Vacation

Earlier this month, we took a vacation out the Grandma and Grandpa Traxler's house in Pennsylvania. We had such a great time. Here's a few pictures from our trip.

We spent an afternoon at the Longwood Gardens. It was beautiful! They were having their orchid extravaganza and the conservatory was filled with spring blooms. Eli spent part of the time in just one shoe and sock because he got his foot into a small stream in the midst of a flour bed before we could catch him. Grandpa chased him around in the tropical rain forest room and he got to be a closing shot for some garden show that was featuring the new children's garden their. We're supposed to receive a DVD when the show's completed.
There was lots of reading. Eli loves books and it was like having a whole new library while we were out there. Not to mention a whole new toy chest. I don't think Grandpa enjoyed this much.
Eli created a beautiful water color at the Crayola factory. They have a little oven that you can send paintings through so that they'll dry and you can take them home. We sent Eli's through three times and still had to dab some water off. He really likes water.
Part of the Crayola factory is the canal and museum. They've got canal displays and trains and all sorts of fun things. I'm not sure who had more fun with this - Eli or his dad and grandpa.
It was beautiful weather the week we were in Pennsylvania. There were a few days of rain, but there was also a lot of sunshine and temperatures in the 50's. Since it was still blizzard-ish when we left Michigan, Eli was really excited to play outside. He's really great at croquet - especially since he just picks up the little metal loops and moves them to his ball if he can't get it through in a few tries.


After playing outside, Eli needed to warm up with some hot chocolate. But you can't run around when you drink hot chocolate, you have to sit. Grandma graciously volunteered to hold him on her lap. If you don't know Eli really well, you may not realize that he's actually smiling in this picture. Jeff taught him to smile for pictures a while back and this is generally what it looks like.

And, of course, Grandma sent us home with cookies. Eli got to help.

It was wonderful to get away for a bit, to see Eli having so much fun with his Grandparents, and to see his Grandparents having so much fun with him.

The progression.

Quite a while ago, Eli discovered his pockets. Last night, however, he discovered that you can remove your pants using your pockets.


Sagin' just a little. . .


down they go (they went up and down several times). . .


Walkin' aroung - 'cuz why not. . .


Climging into the chair - little harder to hold them on, so they fell off. . .

So proud of himself without his pants on!

. . . and - it's cold without pants on, so we need to warm up on the vent.

Some big shoes to fill.

I know it's terrible cliche, but it's constantly amazing how quickly Eli has turned from our baby to a little boy. He eats with his silverware and, on a good day, doesn't hardly spill any. He's drinking from a "big boy" cup when he's not running around. He has a favorite Disney movie (have we let him watch too much?). He plays the harmonica better than his mom (not really all that impressive, if you consider my skills). And . . . He's got huge feet! Well, maybe not really, but he seems to like putting on our shoes lately.

Snow Slide

We've been loving winter. Really. Especially the last few weeks when it's been a little less cold and Eli can play outside for longer than 10 minutes at a time. With all the snow this winter, Jeff build Eli (and maybe himself?) a snow slide off the back steps of our deck. We've been taking Eli to the mall to play on the play-place there this winter when it's been too bitter cold to play outside. Everything is seriously padded there, including the floor, so it was a great place for Eli to learn how to go down the big slide on his own. One day, in the back yard, Jeff started pilling up snow on the steps and Eli was content to stuff his face in big piles of snow and lick. When the slide was completed, Jeff sat Eli at the top and ran around to the bottom, repeatedly asking Eli to wait, wait, wait! He got to the bottom and looked up at Eli who was still sitting at the top, looking a bit confused. But then Jeff said, "Eli, it's a slide!" Eli's response was one of his chuckles from his gut and a big push off the top. He'd seen plenty of slides, but none made out of snow before. After a little sun in the afternoon and some rain the next day, the slide is primed for speedy sliding and Eli's having a great time - especially since he's started getting hot chocolate to warm up when he comes in the house.

"The poets have been mysteriously silent on the subject of cheese." - GK Chesterton

For the last four years I've been a part of a motley group of seminarians, professors, pastors, plumbers and others called "the glimmerings". We are a reading group that also dabbles in poetry and essays. Lois, one of the group members, showed up with the Chesterton quote which resulted in an assignment for poems on cheese. It took me about two seconds to conjure up an image of Eli and his beloved string cheese. Here is the result.
~Jeff

Little man roams

Little man roams
for the world is his throne
King of a kingdom
that encompasses home

Running and climbing
movement never ceased
A hundred thousand kilowatts
of energy in release

Surging through his domain
to establish peace
With the shield of sippy cup
and a scepter of cheese

Flopping and waggling
he conducts his symphony
Two point four ounces
for all to see

Tending his flock
herding sheep on the farm
It’s a milky white flexible
extension of his arm

Better than the cheddar
that melts on his taco’s
Higher than other snacks
it is this he chose

Mo-zza-rella
perfect for little teeth
Full of z’s and syllables
it is the string lover’s cheese

But in the grip
of a 19 month old
This edible screwdriver
is better than gold

40% play toy
50% fuel
10% bargaining chip
100% cool

Tear it or smash it
bend it around
Low impact drum stick
to bang and to pound

Abuse is no stranger
to this strung out cheese
But never complaining
it was designed to please

A perfect companion
for after a nap
Even if a stubborn one
takes too long to unwrap

He’ll take it.

And he will love
every last bite
As inch by inch
it vanishes from sight

Living to the fullest
this cheese has won
the love of a child
whose roaming lives on

An every shortening tool
whose work goes undone
Bye-bye string cheese
the end has come

~ Jeff Petersen

When I was in 7th grade, I broke my ankle. Since the school bus dropped us off a 1/2 mile from home, and since my Grandparents (Traxler) lived just three doors down the street from us, they spent four weeks picking me up at the corner of our road and taking me to their house until one of my parents got home. You have to know that my Grandparents weren't (and my Grandmother still isn't) the bake cookies and read stories kind of Grandparents. My Grandpa skied almost until the day he died and my Grandma still does (she recently turned 82). She bowls and plays golf and, yes, she also plays bingo. Some of those afternoons with my Grandparents were spent watching television or playing ping-pong, but most of the time, we played Cribbage. Their Cribbage board had pegs for two players, so my Grandpa would always keep score with a pad of paper and a pencil (not a pen). And he always won. After a couple of weeks of this, I decided that there may be something to this pad and pencil method and insisted that I was going to keep my own score this time. I won. The first and only time I beat my Grandpa in Cribbage was when I kept score on that stinking pad of paper.
This Holiday season was spent at the house at Pretty Lake for the first time in 8 years. My Dad's birthday is on January 1st and we spent the day at the lake for it. Between dinner and cake my dad and I played a game of Cribbage with the football game in the background. (I won - but no pad and pencil) Welcome home Dad.

Christmas pics