Good, Good Day

Lehr and I drove separately to church due to conflicting schedules today, so after church, Eli rode with me to his baseball practice and Maddux stayed with Daddy for a meeting and to get a break from the fields. Most Sundays find us struggling to extract from Eli what was discussed in church, or what his memory verse was. He loves church, he loves C3 (the kids' ministry area he attends, complete with a worship band, basketball, video games, and a drama each week), and he loves God, but he does NOT love talking when he doesn't want to. Regardless of how we approach it, the fatigue, the hunger, and the mood get the better of Eli and he tends to shut down when either Lehr or I inquire about his morning.

Today was so different and I'm still trying to figure out exactly what I did so that I can do it again each week. Not only because of our discussion about church but because of our complete absorption in a conversation the whole time from church to baseball (about an hour). It was unprecedented!

I started off in the car asking about his verse. We've been working on verses at home so I asked if he learned a new one this morning. (They usually tackle one verse per month and this morning was the first Sunday of the month.) He couldn't remember it, so we moved on. When I asked about the 'sermon' topic, he couldn't remember. I dove right into the adult sermon. I told him how interesting and exciting it had been and then I just filled him in. I hadn't planned on doing that, but it just worked so I went with it.

Our sermon dealt with anger and how to deal with that in our lives, as believers. Since this is something we struggle with so much where Eli is concerned, I hoped to plant a few seeds in his head. Because I hadn't planned on delivering a sermon myself, much of what I said sounded like a retelling of the sermon to Lehr or a friend, with lots of, "Oh, and then...." and "but before that..." Eli seemed to track it all really well, which is amazing due to my poor attempts to recount things. We talked about how easy it is to get out of control when we are angry, and how getting out of control leads to bad consequences. I told him about a video we'd seen of some parents and coaches being out of control at kids' sports activities. There was even some, I informed him, that ended up fighting, physically. At this point he looked at me and said, "Mom, that's just crazy!" (Amen.) By the way, at this point I'm basically in shock over the level of participation in the conversation. Eli is SUCH the child that internalizes things and doesn't always participate, especially if the topic is scary or overwhelming or just not to his liking.

Towards the end, I was able to pull out of my poor memory a portion of James 1:19 from that morning: "....be quick to listen and slow to speak..." I then gave a scenario to Eli of the different outcomes rendered from the same situation handled in anger (quick speaking, no listening) versus grace (quick listening, slow to speak), using myself as the person in or out of control of my anger. Eli interacted with that part really well, which tells me he got it, even if only for the moment. It was awesome.

Once at our quick lunch destination the conversation changed to friends and what that relationship should look like. Eli brought up something that happened in C3 that showed less than friendly treatment of Eli by someone he counts as a friend. I reminded Eli that he was perfectly made by God to be treated with respect and kindness, and while he should love his friends gracefully, he should not surround himself with those who do not show that they value him or his friendship. We talked about how it feels to be on either side of his interaction that morning and to my relief he agreed that it was wrong what the other boy had done and he hoped he (Eli) never did the same to anyone else. This was really cool because of how Eli brought the incident up to me: it was without prompting or prodding of any sorts. PLEASE let this confiding be a trend that continues!!

Finally we talked baseball and the relationships on the field. Anyone who has been a part of sports has seen some kids who are better teammates than others. Unfortunately Eli has recently witnessed several examples of how to NOT be a team player. So far, he's done a good job of staying true to his character and I wanted to encourage him that he was on the right path. I also wanted to remind him that not everyone thinks the same way as our family, and while that's ok, we shouldn't change our values to follow others. I know how hard it is for me to swallow some of the choices other families make about handling things on and off of the field, and I'm sure it's even harder for Eli to wrap his little brain around any way other than what he has been taught.

Whew....that is a loooong retelling of a short hour. But it was a FULL hour, and I don't want to forget a second of my fully engaged, unplanned but intentional time with my sweet, keeps-his-thoughts-to-himself boy, so this post will be my reminder :)

SIlly Girl

Maddux is known for waking up before Lehr returns from the bus stop in the morning. Nowadays she often wakes before the boys leave, earning her a ride up to the stop in Daddy's car in her PJs. However, when she is still sleeping, he hesitates to wake her. Since naps are a thing only reserved for busy weekends, the girl needs her morning sleep. And as of late, more times than not, Lehr will return from the bus stop to find Maddux standing in the hallway or garage, crying and maybe screaming "Daddy!" or "Mommy!" Awesome....especially when the neighbors hear it.

We may have found the answer though. Lehr has turned on Maddux's music before he walks up the street the last few days and he's returned to silence. We're not sure if she goes back to sleep or not, but so far, so good. When I asked Maddux about it today she said, "The music made me not scared." (We've talked to her three million times about what to do (and NOT do) if she wakes up in the three minutes Daddy is gone each morning....it just doesn't seem to sink in though.)

Silver Lining

Besides the OBVIOUS silver lining of last night's events - the fact that Eli is 100% ok - a great sibling development came out of Eli's run-in with the ball.

I say it often: Maddux worships Eli and he often doesn't pay her much attention. They have played much better together, starting some time over the summer. But overall, she is much more concerned for his well-being, his happiness, his everything than he is with her. However when we got to the game early, we stood in the outfield seats to catch some batting practice fly balls. Eli did not catch one, but the guy in front of us did and he promptly handed it to Eli. Even though Maddux couldn't care less, and was not even watching BP, Eli immediately told her, "Maddux, if I catch a ball in the game, I'll give it to you so we both can have one."

As awesome as that was, it got better. We watched the game, we started to leave, Eli caught a ball with his eye and the ball bounced into my lap. When we were in the First Aid office, finishing up, Eli realized that we got the ball that hit him. He again reiterated that now Maddux would have one for her room. He restated this a few more times while in the car on the way home. Maybe we're turning a corner here?

More Gray Hairs

And not even because of Maddux this time! We all went to the Braves game tonight. Mom-Mom was in town and so were the Phillies - a no brainer. Eli brought his glove because we were sitting near the bullpen along the third base line. We saw no action all night until just as we were gathering our things to leave. Eli was still at the wall, watching the outfielders and waiting for us. Lehr was right next to him and I was in my seat, putting the kids' water bottles in my bag. A ball came for our seats and Lehr reached up for it. I tracked it with my eyes until it was going past Lehr and then looked down. I then felt the ball land in my lap (after a bounce). Cool...the kids would love it. I picked up the ball and then saw Eli holding his face and crying. Gray hair #1 of the night. Lehr didn't see it once it went past him, I didn't see it....we didn't even know how bad the ball hit him - I think that was the worst part. The immediate good news was Raul Ibanez (Phillies) was on the wall and he wasn't leaving until he knew Eli was ok. He even gave Eli a high five.

Quickly we took him up to the top and a medic came to check him out. His cheek was red and starting to swell a little, but nothing else appeared to be wrong, which we were very grateful for. Ice, another medic and then a trip on the golf cart to the first aid office. By this time Eli was fine, just tired. They checked him out a few more times, as did I, but it appeared to everyone that he would just have some swelling and bruising. He even perked up enough to play a quick game of baseball in the kids' field on the way out.

Once we got home we found a few pictures and a video of what happened. Holy moly. The ball went right through the guy above Eli's hands and landed straight on my boy. Thank God he was wearing a baseball cap and the impact was slightly lessened. Thank God the ball went through the guy's hands first and it was slightly slowed down. Thank God Eli was standing where he was and not 1 or 2 inches to the right; as it was, the ball grazed him on the way down instead of stopping movement as it would of had it hit him square. Gray hairs....they're still growing tonight... (Another link to a video showing Eli and Raul interacting briefly.)



Original Video - More videos at TinyPic

Weird Day

Those are the words Eli used to describe the day. A wonderful, eventful, long and FUN day....

Eli had a great day at school, double PE session and some cool weather stuff. To finish it off, Eli lost his second tooth. This one has been pretty loose since he lost the first one, and just like the first time around, the tooth came out at school. This time he managed to keep it until he got to his teacher. She gave him a larger plastic tooth 'keeper' for him to hold it in until he got home. We celebrated very quickly and then left for a birthday party. The kids jumped and climbed walls and did all sorts of other fun things for an hour or so. We had to rush out because Eli had a baseball game.

I honestly thought tonight's game was going to be a wash for Eli given how tired he was. But we got to the field and Eli switched it straight into game mode. He played short stop twice, pitcher once, and second base once. The coach and I laughed about Eli's preference for second base; no matter what position he is put in, if the ball is hit near him, he scoops it up, and runs to tag second like he's a magnet to it. It paid off in the first inning; he got a friend out at second. Then, in the third, Eli got the ball as pitcher and threw it to first for another out. At bat, he was a maniac. He hit three strong hits to the grass, earning two triples and a double. The double should have been a triple, but he turned around over halfway to the third bag. His second at-bat found Eli standing at the plate with two pieces of bat in his hands: it broke when he tapped the plate.

To finish out, Eli earned the game ball. Awesome ending to an awesome game for Eli. On the way home he recounted a few things, referencing the day as 'weird' several times.....

One-On-One Weekend

A few months back, Eli got to fly to Florida with Lehr to see the last shuttle launch. Maddux and I had a great time, but of course a trip alone with Daddy (on a plane!) is a bit more exciting. This past weekend she was able to accompany Lehr on a Florida trip as well. The kids' great-grandmother celebrated her 90th birthday, and since we couldn't all make the trip, Lehr and Maddux represented.

This meant 3 days of one-on-one for Eli and I. I was very excited since the two of us don't get a lot of that quality time together. I had many things planned, but I knew we'd only get through about half of my list. Saturday we played some board games, planned our dinner date, and ran to Target for new tennis shoes. (The shoes are apparently the main thing he remembers about the weekend; he ran around at church yesterday telling EVERYONE, "I've got new shoes!!") Eli had a game Saturday afternoon, so we spent a good portion of the day at the fields. Eli played well, running the ball to first base once to make an out.

After the game, we rushed home to get ready for our sushi date. When faced with the choice of many restaurants for our dinner date, Eli chose sushi immediately. When we got home, we watched a new "Oceans" DVD that I got Eli for his birthday. He was in awe the whole time, watching all of the animals and marine life on the big screen. The movie ended just before the FSU game started, so I let him stay up a little later to watch the first quarter. Eli now knows the FSU cheers and a little bit about how the game works.

Though Eli slept in his own bed Saturday night, he did creep into mine around 7AM on Sunday. Though he stayed quiet, he did not appear to be tired when he first came in, but 15 minutes later, he was snoring again. I obviously closed my eyes as well because the next thing I knew, I woke up and the clock said 9:20. I guess we wore each other out on Saturday! We rushed to eat breakfast and get to church. Eli and I had to then grab lunch on the way back to the field: 1PM practice. It was a GREAT practice for Eli. The coach gave Eli some great tips about things and even let him try his hand at first base. Eli has been able to stand at first before, but he has never been 'schooled' properly in what to do, how to stand, etc. He got that opportunity yesterday, totally to his delight.

After practice we came home and practiced more. Eli loves to play baseball, so the thought of an afternoon still open was too much for him to pass up. We drilled some hitting points and then went into pop flies. Eli does so well at home, but game time often flusters him so much that he misses fly balls that are hit right to him. One day... From there we went to the back yard to make a few tie-dye shirts. We bought the stuff to make them just before school started, but time hasn't allowed for us to complete the project. Eli was so excited to make two shirts. By this time it was close to dinner. Eli had asked for pancakes for Sunday breakfast, but our sleeping in had prevented that. So we ate them for dinner instead!

The last piece of our weekend together was a bike ride. I'd planned on a few of these, but Eli turned me down each time I suggested it until last night. We rode to the pool and back - about 2 1/2 miles by the time we were done. Very hilly (for his little legs) miles. He did great; he never complained about getting off to walk, or run, his bike up the hills. Finally, bedtime. I let Eli sleep in my bed as a special treat, and (of course) I took the opportunity to snuggle with him as he drifted off. It took all of four minutes before he was lightly snoring. I do love that kid!!

Baseball Is Here!

Eli has started his last fall season of baseball with the Shetland (read: ity bity little kid) league. His team is a small one, much smaller than any others he's been on (he is the 2nd or 3rd largest kid, and he ain't big!). The cool upside to this is the opportunities Eli will have. He's never been big enough to hold any major spots on the team, and only 'broke into' second base a few times last season. This time around he's one of three kids that goes through BP and other drills quickly and moves on to be support staff for the coaches in the field. That means extra practice in areas Eli can use it, and that means more fun in the long run. He's really enjoying this new role, and since he doesn't know any of the younger kids on the team, he's even more focused than usual, goofing around less and learning more. Don't get me wrong; I want him to have fun, but he's still loving every second of it even though he's not dragging his feet through the chalk lines and making piles of dirt during downtime.

The team, The Hooks, had their first game last weekend. Eli played second base twice and short stop once. He made two great plays, one almost resulting in an out and one preventing a run. His at-bats were solid, but nothing major to note. I have no clue if the team won; this first game was the first ever game for many of these boys, so it was less about scoring runs and more about the logistics and flow of a game. We're looking forward to a great season!

Ditch The City

Not quite the fun it was last year, unfortunately...

Eli seemed to be excited for this race; he was to run the kids' version of the trail race with obstacles that I signed up for. And Maddux was excited to come cheer us along, for the last time (next year she'll be old enough to participate). Eli talked about the race, excitedly, last night, and he seemed eager in the car on the way over. Once we arrived and got our numbers, he was even leading the stretches and warm-up runs for the family. He still wanted me to run with him (when the kids ran), but he in no way appeared to not look forward to the race. We started and he ran pretty well, moving to the back of the pack early. We were still holding our own though, running and going through pipes and over hay barrels. When we got to the other side of the lake, however, he wasn't as excited. The kids had to walk/run through the water just on the shore of the lake, and then walk through inner tubes in the water. I'm sure it was fear, but Eli turned very sour and angry. I tried to help by letting him know that he would be better off putting his feet in the water (inside of the tubes) because he would most likely slip if he stepped on the tube (and avoided the water). It didn't help: Eli tried to step on a tube and ended up sitting inside of one, getting a little wet and muddy. That was it - he was done.

Eli's been struggling with anger and 'fits' lately, and they are way worse when he's tired. Add to that his fatigue factor for the last week (probably still fighting off whatever virus had him on Sunday and Monday), and this morning's mood should have been expected. He didn't really finish the race because he cried a bit and whined a lot the rest of the course. Maddux was a rockstar and ran the rest of the way back with me; she will own that course next year. (On a sidenote: I LOVED the course this year and had my best race in recent memory. It felt good and I was rewarded with a 3rd Place in age-group finish.)

Eli turned it around and was pleasant during and after my race, and he fell asleep almost instantly when we got back into the car (around 11AM). The kid has some serious growing pain stuff going on!

First Lost Tooth!

Sometime towards the end of summer vacation, the kids and I were at the pool practicing kick-turns when Eli, somewhat nicely, complained that Maddux had kicked his mouth underwater and that his tooth now hurt. Nothing appeared to be wrong that day, but a few days later we noticed it was a little loose.

Since then, Eli has played with that tooth non-stop, and yesterday it was full-fledged 'fleeing'. He could bend it all of the way down. I didn't see it yesterday when he showed me that trick, but today, when he got off of the school bus, Eli was missing a tooth, but he'd gained two new ones popping through behind the baby teeth. His bottom front two adult teeth both seemed to have broken through overnight, and with that, they pushed the loose one out.

Eli tells us it happened as he was running on the track at school (they run for 10 minutes each morning). He didn't even notice it fall out, so it is lost somewhere on the track. In my book that meant no trip from the Tooth Fairy (especially because he never even brought that up), but what it did mean was a special trip to a local, fru-fru cupcake shop for a special after school snack to celebrate. Eli is already working on the other front tooth...

Boosterthon 2011

On Thursday, Eli and his classmates (and the whole school) participated in their biggest fundraiser: Boosterthon. For a week leading up to the event, the students were asked to request pledges from friends and family; this year the money is intended to help build a S.T.E.M. lab at the school (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics). Eli got a decent amount of pledges and even ran a few times at home to 'train'. He was very excited to run his full 35 laps. Last year he ran the whole time, only pausing briefly to grab water a few times. Even when they had the 'stroll lap', he ran through it.

This year it was hot. Even at 8:15AM, the humidity had all of the parents and families sweating on the sidelines. The poor kids were hot and sweaty after the warm-up, but they were great sports and lasted the full 45 minutes. Eli ran so fast...I think it was a game for him to run fast each time he saw Maddux and I, rather than stop and give us a high-five. He did slow down once to tell us, "Maddux can go play on my play-ground if she wants." That was unexpected, but still awesome. After the event, we were allowed to walk one lap with our students; Eli even held Maddux's hand for a few seconds. The remainder of the day, I had Eli stretch his legs and calves every hour or so. Last year the kid was so sore that he could barely make it up the driveway the next day. He learned the hard way that not training and then running for 35-40 minutes straight requires some maintenance :)

Book Worm

I know there are many first graders who read faster and 'better' than Eli, but he's come a long way, even in the last few summer months. Each day he reads to me for at least 10 minutes, and then I read to him. The words he needs help on are becoming fewer and farther in between, and I rarely have to help him twice with the same word. Love that boy!

Suffocated By Sweetness

Wow. Two days in one week. Not sure I can handle all of this obedience and niceness. I don't think the kids realize that by showing me they *can* act this way, they are raising my expectations for them...

Maddux and I ran to Harry's this afternoon for a few groceries. They have a small wagon near the exit for kids; they get to choose one treat from it on their way out. Usually there are juice boxes, fruit bars, organic gummies and organic lollipops in there. In the past, if they've behaved well in the store, I've let the kids pick anything but the lollipops for their lunchboxes. When Maddux and I finished today, she put her little cart away and stopped by the wagon, just as I told her she could. When she came back to me, she held up two lollipops. "Mommy, I got one for Eli too cuz I know he would really want one." How can I argue with that logic? Especially because I hadn't mentioned Eli at all. That girl's heart is big.

On to Eli... I went to his school today to get some work done for his teacher. I got there much earlier than planned and finished everything a full 40 minutes before Eli's lunch period. Even though I'd told Eli that I would try to be there at lunch with him, I just couldn't justify staying with the to-do list waiting for me at home. I wavered back and forth several times because I knew it would be the only day this week I could eat with him, but in the end I left.

When Eli got off of the bus he was in a great mood. Maddux ran ahead with her friend, Virginia, and Eli and I chatted about his day. I stopped suddenly and looked him in the eye as I apologized for missing lunch with him. I explained and he said it was OK. Then he told me, "You know what mom? I was drinking my milk as I was watching for you and I drank so long that I finished the whole thing." THEN he told me, I didn't even eat my brownie until the very end because I was saving it for you. I knew you'd want something special to eat when you came to my lunch table." The sweetness of that boy's heart when he stops guarding it is enough to take my breath away. I hugged my little man right there in the middle of the street. I cannot wait to have lunch with him next week!

Day of Greatness

I know I'm jinxing it, but I have to record the awesomeness that was today.

We've had some struggles with Eli again. Bad struggles. The good news is they are isolated incidents; they don't last for days on end, or even a whole day at a time. However, they are severe and difficult to work through. He has such an explosive anger/frustration if he's tired. At all. We are working as best we can to love him through these while still maintaining our rules and expectations for how we expect to be treated. Sigh.

Today was amazing. Seriously amazing. As a Monday, we are back in school, so after school can be a struggle due to the surprise fatigue, but Eli rose above. He had a great morning with Lehr (even though they woke up late), and he came off of the bus very happy. Once home, there were a few things I asked him to do (reading and thank you notes), and I got nothing but obedience. Amazing. Then we had a short room time during which I had to tell Eli 'no' a few times. (He lost some privileges during his outburst on Saturday and he wanted those privileges back.) I couldn't believe it, but he accepted my 'no' and moved on. Shock. Awe.

Around 4PM we came downstairs to do some thank you's and then play. Eli worked quickly and Maddux did some 'work' at the same time. (She loves to work on letters or numbers when he's working!) Eli was incredibly complimentary and encouraging to Maddux. He praised her letters and even showed her how to do a few things. ALL without any prompting from me. Wow.

Maddux does not have school on Monday, so it's usually a fun day for us. However, we had two lengthy errands to run, including one trip to the mall (which we have seriously maybe visited three times in her life) so I could go to the Apple store for a laptop fix. I was anticipating the worst: driving most of the morning, in and out of the car a few times, followed by a trip to an electronics store where she'd have to sit still for an extended period of time??! She was amazing. Very good all morning, even holding my hand voluntarily when walking outside (which is sometimes a struggle). When we got to the Apple store, we ended up staying for about an hour. Not one problem. I'd packed a few small things for her, but she got on one of the kid computers there and worked the whole time. She hasn't used a computer before; they haven't used them yet in her class and we don't do computer games at the house. But I showed her a few things with the mouse and she took off. Really, really cool.

After a very nice, peaceful dinner, Lehr and I decided to pull some ice cream out of the freezer as a way to reinforce the day-oh-greatness. Quite a big treat in our house, and it was well received :)

Family Date Night

We've only intentionally 'named' a few family date nights in the past, but I hope our schedules allow us to keep this in the rotation. Last night we did not have a formal date night, but we had a night open, so we chose to do a few fun things together - very low-key.

We drove to Doc Chey's (a fave of ours and a dinner spot that Eli has been asking for a lot lately) on the early side of things to allow for plenty of time at our next location. Due to a later than usual lunch, the kids actually didn't finish their food, but I think that also had a lot to do with the insane amount of effort they were putting into their artwork at the table. You'd think after going to the same place with the same coloring menu for 5 years, they'd be tired of it, but they weren't/aren't.

From there we drove to Piedmont Park to check out a new section that recently opened. We'd heard they had some 'spray grounds', so I brought my camera and the kids dressed in swim clothes. What fun (and free!). There was a huge flat, grassy area in front of a wide-open spray ground. Plenty of room to run, plenty of room to splash, and all within our sight! Eli and Maddux had a blast alternating between running through the water and then doing laps around the grassy area. Eli challenged me to more than one race, Maddux did lots of somersaults and pseudo cartwheels, and no one got lost. At one point, the kids were in the water and I was shooting. I couldn't believe what I saw through my lens so I stood up and then looked at Lehr in disbelief: Eli and Maddux had their arms around each other and were just 'being'. I got as many pictures as I could before the moment passed, but it honestly lasted a good minute or so. Life is good.

Kids Slumber Party

Last night each child slept at a friend's house for the first time. How did we get here? Lehr cooked up a great idea to try and get a few house errands done (You know the kind. The ones you *try* to do with the kids but end up arguing and getting after the kids the whole time, accomplishing nothing but putting everyone in a sour mood.) While our original plan of a baby-sitter at the house with the kids for about 24 hours so we could knock out our list didn't pan out, one quick errand and a late dinner was still possible.

Eli went to Bryce's house. So fun. An added bonus was D's presence, which always makes it more fun. It sounds like the boys had a great time, great dinner (and dessert), short sleep, and a good morning before Lehr picked him up at 9:30. Maddux stayed with Finley and family. Even though the girls are close in age, they take on very opposing roles when they play: Maddux likes to be the 'mom' and Finley is happy to be the little girl. This translates to Maddux doing everything for Finley and probably bossing her around a bit. Oh joy! It sounds like the girl had a great night as well. Neither kid appeared to even give us a second thought as they spent the night away from us. That's a good thing, right?

Maddux's First Day

It's here - Maddux is four and today she went to her first day of Pre-K. Crazy! Sad too, not just because of the obvious. While I wrestle with the fact that my baby has grown to this 'big' stage SO quickly, some of the milestones aren't made as big a deal of, mainly because they're not new ones to our family. Total bummer for her. And every other kid who is not the first born. I did try to make the day special though: we talked a lot about her first day last week, picked out a special outfit to wear, let her get a special snack for the afternoon, etc. But in all honestly, I had to remind myself to do about half of these things. So not fair that just because I've been through the first day stuff already with Eli, and already this year, that she should not get the big fanfair. I kept telling myself that last year was good, and next year will be even better. I think the fact that there was only one week between Eli's start and Maddux's first day was the main reason for my lack of enthusiasm for her. Last year we had about 3 weeks, and next year they'll be at the same school (so they'll start the same day). Enough of that....I can already see the email from Lehr reminding me to keep it short and sweet...

This first week I get to walk Maddux into her classroom, as I did every day last year; next week we start carpool. It was nice to be able to walk back there with her, but she totally didn't need it. When I asked for a hug and kiss, Maddux told me, "Mommy...I'm makin'!" (She was playing with the kitchen stuff already.) I then had to wait three hours to go back and pick her up. She got a great review, was full of stories, and even had clothes clean from any paint or food! From what Maddux tells me, she obeyed very well and was quite helpful to the teacher (that I don't doubt). Her class has 5 or 6 friends from her class last year, and 14 students total. She told me, "I meeted new friends today!"

On Your 6

That's what I feel like time is saying to me. How are you already six years old, Eli? I can remember rocking you as I read you bedtime books during your first year of life as if it were yesterday. And even though watching baby home videos of you shocks me because of how small you were, the memories haven't even had time to fade yet.

This last year has been a growing one for sure. You completed your first year of Elementary School, definitely with some ups and downs. But you came out on top and you are a better person for it. Your dad and I have seen you become a bit more assertive in your social interactions, and we've seen you focus more than ever on the sports that interest you. This last spring you had an amazing baseball season where you grew as a player and displayed awesome sportsmanship. We couldn't have been more proud. And over the summer you participated in the neighborhood swim team. SUCH a big commitment and such a cool experience for you. Not only did you get to hang out with your friends each morning and each Wednesday night at swim meets, but you took your swimming to a whole new level. You learned how to dive, back-stroke, and improve your speed significantly.

Just after your 5th birthday you learned to ride without training wheels, you ran a trail race (with obstacles), and you completed a Boosterthon race/event at your school. The last 12 months have found you interacting more positively with Maddux, and the two of you often play together by choice. Your interest in music continues to grow exponentially. In the last year you've acquired a drum set, and you've accompanied Daddy to several rehearsals where you got to show off your skills. A trumpet has also found it's way into our house because of your admiration of Trombone Shorty. Most adults don't even know who he is, but you could 'sing' most of his songs from memory.

Now, just a week before your birthday, you started first grade. Wow. You're on the bus again, buying lunch again, and showing all kinds of 'grown-up' responsibilities and choices. I've said it before and I'll say it again: I'm going to put bricks on your head so you will stop growing!!

It Takes A Village

We celebrated Eli's birthday with a friend party today. As Lehr likes to say, "We learned a lot today."

Lehr and I let Eli have an indoor soccer party, ran by us, complete with a more extensive guest list than we're used to, chosen by him. This was the first time we let him dictate the list 100%, and it was also the first time we didn't include all siblings. That would have been fine, but Lehr and I decided to complicate things by making take-home shirts for all of the kids. Sounds great, but in reality, it was difficult to get the shirts ordered in time with the guest list responses, and then a few last minute changes threw us off. Not a huge deal, but it made me sad that a few kids didn't get tee-shirts (though they were probably fine with it.)

The party was to start at 11AM. We arrived just after 10:30 to find a locked door. This didn't shock us too much, as the venue is not a party place; it is a large warehouse-ish soccer field that is used almost exclusively by adults in the evenings. We rented it out for a few hours, but we knew that they would be just opening it up for us, so 11AM might be the time the doors got unlocked. 11AM came and went and a few families had arrived by this point. Now we're all baking outside in the hot, sunny parking lot. Somewhere around 11:15, a man comes and unlocks the door. Not that it was much relief because (as we knew) the inside was obviously shaded, but not under AC. The kids didn't care. We got everyone suited up in a shirt and let them loose with 5 or 6 balls. Several moms and dads stuck around, so there were plenty to keep the kids occupied on the field. Several moms helped me quickly assemble a make-shift table that was not nearly big enough to house all of the kids. I put the finishing touches on the cake and then we were all able to join in the game. The kids played each other first and then we had an adult vs. kids game. So fun. The only 'injury' I know of was Maddux who took a ball to the face right out of the gate, but after one kiss from D, she was fine. All of us worked harder and sweat more than we though possible at a kids' birthday party, but we loved it. We quickly transitioned to the over-crowded table for lunch and cake and then it was over.

Eli had asked his guests to bring money for soccer balls instead of gifts. Several still brought gifts, but we were so excited to see many of his friends dropping coins and a few bills into the box Eli had made. (Our church sends a group to Kenya each year to work with a specific orphanage we partner with: Tumaini. Soccer is a big part of the 'community' time they share, and they always bring a bunch of balls over. Eli wanted to buy some balls to send to the kids in Kenya, so that is what the money is going towards.) It was really cool to see Eli making the box this morning and getting into the spirit of HIS gift to the kids in Kenya. And even cooler was the generosity of Eli's friends: he has enough to get at least a dozen balls.

So what did we learn?

• Better communication when it comes to less 'birthday-type' venues.
• More forks (or spoons). We anticipated 18/19 kids so I thought a 24 pack was enough. Not so.
• WAAAAY more water. When you have kids (and adults) running around in the heat, you cannot have too much water.
• Skip lunch/dinner time birthday party if possible. Heavy snacks and cake are always better, and easier. Lehr wanted something other than pizza, so we did sandwiches and almost none of the kids ate them.
  
• If we do special order anything (i.e. shirts), indicate so on the invite so that we can get correct ordering done in time.
  

All in all it was a great party; Eli had a great time. I am so thankful for the parents that were there to help set up, do tattoos, fill water cups, assist in food distribution, and PLAY. The party would not have been successful without them!

Picture Perfect

Eli had a great day. Seriously. This is a big deal for him, especially since it's the first week of school and fatigue makes him not so fun to be around.

Before I got home from camp this morning, Lehr had already sent me an email:
A+ morning. One of best ever.

I didn't get to hang out with Eli until he got off of the bus, and that is always a touchy time because he's been going going going all day and post-bus is prime time for melt-downs. We walked down the hill, helped a neighbor move something, and then went inside and had a snack. (I've found that snack right away helps his mood tremendously. As it should: the boy eats lunch at 10:45AM!) The kids and I then went upstairs for room time. I put Maddux in her room and then Eli and I sat on the couch to go through his backpack. We looked at all of the papers and then talked about homework. Following that, we started his school-requested reading time (homework). Our 30 minutes together was REALLY calm, and really nice. Then he went (without a complaint) to his room for a 20-minute room time while I took Maddux out and did some reading one-on-one with her(even though she'd had the whole day with me).

Twenty minutes later I got Eli out and the three of us went downstairs to get some outdoor play in before our small group arrived. On the way out the door, I realized the dishwasher needed to be emptied before our friends showed up. I asked both kids to help which normally would send Eli into a tizzy, since we'd just decided we were going outside. Instead, both kids helped happily and we finished lickedy split. Amazing. We played with neighbors for about 30 minutes and then returned home as our first guests arrived. Eli played really well with his friends and obeyed our rules all of the way until the end, even though he went to bed 45 minutes late. Crazy perfect....

HUGE success!!

Back To School

Eli started first grade today. Woah. When did I get a 'grader' in my house. Last year was big with Kindergarten, but it was still Kindergarten. Not 'real' school, right? That's what I told myself, but there is no denying I have a full-fledged Elementary-aged child in my house now. Frownie face, for sure.

Eli slept through his alarm, but sprung right out of bed when Daddy went in to get him at 6:15 this morning. (I stayed home from camp so I could eat breakfast with him and walk him up to the bus stop.) He had a huge smile on his face that never faded the whole morning...gotta love that enthusiasm! After getting dressed quickly, he made his bed and came downstairs to eat the fresh waffles Lehr was preparing for him. Big time. Maddux slept through all of this, so I waited until 10 minutes before we walked up to the bus to wake her. She was super excited too. We barely made it up the hill before the bus driver rounded the corner...looks like the bus is even earlier this year!

Then he was gone. Then Lehr left. And it was just Maddux and I. No biggie...we ran a bunch of errands and made lunch and part of dinner. Then it hit me. Loneliness...still more than an hour to go. A few dance parties and some Maddux 'homework' got us through until 2:20.

Eli's best buddy gets off at the stop before us and his mom brought popcicles for the kids to enjoy on the walk home. What a treat! He then proceeded to happily walk home, second-line-ing with the umbrella Maddux brought.

Once home, Maddux absolutely needed a nap, or at least some solo down time, so I got her squared away in her room and went to play 20 Questions with Eli. As expected, many answers were, "I don't know." or "I don't remember." but he was excited and happy and obviously had a great day.