Problem Solver

For those of you familiar with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, you'll appreciate this...

We were at our niece Mina's 8th birthday party this weekend. It was held at a pavillion in Virginia. During the party, a balloon got loose and went flying up in the sky.

Kevin hears Eli yell out, "Oh Toodles! We need a mouseketool. We need a ladder. A rope ladder!"

I guess that's a pretty good attempt at problem solving. :)

The Boy and his Vacuum

This kid vacuums all the time. Here he is with our full size vacuum. We plug  in and he requests an  attachment. Then he says, "One, Two, Go!", turns it on and off he goes.

Here are some things we hear him say...
"I fink I need to vacuum this rug. It's all dirty."
"I fink it's time to use big vacuum.Let's plug it in."
"Oh what a messy mess. I need to clean it."
"I'm vacuuming up these snivvies."
After seeing crumbs on his picnic table after eating he asked me if he could vacuum the top of the table.

Spencer and Eli

That's Spencer on the top and Eli at the bottom at about the same age (approx 6 wks).

Kisses from Big Brother

kiss for Spencer

 

Ryan

kiss for Ryan

Plumping up. Thanks to Mr. and Mrs. Brown for these cute oufits!

Bedtime Routine

Eli's bedtime routine pretty much looks the same every night and is a part of the day I like spending with Eli. After watching an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse or reading books, we head upstairs. First is a stop at the potty. Then he brushes the "dirt" off of his teeth if we haven't done that at bath time.
Then we turn on his music and his sound machine and climb into bed. With the lights dimmed, we cuddle real close read a book together- "We're Going on a Bear Hunt." When we get to the end where it reads "We're not going on a bear hunt again!" and see the bear retreating home, Eli always says that the bear is going to the potty.

After reading it's time for prayers and 'thank you God' time. Tonight Eli thanked God for vacuums, paints, lamps, and Mommy. He has commentary for each one-- "Thank you God for vacuums. Maybe the orange vacuum is plugged in. Maybe I use it later. Thank you God for paints. Pop painted the stripes (points to the stripes my dad painted on his wall). Thank you God for lamps. Thank you God for Mommy."
I said, "Thank you God for Eli. Did you know that God made you?" He replied, "And vacuums. And Adam. He's the first daddy." (We've been reading Eli's toddler Bible).

After we're done with prayers, I give Eli a hug and kiss and ask him if he wants to be covered up with the big blanket (comforter) or a little blanket (his blue baby blanket). I usually end with "Good night sweetie, I love you." The reply... "Goodnight Mommy sweetie."

I love this time with my little boy.

What We're Doing...

I was about to download and post some pictures from the past week or so when I realized that Kevin has the camera. He and Eli left to explore a new park in Frederick. It looks pretty neat- I'm anxious to hear what he thought of it.

We've had a couple of nice days recently (and a couple of cold not-so-nice days). Eli has really enjoyed being outside and at the playground. My mom just left today after visiting for a few days and he enjoyed walks with her quite a bit.

The past week or so has been great. I'm really enjoying my time home with the whole family. My leave officially ends two weeks from today- just four days after the twins' actual due date. I'm dreading going back to work. I'm glad Kevin gets a full 12 weeks off. I also think I will take some additional days.

We're getting a lot done around the house since we're hoem together. Kevin has pretty much finished the basement (from the water damage this winter). It's now painted and cleaned out and has been turned into a play area for Eli. I really should have taken before and after pictures- it was quite a sight before. Eli loves being down there now and we now have another area to hang out. It needs more work in the decorating area, but we'll tackle that a little at a time.

Eli has been doing great lately. Everyday he surprises me with his vocabulary and his understanding. His mouth never stops- he pretty much narrates his entire day. He cracks me up all the time. I'll have to post some of our conversations here so I don't forget them.

Ryan and Spencer are growing like weeds. Their 2 month appointment is April 25 and I'm anxious to see how big they are. Their cheeks are really filling out! They are still pretty much on a 3 hour schedule, but they did have a night where they had a four hour stretch and then a 3 1/2 hour stretch. That extra half hour doesn't seem like much, but to two sleep deprived parents, every extra minute counts. I know they are still little and that the 3 hour stretches may last for awhile yet.