Pretty Much The Best Day Ever

The kids woke up in the BEST mood. Eli started off sharing and cooperating from the first few minutes of this morning. We all went downstairs after getting dressed and the kids played while I made breakfast. Instead of the standard argument over toys (Maddux taking and Eli complaining), Eli came into the kitchen and asked, SO sweetly, "Max, wanna pway cooking wiff me?" Then he took her hand and tried to help her come with him. The day continued that way. Lots of sharing, lots of sweetness, lots of obeying. At one point, Eli found a bouncy ball and started tossing it around downstairs. Then I heard him say, "Go get it, doggy!" I looked over to see Maddux running after the ball. I was tempted to stop him, since I don't want him to treat anyone like a dog. But he was being so sweet, and knowing Eli's love for the four-legged animals, I knew this was not a put-down in any way. The two played that game for quite a while. I wish I had some video tape of Maddux chasing the ball. It was really quite comical and her expression was exactly that of a dog waiting for her owner to toss a ball.

After naps, we played a little before Lehr got home. At one point Eli asked to go downstairs to play with his trains. I told him he could and Maddie and I stayed upstairs and read. Ten minutes later we went down to join him. Eli had built a great big train track, all by himself. Maddie ran over to it and started to play immediately. This scenario ALWAYS brings about loud, whiny protests from Eli, but he sat back and said, "Pweese be gentle, Maddie." That was it. (Can I just say, "WOW!!")

When Lehr got home, Eli and I left for our monthly date night. I decided to take him for sushi since he's recently figured out how to use chop sticks. (At least some of the time.) We had edamame, ebi (shrimp sushi), and chicken teriyaki. Eli used his chop sticks 97% of the time and even mastered picking up plain rice with them! He told me, "Look, Mommy! I not squeezing it too hard!" He tried a tiny bit of wasabi, but vetoed it immediately. The same thing with ginger. After our dinner, I had a few errands to run. One of those was going to Michael's for a particular sticker. Eli found some food stickers he wanted to get for Maddux, so I let him. He also picked out some pizza stickers for himself. When we were driving home he told me, "I gonna give deez to Maddie and let her have dem. She can rip them, or fold them, or do whatever she wants, cuz they're for her." That was cool to hear because usually Eli is the typical first-born, control-freak big brother that tells Maddux what to do and not do with her toys. We came home and he gave her the stickers. She immediately brought her hand to her mouth, thanking him in sign language. Life is good.

First Soccer Practice

Eli had his first soccer practice tonight. All day long he was oh-so excited. He wore his soccer jersey shirt and track pants in preparation, and he reminded me every chance he got that "Daddy" is really "Coach". Lehr told him a few weeks ago that when they are on the field, he is to call Lehr "Coach" only. There will be no special treatment out there. So anytime I'd say "Daddy" today, Eli would repeat what I said, inserting 'Coach' for 'Daddy'. Example: "I'm making a sandwich for Daddy because he won't get to eat before practice." translated to "Ohhhhh...you're making a sandwich for Coach?"

Eli loaded the car with his soccer ball, cleats, shin pads, and soccer socks. We arrived at the field just as Lehr was setting up. As soon as Eli saw him, he took off, saying, "Dere's my COACH!!" Tyler showed up quickly afterwards and the two boys had a great time kicking the ball around the field. They were both so focused - it was neat to watch!!

Maddie loved getting in on the action too. She chased after the boys (and the other kids that showed up) and kicked the ball any chance she got. The practice lasted one hour and I was amazed that all of the kids lasted the whole time, paying pretty good attention to Lehr and the other coach. They did a quick warm-up with a few laps around the field. (Eli passed me and said, "Look, Mom. I'm da caboose!!") Then they did some balancing work with the ball and lifting one leg, and then they went into some drills and scrimmage. I think the neatest thing for me was seeing how focused Eli was on playing with the other kids and listening to instruction. He never ran to Lehr looking for reassurance, he never cried when someone else had the ball, he never stopped playing because he fell or got hurt....I was so proud of my determined little boy! If tonight was any indication, he has a great work ethic! The only downside to the evening was when Lehr kicked the ball back into the field and caught Ty's chest with the ball. Tyler was tough though...he barely shed a tear.

Visions of Sugarplums

There are some days when I really wonder if the kids found a sugar bowl and licked it clean. They were VERY busy at church yesterday. Not bad, but busy for sure. And Friday night we had our small group and they were high-octane also. I had to chuckle because for the first hour or so, Maddie was pretty calm. Actually, VERY calm, especially for her. I joked with our hosts that their house must have a calming effect on her because the Maddux they were seeing was not the Maddux I'd spent time with the last week. The man of the house mocked me, saying, "Not my Maddux." Sure enough, after dinner my girl showed them a thing or two.

Speaking of sugar, Eli had a Pajama Party at school on Friday. The kids wore their PJs to class and they had waffles for snack. When I picked Eli up, the teacher told me of some funny conversation during snack. One of the other children only ate the butter and syrup off his waffle, asking for more 'topping'. She kindly told him that he needed to eat the waffle; he couldn't just eat the syrup because too much sugar could make him sick. Apparently my boy chimed in with a "YEAH! Sugar can make your tummy hurt!" Atta boy.

A few 'new' things with the kids:
Maddie pushes in all of the chairs after we eat each meal. She walks around the table and does her best to scoot them in. She actually does alright with the chairs Lehr and I use, but the two with booster seats are obviously heavier and near impossible for her to move. So she stands next to them and complains until someone helps her. A bit OCD, if you ask me.

Maddux loves to say 'bye-bye', and she enunciates it very well. When we leave the park or the store or a friend's house, she will turn around and wave her hand, saying, "Byeee-byeee."

The latest concert music we've been listening to is Michael Franti (lead singer of Spearhead). Eli has taken on a new instrument: his voice. Actually, he seems to be a bit of a lip-syncher these days: he holds a dive stick like a microphone and moves back and forth in time to the music. Eli loves Spearhead ("Searhead" since he never pronounces consonants after an 's'.)...he was very disappointed when Lehr and I went to their concert last night and he was unable to go. He gave me a very intentional, "Gee....I wish I could go to the Searhead concert."

We have encountered a new issue with Eli: lying. I refuse to believe it is malicious in his intent though. I think he doesn't grasp the concept of what a lie is. I try to explain lies and truths, but without using those two words, I'm struggling. Any words of advice for a 3 1/2 year old are welcomed!

Last but not least, Maddie has become even more (is that possible?!) animated in her concert/music participation. She dances and claps like nobody's business. And the excited look on her face is priceless: mouth agape and eyes beaming. I love it!

Breathe In....Breathe Out...

That's my week in a nutshell. Unfortunately, I've not followed that advice enough and I have been more of the Wicked-Witch-of-the-West mommy instead of the Good-Witch-of-the-South (aka Glinda) mommy. More yelling and being 'ugly' than I care to admit. I apologized to both kids at some point (Thursday?? They all run together now.), something I have not felt I needed to do before now. I tried to explain to them that I lost my temper and yelled when I was mad and that is not something we are supposed to do.

Let's go over the issues, shall we? Maddux is 19 months....going on 13. Years. She is in the full blown tantrum phase where she goes limp in your arms when you pick her up and she cries and screams like someone is poking her with a fire stick. She also loves to get Eli riled up. Maddie will see him playing with a few toys, slowly walk over, and then grab one of them and take off, shoulders hunched up. She knows it angers him and she likes that. Maddie's voice is also an issue. She appears to have no inside voice these days. Happy, sad, indifferent....it all comes out loud. LOUD. As for Eli, the issues all boil down to one thing: sticking a toe over the line. He's not overtly defiant, nor is he doing any large-scale disobedience. But disobedience is disobedience and he pushes the limits every chance he gets. Over everything.

Let me tell you how it's just a barrel of monkeys dealing with these two opposing and intertwining discipline issues at once. When nap time comes I seriously collapse from sheer exhaustion only to watch the clock, counting down the minutes until I have to go back into battle for another four or five hours. I'm doing neither one of them justice by handling the situation 100%, so nothing is getting better. I vowed today to deal more with Eli since he knows the drill, and he is a good kid. It won't take him long to get back on track. Maddie might (read: WILL) take longer since she's fairly new to the discipline game. So far today, Eli has had three time outs and I'm expecting more when he gets up from his nap. That being said, I've not had to go any further with it, so I'm rejoicing in that small victory.

Love My Kids' Love

They love each other. Still. Even though they are to the stage where they stake claim on toys and get mad when anyone else looks in the direction of said toy. Even though they feel entitled to take anything anyone else is playing with. Even though they like to do things to antagonize one another. They love love love each other.

Maddux is a sweetheart. She is crazy, rambunctious, and the opposite of prissy, but she has a mothering instinct stronger than I ever had until I actually became a mother. She gives sympathy cries sometimes when Eli gets hurt and almost always when he gets in trouble and has to sit in time out. Even better, when he gets hurt to the point where he comes to me for comfort, she immediately comes over and puts her arms around him. Then she pats his back. It is all I can do to not leave my child in pain while I grab the camera. (Trust me, I've been tempted!) And she loves to try and wash his hair, or his leg, or his back, while they take a bath each night too. She loves him.

Eli has a bit of a superior-big-brother feeling about him sometimes, but it doesn't stop him from loving his sister's company every second of every day. He misses her when he's at school, and he wants to be the one to wake her up from her nap any chance he gets. When the kids were listening to music today, Eli went to the toy box and got two dive sticks to use as drum sticks on the step-stool. He totally surprised me by immediately offering Maddux one to use while he played with the other. Eli also asks her to do things with him ALL of the time: "Maddie, wanna pway basketball wiff me?" "Maddie, wanna go outside wiff me?" "Maddie, let's chase!!" And when I tell the kids it's time for bed, Eli always goes to Maddux and hugs her, kissing her on top of the head at the same time. (She's shorter than him now, but that will not last long.)

My point in all of the sappy rambling today is to document one more time for future reference that Eli and Maddux enjoy each other and genuinely care about each others' feelings.

Oooooh-EEE! UH! Look at My Maddie!

Only Eli and Maddux would appreciate that title.....silly little song I sing to her when I change her diaper. Now she tells me that she needs to have her diaper changed by touching her derriere and saying, "Oooh Eeee!!" Love it.

Poor girl...her canine (eye) teeth are moving in and she is in pain. Not quite bleeding gums, but they are crimson red and her mood is like fire. One of them broke through sometime last night, so hopefully the end of this phase is near. For the last four days or so, she has been ultra clingy. First to D, then to Daddy, and today to me. And she is not happy EVER. The main reason we knew something was wrong was her appetite. Maddux has not been eating much because of the amount of hysterical crying she does during meals. I can only imagine that it hurts to eat right now because of the pain in her mouth.

The scenario did offer a bit of a teaching moment today, however. When Maddux gets this way during meals at the house, I do my best to calm her down (while leaving her in her chair). I remind her to breath (demonstrating slow breathing), to get self-control, and I do not give in to her demand for me to hand feed her. Today she finally got it! During breakfast she was freaking out, even though I fixed oatmeal which is the easiest on her mouth right now. I gently held her hands as she got hysterical to the point of having ragged-type breathing. I showed her how to breathe in and out very slowly, all the while talking in a calm and kind voice to her. Eli sat and watched, soaking it all in. She finally locked eyes with me and tried to control her breath. I was jumping up and down inside: SUCCESS!! She still got upset a few more times, but quickly calmed herself using the tricks we've been working on. When she calmed down the first time, Eli said, "Mommy, she got self-control! She not crying anymore....she takes big breaths like I doo-s." (We also try to use the slow breathing technique with Eli when he starts to get frustrated and mad...before it gets out of hand.) Let's just say for as loud and stressful as breakfast was, it had a wonderful silver lining.

Speaking of My Maddie, she is talking more and more. Her vocab is expanding, though if you're not with her everyday, you might not recognize some of the words. She can say "hi" (sometimes it sounds like 'high-eeee'), "baahhl" (ball), "bah-bull" (bubble), and "bye" (again, 'bye-eeee'). My favorite is her constant roll call of the people in the room (or pictures of them). She loves to point at me and say, "Mahhh!!", then she points to Lehr and says, "Dah!!!", and she never forgets Eli, "Ee-I!" She'll even point to herself sometimes and say "Mah-de", but it doesn't sound quite like her name.

Growing Up So Quick!

I can't believe it: my boy is already shaving!! No, not really. But it is still scary to see him pretend to do this 'big boy' thing! Grandma Cathie got the kids each a small pretend shaving/bathing kit for Valentine's Day. Maddux is clueless, but Eli has obviously seen someone shave (probably not Daddy since he doesn't much, if at all, anymore) because he knew exactly what to do! Lehr gave the kids a bath and snapped some shots of Eli lathering up and 'shaving' away the special foam. Too funny!

Big Boy Bed

One GREAT thing about Eli being in a big boy bed is the snuggle factor before he falls asleep. Instead of reading in his chair, now we can lie in bed with him and read books, talk, pray......and fall asleep!! Eli has never been a fan of falling asleep with us (not even as a baby), but the other night, he did!! Lehr was reading to him; after 15 minutes I decided to check on them to see what was happening. At 8:15PM, both of my boys were sound asleep. That does happen from time to time for Lehr, but Eli ALWAYS stays up talking and singing in his bed until 9PM or so. Good times!!

On a related note, Eli is sleeping in better now. He's not quite back to his regular 9-930AM wake up time, but he's sleeping until at least 8AM before nature calls, which makes everyone happy!

Valentines and Centerpieces

Eli had his class Valentines Day party this morning. Maddie and I arrived just before noon and the food portion of the day had just ended. (His class tends to have an all-day party to celebrate holidays because their room mom ROCKS and because the kids can handle many more crafts and activities than they could last year.) When we walked in, the students were just finishing up pop-up cards for mommies and daddies. Eli actually made a nice smiley face on his with glitter glue....all by himself! Maddux roamed around, checking out everything she could. As we were walking to the class, his teacher passed us in the hall (the aide and a few other moms were in the room with the kids). She informed me that Eli had eaten SO much food during the party. There were cupcakes, a cookie cake (with bananas on it), cookies and Hershey kisses. Eli had sampled it all, of course.

After the cards came a special story time and then some general play before we left. Eli's best buddy, Sanjit, came over to Maddie and gave her a Valentine - so sweet!! She carried it all around and growled at everyone as she showed it off. (There was a teddy bear on it.) Every time I go to his class I'm amazed at how grown up Eli is becoming. He was very well-behaved today, despite the sugar coursing through his veins, and he was very excited to 'show off' his mommy and sister to everyone. When the kids sat down for story-time, Sangit had just given Maddux her card. She sat with me, but Eli called across the room, "Maddie, dats from Sangit. Can you say 'Sanjit', Maddie?" And when the kids were all playing, I heard another child call, "Eli!!!" and turned around to see one of Eli's friends from last year summoning Eli from across the room to play with him. He has this whole other life at school that I'm not a part of and it is so cool.

When we got home, the kids played on the back porch while I made lunch. We had just put Eli's homemade flowers in a vase on the kitchen table, so Eli must have been in the decorating mood. He came running inside with a long branch containing several dead leaves. (It was actually really pretty!) He said, "MOMMY!! We HAVE to use dis for da table so everyone can look at it." I told him it would go perfectly on the table outside since we planned to eat out there for dinner. He and Maddux spent a good 15 minutes after lunch decorating the table even more. Obviously Eli has inherited this gene from Grandma Cathie; he certainly didn't get it from me! Maddux had a blast finding pine needles, pine cones, and other yard 'decorations' with her brother. I swear she would follow him over hot coals....

Valentines

After naps, the kids and I made Valentines for Eli's class party tomorrow. Well, not so much 'made' as colored and decorated the backs of McQueen hologram Valentine cards. Either way, he got really into it. (Maddux drew a picture with crayons while Eli worked on his cards.) After we completed the ten cards for his class, I asked Eli if there was anyone else he wanted to give a card too. (When I asked him this last week, he listed everyone, I mean EVERYONE, he knew.) Today he started the list with 'Maddie'. (YAY!!!) Then he made one for Daddy, Mommy, and Eli. (Yes, he made one for himself.)

So one last time, I asked, is there anyone else you love and want to make a card for? Eli's eyes lit up and he said "God!" Then, "You could give it to Him."

So I asked, "When am I going to see God?"

Eli told me, "You have to go in an airpwane because God is really far away." Then he drew a baseball on the card and gave God a truck sticker.

Donation Corner: My Stuff Bags

A few weeks back, a friend pointed me to a blog that has consumed my time and my heart since I read the first post. Matt lost his wife the day after their daughter was born, leaving him to deal with grief and joy, both at once. The highest of highs and the lowest of lows. I have not read in his words that he is a believer; personally I have no idea how he has managed to care for his daughter in the amazing way he has without faith. That task seems next to impossible for me... I don't know that it was God's will for Liz to leave this earth so quickly after her daughter was born, but I do believe that God can turn any situation around to have a profound and positive impact. While I'm sure most people would agree that it might have been best for everyone if Madeline would have been able to grow up with both parents alive and present in her life on earth, I think that the relationship between Matt and Madeline will be better and closer than ever possible had things gone another way last March. Through the tears, Matt seems to have become this awesome "Mr. Mom" who has done all he can to make sure his daughter knows she is loved and cared for every second of the day. (I urge you to read the blog, but keep Kleenex nearby because it is real, it is raw, and it is heart-wrenching.)

One of the things Matt has done to help others in hard situations is support My Stuff Bags Foundation. So many children in our country need to be rescued from dangerous home environments: more than 300,000 each year! These kids often have to leave home quickly, without a chance to pack their belongings. As they make that scary transition from their home to foster care, My Stuff Bags hopes to put a My Stuff bag into every child in this situation.

Now is the part where I tell you how you can help. Obviously, money donations are accepted. You can also collect or buy toys or books for these kids and send them to the foundation. Some items they need are stuffed animals, coloring books, small toiletries, small photo albums, rattles, school supplies, books, hats, and toys. Handmade crafts are always a nice touch also. If you want to make a cuddly (and easy!!) blanket, here are the directions. And finally, if you live in SoCal, you can volunteer your time.

Spring Has Sprung!

At least for a week! We had amazingly warm weather in Atlanta this weekend, especially considering the single-digit temps we had as recently as Thursday. Friday night we had a family dinner on a local pizza joint's patio. Then we spent Saturday morning at a cool new park near Uncle D's house. Eli had a blast watching the skateboarders with Daddy while Maddux ran around one of the playground structures with D and I. We all walked over to the dog park after a bit to check out the action there. Both kids loved seeing the dogs run around and chase tennis balls. Eli thought it was funny to see them chase sticks too, so he asked D to throw a stick so he could 'fetch'. This game lasted at least ten minutes: each time Eli would fetch, he would carry the stick near his mouth, pretending to be a dog. Maddux just stuck to the fence, watching the dogs run back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. We watched a little more skateboarding while Daddy and D played on the playground apparatus also. At this point I left, but the guys took the kids to an outdoor lunch, allowing for more good times in the sun.

Sunday was more of the same. Once we got home from church, we moved Eli's basketball hoop to the driveway so we could play in the warmth. Eli had plenty of new moves to show me from his date night at the Hawk's game. We ate lunch on the back porch and the kids took a quick nap. We soaked up more above-50-degree temps after their naps too. Eli played some one-on-one with a friend from across the street and Maddux dug in the dirt. Life is good.

Date Night

Eli's friend, Cooper, scored a few tickets to the Hawks game tonight, so they took their dads out for a Boys Night Out. Eli and Daddy stopped and got dinner first at Six Feet Under. As of late, Eli's been obsessed with crabs and lobsters and their 'prickley' legs. I think it started on New Years' Eve when Grandma and Grandpa gave him an empty crab leg to inspect. Now we can't stroll through Publix without checking out the red legs.... Anyway, after a sunset dinner, the boys went to the game and had a blast. Eli insisted they stay until the end (even though his friend left around half-time). Lehr said Eli was completely fascinated by the action on the court. (10th row seats helped a little!!) When they got home, Eli showed me the (free) souvenirs he'd obtained, including a Chik-Fil-A cow attached to a parachute. Then he told me about a guy who ran and jumped and tried to make a basket. (Of course he acted it out for me.) Life is good.

First Parent-Teacher Conference

This morning Eli did not have school. Instead, I got to meet with his teacher, Mrs. Upshaw, to discuss his progress so far this year. Lehr stayed home a little later this morning to watch the kids so I could attend the meeting; Eli and Maddux were SO excited about that. The conference was short and sweet: no surprises. The 'test' the kids were given sometime last month indicated that Eli knows and can identify all of his colors and shapes, and he identified numbers 1-8 (but not 9 and 10) correctly. I did not expect that Eli knew all of the numbers; even though we have a place mat with them and we point them out all of the time, he doesn't always give me the correct answer when I ask "What is this?" So the fact that he knew them all except for two thrilled me. Then the teacher went over a checklist of behaviors, qualified with 'atta boy', 'ehhh....getting there', or 'not so much'. The only area Eli really needs help in is staying focused. This didn't shock me at all; we struggle with the same thing at home. (For example, on the way to the bathroom before his nap today, Eli walked downstairs, opened the closet door, put his shoes in the corner, piled the boom-whackers on the table, turned on a few lights, and brushed his teeth.) Mrs. U did say that when the class is seated at the table, he focuses wonderfully. It's when they are transitioning from station to station, or when the class is divided into separate activities that Eli struggles. The teach said he's improving in the areas of following directions and movement (jumping, fine-motor skills, etc.).

She saved the best for last. Mrs. Upshaw knows about the way we eat in our house. She and I have discussed it before because I've requested that Eli have water instead of juice at school. (By the way, she totally backs me on this; her house is run the same way.) So she said she was shocked a few weeks ago when Eli responded to another teacher tossing an empty energy drink can into the trash. He asked her, "Is that a beer?" Of course, that did not shock me at all.

WWJD

The kids and I went to Costco today to stock up on some house staples. As we walked back to our car (kids in full cart, wind blowing, cars everywhere), a woman approached us with a paper in her hand. She had something written on there about having two kids and needing money to feed them. She offered a few words of English, but it was obviously not her first language (hence the paper). I apologized and kept walking, but promised myself that I would track her down once we got back to our car and give her a ten-dollar bill. (Even though we were in a busy parking lot, I'm a bit hesitant to stop, look through my purse/wallet, and hand out money, especially while with my kids. Who knows who is watching, or who this woman could be?)

As we continued to the car, I vacillated back and forth between hoping she really had two kids and hoping she didn't have two kids. If she was telling the truth, it would make me happy to know that not everyone asking for money is trying to scam me. However, if she was lying, at least that meant there weren't two hungry kids back at her apartment or car waiting for her to return with some way for them all to eat. That image is too much for me to handle these days. Having no money is scary, but having no money when you have to support children is downright terrifying.

By now I'm emptying the cart and loading up the kids. I vow to not just give her $10, but to give her whatever cash I have in my wallet. All of it. I couldn't get her face out of my mind. She seemed so sad and sincere. She also seemed ashamed to ask...I watched her approach other people and she never chased them down or yelled out to get some one's attention. Her whole demeanor told me she had no other choice but to beg for money... Unfortunately, all I had in my purse was five one-dollar-bills. Silently cursing Lehr for taking some bigger bills from my wallet that morning, I pulled around the parking lot until I found her. I handed her the money, apologizing that it was all the cash I had. She thanked me over and over, telling me "God bless you and your family."

Then the unexpected, but awesomely perfect, aftermath occurred. As soon as I rolled my window up, Eli asked, "Whatchu doin' wiff dat lady, Mommy?" This would normally be where I fumbled around to give the best answer, all the while giving horribly awkward pseudo answers in hopes of dumbing it down for him enough so that he really got it. Instead, God gave me words that seemed to flow effortlessly from my mouth. I told him something to the effect of "That woman has two kids, but she doesn't have any food for them right now and they're hungry. She asked me for some money to buy them food. I gave it to her because I think that is what Jesus would want me to do. I think if He was here, He would have given her His money too. Plus, if you and Maddie were hungry and I needed food, I would be so happy if someone helped me and gave me money to feed you guys."

The cool part is, I think he got it. He told me, "I could give her my money too."

Out Of The Mouth Of Eli

So as we did baths tonight, Eli commented that his tummy hurt. He doesn't complain of such ailments normally, so Lehr and I believed him and asked a few more questions. We had just eaten his favorite dinner (burritos from Willy's), and Eli had finished his entire (adult-sized) meal, so the sheer volume should be enough to cause some discomfort. Lehr realized that Eli had taken in two containers of tomatillo salsa tonight (instead of his usual one), so he cautioned him that sometimes eating too much spicy food can cause an upset stomach. Eli's response?

"Hey Mommy!! You ss-ouldn't give me tomatee-yo cuz it make my tummy hurt! Don't do it again!"

Monday Fun

So we're sitting at dinner tonight and Eli looks over to me and asks, "Where are your fee-wings, Mommy?" I guess he's heard me talk about hurting some one's feelings a lot recently and since 'hurt' is something he associates with the physical, he is looking for an exact location. I told him they are in his heart. He quickly corrected me, telling me his feelings were in his 'noggit'. (Noggin)

Maddux is so good about giving kisses. She loves to purse her lips and give love. In the last week she has cupped my face two separate times before planting one on my lips. Once she grabbed my cheeks (in a nice way) and puckered up. Then today she cupped my chin, oh so gently, and 'mmmm'-ed up to me. LOVE. IT!

Weekend Update

We had no real plans this weekend, but we ended up running a lot of family errands. This wasn't too exciting for Eli and Maddie, but they fared pretty well. We did take in some of the great weather by playing in the front yard Saturday morning. It was chilly, but oh-so sunny for a change! Eli is into 'painting' the driveway by use of a paint roller. Every day he tells me, "I got lot work to do, Mommy. I need to paint the driveway again." Maddie wants to do whatever he does, so she is often jockeying for a chance to push the roller also. Most of her time outside is spent throwing balls out of the ball bucket in the garage. She'll yell "Baaaaah!!" as she throws them.

Since I haven't talked about it in a while, Eli's potty training is basically complete. He's still in a pull-up for naps and night-time, but he hasn't had a dirty pull up since at least Christmas. The downside of that is his wake up time has shifted almost 2 hours earlier. Since his body is currently telling him when he needs to use the bathroom, he wakes up at 7 or 7:30 and goes. This is waaaay earlier than we're used to. The good news (besides the fact that he's really 'getting it') is that he will go back to his room after he's gone. For now.

Eli gets homework from school each weekend; this weekend was a heart he was supposed to color/decorate and return on Monday. I pulled out the water-paints for him to use on his project and he had a great time. He was very purposeful in his painting in the beginning, changing colors every few strokes. I loved seeing him concentrate so hard!