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!