Mother's Day 2007.
Mother's Day 2008
Wednesday, May 14, 2008
Sunday, May 4, 2008
Back Yard
We spent the whole afternoon today in the back yard. The sun was out and the temperature was in the low 60's - it was a wonderful day. After a few days of rain, everything is very green and growing like crazy.
Eli picked a dandelion for me, which I promptly put behind my ear. Then, of course, he needed one behind his ear as well. Jeff was gone fishing, so we did some self portraits.
When Jeff came home, he pulled the hose out to clean off his waders. Out jumped the little tree frog that's been living around our deck this spring. Jeff presented him to Eli, who continued to "tickle" the frog, causing it to jump all over the place. This was a little scary and a little bit funny at the same time.
We played some baseball and Jeff rounded out the evening giving Eli his first casting lesson. We're working on getting a shade tree for the back yard to that it's a bearable place to play this summer, but today, the back yard was a wonderful playground.
I've been reading a book by Richard Louv called, "Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder." I've been extremely anxious about what our kids (that's plural for the some-day side of things - it's NOT a hint that we have more than one in any way) will miss as they grow up in the city. I'm terrified that I'm contributing to some deep deprivation in my child by not raising him somewhere that he can run in the woods and play in the yard by himself for hours on end. But today I realized that there's plenty of nature for Eli to explore even in our back yard. And there's the meadow behind Jeff's parents house and the farm land there as well. And the lake and the woods at my parents house, both of which are only an hour's drive away. I'm so glad that Eli wants to learn the difference between weeds and the peas we planted so that he can help tend the garden. I'm grateful that he wants to hold the tree frog in his hand, but that he also wants to put it back home in the rocks by the deck after a few minutes as well. I'm glad that he would rather eat broccoli than my home made cookies any day and that no Disney movie is nearly as cool as the back yard or "My Grampa house Yake!" (Translated - Grandpa's house at the lake where I can throw rocks in the water as much as I want!)
Jeff and I love to be outdoors. We love to see how nature reacts to us, but even more, we love to leave nature with as little of us to react to as possible after we leave. Eli will do the same, I'm sure. He is our son.
Eli picked a dandelion for me, which I promptly put behind my ear. Then, of course, he needed one behind his ear as well. Jeff was gone fishing, so we did some self portraits.
When Jeff came home, he pulled the hose out to clean off his waders. Out jumped the little tree frog that's been living around our deck this spring. Jeff presented him to Eli, who continued to "tickle" the frog, causing it to jump all over the place. This was a little scary and a little bit funny at the same time.
We played some baseball and Jeff rounded out the evening giving Eli his first casting lesson. We're working on getting a shade tree for the back yard to that it's a bearable place to play this summer, but today, the back yard was a wonderful playground.
I've been reading a book by Richard Louv called, "Last Child in the Woods: Saving our Children from Nature-Deficit Disorder." I've been extremely anxious about what our kids (that's plural for the some-day side of things - it's NOT a hint that we have more than one in any way) will miss as they grow up in the city. I'm terrified that I'm contributing to some deep deprivation in my child by not raising him somewhere that he can run in the woods and play in the yard by himself for hours on end. But today I realized that there's plenty of nature for Eli to explore even in our back yard. And there's the meadow behind Jeff's parents house and the farm land there as well. And the lake and the woods at my parents house, both of which are only an hour's drive away. I'm so glad that Eli wants to learn the difference between weeds and the peas we planted so that he can help tend the garden. I'm grateful that he wants to hold the tree frog in his hand, but that he also wants to put it back home in the rocks by the deck after a few minutes as well. I'm glad that he would rather eat broccoli than my home made cookies any day and that no Disney movie is nearly as cool as the back yard or "My Grampa house Yake!" (Translated - Grandpa's house at the lake where I can throw rocks in the water as much as I want!)
Jeff and I love to be outdoors. We love to see how nature reacts to us, but even more, we love to leave nature with as little of us to react to as possible after we leave. Eli will do the same, I'm sure. He is our son.
Monday, April 28, 2008
Helping hands
Eli absolutely loves to help - with anything. From feeding his baby a bottle, to helping with dishes, to making pizza dough with Papa. And we can't forget the garden, which may be his second favorite, only to dishes. He loves dishes (which for Eli, is basically playing in water while we do the dishes - who wouldn't like it). Here's a few of our favorite picks of his help around the house.
Monday, April 14, 2008
Scratch it
The last post, that is. Eli went into the doctor today with another ear infection. All clear Thursday, deeply infected Monday. We're headed to a specialist to talk about the possibility of tubes and whether they would be beneficial or not.
Friday, April 11, 2008
All Clear
Eli visited the doctor yesterday and his ears are clear! This may not seem like a big deal, but given our winter, I want to run through the streets shouting, "My son's ears are clear! My son's ears are clear!" He's had either three or four ear infections, depending on weather this last bought was a separate occurrence or it was the one from late February that never really cleared up. I'm betting on that second option, which makes a month an a half to clear up the stupid thing. He's had two rounds of super-potent antibiotic shots in the doctor's office and went in Thursday morning for a re-check. If his ears weren't clear, they were going to do another shot. But they were completely normal, so Eli got a sticker without having to get a shot. Praise the Lord. Let it be done for this year, please.
Friday, March 28, 2008
Thursday, March 20, 2008
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.
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.
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