Got It

The kids all have to demonstrate they know how to tie a shoe in kindergarten. One by one, they have passed the test, but by no means does this mean they can tie a shoe. We have worked with them on this, and they are shaky at best, or so we thought. At the beginning of the summer, Christian demonstrated that he knew how to tie a shoe. He did it quickly and he did it well. Surprise, surprise! Why he still chooses to wear Velcro shoes is beyond me. I guess it’s just faster and easier.

Tori has been wearing shoes with shoestrings this summer to the babysitter’s, and she is getting better at tying shoes. Of course, just tying the shoe once is not enough for her. She wants a double knot. Huts has been working with her each morning, and she has almost got it.

Now, Eli. Boy oh boy. He has got down some of his letters, but I have not worked with him on tying a shoe. With any luck, it will come easier to him. If not, he will get it, at least enough to pass the test. As he gets older, his dexterity and coordination will improve, which will make the task a snap.

Fourth of July Fun

So far this year, the kids have been to Chicago, St. Louis, Kansas City, Springfield—all over Illinois, Missouri and Kansas. The trips are finally over, and now we can all enjoy some time at home. Not sure what this holiday weekend holds in store for us. We’ve got some dirt being delivered, and Eli is supposed to be the stamper. Huts and I are planning to move the dirt into all of the holes into our yard, and Eli is going to stamp it down. Tori will help, too, I am sure.

We’re also hoping to take in a movie or two and spend some more time on the bikes. Christian is finally ready to take a real stab at it. Huts has a few techniques in mind for him to try so maybe that will help. Athleticism is certainly not his thing.

Wishing everyone a happy and safe holiday weekend.

Mommy! Daddy!

Eli is our youngest, and he seemed to be the one who missed us most last week while he was at his grandparent’s house. He had a very big grin on his face and gave us both big hugs. Then he was ready to hop back into the car and go home. He couldn't wait to see his room and his toys. Lucky for us, he didn’t fuss too much about grabbing a bite to eat before we left.

He also came home a changed boy, eating more than usual and eating different stuff. He actually told me he liked the boxed macaroni and cheese and ate two big bowls of it. The whininess is starting to seep back in, but for now, he is good.

Thanks to Marie and Steve for rearranging their lives for the week and taking on our kids. Thanks to Tony, Lucy, TJ and Paul for visiting with the kids and helping out in numerous ways. The kids had a great time, and it is all because of you. We hope life gets back to normal this week and you are able to catch up on your sleep.

Missing Us

Christian, Tori and Eli have been at their grandparents’ house this week. We have skyped with them nearly every night. Christian usually gives us a detailed report of the day’s activities, while Tori and Eli weave in and out of the picture. Christian seems fine. Tori seems more than fine, avoiding us for the first couple of days because she was too busy to chat. Eli, well, he’s our baby, and he is missing us. He misses me, his dad, his toys, his room. Lucky for him, he gets to come home tomorrow. Huts is looking forward to the grin that will no doubt be on his face. Years ago, when we picked up Christian after a week away, he was grinning ear to ear. Huts says it was the biggest smile he has ever seen on that kid’s face, and we are wondering if Eli is going to do the same. Christian was quivering in excitement at the sight of us. Maybe Eli will too. Awww!

Birthday Coming

Eli’s birthday is in August, and he has started planning for it now. He has figured out how to find toys online, and he has been showing us several he is interested in. The only problem? They could be old toys we can no longer find with ease. He has got his eye on several Batman things, which look like they might have come out some time ago. Ugh. With any luck, Eli will want to go shopping on his birthday and pick out his own gifts from what is available rather than have us look around online for things he has spotted.

Last night Eli fell asleep early, around 6. We decided to wake him up rather than let him sleep and get up at 4 a.m. I tossed him into the bathtub, thinking the water would wake him up. Wrong! He lay down in the tub and went back to sleep. It was a funny sight! We woke him again and got him out and got him dressed. I thought he was going to stay in bed but he surprised me. He got up and stayed up until 9 or so. Whew! Now if only he would sleep in on the weekends and get up early on the weekdays.

All Mixed Up

With school coming to a close for the summer, Eli is having a hard time keeping up with what day it is. We had a long three-day weekend, and today school is over. Tomorrow the kids are going to the babysitter’s, which makes for a confusing time for Eli. He keeps asking me what day it is and when he gets to stay home. With any luck, he will know the days of the week by the time school starts.

We’re also working on his letters, and it is not going well. He knows his numbers, but letters just are not coming to him. Huts and I are going to work hard with him, and so is Tori and the girls at the babysitter’s. Wish us luck. 

High Maintenance

While his siblings have taken steps forward, Eli has taken steps back. He has been very whiny lately, always wanting something. This is not looking good for kindergarten.

Saturday was a rotten day. I had spent most of the weekend fulfilling his requests, which made me crabby. I went outside to mow, let him know and told him to come get me if he needed something. He came outside and played. Then he decided he wanted to play in the sprinkler. I told him he had to wait until I finished mowing. He tried to wait, but got antsy, so when the gas ran out, I gave in. Tori and he went inside to change. Little did I know he was tromping up the stairs and on his nearly new carpet with muddy shoes. They came out, I set up the sprinkler and left them to it. Midway through weeding, I hear him screaming. I went around back and found him with a bloody nose and screaming he couldn’t do anything. I am dirty and tired, so I picked him up and took him inside. I washed him down, got him a snack and went upstairs for clothes. That’s when I found the muddy mess. Ughhhh!

I lost my temper, dressed him and told him to stay inside until I finished the yard. Lucky for all of us, Huts came home and cleaned up some of the mess, while I scrubbed up the footprints. I finally got back outside and finished all of that. Then, feeling like a heel, I came in and explained to Eli about not going upstairs with dirty shoes on. We’re pals again, but he is still clingy and whiny. I am not sure what this phase is, but it is killing me and Huts. Let’s hope Eli is better for his grandparents in a few weeks.

Cranky

That’s how Eli described himself the other morning. He hadn’t slept well and he was making a fuss about everything. He yelled at me several times and told me he was cranky. This morning went better. He was still tired, but he managed to get downstairs without yelling. He is a typical kid. He wants to sleep in on weekdays and gets up early on weekends. Booger!

Lately, Eli has been getting his dad to take him on bike rides. If you go by foot, you basically have to run the whole way. Huts likes to take Christian’s bike. I am sure he looks rather funny riding a kid’s bike. If this keeps going, it may be time to purchase Huts an adult bike.

Toy Story Kick

Lately Eli has been on a Toy Story kick. He dressed up in his almost too small Buzz costume and bounced around on the trampoline this weekend. He zoomed the Pizza Planet truck and Buzz cars all over the house. He watched the movies about five times in the car. He flew Buzz all over. He even got new Toy Story tennis shoes. Woody and Buzz--how can you beat them?

Last Thursday night Eli went to kindergarten registration. We filled out some paperwork and got some tips, while Eli sat criss-cross applesauce in a kindergarten room. Tori went down with him and told us that he was very good. Amazing. The only time tears came was when he had to leave and did not get a turn at the SmartBoard. He asked his dad the other day when he was going to get a turn. Soon, Eli, very soon!

And, now that school is so near, Eli has started eating better. He ate regular macaroni and cheese the other day, not the microwavable cups, and scarfed down everything we put down in front of him yesterday. Now, if he would just take care of his business in the bathroom himself.

Tucked Away

Eli stayed up late last night. When I went up to bed at 9:30, he was wide-awake playing with his trucks and cars. I told him it was time to lie down, and we snuggled. He must have fell asleep pretty quickly because the next thing I remember is Huts coming in. At first, he could not see Eli and thought he was already in his own bed. Apparently Eli was hidden on top of me! Once he realized that, he moved Eli to his own bed and we did not hear a peep from him until this morning. He was a happy boy this morning, tickled to discover that he had fallen asleep on me.

Busy Weekend

We didn’t go anywhere this weekend, but we wore out the kids anyway, Eli and Tori, especially. The fun started Friday night with Dale coming over and watching the kids for an hour while we used his truck to haul some mulch home. Huts and I put out the mulch on Saturday morning, while Tori and Eli played in the yard. Then, that afternoon, Huts put up new exterior lights while I raked up a couple of trashcans of leaves. That night, we ran some errands. Tori and Eli were a ball of energy and stayed up until 11:30. They got up early on Sunday, which turned out to be a beautiful day. Huts finished the lights, while I painted the porch posts and the screened-in porch. He also played with the kids on the trampoline. Everyone had a good day, and by the time nighttime fell, the kids were exhausted. Tori and Eli were both out by 8. They seemed ok this morning, but I am sure they would have preferred to sleep in.

BORING!

Eli used to be like his sister, reluctant to let go of anything. But, now, he has a new philosophy. If it is boring, it is out of there and in the sale pile. And, he is now an expert on what is boring. Before, I could not take his SpongeBob cake topper because it came with his birthday cake. Now, he informed me it was really boring and to take it. He definitely knows what he wants, and last night, he pulled what he wanted from the sale pile and left everything else. I guess he had a lot of boring stuff.

We are trying to get Eli ready for kindergarten, encouraging him to put on his own shoes, clothes and coat. He can be pretty independent when he wants to be. We are still working on the bathroom hygiene, but he is getting better about flushing the toilet and washing his hands. Wiping his butt, well, he still prefers we do it, but that is going to have to change. There will be no one to do that for him at school!

Eli’s diet still lacks. He likes very few things, but Huts has told him that he is eating what we are this summer. That should make for some really fussy dinner times. The ironic part is that he eats whatever the babysitter puts in front of him, so maybe he will do the same at school. Maybe he won’t come home famished because he ate nothing at lunch.

When He's 5

Eli will be able to do many things. He will be able to go to school. He will be able to take a bath all on his own. He will be able to eat a real dinner. He will be able to dress himself, tie his shoes and so forth. What a hoot! Little does he realize that he has started to do a lot of this on his own already from dressing himself to taking care of his bathroom needs. The worst change for him will probably be the meals at school. He has a very narrow range of foods he likes, mostly cereal and pasta, and I doubt he is going to want to eat a cold lunch everyday. He is going to have to get used to PB&J, chicken nuggets, sandwiches and more.

Despicable Daddy

One of the kids favorite movies is Despicable Me.  Christian can recite most of it, Tori loves the girls parts in it and Eli loves the minions.  They watch this regularly in the car.  Unfortunately, this has caused some confusion for Eli.  He thinks the movie is about his daddy.  

For instance, if I ask him if he wants to watch Despicable Me, he responds by saying, I want to watch Despicable you daddy.  While telling Christian and Tori about the movie, he tells them "In the movie Despicable Daddy...".  He even thinks I'm Gru.  He'll tell me, "Daddy, you just blew up the game and got a unicorn!".  

Next time you see someone walking down the street with 3 girls and yellow minions, you'll know it is Eli's Daddy.

Batman

Tori got dolls for Christmas and Eli got loads of Cars and Batman. He now has enough structures for his own town. He has a jail, Gotham city building, a huge helicopter and the bat cave. He also got a Joker set and some Spiderman things. So, now we have one big city and a whole box of superheroes. We found a place for everything, but it is tight. Good thing his birthday is in the summer.