Green Thumb

Eli and I did a little gardening this week.  For those who don't know, we have a "Yard of the Month" type neighbor across the street.  It's a retired couple that I think look at our flowerbeds and only imagine the beauty they could be. 

This year Eli and I were determined to add a little life to it.  We went to Home Depot, bought our supplies, sunscreened up and started digging.  

Ready to work!



Still happy!

The funny part is Eli hates to have his hands dirty.  So he was all excited until he realized we would be digging and not washing our hands immediately.  So after repeatedly explaining gardening was dirty and fun, he was not convinced and I put a water pail out for him to rinse his hands whenever he felt necessary.  Then the water was dirty, it tipped, there were tears, etc., but a little more talking it through and we got back on track!





Eli's new job was to put the garden soil into buckets so that I could mix it in with the holes dug for the flowers.  This was a great task because he could participate without using his hands.

Notice the shovel!  A great solution to the dirt issue.

He also helped me with the landscape design.  Anytime a flowerpot would fall over he was quick to stand it upright.

And finally, after a hard afternoon of work we relaxed in the shade.  Actually, Eli called it quits about 30 minutes before we were done.

Planting flowers was actually fun this year!  Thanks Eli for being a great partner!

Eli the Helper

Eli has been my right-hand man here lately.  He is becoming more and more independent.  I love/hate it!  He is maturing right before my eyes!

Throwing away his leftovers -- if there is not enough to be saved of course

Clearing his plate

Putting his dishes in the sink

He even washes his hands after dinner!

"Vacuuming" with Mommy

Putting away the groceries

Eating cereal like a big boy

And the best part - drinking the milk

Please also note my creeper dog, Jewels.  She is always hovering, waiting, watching for any scrap to be haphazardly thrown to her.

Eli the Easter Bunny

I don't think we will have to worry about any big let down when Eli figures out the Easter Bunny is not real because he likes to hide his own eggs.

Pulling them out of his basket.


Spotted! Mommy secretly taking pictures.

One of the hiding spots.


A little more camouflaged.

Just another day in the life of Eli.

Friends Forever

We must be talking a lot about friends this month:

The next video happened following a very enlightening conversation about "Who da' man."

We were watching a morning show in which a person said, "You da' man." The following conversation ensued:

Eli: You da' man?

Me: Yeah, you da' man. Are you da' man?

Eli: No.

Me: Is Daddy da' man?

Eli: NO!

Me: He's not?

Eli: NO, HE'S NOT!

Below is what Daddy IS:

Eli translation: Daddy is my best friend.

So apparently you can't be "da' man" and a best friend. It also explains his exasperated tone. How could I not understand that?! DUH!

529 Plan

Oh, man. I hope over the next 16 years our 529 Plan has some exponential growth!

The Money Pit

So Brent and I recently have felt like Tom Hanks in the movie Money Pit. At the end of last year one of our water heaters burst and leaked through the light fixtures in Eli's bathroom thus leading us to replace BOTH heaters at the same time. They were both 3 years past the "life expectancy".

Then about 2 weeks ago at about 6:30 a.m. Jewels was barking incessently. So I stepped outside to tell her, "Be quiet, please." (Yeah, I'm that nice so early in the morning.) To my surprise, I'm greeted by a black lab and my neighbor's headlights. Jewels was only protecting her turf, but that meant our fence had fallen down. It broke at the post and we knew this was the year. The fence barely made it last Spring.

So, here are the before pics:

The fence is actually leaning against the trees.

The lattice we put up to protect Jewels from trying to attack the dog next door. Our intention was to grow roses or ivy, but that never happened.

AND THE NEW FENCE!

SO PRETTY! We used Glenn Deck and Fencing. They are a local company and we were very impressed by their work. I would recomend them if you are looking.

And this is a picture of my latest accomplishment:

I HATE ASSEMBLING ANYTHING! It takes me to a very dark place and even possibly ruins my day. I bought this shelving unit in January and just now put it together. I've been staring at the box imagining how much it will improve our game room and organize all of Eli's toys but the headache it will be to assemble. I also knew I needed to do it when Eli was not around.

So, this week I took advantage of a morning he spent with my mom and voila!

And lastly, because I know this is why you really visit, Eli's new trick. He can roll his tongue!

Yee-Haw

On a whim we decided to head to the Stock Show on the last Friday it was in town. Crazy, I know.

Eli had a blast. I don't have many photos but it's amazing to watch him grow more confident and independent every day. He loved seeing the animals, watching the shows and, of course, eating. I now know what it's like to bring a kid to an event like this. We "had to" buy a corn dog, popcorn and lemonade. He also saw several toys that were "must haves." Right now I can still get away with, "We have one of those at home." I didn't even dare to enter the carnival side. I guess the days of bringing our own snacks and only paying entrance fees are numbered. He also wanted to bring home a baby goat and bunny. I was in total agreement! They were both so cute. If only we had a bigger backyard. . . oh, well. Jewels would just harass both animals anyways.

Below is a video of Eli riding a HORSE! He was very adamant about riding. We have past by horse rides before at other fairs and he has always been scared and wouldn't even get within 5 feet of the set up. This year he walked right up and waited in line. He also had no fear walking to the horse and holding on tight.

My little man is growing up so quickly. Next year we definitely need a pair of boots!