Reading & Playing Piano

There are several activities that Eli enjoys doing right now. Most of them are outdoors, but some he enjoys indoors. His most favorite has to be chasing his big brother, but when he is alone, he enjoys "reading" & "playing piano". I got these photos tonight of him doing each one. He is so funny!

Garden

We decided to do a garden this past spring. I have the blackest thumb you can have, but we decided to give it a try. It is amazing how some plants just take little or no attention. We have watered the garden regularly, but other than that, nothing. And look what I have to show for it, a beautiful squash (if I do say so myself). I was so excited to see this squash. We have also had small Strawberries and Broccoli. We have picked some tomatoes and lima beans as well. It is great! Nothing tastes as good as when it is fresh from your own garden.

Susina Plantation

We were blessed to be able to spend the fourth of July this year at Susina Plantation - Alaina's parents home. We had such a great time. We rode horses, swam, made homemade ice cream with a hand crank maker, had impromptu water sprinkler time and ate great meals. It was also perfect spending time with our friends away from the everyday. It was such a relaxing weekend situated right in the middle of the busy summer.

Yogurt

One day I was in my room getting ready while Ethan & Eli were in the living room/kitchen area. I heard the refridgerator open and asked Ethan what he was doing. He said he was getting some yogurt, so I didn't worry. He knows how to get his own snack, and this was a healthy one. A while later I come into the kitchen to find that he got himself a yogurt, and Eli a yogurt. I was so proud that he took care of his brother, but could not believe Eli standing there in a chair eating & playing with yogurt at the table. It was one of those moments where you had no other choice but to go get your camera.

Mohawk

Ethan wanted a mohawk the last time I cut his hair. I told him I would give him one and he could wear it for a couple of days, but then we had to shave it off also. He looked really cute when I would spike it up, but it wouldn't stay that way and then it would get really ratty looking. He was disappointed about shaving it off, but I like his clean cut look the best.

Elliot

We aquired a new pet, a toad named Elliot. He showed up one day in our garage in the cat's water bowl. What suprised me was the fact that I really enjoy having a toad as a pet. Since adopting Elliot, we have aquired two other toads, Kari Alexander & No. 1 Alexander. They are quite easy to care for. You just buy them live crickets every couple of weeks and make sure they have a bowl of water to sit in.

Accident Prone

We have determined that Eli is accident prone. He just wants to do everything his big brother does and he winds up falling down in the process. He constantly has bruises on his head and face. Last week, while at a friends house, he fell and got a huge bump in the middle of his forehead, got scratches on his nose and busted his lip. In the first photo you can kind of see the fading bruise in the middle of his head. This past Friday, he fell and got a huge bruise on the side of his forehead (again, seen in the first photo). Then yesterday, the worst fall of all, his bottom teeth through his bottom lip (I tried to get photos of this, but it is hard with a moving 17mo. old). He was trying to climb up on a barstool in our kitchen and he pulled it down on himself. I was not here, thankfully, so Kevin took him to the hospital. The Dr. decided not to sew it up because that could increase the risk of infection. He simply gave Kevin a prescription for antibiotic and said we should come back if it gets worse. I was terrified about what I would see when I arrived home, but it really doesn't look that bad. It just looks like two small slits on the outside (the size of his tiny teeth). It isn't swollen at all. He doesn't act like it bothers him one bit. He hates the antibiotic, but other than that, he is no worse for wear.