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.

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.

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.

Coolest kid on the block

I think the pictures say it all, really.

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.