Three

Here are the pics from E's big 0-3. We headed out west to The Maples for a true "boy" birthday. Pony rides? Nope. The Maples and their neighbor generously provided a real live Bobcat, and it was a huge hit. The kids had a blast riding it and he loved his construction site cake. We had a great time celebrating three wonderful years.

what's up doc

Lately, E has been walking around the house with a carrot in his hand. Not the baby carrots, the big ones "like a snowman nose." He eats several a day. Or should I say he eats most of several carrots a day. Because I've been finding dried up carrots nubs around the house- on the couch or desk or on the floor in his room. Yuck. I know, I shouldn't let him walk around the house and eat, but it's a little hard to get super strict about it because, well it's a carrot. And I can hardly believe that I have uttered the phrase, "If you keep whining, then you don't get to have a carrot."

giving rocks and other generous acts

Every few weeks, Joel comes home from church with a crisp dollar bill, or a gold dollar especially for Eli. Mr. Lew is the benefactor, known at our church for many things. A deep love for and trust in God. A wonderful marriage to a remarkable woman named Barb. A ready smile and eyes that beam with kindness and compassion. An enthusiasm for life and people and change, inspiring our community that 70+ years of those things do not need to bring cynicism or callousness. And, he is known for his quirky practice of randomly handing money to people. He will walk up to someone that played the piano at a service, hand him $3, and thank him for tickling the ivories. Or give Joel $1 for Eli. Except I am sure it is not random. I suspect he actually prays about this. I think there's a reason for it, that he would do it even if he wasn't sure what the reason was other than feeling an inner prompting to do it. We've started explaining to Eli where these dollars are coming from, and I actually bought a piggy bank the other week at Target just to keep these little gifts and he loves to "plink" the coins in.

So, I came home the other morning to Joel and Eli "working" in the back yard. We've been doing some landscaping, and have lots of rock down for a patio we've putting together. Eli held his hand out as he walked toward me, saying "Hey mama, I'm Mr. Lew. Here are some monies for you. They are for your piggy bank. You can put them in." He opened up his hand, and in his palm were 4 little rocks. I thanked him of course, and put them in my pocket. He told me that they are also good for throwing in fountains (we toss pennies in at the mall.) Joel laughed as he told me that Eli had been pretending that he was Mr. Lew all morning, handing him rocks for his piggy bank.

Eli had been very busy that morning with some other work too. He watched Joel use the tamper to stamp down and compact the rocks, and said, "I'll be right back Daddy, I have to get somethin'." He went in the house, and returned a few minutes later with the toilet plunger so he could help.

No, I'm not surprised that he's watching so carefully. I'm not surprised that he is copying everything he sees. I hope and pray I'll be responsible to teach him the lessons these moments and people offer. And I want to remember with a smile that he was in our back yard with a toilet plunger, earnestly helping his dad.

so they say

One morning last week, with the forecast for the day of upper 90's, E was standing in front of his wardrobe, picking out a shirt to wear. He wanted to wear "the guitar one" with long sleeves.

"No, let's pick a different one, that one's too hot," Daddy said.

E picked two more long sleeve shirts, which we also told him were too hot, and explained that any of the ones with short sleeves would be nice and cool.

We didn't think any more about it until he woke up the next morning, pointed to his closet and declared in an earnest, excited voice, "Da-ddy! The shirts are not hot anymore! They cooled off!"

clip, clip

I was clipping E's finger nails the other night while Daddy read bedtime stories. I finished one hand, and said, "Ok bud, let's do the other hand."

He yanked his hand away quickly and said, "Oh no, no, no Mama. Not my hand. You can just do this part, " and pointed to his fingertip.

I reasurred him that I would only clip his nails. We laugh at E's intensity sometimes. But really, it must be stressful to be only two and faced with the formidable task of thwarting grown-up attempts to clip off your entire hand.

$9.47

There is a serious threat to our family budget just minutes from our house. I can't really describe why it draws me in several times a week, or why I enjoy going there so much, but I do know it's exactly what the marketing folks at Target are working so hard to achieve. Draw her in for trash bags and hypnotize her, make her stay.

Getting out of Target for under $30 requires serious and constant focus. Walk past the dollar aisle, look away from the happy shirts and shorts, linger not at the clearance end-cap, walk around the children's clothing section, and so on.

Since I don't want to justify a Target category in our budget, I recently started limiting myself to a once a week fix, um, I mean shopping trip. No more recreational Targeting. I will go with a list, and I will follow it. Mostly. But getting out for under $10? I consider that a huge accomplishment. It may never happen again, but at least I can say I did it once. July 22, 2008. 4:44 PM.

grins

Eight months. Already. He smiles. Almost all the time. His grin seems to grow and grow until it's saying, "Hey that was great, do it again! And again!" It crinkles his eyes, makes his toes wiggle and feet turn in gleeful little circles. He has spells of sweet laughter and wild squeals, usually involving some sort of antic or attention from Eli, who has accurately nicknamed him the "saucy parrot". He is happy and content as long as there is someone in the room with him. He reaches eagerly, sometimes lunging out of our arms as if he could fly over to the person or thing he wanted. It's simply joy to watch him grow and learn more about who he is and will become.

faux hawk