Life. Is. Good.

It's not even funny how much I love that kid. Eli is causing my heart to grow so much more each day. We've had a great week or so...lots of great family times and many memorable moments between the two kids. Today Eli was sweet to his sister (unprompted) yet again: when I was preparing lunch, Eli was building a track with his wooden train tracks. Maddux ran over to investigate and, as she often does, disrupt. Eli had been territorial and cross with her five minutes earlier when she did the same thing, but this time he took a different approach. "No, Maddie, no." (Said in a softer, gentle voice.) "Don't take dose...be careful! Don't hurt yourself!" I'm sure he was just as motivated, if not more, by his need to control the pieces as he was to keep his sister safe, but at least he opted for a softer tone.

Just now I put the kids down for a nap, which allows for a short one-on-one time with each kid. Most days, I put Maddux down while Eli reads in his room, and then I come read to him five minutes later. Right before I left Eli alone, I gave him his new National Geographic for Kids (Thanks, Aunt Linda!!) magazine that came yesterday. He is really starting to get into these small rags, especially because they include 6-8 small collectors cards in each issue. The cards show a color picture of an animal on one side and a 'fun fact' about the animal on the other. Eli and I spent most of the time reading about the animals and talking about their facts. Maybe half of them were related to dietary preferences this month. So when it was time to wrap up our story time, I asked Eli to pick out his favorite card. He picked a beetle and then he picked every other card also. After he told me each of them was his favorite, he told me what they were (badger, crab, dolphin, etc.) and then he told me what they ate. His perception of what they ate anyway. The dolphin eats rice, the crab eats worms and mushrooms, the squirrel eats trees and rice and pasta and tomatoes and worms and trucks. That last entry caused him to smile as he knew he was being silly at that point. I really did not want to leave his room because we were having such a good time. This age is sooo fun. There are tantrums. There are battles. There are hard times. But the vocabulary explosion and new comprehension of SO much makes it my favorite stage thus far. Thank you, Eli.