Snug As A Bug In A Rug

Except when Eli says it, it's "Snug-a-bug-a-mug" or something similar. I started saying that to him a few weeks ago as I tucked his 'special' blanket around him before naptime. Then one day he started asking for it with his 'snug-a-bug' version. Now he asks for Elmo to be snug-a-bug, 'hoop' to be snug-a-bug, and today he asked for Maddux (or "baby") to be snug-a-bug. I put her in his crib before their naps and he was quite delighted. Two kids, snug-a-bug. Life is good.

All Day Long

Lehr taught Eli to say "All day long!" when he makes shots on the basketball hoop. Of course when Eli says it, "All De Yong!" is the translation, confusing anyone other than Lehr or I. Due to the numerous guests we've had in our house the last week or so and the rainy weather, Eli has put in many MANY hours on the court. (His main hoop is on the enclosed portion of the back deck.) I played out there with him for about thirty minutes on Christmas Eve and the kid was (is!) insane! He gets in a rhythm and it is amazing how many shots he can make in a row. "All day long" really is an appropriate commentary for him. As skillful as he is at two years old though, the poor kid doesn't have a chance at the NBA. Short (pun intended) of becoming the next John Stockton, his lack of height will most likely keep him on the bench. Regardless of whatever tall genes he might get from Lehr's side of the family, Lehr is taller than everyone on my side. Males included. (And he is only 5'10".) Looks like Eli will have to settle for being a big fish in a little pond....

Bummer

We tried to take Eli to see some neighborhood lights last night, one last time. There is a cul-de-sac a few blocks away that displayed three white Christmas trees in the median. These weren't just any trees, as they not only lit up but also played Christmas tunes. Eli loves these trees and for the last month we've altered our walking route to include the cul-de-sac at least four times each week. Back to last night: we drove to the cul-de-sac to find the trees still standing, but without any power. The lack of lights and music did not hold Eli's attention, of course. And as Lehr told him, "Oh no, Eli. The lights aren't on!", from the backseat came this response: "Bummer." It's been a while since I laughed that hard. It cracks me up that Eli not only repeats what he hears, but he also tends to use the new words in correct context.

Gee-tar Fever!

Eli LOVES to play the guitar, or as he calls it, the gee-tar. I usually keep him in the beginning music set at church so he can hear the band and do any air guitaring before he goes to Sunday School. And at home he is forever asking Lehr or I to turn on some music so he can play gee-tar. Since D is an overindulgent Godfather, he bought Eli not one, but TWO guitars for Christmas. Eli absolutely loves one in particular and his strumming is consuming much of his daily life. No video of that yet, but here are a few seconds of his air skills the week before D spoiled him rotten.

Donation Corner: Walking On Water

I have Lehr to thank for this one. He pointed me to this site a while back, but due to the overabundance of charities I wanted to highlight before the holidays, I'm just now getting to post this.

Walking On Water is a non-profit, Christian-based organization that focuses on sharing the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This work is done primarily through surf camps in California. They also use surf films, called "Outreaches" on their website, which feature pro surfers as the Gospel message is presented.

The most unique thing I've found about Walking On Water is their approach to mission trips. They focus their trips to areas where Christ is not known and where He might not be known due to difficulty entering those areas as a missionary. The "10/40 Window" is their emphasis: "this Window extends from West Africa to East Asia, from 10 degrees north to 40 degrees north of the equator. This region includes 61 countries, two-thirds of the world’s population, 82 percent of the poorest of the poor, and 97 percent of the least-evangelized people groups." Walking On Water hopes to make a presence in these areas by befriending the surf community.

There are several ways to support this organization. Financial contributions are always welcome. They also have an online store where you can purchase clothing. Non-monetary aid is needed in the way of prayer
, awareness, and volunteering.

She's Done It Again...

This week Maddux has learned to successfully roll from back to stomach any old time she feels like it. The problem is she will do this from time to time in her crib and then be stuck. (Eli did the same.) Today I had her rolling back to her back, but she seems to only want to go one way, so if she doesn't have enough room on that side, she's hosed...

Mad Dog will also stand at the train table still, as Lehr has taught her, and now she's getting cocky about it. She'll hold on for about ten seconds and then let go with one hand and try to reach for something. One step at a time, please!

Kingpin

Eli enjoyed a night of bowling last night. There was quite a wait at the local alley, so we occupied our time with 'hoops' (go figure), skeeball, and a few race car games. The skeeball was a trip to watch because Eli could not get the concept of rolling underhand, no matter how much his cousin, Rachel, tried to show him. I figured Eli would enjoy the actual game too, given that he repeatedly strayed over to the lanes while we were in the arcade with Rachel, Mom-Mom, and Aunt Megan. Finally our number was called and Eli put on his little bowling shoes (they were so small!). On his first attempt, Eli bowled a strike! There were bumpers up, but it was impressive, nonetheless. He even carried his ball out to the starting gate by himself half of the time. Of course, that same half found him triggering the 'buzzer' that sounds when you cross the line. As for surprises, Eli only tried to kick the ball (like a soccer ball) once! I'd have guessed he'd try attempt that at least half a dozen times... His favorite thing to say was "Peeens. Knock down."

Standing On Top Of The World

Look at the new trick Daddy taught Mad Dog this morning! While Eli and Mommy were otherwise occupied, Lehr placed Maddux close enough to the train table so she could grab and lean. That she did! Then when Lehr showed Eli Maddux's new feat, he complained, 'Dirty!!' because she started to gnaw on the side of the table.

Leavin' On A Jet Plane...

The kids and I drove my parents to the airport after lunch today. Eli got in an insane amount of hoops with both of them before we left...it's no wonder he's still taking a nap (at 4:45PM). He kept saying, "E-I get out?" at the airport while we were unloading their bags. This is the first visit I think he'll really 'get' that they were here but now are gone. As he drifted off for his nap, I heard him through the monitor: "Gappa Jim. Hoops. Two-points. All day yong (long)." Confusion and disappointment are soon to come....

Basketball Fever

Eli got a visit from some Florida friends last night. One of my closest friends from high school (and her family) came over for dinner last night. This meant a very full house as she and her husband have three kids. Eli slept until the second they got here (actually several minutes after they arrived), which usually means a very grumpy kid. Once he saw Brandon and Jake playing guitar and hoops though, he realized the potential for a very fun evening. He even kept asking the youngest (girl) to play: Emm-ee pay hoops??

Beat-Bohs!

That's what it sounds like when Eli says 'meatballs'. Our traditional Christmas dinner consists of homemade spaghetti and meatballs (family recipe). Gappa Jib does 90% of the work, so Eli decided to help him as much as he could. This consisted of saying "beat-bohs" and counting to three for Gappa Jib to press the button on the onion chopper. Nine of ten times, Eli's count to three was "three, foh, fibe, eight, nine, ten", but it's the thought that counts, right?

Christmas, Indeed!

Eli has had the best few days. Maddux too for that matter, but Eli's joy is much more apparent. He's had Gamma Cappy (or Caffie, depending on the day) and Gappa Jib (sometimes Jim now) wrapped around his finger. He has done nothing but play hoops, cook, and be showered with attention for the past three days. His run-oh-love will end tomorrow afternoon, which means he's going to be quite disappointed when he wakes up Friday morning to Mommy and Maddux only. Eli has had such a blast with his grandparents. Even the simplest activities, like making water with Grandma or sweeping spiderwebs outside with Grandpa, become memories for him.

Mad Dog has been a willing recipient of the attention and love also. Although she still loves to jump in her jump'n'go, she LOVES that someone will sit in front of her and watch while she jumps. And there is no shortage of willing laps and arms when I'm not feeding Maddux, that's for sure!

Silent Night...

We opted to not attend a Christmas Eve service this year (first time ever). Our church had their special service on Sunday morning, and if ever a year to skip the Christmas Eve night church-dinner combo, we figured this was it. Managing to keep both kids occupied and happy through a service and a nice dinner out on the town in the evening hours would have been difficult. On top of that, my parents are only in town for a few days, so we decided to let them enjoy every moment they could at the house with Eli and Maddux.

The first gift we had Eli open on Christmas morning was the porcelain Jesus from one of our Nativity Scenes. We tried to explain to him that Jesus was/is God's gift to us. All he understood was that he got to place it in the manger all by himself. Santa brought Eli a variety of plastic food items, some pots, pans and wooden spoons, and a microwave. He was loving it. Maddux received several gifts she couldn't care less about (yet), but Eli was quick to test them out and he approved.

After lunch, Eli helped me decorate the "birt-day cake" for Jesus. His sprinkling technique is amazing :) He blew out the candle after we sang, though his forehead almost burned because I held him too close.

Merry Christmas!

Roll On!!

Maddux rolled from back to front today. Even though she has already rolled the other way (stomach to back), she hasn't performed that trick in at least a month. She's attempted the back-to-front maneuver several times a day, every day for at least December, if not earlier. She gets 90% of the way there and then stops, causing herself to roll back like a turtle stuck on his shell-side. Her success today was aided by a rug however; she grasped the shag carpet one we have in the living room to give herself the extra edge to push past her usual 90%. We'll take it either way! Daddy was present for this milestone, so Maddux repeated her trick, just to make sure he'd remember.

Too Many Chefs in The Kitchen

Since it is the holidays we have a bunch of cardboard boxes arriving at the house. One particularly big one showed up yesterday, so Lehr got a great idea. Instead of just recycling it, he made a 'toy' for Eli first. If you've been to our house in the last month, you've seen Eli's fondness for cooking these days, so the obvious choice was a range/stove top and oven. Lehr decked it out with holes for spatulas and knobs on the front (made from Eli's tool set). Eli loves it. No need to spend money on a 'real' kitchen for the kid - cardboard is just fine! We missed our walk yesterday due to rain, but Eli didn't mind at all. He made 'hayn-gers' (hamburgers), pancakes, corn, birt-day cake, and 'bok-lee' (broccoli). We honestly spent every waking minute (except for a quick 30-minute trip to Harry's) 'cooking' and playing with Daddy's gift.

What a Difference...

What a difference a few days makes. Thankfully, the last two days have proven to be much more 'normal' and much less 'horrible'. The past two weeks have found me questioning any parenting philosophies I'd adopted, as Eli's behavior was off the charts (and not in the good way). Today has been the most awesome day so far, and yesterday wasn't half bad either, so I'm hoping that 'phase' is on it's way out. This isn't to say Eli has been perfect - we've had two small tantrums already today - but he has been displaying his sunny disposition and sweet nature more often than not. Eli has been entertaining his sister all day long: singing to her, talking to her, and reading her books. And he's been sharing with Mommy too! We cooked all morning and then had a trip to Harry's. Eli didn't give me any lip when I asked him to clean up his toys or put away his books. I've had to pinch myself numerous times.

Anyway, no real point to this post other than to say my boy is back. Sometimes I feel like I blog more often about the hard days than the good days, when in actuality, the good far outweighs the bad.....

NayTeeVeeTee Scene

Last night we took the kids to a live Nativity Scene after dinner. I was unsure how much Eli would get out of it, but at the very least I knew he'd see kids and animals, which are always a hit. We arrived after the first showing started, so we only got about half the story before they took a break. Eli sat on Lehr's shoulders and watched intently as the shepherds walked to the stable with the llamas and sheep. During the break, the animals were leashed and available for petting. That pretty much made Eli's day! He loved the two sheep, but he wasn't as much a fan of the llama. (I'm sure it was a size issue.) As we drove away, Eli kept asking "Nay-tee-vee-tee?" I think we'll be making a return visit tonight.

Happy Days

Life is good. Eli loves his sister and she absolutely adores him. Anytime he is doing anything (reading, playing, running), she stops what she is doing and tracks him with her eyes. Even if she is tired and fussy, she'll stop crying and laugh if he is doing anything remotely entertaining. My new favorite phrase of Eli's is "Here-go tisser." (or "baby") (Here you go, sister.) He loves to give her his toys, his blanket(s), his food.... Today he read a book to her after their naps. Life. Is. Good.

The Story Behind The Scrape

There really isn't one. Lehr and Eli were outside playing in the bitter cold. Eli was wearing his jacket (makes some arm movements difficult - think "The Christmas Story" and Ralphie's snowsuit) and a pair of gloves. One of the gloves was on the ground so Eli bent down to pick it up. He toppled and mopped the driveway with his face. Given the amount of hard falls and tumbles he's taken in the last two years, it's amazing that this is the first 'real' bang up he's received. He cried for less than a minute and only got really upset when Lehr showed him his reflection in the mirror. It looks much worse today as his wounds have started to scab. It's hard being a rough and tough boy!