It is summertime!

A few summer essentials!

Softball games to watch..

A good friend to play with...

Playgrounds to explore...

A farm to visit...

A pool to splash in...

A "stream: to wade in..

Wildlife to watch...

Eli is loving all that summer has to offer!

"Where?"

Eli asks a thousand questions a day... Most without even saying a word. He turns his little hand up and looks you in the eyes and "says" 'Where?' all day long. Sometimes he is asking for a person (typically Daddy), sometimes he is asking for a toy, sometimes he is wanting you to ask for a toy that he has hid (typically in plain sight). This "Where" game has been going on for a few weeks now and somehow I still find it adorable. Simply adorable. His little up turned hand melts me. I love that he is initiating "hiding" games with us and that he is trying so hard to communicate.

Mud Day!

Experiential, hands on learning isn't always neat and pretty. Today was one of those days. We called it Mud Day! 1 bucket 3 shovels, a little dirt and a little water and this little guy was thrilled. Timid at first, but that didn't last long. Once he warmed up, he ate some mud, dumped a bucket on himself and threw big handfuls at Uncle Darren (he's a good sport).

Buddies!

Yay! Mud! Yay!

Clean up was a cinch. I just hosed everything off, the patio, the toys and the filthy boys. Eli loved it, at one point he stood up and started clapping... I think that means is was a success.

130 days, 130 tidbits (Part III)

I'm afraid this may get really lame before I make it to 130. I apologize in advance. I will try to include lots of pics to help distract from the lame.

89. Room by Emma Donoghue is my current favorite book.

90. Dan says I like to join things. We are members at The Magic House, The Botanical Gardens, The Zoo and our pool. And Gymboree.

91. We really enjoyed the Louisville Science Center. It has a rockstar kid area.

92. There have been a lot of tornadoes and storms this year so far.

93. My car got beaten up by some hail during some one storm.

94. My husband bought me clothes for my birthday for the first time ever. He did good.

95. Recently, Dan and I worked on a Habitat for Humanity house. Dan helped build a deck.

96. Now, I want a new deck.

97.

98. We eat Mexican food 1-3 times a week. At least.

99. Eli's b-day party was nearly snowed out. At the end of March... seriously crazy weather this year.

100. We went to the Cards game with my super cool cousin Carrie.

101. Eli went through a phase in which he preferred to play with his toys from within their containers.

102. WW has led to us eating lots of bananas. Like a dozen a week, at least.

103. Eli loves to be outside. He will bang on the door to communicate this desire, multiple times a day.

104. In July, Dan and I will be going to a Bed & Breakfast to celebrate our 5th anniversary.

105. Eli is blonde. Like really blonde. And no the mailman is not blonde.

106. Every night, our kid rolls around in his bed and thuds against the sides and makes a loud noise. Every night, I get concerned about this. Every night, Dan tells me that he is fine.

107.

108. Emptying and filling buckets and drawers and containers another favorite pastime of the little guys.

109. We discovered a new park that we love. Longview Farm Park has horses, a playground and very nice paved walking trails.

110. Eli is an expert at waving. Both "Hi" and "Bye".

111. We may have to talk about Eli getting ear tubes sometime in the future.

112. This summer I have been able to spend energy teaching and learning with my kiddo instead of spending so much energy on the 40 kiddos at work. It feels great.

113.

114. I don't think Eli has actually eaten any of the invading cicadas. Not for a lack of trying.

115. At the pool, Eli likes to stick his face in the fountains. He drinks a lot of pool water.

116. Dan has been rereading his beloved "boat books" by Patrick O'Brian. I don't really get "rereading"

117. Wow, I should blog more often. This 130 things is challenging. More Pictures.

118.

119.

120. Eli bit another kid at school. It was traumatizing... for me.

121. Eli turns up one or both of his hands to ask "Where?" at least 100 times a day (see #34).. It melts my heart each time. Oooh, that pudgy little hand!

122.

123. We hosted an end of the year BBQ with my work friends.

124. Dan had to install our "free install" dishwasher. Yeah...

125. Dan made a awesome sliding drawer under our sink to organize the cleaning supplies.

126. Eli "asks" for a bagel every morning when he wakes up.

127. Little People are a fav toy around here. They get put in and out of containers all day long.

128.

129. Thanks to his father, Eli knows how to operate the CD player in his playroom and has access to it all the time. We hear a lot of music in a kinda "stop and go" fashion.

130.

Thanks for catching up with us!

130 days, 130 tidbits (Part II)

you came back for day 2? wow, cool.

46. Eli loves to play ball.

47. He has had 5 ear infections since December.

48. He makes a very funny "pig noise" that is supposed to be like a snort, but kinda sounds like Darth Vadar dying.

49. I have joined pintrest.com and am trying not to be too obsessed.

50.

51. I am wearing pants one size smaller than when I got pregnant with Eli. Most days...

52. We got a new dishwasher.

53. I got a Nook Color. Also, thanks to a Best Buy Protection Plan... seriously, awesome.

54. I love Chick-Fil-A. LOVE.

55. Hanging out in a parked/off car and pretending to drive is like Eli heaven.

56. Hurry! Hurry! by Eve Bunting is our favorite little guy book currently.

57. Or Happy Hippo, Angry Duck by Sandra Boyton.

58.

59. Darren and I are kept very busy this summer trying to keep little boo busy.

60. I love Bagel Thins. So does Eli.

61. We have bagel crumbs in our bed A LOT.

62. Eli has started wearing hats, like this week, suddenly.

63. Dan and I recently read and enjoyed The Hunger Games series.

64. I have been cooking, a lot more since we started WW.

65. Dan's favorite new recipe is Smoked Turkey Pizza.

66. Eli only takes one nap now.

67. Most days.

68. Fine motor seems to be a strength of Elijah's.

69.

70. Eli had 8 teeth currently.

71. Dan got a Galaxy Tab.

72. Subsequently, we were addicted to Angry Birds for a few weeks.

73. DK and I are making an ABC wall in the playroom. Quite an undertaking. 26 letters.

74. Eli likes bath books. Books that can get wet, how awesome.

75. Cicadas have overtaken our yard and most of the metro area.

76. Eli is good at cleaning up. He knows where things go.

77.

78. Visiting Grandma and Grandpa Joe is exciting. Especially because of Jazz.

79. Eli likes to pet the crazy Jazz.

80.

81. Playing in the shop with Daddy is really cool, big guy fun.

82. I have a very messed up toe nail.

83. For awhile, we were taking lots of walks in the evening as a family.

84.

85. Frozen Strawberries in my ice water makes me feel like I am drinking summertime.

86. Dan and I are re-watching ER starting at Season 1.

87. Dicecapades is my latest board game. Other favs include Settlers of Catan, Ticket to Ride and Lost Cities.

88.

Wow. This is getting challenging (and ridiculous).

130 days, 130 tidbits (Part I)

I could give you a million decent or at least mediocre reasons why I haven't touched this blog in 130 days, but that would turn out sounding like a lot of whining and no one wants to read that. Let's just say that I am a full time working mom and winter isn't really my thing and leave it at that.

Instead I am going to give you 130 tidbits of our lives over the last 4.5 months to help you catch up! Pictures, factoids, nonsense in no particular order at all. Here it goes!

1. Eli learned to walk, shortly after his 1st birthday and is officially a toddler!

2. Dan started a new job in January.

3. He loves it.

4. We are leaving on a short trip with some great friends tomorrow. (I should probably be packing)

5. I have started listening to our local Christian Radio Station.

6. Eli has stopped eating vegetables, almost completely.

7. He subsists on mainly bagels and blueberries.

8. Eli pooped crazy, runny blueberry poop on the carpet of a Super 8 in Louisville. I was glad it wasn't my carpet.

9. We traveled to Louisville for the funeral of Dan's grandmother.

10. I completed my 4th year of my 5 year contract with the St. Louis Public Schools.

11. I attended the MSHA conference and spent 2 nights away from my boys. I survived.

12. Eli loves his uncle Darren... still

13. Dan and I joined Weight Watchers online.

14. Cool Shoes.

15. I got a new camera because mine broke again and was not able to be fixed.

16. It was free. I love Best Buy Black Tie Protection Plans.

17. Dan has lost over 20 pounds.

18. I have lost a lot too... not sure how much.

19. I am trying not to follow off the WW bandwagon, but am struggling.

20. Even though I haven't been blogging, reading "Mommy blogs" is still one of my favorite leisure activities.

21. I am 10 months behind "real life" in my scrapbooking. Oy. That makes me tired just thinking about it.

22. I received my certification and licence and am now a REAL SLP!

23. Eli says some words.

24.

25. "Hat", "duck", "up", "more" are some of the most common words he says.

26. He still doesn't really say Momma or Daddy very consistently.

27. Aunt Abby and Uncle Craig came for a visit in Feb. and we took them to our beloved Magic House.

28. Eli loves the pool!

29. Related to #28. Eli has NO fear!

30. Eli has started to be sad sometimes when mommy and daddy leave him other places. He gets over it..

31. He is wearing 18 month clothes.

32. Dan joined a softball team. They haven't won any games, but he still enjoys it.

33. Eli and I are taking a Gymboree class again this summer.

34. Eli loves to play peek-a-boo/hiding games.

35.

36. Eli loves the farm animals at Suson Park. I think he could go there everyday.

37. We love our "new" playroom. It is a great hangout place for our little family.

38. My kid loves to read. He comes by that honestly.

39.

40. Eli turned ONE and Auntie Kiki made him an AMAZING Dump Truck Cake! (Pictures to follow)

41. He did a great job smashing it all over his face. (Pictures to follow)

42.

43. Eli has 2 new 2nd cousins in that last 2 weeks! So Exciting!

44. Dan has been building in his shop a lot. Working on smaller woodworking projects recently.

45.

Tune in tomorrow for 40ish more bits of me and my favorite guys!