Eli's Primary Talk

Eli was asked to give a talk on Sunday in Primary. The topic was Jesus Christ. On Saturday, Raef sat down with him to write out a talk. This is what Eli said and what Rinar wrote down verbatim:

I'm going to talk about Jesus today. I love Jesus because he blesses me. I love Jesus because of his plan for me and that he loves everybody and he answers our prayers. I love Jesus because he made the Earth and I love it.

I love him because he made all stuff, bushes and plants and islands and trees and the forest and the temple. I love to be part of his church and love Him because he made the church. I love Jesus because He loves me! 

In the name of Jesus Christ, amen.

As we were sitting in Sacrament meeting, he asked me if he was going to give his talk then. I told him, no. He was doing it in Primary. But you could tell that the kid was ready and willing to stand up in front of everyone and bear his testimony of Jesus Christ.

I told you, I think this kid is made of sugar on the inside.

Moving in and Unpacking

It is always hard settling in a new state, new house, new neighborhood. But it sure takes the edge off when you can lean on good friends. As I was driving into Salt Lake all by my lonesome with five stir-crazy kids, I contacted by close friend Melanie. She invited us to come hang out at her house for the afternoon, because I still wasn't able to go to my place yet and hanging at a hotel with five children is not too much fun for anyone.

We went to Melanie's and the kids played for hours and she even fed us all dinner. It was such a relief and a huge burden taken off of my back.

The moving truck was parked in front of my house when I pulled up Wednesday morning, on April 2. It was a beautiful sight. The movers were professional and just as anxious to be done as we were. It took less than two days to get everything in the house and to get stuff assembled.

Rinar's brother Lyf was so kind to drive this beast up to our house from his place.  Look at this elk... Rinar's prize winning monstrosity.  And now it has found a home on the wall of our living room, lurking over the fireplace.  Am I the best wife ever?

 I have been buried in this house, unpacking and arranging stuff.  Then to top it all off, I got really sick.  I had a horrific cough for over a week and a fever for a few days. It was the pits and didn't allow me to get the strong start I wanted.  I am only now starting to feel like myself again, besides this whole pregnancy thing, of course.

I focused on getting the school room unpacked and organized first so that the kids could get going again. I hate to have them miss long periods of time. At one point, I was sitting at the table trying to enjoy what I had accomplished, instead of focusing on what I still had in front of me. This enabled me to enjoy a sweet little moment with Harry. He sat right across from me and kept busy coloring and singing.  He was happily occupied for quite some time. Harry is happy as long as he is in the same room with me.  He is definitely my mama's boy.

 This was also another sweet moment I enjoyed. Eli just kept on staring out of the large windows in our kitchen area. This went on for at least 5 minutes. I wasn't sure what he was looking at, but it was really quite simple. He was just staring at the beautiful flowering pear trees that engulf the view up there. I didn't want to forget this either.

 Life seems to be getting to normal around here. We are settling in and finding our place. The house is wonderful and the neighbors seem to be very friendly and open. The neighborhood is top-notch. I am so pleased with this little part of the world. I look forward to really making it our home. It is not going to be hard to do. And we keep marching forward. 

Happy 4, Eli!

Eli turned 4 last week.  He is the sweetest little boy. I am very blessed that he is my son. Eli is kind and caring, smart, thoughtful, fun, silly.  If I could bottle up all of his cuteness and sweetness and sell it, I could buy a tropical island in the Caribbean and retire.

He was very excited to get a couple Skylander's guys. 

On his birthday we gave him a little present, but waited to celebrate until tonight. 

We had a mini-birthday party for him after Family Home Evening. We invited our friends from church to celebrate with us. It is great because Danny and Haley's family consists of 3 boys and one girl and they are all about the same age range. Their son Ira is in the same class with Eli.  We ate dinner, did a little lesson, and then sang to Eli and opened a few presents.  

Julia and Raef

My boyfriend Harry

Gus and Oscar

Ira

Aggie

We gave Eli a Leapster for his birthday. He was very happy about it.  Our friends gave him some cars and a few little boy things as well and he loved it.

Happy birthday to my little man.

Warrior

Just thought I would share this picture.  Raef and Zach dressed Eli up as a warrior.  Ooh...scary!  He has a Lego box on his head, a homemade cardboard shield, and a fun styrofoam jousting weapon.

I'm "Coughing"

Poor Eli.  He had a rotten "cough".  He kept telling us he had a cough and that he needed a cough drop.  


"You're coughing?"


{cue cough}


"I need a cough drop."


{cue cough}


I think it is hilarious.  Enjoy!

You Got To Get Small

Eli told Rinar to come sit down. They had to talk.  Eli told him that he needs to grow small.  How small? He needs to be 3! Then Daddy can wear Eli's clothes and go to his birthday party. Then once he grows small Daddy can grow big again.


Just one of those really sweet moments.


If you want, you can watch it here.



Ever since Eli attended Raef and Zach's birthday party, he is anxiously looking forward to his own. He will get presents and puzzles and cake. Eli is very excited for his party.  Oh, how I love the machinations of a 3 year-old.

Make a Bath Eli

Rinar let Eli make his own bath tonight.  Whoops!

Raef is shocked, SHOCKED I tell you.

A Plethora of Books

Our bedtime routine for Eli is quite simple. One of us goes in there, lays on the bed with him, and reads him a few books. Then we might sing a song or two, turn off the lights and lay with him for a few minutes, then say goodnight and he goes to bed.

Well, a few nights ago he went in his room first, picked out a "few" books, and then told Daddy he was ready.


"Daddy, come read some books to me!"


It is a good thing it was only 8:30.  Rinar had plenty of time to get it done before midnight.

They Are Not Rabbits

This was a sweet moment. Eli laid down with Rinar on the couch for bedtime and then he fell asleep. This doesn't happen very often with our kids, so we cherish the moments.

And in other news...Rinar caught something out of the corner of his eye when he was eating breakfast with the kids. He saw some coyotes near our front door. He grabbed the camera and caught a couple of them on film heading out of the back of the house into the wilderness.  There were actually three of them.

I guess I need to keep a good eye on my little ones when they go outside. I don't want them to get mistaken for very large rabbits.

My Cookie Monster

I started making cookies a few days ago. Eli became very interested. He pulled up a chair and stood there and watched me every step of the way.  Then he started helping me, by turning the mixer on and off.

When the dough was ready to be baked, he eagerly jumped from the chair and went to the utensil drawer. Eli pulled out the ice cream scooper and was ready to prep the dough for the oven.  He would scoop in deep to get the right amount of dough, then practically turn upside down trying to get it onto the tray. He could not be deterred.  I kept asking him if he wanted help, but he respectfully declined.  He did four trays of cookies.

Now, that is one productive cookie monster.

My Little Ones This Week

Boy, this week has really flown by. I can't believe it is Thursday already. It has been a good week. I really can't even remember what I have done this week, but I have felt busy and productive. The little ones have been really good for me, and I really think that is probably the reason that the week has gone by so fast.

They have a couple of new things they really enjoy doing. It all revolves around the dinner table. Sometimes it can be difficult to get them to cooperate and eat their dinner. So we have devised a new strategy. I really cannot take any credit for it. I give this all to Raef and Zach. Whenever someone takes a bite, we all clap for them.  Eli will take a bite and we make a big fuss. He face beams with pride. Then Julia's vanity kicks in and she has to take a big bite too. "Clap for me! Clap for me!"  Harry usually wants in on the action as well, even though sometimes he is not as willing to participate.  But overall, a lot more food has made it into their bellies.  

They also love to help clear the table.  Harry especially loves it and is very diligent at getting it done. However, he really only likes to put the big stuff away.  This is the stuff that goes in the fridge, like milk, butter tub, salsa, salad dressing. He knows just what to do.  Then he wants to put things on the counter, like heavy glass dishes. You know, things every mom wants to give to a just-barely two year-old boy. Once all of the cool items have been put away, he will then settle on putting utensils, cups, and plates into the sink. But not until then!

And my sweet moment spotlight of the week...I overheard Eli say to Julia, "There you go, my lovely girl," as he was giving her a drink of water and helping her to her booster seat.  Oh my heck. So stinkin' cute!  Eli is just so precious these days. He has such a sweet disposition and everyone loves him.

Finally, here is the obsession that is trending these days...Julia and pink.  If it is pink, it is hers.  Period. End of subject. How do they know at such a young age?  Now that you know the rules, guess what is her favorite plastic animal? Brothers beware...oink, oink.

Eli Cleans His Room

When we got home from co-op this afternoon, Eli got really busy doing something. I was in the throes of preparing dinner so I didn't pay much attention. He kept coming over to me to tell me that he was cleaning his room. He seemed very excited. I thought it was great.  Way to go Eli!  Keep it up!  Then a few minutes later he told me that he cleaned his bathroom as well.  Wow, this kid is an over-achiever. But I never had a chance to inspect his work.

Then after dinner, Eli exuberantly helped me clear the table AND load the dishwasher. He was really into it. It was great.  It was a fun time together.  

Then it was time for bed.  I was reading to Raef and Zach and Rinar was in charge of Eli.  Rinar came over to me and said that I had to come and see Eli's "clean" room.

Ta-da!!!

He took all of the soap bottles from the bathroom and stacked them on top of his little piano.  He also propped a book up on the end of the bed, with a VHS tape and three remote controls, stacked like a pyramid.

I had cleaned his room earlier this week. It looked really good.  

Eli just made a few improvements.

You Are Not Sleepy...As You Seem

Eli has a new declaration every night. "I never go to sleep!" I kept trying to tell him that he has to go to sleep. Everyone goes to sleep.  But no. The little guy seems to do very well in an argument.  He has the repetition strategy.  No matter what facts or reason are thrown at him, he just keeps making the same declaration at least 100 times.

"I never go to sleep."

Finally, I just picked him up to take him to his room. It was after 9pm, after all.  As we were heading down the hall, I firmly commanded him that he was not allowed to go to sleep.

"Eli, do not go to sleep."

He seemed to like my edict. He heartily agreed.  I laid him on his bed. He placidly complied. The covers went on and I tucked him in.  I kept reminding him that he was not allowed to go to sleep.

He then asked me if it was okay to lay down.  I told him he could, but no sleeping!

Then I had to sing "Stay Awake", from Mary Poppins. Do you remember that song?

Stay awake, don't rest your head.
Don't lie down upon your bed.
You're not sleepy, as you seem.
Stay awake, don't nod and dream...

He was just a naughty little noodle. Not five minutes later, he was asleep.

Birdhouses

Cub Scouts..the push is on.  I came to the stark realization that the boys are getting close to turning 10.  And there is a whole book of Cub Scout stuff that has to be completed before their birthdays.  I got the book out this last week and we have been working on stuff.  One thing in the book was to make a birdhouse.  This had "Dad" written all over it.  

Rinar did a great job.  Here is the finished product.

They were finishing up their projects at night out in the garage. Of course, Eli wanted to be in the middle of it.  It got pretty late before they finished.  Eli's latest thing is to tell us that he is not tired. "I never go to sleep!"


It worked out pretty well for him....well, almost.

Just Some Stuff

They finished their art projects and Eli had to improve his a little. Hey, he wasn't going to let them paint without him, for sure.

These paintings will find a new home on a wall in our condo.

My Artist

Eli has shown a propensity to doing art. He will actually sit down and colors for 30-40 minutes without stopping. I didn't realize boys were capable of doing this kind of thing. Zach never even picked up a crayon until he had turned 5. Raef was not much better. But Eli actually likes to put pen to paper, if you will.

So today we did an art project. Raef and Zach are still working on theirs, but I thought I would share Eli's creation with everyone. He did a great job. I picked out the colors and helped him a little bit, but he definitely had ideas on how he wanted it done. I would make a suggestion and he would ignore me.

I love this little guy. It was a good moment today.

The Humble Goldfish

When you have small children and you need to keep them occupied for over an hour, you make sure to bring snacks to sacrament meeting. Our snack of choice today was goldfish. It is the perfect little snack. It is easy to hold, tastes quite yummy, and generally does not make a big mess.

Eli made it through most of the meeting before I had to pull out the goldfish. He sat snugly on my lap and opened the ziploc bag and began to chow down on little orange bits of deliciousness. He must have been eating for at least 5 minutes.

I don't know...maybe there was a renegade pepper flake on a cracker or a bit of dust floating around in the room, but whatever it was, it found a cozy resting place in one of Eli's nostrils.

Did I mention that he was chowing down on goldfish?

Alexa and Kelsey probably didn't know that Eli had been eating goldfish, but they became very aware of it when the entire contents of his mouth ended up on their backs, their hair, their legs and the pew in front of them due to two very cute and well-timed sneezes.

I was laughing so hard I had to bury my head in his back to muffle the laughter. I think I heard a bit of giggling behind me as well. Actually, there was a lot of giggling behind me because their parents were sitting behind us. I started handing them baby wipes in an attempt to wipe it all up.

You know that we do come to church to be humbled. Kelsey and Alexa...do you feel humble now?

Eli is Soooo Funny!

In this video, Eli is throwing corn chex on their heads and they think it is the funniest thing ever!



Then the silliness continues as Eli continues to make Julia laugh.



It is obvious that Harry and Julia watch everything that kid does. It doesn't hurt that he is a show-off. Unfortunately, I caught this at the end. But believe me, they had watched him run back and forth at least 10 times before this.

Eli and His Soop

We have been chilling out at our house for the past week. I have just finished decompressing from our Salt Lake City trip. I am glad I am home and that I could have this last week to recover. But you know that life goes on and my kids keep growing.

Eli is now very enthusiastic about swimming. He wants to swim all the time and he will take off all of his clothes and ask for you to put his "soop" on him, meaning his swimming suit. One day we had friends come to swim in the afternoon. Eli joined in on the fun at the expense of his afternoon nap. They left and I started to make dinner. I turned on the television and started cooking. I could see the top of Eli's head and I thought he was watching t.v. also, relaxing while he waited for dinner. I went to get him when dinner was ready and this is what I found.



He was G.O.N.E. It was 6:15. He didn't stir or move an inch. When we finished dinner, he looked exactly the same. I took him up to bed and I didn't hear from him until 8am. That was one seriously tired kid. Swimming pools do work magic when it comes to this sort of thing.

Julia is really getting around now. I am including a little video to show you how she "crawls", commando style, I guess. She is actually pretty quick.



Don't you love that high-pitched squeal? She is the only kid to ever do that. It must be her girly side coming out. I love it!

You might be surprised to know that she eats a lot more food that Harry. She can really smack it down. The girl loves her food. Now, I know for sure she is my daughter.

Give Peas a Chance

There you go...Kelly and her boys. That is all of them. What a handsome, and slightly annoyed, and slightly silly little crew. This was at the end of dinner. If you notice Eli has a nice bruise on his forehead, courtesy of dear ole' mom. That's right, I pummeled him today. I swear it was an accident. Cross my heart!!! Really!

He stepped in front of me as all of my momentum was going in the same direction and as my foot got caught on his head. I stepped on him hard and he got a fat lip and a bruise right there. I felt really bad..and yes, he DID get a cookie. I wanted to give him 4 or 5 but he seemed satisfied with one.




And then there is Julia. Can you believe she got two teeth yesterday? They are bottom teeth. It would be nigh impossible to get a picture of them, but trust me, they are there. She also loves to eat solid food: peas, carrots, pears, apples, etc.





Harry, hmmm...not so much. I think what he is trying to tell me is...

"Me no likey peas!"