that time.

Sick Christmas

Eli was the last to get the Christmas bug. He was able to open his presents without any problem and he seemed to like most of them. He got a lot of Spongebob, Handy Manny and vehicles for Christmas. He got sick in the afternoon after a glass of milk, but after his bath seemed mostly OK, just a bit clingy. He was a bit shy with the new people around but warmed up to them all by Saturday night, just in time for them to leave. By Monday he was ready to go and he was mostly a good kid on the trip to KC. The DVD player in the car kept him entertained and kept the DVD's intact for the entire trip. It was a long trip, but he made it in pretty good spirits, even with a short nap.

With the long trip, late dinner and slow service he was a bit crabby by the time he got fed that night. He was ready to got the next day, but his shyness kicked in when the babysitting kids started to arrive. He was mostly OK as long as we were in sight, but a few times he got antsy even when we were around. Once we got to Monkey Business, he was all about playing. He started in the toddler section, but eventually moved to the big kid bouncies. At 2 he is just like his brother...mostly fearless. He climbed to the highest slide they had by himself and went down it. Another long bouncy had multiple hills (6 and 8 feet tall) and multiple obstacles to navigate. He went through it 3 times before he tired out. It was a lot of work for a 2 year old! He and his cousin Sophia came home and fell asleep quickly for a long nap. They both were worn out.

Eli's shyness returned that night when my siblings and spouses showed up. All the new people scared him a bit and he didn't have time to get to be comfortable around them. He enjoyed ripping his presents open and finding all the vehicles and gadgets. However, he hated the Monkey! It scared him once it started rolling on the floor, so that was one of the last times he saw the monkey. He made the trip home with little issue and an early nap. He made it through our last celebration on Thursday. He only made it to 10 on New Year's Eve (we weren't going to let him stay up), so he was ready on New Years Day bright and early. He was pretty good the rest of the weekend and was ready to see his friends at the sitter's today even though he didn't want to get up. Hopefully he'll be back to his normal routine after tonight.

Mr. Chatterbox

Everyday Eli spits out a new word, often more than one. This morning it was back seat. He wants to sit in the back seat with his sister, but it’s the third row and he can’t buckle himself into his seat like Tori can. That’s why we put him in the second row. We can get him in easier there and hand him what he wants. He wants to be a big kid like his brother and sister and keeps getting on the scale. He is not yet 30 pounds, but as soon as he gets there, I am putting him in a booster seat. Then he will feel like a big boy, and soon he may even be able to sit in the third row and buckle himself in.