Ee was a difficult letter for me to think of letter of the week activities so I had to break my trend and do both long and short E. I have been trying to only do one sound per week (only short a, only hard c, etc.), but I could not think of enough words for either long or short e, so I just did both.

Here were our Ee activities:

Saturday: E is for Egg

I got out our plastic Easter eggs so that Elias could play with them again. He loved opening and closing them, counting them, and putting them in and out of the basket. He tried putting them inside each other, and mixing colors. He had a blast, and wanted to play with them all week!

Sunday: E is for Eagle

Nathan’s adult coed slow pitch softball team is called the Screaming Eagles. I decided we would go cheer on the Eagles during their game. Unfortunately, it was raining so we didn’t get to go. I couldn’t justify taking a two year old and a three month old out into the rain just for an alphabet activity. Oh well.

Monday: E is for Elmo

I let Elias watch a little bit of Elmo’s world, and he colored some pages of his Elmo coloring book. We also talked about all of the Sesame street characters and what color they are. Elias said his favorite color is red like Elmo.

Tuesday: E is for Endangered

I read Elias some stories about Endangered animals. I tried to explain to him what endangered means, but I don’t think he really got it. We chose some of the animals that we read about, and searched for pictures of them on the internet. Then we printed them out and Elias colored them. He chose a tree frog, a manatee, a panther, and a gorilla.

Wednesday: E is for Elephant

We went to the zoo! Unfortunately, it was raining on this day as well, but I figured that we are in Oregon after all and we aren’t afraid of a little rain. Elias had a blast at the zoo. He knew we were going mostly to see the elephants, so every time I tried to stop at an animal on the way he just said he wanted to see the elephants first. After we had watched the elephants for a good long while, he named some other animals that he wanted to see. His favorites (besides the elephants) were the polar bears, the otters, and the leopards.

Lily playing with a ball!

Eiias watching the elephants

We witnessed an optical illusion while viewing the giraffes.

Thursday: E is for Elias

I couldn’t resist using Elias’ name for one of his words this week. I bought a canvas and let Elias choose some paint colors at the craft store. Then I used masking tape to spell his name on the canvas, and let him paint over it. When it dried, I took off the masking tape so that his name showed. The tape did not work as well as I had hoped. There are splotches of paint underneath where the tape was so the borders are not smooth. I will have to go over the borders in black or dark green paint before we hang it on his wall, but I think it will turn out pretty cute in the end. Elias certainly had fun painting it!

Friday: E is for Elijah

Our Bible story for the week was about Elijah. Lots of good stuff, and the stories are relatively new to Elias .

Fast forward to today (about two months later) and you’ll see we’ve come a long way. I usually get in my morning routine before Elias wakes up. However, this morning, everyone decided to wake up early so I was unable to do so. I put Simon in the bouncer so I could just peek out and check on him, and told Elias that I was going to go get clean. He came in the bathroom as well. I was not looking forward to the shower….trying to shower in peace with a two year old and a three month old just outside the tub didn’t sound very fun. But I was in for a surprise.

Simon was sitting in his bouncer, happy as usual…but Elias just started talking to him and comforting him. He said, “Mommy will be done soon, Simon.” and “Hi Simon are you kicking your legs so fast, Simon?” and “Look at your toys Simon. You have one, two, three of them!” and “Look at this turtle. It’s green and orange.” Elias just went on and on and on talking to his little brother. I actually stayed in the shower a bit longer than usual…silent….just listening to Elias talk to Simon. It was so cute, my heart nearly melted on the spot.

3 months has gone by so quickly. Simon has already grown and changed so much. I feel like I am more on top of things…I have recovered from the shock of having a child faster than I did the first time. So I also feel like I am taking in more of Simon as a baby. I am enjoying it more. At the same time, though, since there are two of them….I am not able to focus as much attention on Simon. I be sure to give him focused attention each day, but a lot of the time he ends up just laying on his tummy or back and watching Elias and I play…or sitting in the bouncer watching me make lunch, etc. I can’t believe it’s already been a quarter of a year.

In other news, Simon rolled over from front to back today for the first time. I guess he thought he’d start out his fourth month of life with a bang! I put Simon on his tummy on the floor where he could watch Elias and I play catch. He was happy for a few minutes, but then as usual started to let me know he did not appreciate being flat on his tummy. I looked over at him, and saw that he was pushing himself onto his side…then he just rolled over. I put him back on his tummy to see if he would do it again. He rolled onto his side many times, but did not successfully roll onto his back again. Only time will tell if this was a fluke, or if he really is going to start rolling over consistently now! The picture at the right was taken shortly after he rolled over…he was a bit surprised to be on his back!

Elias and Nathan made me this card.

Yesterday was Mothers Day. It was a wonderful day spent with my boys. The morning started out nicely. We got to sleep in until 6:00 or so, with only one middle of the night feeding around 3. Nathan made me breakfast. We went to church. Then most of the rest of the day we just stayed around here and played together.

The sweetest moment of my day came in the afternoon. I had put Simon down for a nap and gotten a bit done on the finances. Elias was in quiet time so I decided to lay down on the couch for a few minutes. When Elias came out of quiet time, I was laying on the couch with my eyes closed…but not asleep. He came up to me, kissed me on the lips, and said, “Happy Momma’s Day. Open your eyes. You wake up.”

When did you grow up? When did you cease to be my baby…let alone my toddler son? When did you shed those extra rolls on your thighs? When did you become my little boy?

Because that is what I see when I look at you these days. A little boy, not a toddler. You’ve got two skinned knees, a dirty face from kicking in the dust, and you are squatting, playing in the water I used to nourish the plants. It has seeped through the soil, and out the bottom onto the deck where you exclaim, “I’m getting my stickers all wet!”

I see you, little boy. I see you so desperately wanting to become independent yet still needing so much help and encouragement from me. I see you becoming confident at new skills and nervous to try others. I see you growing. Growing your own branch on our family tree. A branch more beautiful than I could have ever planned or anticipated.

You’re still only two so we’ve got a long ways to go. But I feel that time is just sand slipping through my fingers. You are already a little boy. How fast will the rest go?

For now, little boy, I will try to just enjoy those small moments between the rest of life. The ones where when I ask what you are thinking about, you reply, “I’m thinking I love you so much, Mommy.” The ones where we dance together, and the ones where you bring toys to your brother. And I’ll enjoy the moments when you are acting like a little boy: playing in the dirt, jumping off the couch, or shouting, “Daddy hit a grounder!” at the top of your lungs.

You are my little boy. And I love you very much.

Here is what we did this week for the letter Dd:

Saturday: D is for Dinosaur

Elias loves dinosaurs so I wanted to be sure to include this one. We had a dinosaur book with magnetic dinosaurs we had purchased a few months ago. We didn’t know exactly what we were saving it for…so we gave it to him to play with during quiet time today. Elias loves asking what the name of each piece is. He also enjoyed placing the pieces in the book, and hiding them in the rocking chair.

Sunday: D is for Dove

Pentecost is coming up in a little over a week. We made a slightly early Pentecost decoration! I printed out four dove templates, and got out a variety of red, orange, yellow, and gold art supplies for Elias to choose from. He made fiery doves to hang around our house. Elias must have been in a coloring mood because he chose to decorate two with crayons and one with markers. He did add some variety, though, and glued some puff balls onto the fourth one! He used a lot of glue so I had to let that one dry over night. I tried a few different ways of hanging the doves, but settled on a garland of sorts. Elias wanted to use the fiery pipe cleaners so I connected the doves together with those and hung it on our wall. At breakfast time most mornings this week, Elias has commented on his doves.

Monday: D is for Daddy

I couldn’t resist D is for Daddy, especially since Elias doesn’t get to see his Daddy much on Mondays. (Nathan has class at PSU until after Elias is asleep). We drove down town and had a picnic with Daddy on the waterfront during his lunch break. The weather was gorgeous, and the extra time with Daddy was priceless.

Tuesday: D is for Drum

I had planned to make and decorate a drum together on this day out of a recycled can or something of that sort. However, we did not end up doing it. Both boys napped until pretty late in the afternoon, and once Elias woke up, I didn’t really want him banging on a drum with Simon still sleeping. I figured skipping one day out of four weeks so far wasn’t bad…and we can make a drum another time.

Wednesday: D is for Dump truck

We played with Elias’ dump truck today, and played outside in the dirt. Lots of little boy fun!

Thursday: D is for Dinner

Elias made place mats for our dinner table today. I told him he could decorate them however he wanted, and he chose water colors. I did not take pictures of them, but they were very simple. Elias water colored a few pictures, and I covered them with clear contact paper on both sides. Voila! Place mats for our dinner table that can be easily wiped and cleaned!

Friday: D is for Daniel (and the Lions)

Tomorrow will be our Bible story. I chose Daniel and the Lions. Elias already knows this story so he will have fun hearing it again.

I wished that it could have been one of those cheesy movie scenes where they crank up the music and slow time waaaaaaay down so that you can even see the dust particles suspended in the air. It was such a joy filled time. Both boys smiling at each other with genuine love and happiness in their eyes…..I don’t know what more I could ask for.

Don’t worry, though. There’s some brotherly rivalry there as well. A few minutes later when we were preparing for baths, I was having Elias choose his and Simon’s towel and washcloths. Elias picked out the towels, and then I told him to choose two washcloths for Simon. He did. Then instead of choosing one for himself as he has done for as long as he can remember, Elias said, “I need threeeeeeee of them,” and proceeded to pick out three for himself.

I’m just so relieved and joyful that Elias is really starting to not only accept his baby brother, but also enjoy him as well.

Nathan was home late from work so the boys and I played out on the balcony. It was Simon’s first time out there for an extended period. The weather was gorgeous, and he enjoyed himself…just chillin’ in the bouncer while Elias and I played with chalk. It felt like summer…my favorite time of year…and we were all just content being together.

Friday Evening

Nathan holding Simon while I pushed Elias on the swing.

We decided to head out for another picnic dinner. We couldn’t believe that there was no one there besides us. Where was everyone? We plopped down in the middle of the soccer field so we’d have sun for awhile and enjoyed our dinner together. After dinner, we headed to the playground. Finally other families showed up, and the park was a happening place. I was about to lose my faith in society if no one used the park on such a beautiful evening except for us! Elias first enjoyed the slide…until a little girl joined him in wanting to use it. Then he decided it was time to move on to the swings. It was good outdoor family fun. Someday we will wish we could have these days back. I’m glad we made the most of it tonight!

Saturday Morning

We packed the boys up, put on sunscreen, and headed off to Portland Saturday Market. My main mission (besides getting out in the sun) was to purchase tie dye shirts for Elias and Simon. Last year I bought Elias a tie dye t shirt, and it is still his favorite to this day. Every morning when I suggests outfit options he says, “What about the tie dye” and goes to get it out of the drawer. We bought Elias another one in his new size, and Simon a tie dye onesie.

Here are my two favorite quotes from the morning:

1. Me: Sorry….my legs are super hairy

    Nathan: We live in Portland, honey. I wouldn’t worry about it.

2. (Referring to the flowers we had just purchased)

Nathan: I’m saying I bought these for you even though it was your money and your idea.

Saturday Evening

My parents took us out to dinner for our 7th Anniversary (coming up in two weeks). We thoroughly enjoyed the dinner and the company. Before we left I explained to Elias that we were going to meet Ama and Baba for dinner. He said to me, ” First we go to dinner, then we go to Ama and Baba’s house.” I then explained to him that we didn’t have any plans for afterward but we might be able to go there. He informed me, ” We’re going to Ama and Baba’s. I know.” (It turns out we did go there after dinner. Elias happily played bat and ball, and with his big wheel, with the water table and in the dirt. A perfect evening for a little boy).

Sunday Morning

On the way to church, Elias chatted away. He wanted to know who would be at church and whether they were a boy or a girl. He named all of his little friends and some of the adults he knows. I’m treasuring these times when he wants to talk to us. Someday I’ll probably have to pry answers from between his lips!

Sunday Afternoon

After church, we came home and ate lunch. After I put Simon down for a nap, Nathan took Elias in his bedroom to play. I found them laying together in the boat bed having fun. I love my boys!

Sunday Evening

Softball has started! Nathan played rec softball last year, and really enjoyed it. He is playing again this year with the St. Juan Diego Screaming Eagles. I took Elias for a haircut on the way to the game. Then we went to the field to watch Daddy and Uncle Scott play. There was such an amazing difference for Elias from last summer! Last summer he always wanted to go to the playground, or play chalk. He had hardly any language. He got bored easily. Today, he was so interested in the game! He cheered the players (admittedly, from both teams…but hey…that’s good sportsmanship, right?) After Nathan hit a ball, Elias shouted, “That was a grounder!” Elias missed Nathan’s great catch in the outfield because he was running around in the dust and the grass…but hey…a little boy has got to be a little boy sometimes. Here are the boys watching the game with Ama and Baba who also came to support the team:

On a different note, Simon is really starting to notice more in the world around him. He has become more aware of his hands and arms, and regularly sticks his fist in his mouth. He has a soft froggy toy that he also loves to suck/chew/taste when he can get it close enough to his mouth. He has also been grasping things more. When I put a rattle in his hand, he’ll grasp it for awhile. He had never intentionally grabbed anything until yesterday. I think mostly he was just lucky in being able to get his hand in the right place. He definitely wanted the toy….and kind of jerked his body toward it. He arm shot out (possibly intentionally or unintentionally) and crazily landed on the toy. He then grasped it and picked it up off the floor for a bit. It was fun to watch:

Ooooo look at that! I want it!

Please, Mom, get if for me!

Woah! What just happened?

I got the toy! I got the toy!

Saturday: C is for Colors

On Saturday we got out the watercolor paints to make a colorful spring display for our window. One of our bucket list items for spring 2013 was to do a spring art project so this activity pulled double duty! I got out some coffee filters, and had Elias paint them with water colors. Then we laid them out to dry overnight. On Sunday, I pinched them together in the center, tied pipe cleaners around, and curled the ends to make antennae. We hung them on our door and they became beautiful spring butterflies. They turned out very cute!

Sunday: C is for Cross

We did our Bible based lesson for the week on Sunday this week instead of Friday for a change of pace. Nathan read the story of the crucifixion and the resurrection to Elias.

Monday: C is for Caterpillar

Well, we did butterflies during Bb week, and we did butterfly art. So I figured we had better study caterpillars too. I read Elias the story, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Then, I got out some finger paint, and intended to do caterpillar thumbprint art with him. I showed Elias how to make the fingerprints into caterpillars by placing his fingers on the paper a few times. I also left out the book for him to look at. Elias did enjoy making some finger print caterpillars. But as you can see from the picture, he enjoyed smearing paint around on the paper a bit more.

Tuesday: C is for Cars

Mostly we just played with his cars. He has a special ramp for the cars which was given to him by Uncle Greg for Christmas. We had fun racing cars down the ramp…we even raced three at once! Elias kept saying, “We’re playing with C-C-C-Cars!”

Wednesday: C is for Cards

I did not realize until I was talking with Elias about the word “cards” today, how close it is to the word “cars.” Oh well. A little repetition can’t hurt. (A lot won’t hurt either!) This was another art project. I decided we would make cards to send to loved once and to use on special occasions. I bought thick water color paper, some brightly colored card stock, and some heart shaped stickers. We stuck four heart stickers onto the water color paper in random places. Then I had Elias fill the whole sheet with water colors. After the paper dried, we removed the stickers (it was actually very easy to peel them off) and we were left with a white heart. They turned out rather beautiful! Then, I cut the paper into four pieces, and combined each one with a coordinating piece of card stock (which I folded into a card). These will be fun to send out!

Thursday: C is for Clifford

Today was pretty easy! We read Clifford books.

Friday: C is for Cookies

Tomorrow we will bake cookies together. I saved this for Friday night so we’d have more time. I have a craving for oatmeal so perhaps we’ll make oatmeal cookies!