visit to STL

We took Eli to STL to visit Grandma and Grandpa last weekend while we were getting our floors refinished. We had lots of fun going to the zoo and to the park. Eli got to ride around on Dad's shoulders, see the goats, and see lots of other animals. When we went to the park, he demonstrated some of his fantastic climbing skills too. Oh, and he got to share a slurpee with Dad. I was driving, and I heard a voice from the backseat, "More slurpee please." Can't beat that.

May-time fundin

We keep falling behind posting pictures. I think most of these pictures are centered around the fun Eli is having with his new toys we got when we went garage sale-ing a couple of weeks ago. We got some great toys -- a little tricycle, a bucket of dinosaurs, musical instruments, Mr. Potato head, more blocks, books, and more. We went early -- and got great stuff! He has been a babbling fool lately too. If you say a word, he will repeat it over and over and over. Lately, he keeps telling me about how the turkey is in trouble, bad trouble, because it is thanksgiving (from a book), and he keeps telling me that we are "all done vacuuming." I'm not sure if he's trying to make a statement about my cleaning habits, but here we are. Oh, and I should add that he and Dave made me cookies for mother's day. They were yummy! Enjoy!

mid-april pics

Hi all -- I thought you might enjoy some random pics of Eli. You can see him trying out his bike helmet by mouth and on his head. He really likes his new bike trailer. We'll have to get a pic of that too. There is also a picture of Eli from pajama day at school. And, the big news...Dave got tenure! So, I took Eli over to work to celebrate with cake. He was shy in the picture, but he ate a lot of it!

Words, words, and more words

A brief note to say that Eli has become much more communicative in the last few days, with occasionally hilarious results. Today we walked down the street and Eli was unusually excited. He ran down the street as fast as his short legs could carry him. As he got further and further away from our house, he started muttering something excitedly. Eventually we realized he was saying 'dog park...dog park...dog park.' Unfortunately, it was actually a golf course. But we saw how he would make that mistake!

And then tonight before getting ready for bed, Eli got to practice his talking a little more. We asked if he loved mom and dad and he answered with a perfectly enunciated 'yes' - the first time we've heard him say that word with that much precision and deliberation. Very cute.

An Eli Parade

While Shelby was out playing ultimate frisbee, Eli, our rolling cow, Triscuit, and I had a parade through the living room!

From the Easter Bunny to Passover in one day

Mike and Linda came for a visit this past weekend for all sorts of fun-filled adventures. On Saturday, we took Eli to the neighborhood Easter Egg Hunt. He got to meet the Easter Bunny, collect his special balloon, and collect eggs. He had a good time. He especially liked the bunny. We had to visit him 3 times!! Eli must have known that Mom used to dress up as the Easter bunny. Then, Mom put together a Passover seder. Sure, it was not on the first night of Passover, but we still had it. Once Eli sat down, he identified his cup of diluted grape juice and drank and drank and drank and drank..... He drank grape juice for our entire seder. With Dad's help, he found the afikomen after dinner too. Mom hid it in Eli's box of blocks. She figured he would find it there. A good day was had by all!

climbing, stacking, and hanging out at the dog park

I know it has been awhile since I made a post, but Eli has been keeping me busy! Actually, he keeps me so busy that I often forget to take pictures. Here are a few to enjoy. Eli has a fondness for climbing. This is apparent at parks and on stools around the house. I put a stool in front of the bathroom sink, and he doesn't want to get down. He likes to play with the water and grow sponge-dinosaurs in the sink. Good fun. He has also become quite the block stacker. He likes stacking all sorts of things, and he generally doesn't want to knock them down. You can see him trying to stack his cups. And, he did a really nice job stacking his multi-size blocks one day. He also likes stacking his regular wood blocks and other things, but I didn't get pictures of those yet. We usually keep stacking until the tower falls down. By that point, I missed the picture. We have also been going to the dog park lately too. Eli really likes it, but I have to keep him close and pick him up if a dog comes near. He usually wants to run off, so it can be challenging. But, Triscuit and Eli enjoy going, so we figure it out.

A video that speaks for itself

Some more new pictures

It's been a while since we've had a chance to post more pictures. Eli has been keeping us busy! Next week, keep an eye out for pictures from Mike and Linda, who will be babysitting Eli while Shelby and I travel.

without dad

Although we miss Dad, we have been getting along ok without him for the last week. Here are a few cute pics of Eli. One day, he had a lot of fun with funnels. Another day, he really wanted to wear his boots. He is trying to put on his shoes himself, but so far it has been unsuccessful. With my help, we have no problem. Anyway, Eli wore his boots around the house for awhile. The picture of him and Triscuit is fuzzy because he didn't want to stop moving. He is getting much better at walking in them inside! Outside walking is still a challenge. But, we did practice that a bit in the past week too. You can also see that I have been keeping Eli in in good shape -- we went to the library and he got his second haircut -- all in one day. Such a handsome fellow!

winter

hi all. Here are some winter pics for you to enjoy. Eli seems to really enjoy going out on the sled. I like taking him to the dog park. The snow can be smooth, and he can get in a nice sled ride. He is also learning how to walk on the snow in his boots. He is getting better at it, but once he falls down, he is stuck. Eli also likes playing with the pot lids and going to see noodles. Noodles doesn't mind the lids, but Triscuit does not like them at all! I should also say that I can tell Eli is learning more each day! Today, I asked him to get his milk and bring it back to me. He had to walk over to another room and he found his milk and brought it back. Ahhh, the little things impress me!

Hearing, now with more listening.

Shelby, Eli, and I spent a lot of time together. Since Eli's day care is closed for two weeks around Christmas, we've used a combination of parent-care, baby-sitter-care, and mom-and-dad-care to keep Eli entertained. One notable discovery is that Eli is developing quite the receptive vocabulary. He can identify his body parts, Triscuit and Noodles, and, perhaps most impressively, objects around the house. He can point to the oven, doors, cabinets, and more. We have to be very careful of what we say - even though Eli isn't talking back, he is absorbing our discussions.

He is also very interested in books. Shelby and I have read him more than 20 books each of the last few days. Fortunately, he isn't as wed to specific titles as he was a few months back, giving us a little more variety in what we read to him.

Eli returns to school tomorrow. We fear that the adjustment will be hard on him. He is finally happy to spend time in the playroom at the gym, which is now familiar because we went several times during his break, but we suspect he will not like being apart from us for entire days. I am also not sure how Eli will cope when I go to Uganda in two weeks, nor when Shelby and I go to Brazil and Costa Rica in February.

Well, we can't worry about the future when there is so much to do today!

Eli in Action

The last few weeks have been chaotic. We replaced our aging carpet and tile on the first floor with a sleek, new hardwood floor. While the new floor was being stained, we visited St. Louis. My parents came to Madison on Tuesday to help us reorganize the house. Christmas itself was quiet, if somewhat too quiet because of the challenging weather. The next looming challenge is my trip to Uganda in three weeks. I'll only be gone for ten days, but it is the longest I've been away from Shelby (and Eli) in years.

Now, for some multimedia (thanks to Google, I now have 200Gb (not a typo) of Picasa storage space. Expect more videos as I try to get my money's worth: