South Carolina

We just got back from a fantastic visit to South Carolina for cousin Sarah's bat mitzvah. As you can see, Eli had a good time, and he got all tired out. He was a fantastic little gentleman for both the Friday night and Saturday morning services. He really enjoyed the musical parts of the service. A great time was had by all!

Holidays

We had a busy holiday season. Shelby and Dave were both writing grants. So, we stayed in Madison. We still had a nice time. We opened lots of gifts at home and spent time with friends at the train exhibit and on Christmas night. We got to do some sledding and roast marshmallows in our fireplace! Enjoy!

November

Here are a few pics from the month of November. It was an exciting month, and very full house during Thanksgiving! We had both grandparents, uncle Jason, and an extra dog in the house. Good fun! But, Eli had a great weekend. Enjoy the pics of the little guy!

Fall

Eli is becoming more independent each day. On his way to school, he carries in his Curious George lunchbox like a briefcase. He is trying hard to put on his coat by himself, and he is not shy about expressing himself. At least, to us. He tends to turn his head away from other people and talk to them while burying his head in our shoulders. His vocabulary is growing quickly - he is even trying to pronounce complex words like 'archipelago' (we had Indonesian food last night).

Today we went to the Madison Children's Museum and Eli did not want to leave the climbing apparatus or stop painting. Both time he was very upset when he was asked to move on to another activity, just another sign of his burgeoning independence.

The last few weeks have been busy with weekend get togethers with friends. Most Friday night we have had dinner with our friend Sue, Joe, and their now-one-year-old grant. We had several birthday parties in the last few weeks, with one more tonight. Before we know it, Thanksgiving will be here. Both sets of grandparents and one uncle will be visiting Eli. Busy times, but fun.

-dave

pics

We hadn't posted in awhile. Here are a few good ones. You can see Eli and Nadav at the Halloween party and on the carousel at the zoo (our regular weekend attraction)! OH, and we had an instrument parade one night -- good fun! Also, here is a picture of Eli on top of the climbing tunnel at school. It is impressive that he can make it to the top!

Enjoy!

pumpkin patch

I got to go with Eli's class to the pumpkin patch today! We had a good time and the weather was great! We picked our pumpkins and then got to visit the animals and the playground. And, Eli got to ride on the school bus like a big boy. Oh, and don't forget milking the cow..... All in all, a fun time!

Eli's time off

Eli was home from school for three weeks. I took a few pics, but the most impressive one was Eli posing with the vacuum cleaner. Mom had a wonderful week with him in Madison. Then, we took him to Brazil and had an even better time! Grandma Linda and Grandpa Mike came with us. We got to spend time in the city and at the beach. Eli liked the sand, and he was always looking for "X's". We counted, read, looked at letters, and ate lots of good food. All the things one does with a toddler when traveling. Now, back to school!

South Carolina

We took Eli to South Carolina last weekend for GG's 89th birthday. Eli had a good time. He got to go to the Children's museum, zoo, and two swimming pools! At the Columbia zoo, people can feed the giraffes. Sure enough, we did that, but only after a trip through 'sprinkler alley.' Eli also became a big fan of railroad crossings. He kept 'looking for X's' during the whole trip. He got excited every time we saw one. We had dinner at a restaurant right next to a railroad crossing one night, and he spent half the time outside looking at the 'X.' Eli also had fun with his cousins Sara and Ellie. He wanted to play catch with Sara and he liked playing with Ellie. He also enjoyed playing with the piano and the radio at Eric and Pamela's house.....nonstop. We also went to Jim and Lainie's house on the lake over the weekend. Eli had a blast in the swimming pool. He especially liked being tossed up in the air.

Overall, Eli was good on the trip and we hope he will be just as good on the next one next week!

Vacuums, families, and canoes

It has been busy around the O'Connor house lately, as usual. We had both sets of grandparents visit in the last week. I think I need to start referring to each grandma and grandpa with their names too. I wonder if Eli is getting confused when I say that "Grandma and Grandpa are coming to visit?" Also, if you haven't spent much time around Eli, he is obsessed with the vacuum cleaner. I have included a picture of a happy Eli playing with the house vacuum cleaner (It's pretty special when he gets to play with the house vac, rather than his toy vacs). And, lastly, we capped the week off with a trip in a canoe. We had a wonderful time canoeing today. We all sang "Row, row, row your boat," quacked at ducks, and hunted for wildlife. Eli was on tip-top behavior in the front of the boat with Dad. I think we will have more canoe rides in our future!

Enjoy!