Museum of Life and Science

I won four tickets for the family to attend the Museum of Life and Science in Durham on Saturday. We have been wanting to go for a long time, but never wanted to fork over the $50 it would cost for all of us to get in. Needless to say, we were super-excited to finally get to go. The day was incredibly hot and humid, but we made the best of it, and tried to find shade as often as we could. Much of the muesum's exhibits are actually outside of the main building, so we were out more than in. They have a farmyard, a nature trail with wolves and bears, a butterfly house, a dinosaur trail with real fossil dig, and an entire area of wind related exhibits and experiments that we never got to. Saturday was a special day at the museum, so the parking lot was completely full by the time we got there. The museum was running a charter bus to shuttle guests from a nearby middle school back to the museum. Both kids said riding the bus was one of the best parts of the day. P and I liked that we got dropped off and picked up at the museum's front door instead of trekking a mile from the back of the parking lot.

Eli's favorite part of the day (besides the bus) was the dinosaur trail. He loves dinosaurs and digging in the dirt, so it was perfect for him. We found several shark teeth, pieces of coral, and teeny tiny shells. It was a great day. Pics to come.

A Saturday on the Eno

We had a wonderful day hiking, exploring, picnicking, and wading in the river at Eno River State Park. The weather was incredibly hot and humid, which made the cool river feel even better. Eli's Crocs had a design flaw- they have indentions on the bottom edge, but no actual holes. This meant his Crocs constantly filled with water and as soon as he flopped into the water, they would float off and head downstream. Luckily there was a friendly fisherman up the river a bit that didn't mind retrieving them for us.

A cool tree Eli and I found during our hike

This sign shows the height the river level reached after Hurricane Fran!

Memorial Day Funny

On the Sunday of Memorial Day weekend, the whole extended fan was standing outside of the marina staring out at all the boats dotting the water, and coming in to dock for some lunch. After a few minutes, Eli looked up at Patrick and said, "Daddy, do you have to be nakey to ride in a boat??"

Cubbie Year One is Done!

This picture just warms my heart. I love how much they love each other! Eli finished his first year of Cubbies and Chloe finished her first year of Sparks.

Performing the Cubbie Key Verse, Motto, and Song. Eli just couldn't stop grinning. That boy knows how to light up a room!

Hanging Around

Our little spider monkey loves to climb and hang. He spent Saturday mornings with Daddy watching Chloe practice soccer, kicking the ball with new friends, and hanging upside down out of trees. In the fall Eli will finally be old enough to play on one of the developmental teams! He is really excited to end his stint of sideline standing (though, he says he will miss the hanging!)

Strawberry Season

We had a great time picking strawberries again this year, and an even better time eating them. Eli was by far my best and pickiest strawberry picker. He only picked the ripest, juiciest ones, while Tootie insisted on picking white, yellow, and orange ones.

The World's Most Handsome Ringbearer

The day before the wedding we were reviewing the specifics of the children's tasks with them. When we finished going over everything with Chloe, Eli said, "Oh! I get it now! I just take the rings and I throw them!"

I'm happy to say the kids both did a great job and the day went off without any major hitches.

Sunday School Synopsis

Mommy: Eli, what did you learn about in Sunday School this morning?

Eli: (Excitedly) Oh! I learned about Mosiah! He saw God sitting in Heaven on a big stone! And there were angels all around singing, "Glory! Glory! Glory!"



Mosiah-Isaiah (Mosiah was our little neighbor that moved away), stone= throne, and Glory=Holy. Close, though. Hehee..

Sunday Evening Art

The kids sit with us for the entirety of Sunday evening service. The service can sometimes get kind of lengthy, and on these occasions, we allow the kids to draw or write quietly in their notebooks. This masterpiece was created one such Sunday night, and is entitled, "The furry giant drops rocks on his head because he stole a lot of toys, and wouldn't give them back or say I'm sorry!"

I just love the expression on the bad guy's face!

Eli's Art

This is one of Eli's "Happy Ghosts." They meet me and greet me all over the house. This one was found on the magna-doodle on the side of the fridge.

This is entitled "Knight Wins." It was actually drawn before Eli turned four, but it remains one of my favorites, and still claims the prized refrigerator spot.

Catching Up.. We Could Be Here Awhile!

It's been two months since I blogged. During that time Eli has said about 2^9832 hilarious things, exactly none of which I can remember well enough to write for you. He is the most animated, dramatic, somewhat bipolar little boy I've ever known. Life with Eli is like being on a spastic roller coaster. One second you're up, the next you're down, and the next you're both up and down at the same time, finding yourself confused and wondering how that's even possible. It seems he is always laughing loudly, screaming uncontrollably, or transitioning wildly between the two. He can often be found red-faced, laughing, and covered in tears. He does everything with great intensity.

Eli is an incredibly bright boy who has quite the artistic streak. He colors much better than his older sister, works longer and harder on his drawings (which are just absolutely awesome), and has better handwriting (at least the few letters he knows how to write!) than Chlo. He soaks up everything he hears, and doesn't even let on that he knows anything. He can often be overheard correcting Chloe on her scripture memorization, reminding her of the next president in the sequence, or telling her the correct answer for some math fact. His memorization skills are really something. He knows his phonics pretty well, and recognizes his letter and numbers. He would probably be learning to read if I would just take the time to teach him, but I figure we have plenty of time for that next year. He is very put out that he can not go to Kindergarten next year, and bemoans the fact that he is only four on a daily basis. Between his height and cognitive abilities, one could almost mistake him for a soon-to-be kindergartner, but his emotional immaturity quickly shatters that illusion! I just hope he grows out of it. I can't really say that I ever did.

Eli loves superheroes, and rarely goes anywhere without at least some piece of costume. He is more often than not clad with capes and masks and sabers and swords. He has a great imagination, and is a lot of fun to play with. He creates hugely complicated good guy/bad guy scenarios that rarely make sense to anyone but him, but they keep him happily busy.

He has a new found obsession with dead worms. There is currently a little pile of them on my front porch. Why would I let him do this? I don't really know. I've tried to talk to him about it, but he keeps collecting them, and as a parent, one must choose one's battles.

Eli is finally sleeping pretty well for the first time in four years. He relapsed a little last week, but is doing well this week. Fingers crossed that he keeps it up!

One post can't even begin to expound upon all that is Eli, so I will try to write more often in the weeks to come. But, for now, my mind is glazing and my fingers are cramping, so I will leave you with a little Eli-ism from last week's trip to the mall (to FINALLY finish acquiring wedding necessities): "(with a voice of discovery) Mom! I figured it out!! I get it now! The mall is a real-life maze! The stores are the dead-ends, and we just keep walking around and around and around until we are very tired and very thirsty and THEN we finally figure it out and can finally find our way out to the car!"
And all the men said, "Amen brother!"

Christmas Comes This Time Each Year

Eli is such a fun boy, full of spirit and life. He loves to laugh and have fun, but also experiences his fair share of negative emotions. This Christmas was the first for him that held any depth of understanding and meaning. His somewhat better grasp of time, and a deeper knowledge of the Gospel made this season a joy for Eli, and for us as parents. We were so proud of his genuine thankfulness on Christmas morning and throughout the month, a trait that comes easily to Chloe, but much more slowly to Eli. For the first time, our memories of Christmas morn are not filled with fits, fights, and begging for more. The Lord has grown our Eli so much throughout 2009, and for that, I am truly humbled. I know it is nothing I've done, but the power of God's love and His Gospel.

Eli was a confident and adoring Joseph. I was a proud Mommy.

Eli in the Keziah boys' tree fort. I think Uncle Mike needs to take a trip to Cary and build one in our backyard! It was certainly a hit, and we have lots of prime fort building spots on our back forty.

The kids were so sweet while opening presents. They waited patiently for the adults to open and talk, and didn't unwrap anything without asking first... something I would never ask of them!

"That wasn't flying, that was falling with style!"

The Buzz Light'n'year Hot Wheels Loop was one of the favorite presents for adults and kids alike. Eli also received lots of fun classics like Legos and Lincoln Logs (fun for Daddy!), Etch-a-Sketch, a Remote Control RC, a Thomas light-up and music book, and a growing snake from his wonderful sister. When asked what was his favorite present, he quickly and enthusiastically responded, "Every one of them!"

Covil Preschool: Days 14,15,16

In preschool we have been learning about Winter. Day 14 was specifically about the change of seasons from fall to winter, and how this change effects animals. We talked about animals that hibernate and birds that migrate to warmer climates. We read several books about winter, and played a freeze dance game. When the music stopped, the kids had to hibernate. They crafted adorable bear caves complete with berries, grass, snow on top, and a cute bear inside. For snack the kids had hibernation mix with berries, raisins, nuts, and of course, a little bit of chocolate!

Day 15 was Black Bear day. We learned all about black bears. The kids learned interesting facts such as black bears can be brown, reddish, tan, and sometimes even black! They learned about their habitat, their eating practices, their fur, and the proper names of the male, female, and young bears. They had brown bear sandwiches for snack, made with wheat bread, peanut butter, and honey, and cut into cute bear shapes. The eyes and nose were made of tiny chocolate chips. No preschool is complete without a sweet treat! For craft, the kids made a wonderful pop-up book about black bears.

Day 16 was a fun time of celebration. I decorated the classroom (aka the Living Room and Dining Room!) with odds and ends from the last five years of birthday parties. We had "Happy 1st Birthday" banners, "Happy Birthday" banners with firetrucks plastered about, confetti, and streamers in a variety of clashing colors. Chloe and Eli were so excited and perplexed. They were convinced it must have been J's birthday today, forgetting that she had a birthday just 6 weeks ago. When I set today's books out, Chloe finally figured it out. "It's Jesus Birthday party! Right, Mommy??!?" So, indeed, today was a birthday party for Jesus. We read nativity stories, had birthday snacks, did some fingerplays, sang Happy Birthday, and made darling nativity scenes. The kids had a wonderful time. They make me so happy with their excitement for all of my preschool ideas. They are never disappointed! I am so proud of them and their understanding of the season at hand. They are beautiful children with wonderful hearts for the Lord.

Preschool is now officially out for Christmas vacation. Hopefully I can use some of this time to come up with good ideas for the New Year!

These Are a Few of My Favorite Things..

An interview with Eli, age 4 minus 6weeks,

Favorite Foods: watermelon, pizza, and, uh, strawberries, and, jelly sandwich.

Favorite Books: about superheroes, and bats, and reindeers, and books about fall.

Favorite TV/Movie: Superman, Care Bears, Toy Story, Toy Story 2, Supersonic

Favorite Toys: my Buzz "Lightningyear", my little Batman, my Monster Truck, my knights, Spiderman, and I love my guns and swords, Mommy's headlamp

Friends: Chloe, Ryan, Terence, and little Samuel, and big Samuel

Things to Do Inside: play homework, go to preschool with Mommy and she's the teacher, play superheroes with Chloe and Ryan, and put bad guys in jail

Things to Do Outside: jog, play golf, play T-ball, play soccer, and play real baseball, and play football

Places to Go: Myrtle Beach, the plain beach, the pool, Ms. Becky's house, and Grandpa's house, and Grandma's house, and church

Things to Do at Christmastime: Open presents, looking at deers, looking at Christmas lights outside in the car and drinking hot chocolate, watch tv and drink hot chocolate again, and be Joseph, read about Jesus

Things that Make You Happy: Chloe when she plays with me, Cubbies, and that's it!