Remembrance Day

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada, a day to remember all those who have fought for the freedom of those who can't protect themselves.

This past week we have been studying the subject, and the boys have worked at memorizing "In Flanders Feilds."  Silas is pretty sweet, isn't he?

While I didn't want to dwell on the horrors of war, I did want to be honest about what it was like for the men and women that we are remembering.  The boys decided that they wanted to do a poster to show what they learned.

Here's Eli's.  He cut out everything so carefully and thoughtfully.  He also copied the entire poem on a separate piece of paper to put with it.  He is so wonderful.

And, here's Silas's.  I have to tell you, it is very interesting to me to homeschool two different children of two different ages.  As we started off making the posters, I kind of wanted both of the boys' posters to look like Eli's did.  But then Silas started cutting and pasting, and he knew exactly what he was doing, and he was just so cute. Then, when he cut out the big blob in the middle of the page, I was about to put a stop to it, thinking he was about to ruin the whole thing, and he said, "No, Mommy, it's the poison gas!"  That boy amazes me.  We'd talked about some of the awful things that the soldiers endured, and poison gas was one of those things.  Sometimes I think Silas isn't catching a word, but he got that.  I love him.

Anyway, I just wanted to say, that I am extremely grateful to the people who have fought for freedom, and for their mothers who are left behind.  Bless them all.

The Joy of Boys

My best friend is a firefighter. Her husband is also a firefighter. While this may seem like a perfect situation to most moms of boys, it actually poses huge problems in my home.

Typical scenario:

E and Si are playing firefighter. Silas wants to cut down trees with his firefighter axe. Eli insists that the axe is only to be used for chopping into buildings to save cats. This is where it gets messy. Eli insists he knows because Adrienne told him so.  Silas screams back, "Kevin told me it's for trees."  Now, I'm not entirely sure if Adrienne or Kevin have ever pontificated on the proper use of firefighter axes with my boys, but each of my boys is sure they have been given the authority by their favourite firefighter to declare what axes are for. 

Of course, mom is not an expert, and so no matter of explaining that axes may in fact be used for many tasks will make do.  And, Adrienne and Kevin are, of course, across the country enjoying the peace of the East Coast, while I am at home waging war over their mixed opinions. 

Eventually Silas gives in (since, in reality, his big brother knows way more than Adrienne or Kevin put together) and admits that he was just joking, and the axes begin saving cats the world over. 

And this mom finds some peace, for a few minutes anyway.

I'm not good at this growing up stuff

Eli lost his first baby tooth on Sunday, and I somehow felt like I lost a bit of something, too.  There goes a bit more of my baby, you know?  It was exciting though. It happened just as we were trying to rush out the door like mad men, because Jared was speaking in church; but, you can't rush a moment like that.  So, we stopped for a minute to celebrate, we carefully put the tooth in a safe place, took a quick picture of his new gaping smile, and then rushed like raging lunatics to get to church.  Jared walked up to the pulpit just as the meeting began.

Seeing as this is my first child's first tooth, we don't have a lot of knowledge of the comings and goings of tooth fairies.  We didn't want the tooth to get lost under his pillow, or for the tooth fairy to wake Silas up, whom Eli shares a bed with, so we put the tooth in a jar on the bedside table.  Then Eli decided he had better write her a letter to leave with the tooth, just so she knew who's it was and how appreciative he was that she would give him money.

He's getting so good at writing, and is always excited for an excuse to write anything.

On the inside he wrote: "I wish I could see you."  So sweet.

 And, when he woke up in the morning, not only did the Tooth Fairy leave him money ($5!!!) but she also left behind something magical blue and sparkly in the tooth jar, and a tiny note, just for Eli.  We knew she came in through the window, because there were sparkles all over the window sill with tiny foot prints in them. 

On the back of the note it said that loosing your first tooth is a special thing, and that's why this time he got five dollars.  What a lucky, toothless boy!

Last Day of Four

Eli turns five tomorrow.  FIVE!  I can't believe it.  He asked me to knit him a sweater for his birthday, and I went through some patterns with him - showing him the coolest of patterns.  Then, as I was knitting away on a super cool old man sweater and browsing Ravelry last night I saw this one:

 And I thought, "That's way too childish for me to knit for Eli.  I want him to look like a little man, not a dino."  And then it hit me like a ton of bricks.  Eli's going to be a little man soon.  It won't be long before he won't want to wear a dino sweater.  These moments just seem to be so fleeting.

Yesterday someone asked how old he is, and I quickly answered "four."   I'm just not ready for five.  He's not a preschooler any more.  He's getting so big!!!  Just one year ago we were in Victoria going on a treasure hunt for a pirate treasure when he turned four.  Eeeek.  Can you tell I'm slightly freaking out here?

Well, I suppose it's inevitable (unless someone has gotten a hold of a Time Turner...) so I may as well accept it, I may as well celebrate the occasion with accolades of love for my little Mr. E. 



Dear Eli,

Today is your fifth birthday, and I can't believe it.  It just doesn't seem like it's been five years since you were placed on my chest in the hospital operating room, and I suddenly knew what it meant to be a mother, what it meant to love.  Right from that first moment my love for you was fierce.  You were so beautiful, and so perfect, and I couldn't believe how much I could love.  It almost hurt.

I still feel that way.  We have our moments, moments when I'm not patient enough, not kind enough, not engaged enough, and I'm sorry for that.  But we also have moments of total awesomeness!  I love when you come into my room first thing in the morning to cuddle, even if you wake up your brothers in the process and start our day much earlier than I would like.  I would rather cuddle with you for a few minutes than sleep in any day. I love when you take it upon yourself to take care of your little brothers.  You are truly the best big brother, and will continue to be such a good example to Silas and Atticus.  They are lucky to have you. I love that you never forget to say prayers.  Ever.  I don't believe a prayer has been missed in our home for the last two years.  And your prayers are always so thoughtful and faithful.  I love that.  I love how interested in learning you are.  You are the smartest 4 year old I know.  You constantly ask me questions that I don't know the answer to, like why mosquito bites itch, and if your muscles could move without bones, and what eyeballs are made out of.  And then together we get to learn the answers.  I love how caring you are. Sometimes I think you care too much; you carry the weight of the world on your shoulders. But, that kind of concern will serve you well in your life. Never stop loving others the way you do.  I really love how much you love your cousins, aunts and uncles and grandmas and grandpas.  You know what family means, and love every member of yours.  Look up to them and be just like them, because they are good.

I love you Eli.  While I wish that you could stay little forever, my little smootch, I am proud of the boy you are becoming and hope that you grow up to be an equally wonderful man.  There is really nothing more a mother could ask of her son. You are the greatest!


Love always and forever,
Mommy

PS If you want me to knit you a dino sweater once I'm done the one I'm working on, I totally will.  I'll do it when you are 18 too, if you want.  I love you!

Ocean or Pond

Eli was what some would call an early talker.  He was having eloquent conversations with us before he was two. Silas, on the other hand, has taken a little longer to warm up to the whole talking thing. Not that that means he has trouble communicating by any means, he's just not as interested in the nuances of language. That's fine.  In fact, it gives us a lot of pleasure. The way he talks, like. every. word. is. it's. own. complete. sentence. is totally endearing.  "Mommy. me. jump. on. bed. on. my. butt." "Me. no. want. to. kill. da. mice.  Me. like. mice. Mice. nice."  The way he describes those things which are ours as "ars." is pretty cute too.  When he's repeating after us to say his nightly prayers, he often adds a few "nan-que for tha inni wee mamamama weeess baby strong."  Ya, we don't know what that means either.

Anyway, Eli is our greatest interpreter.  I'm pretty good at guessing what Si-guy says, most of the time, but where I lack, Eli makes up for me.  And, when Silas has trouble with words, Eli is quick to correct and instruct.

Like this morning for instance, when we were driving down the country road we take to get anywhere in the city, and Silas pointed out a pond and said, "Oh-see-en" (read: ocean), and Eli said, "That's not an ocean Silas, it's a pond." "No, oh-see-en."  Eli, looking exasperated looked at his little brother and said, "Silas, do you think a whale would fit in there?  Then it's not an ocean, it's a pond." Case closed.

So, if you are ever wondering if the body of water you are looking at is an ocean or a pond, just think if it could fit a whale or not and you will know. As for the lakes, sloughs, puddles and seas, I will have to ask Eli to elaborate on his theory for me later.

Sit back and snare a gopher

It occurs to me sometimes that there is a whole lot more I could be doing with my boys.  There is preschool, swim lessons, zoo programs, art classes.  There's gymnastics and baseball, soccer and tumbling. Even around the house I could be doing weekly letters and themed activities.  My Eli is almost five, and while he could count to 10 at 18 months, he hasn't gotten much beyond that.  There is a whole lot out there, and not much of it do we do.  Sometimes I feel guilty about it. Maybe we would be better off getting up and going to some lesson or another, rather than sitting around all morning eating breakfast slowly and playing lego.  Maybe the boys would have a happier summer at the lake if only I had them in swim lessons all year long. 

And then, we go out to the farm to do a whole lot of nothing, and Eli spends half an hour staring at a gopher hole.

And catches a frog in the grass, calmly examining it before he "lets it go back to it's family."

And in the meantime, Silas quietly and independently crawls over piles of wood, up mountains of dirt, and in and out of barb wire fences, staring down horses in the way.   

 And to some, racing off to swim lessons and gymnastics club, this may not seem very productive or educational, but to me it was absolutely beautiful. They will learn to swim this summer when they see all their cousins jumping in the lake.  You should see their tumbling acts as they wrestle on my bed every morning. Next week I may work on the alphabet, and counting past ten, and writing their names.  This week we're going to work on nothing, and enjoy every minute of it. 


And in case you wondered what Baby Brother was doing, he was going for his first horseback ride, just as you would expect a boy of mine to do.

Boys in Suits

Whoever says that boys are not fun to dress obviously just needs to find a neck tie the size of my thumb, match it with a pink argyle dress shirt and put it on their two week old.

Honestly, I could not have handsomer boys.  They are darling.  I didn't, however, get to hear anyone ooh and aah over the baby at church, because Jared kept stealing him from me!

I'm torn

After a wildly busy weekend, with Easter hunts, Zoo dates, learning to ride a big boy bike, long naps with my boys, and visits to the farm, I sit in my home now with a knitting project in my hands, watching my boys play so nicely together, and I realize that I need to cherish every minute of this.

In the final days of my pregnancy I swing wildly back and forth between feeling like 'I NEED this baby out NOW' and, 'I'm feeling good, I've got it good, and baby can just cook as long as he or she needs'.  Every time my belly tightens around my little one, and I wonder if it's the beginning of my birthing time, I get excited. But at the same time I wonder how things will change once it's all over.  The moment Silas was born everything changed between me and Eli.  Not that it was bad, it was just different.  He was no longer my only little buddy, my constant companion, my best friend.  He suddenly had to share all that.  For some reason I think the transition will be easier this time. After all, Eli and Silas have each other - and they are used to sharing me.  Still, things will be different.  Silas will not be my baby any more.  He will be a big boy, just like his brother.  Eli will likely have more responsibilities, and I know he will take them on beautifully.  He is always so glad to help.  But, having a new baby in our home will make him seem so much older.

So, for now, I'm going to enjoy the fleeting moments of the life I have with just Eli and Silas. I am going to let them play Lego a little longer, when I think things should be cleaned up.  I am going to try to be patient when they need to hug each other for at least two minutes before they go to bed at night. I am going to stare just a minute more when I check on them at night and they are draped over each other, sleeping so soundly.  I am going to pray that as the years go on, and my attention gets more and more divided, that my love for these boys multiplies just as much.  I don't know if we are adding another brother, or a little sister, to the mix, but whatever it is, I hope Eli and Silas will always know just how lucky they have it, having each other, and just how much their mommy is going to miss them, when it was just them.

Our own Super Hero

So, yesterday morning, as we were frantically trying to get out the door to church, Eli's inner super hero came out. 

You see, as I was buckling Silas into his car seat on one side of the minivan, and Jared was buckling in Eli on the other side, I threw my phone and keys on the front seat. As I did, I accidentally pressed the lock button on my key.  I heard the van lock.  I saw the van lock. I knew the van was locked.  Yet, at the same time, I didn't think twice about swinging the door shut on Silas after he was buckled in, officially locking both my children into the van, safely buckled into their car seats. Crap!  And, both our phones were also locked into the van.  Our only hope was Eli, who has had a little bit of anxiety since we moved, and does not like being too far from us, and really doesn't like being locked in his car seat without us right near.

So, we asked him to lean forward and unlock the door.  He couldn't reach.  We told him to undo the top buckle of his car seat, and action which we have threatened his life with if he does.  Then he could reach the switch, but couldn't pull it up.  He was crying. I was trying to stay calm.  Jared was trying to figure out how to break into the van himself.  So, I sat there on our drive way, yelling through the closed door, instructing Eli in how to get out of his car seat, so he could crawl to the front seat and press the button.

He had to take off his jacket, then learn how to stick his finger into the car seat to pull the metal lever to release the straps, then push up the neck guard things, that I even have trouble with, so he could release the straps, then wiggle his way up and out of the leg straps (because he couldn't undo that buckle).  It was really miraculous! 

And, thanks to a few baby blessings, we even got to church in time to take the sacrament! 

We came home from church where we thanked Eli with a "Hero's Lunch."   He was all smiles all day.  And, as we were putting him to bed later that night and thanked him again for saving our family, he said, "I'm really proud of myself today!"  Me too, little man!

A four year old's hair crisis

If you think you know bad hair day, you don't know Eli's bad hair days.  On Sundays we dress up for church.  We iron our shirts and wear fancy shoes.  We pour over ties for at least five minutes.  And, unlike any other day of the week, we comb our hair.  Lately Eli has been very interested in Sunday hair styles, and this week he had a complete melt down over the state of his hair.  He wanted a mohawk, but his hair is just a little too long to make a stylish, subtle mohawk, so I said no.  Then he wanted it slicked with gel, then he wanted it all spiky.  We just couldn't agree on an appropriate style for church. Finally I gave in and handed over the comb, figuring that I wouldn't be judged too bad on my four year old's hair style.  This is what he came up with, and what he went to church with:

You can see the evidence of his melt down on his cheek.  I thought he looked charming!  By the time it dried he just looked like he'd slept on it, but oh well, he wasn't crying. Love. This. Boy.

And, for some after church photo joy:

PS Yes, I realize that I completely dropped off the face of the earth for the entire summer.  No, I don't promise not to do it again.  Let's not talk about it, okay? Done.

Cap'n Eli's Buccaneer Party

Okay, I promise, this is the very last pirate birthday post.  Seriously, can you believe how ridiculous we have been?  Still, it's been fun, and Eli has loved every minute of it, and that makes me happy.

Back home in Calgary we decided that we would share all the pirating fun with our friends and family in Calgary.


Because of a postal strike in Canada we had to send out invites on Facebook.  While not nearly as cute as I might have done (not saying I would have...) here's the wording for our invite:

Ahoy Matey Ye be invited to Cap'n Eli's Buccaneer Bash to celebrate his 4 years of sailing! Chart your course for: Eli's Ship, on July 9th, dressed in your best pirate garb. We be meetin' at: 1 pm fer some swashbuckling fun, grub and kiddie spirits! Raise yer flag if ye be attending. Sees ye thar, or we'll throw you to Davey Jones' Locker.......Arrgghh!

So, the crowds came over and the party began.

Searching for booty!

This little guy was probably the cutest pirate there.  I was there when he was born just a few months ago. I love him!!!

Popping the ball and chains.

Make that scallywag walk the plank!

The Bung Hole. 

And no pirate party would be complete without a pirate cake.  

A Pirate Adventure

On Eli's actual birthday we tried really hard to go on a Pirate Adventure, the only thing he asked for.  We got to the ship only to find that the pirates were out plundering!

However, on our last day in Victoria, after we had packed up our little house and were ready to head out, we decided that we would try again, and this time the pirates were waiting for us to join their crew.  We went on the greatest pirate adventure of all time!!!

The boys got dressed up, with skulls and scars, just like proper pirates.

Oh, we were so excited!!!

Silas did have to take a break from all the excitement for a little refreshment.

Eli, quite honestly, thought he had died and gone to heaven!

Eli surely proved himself the greatest pirate on the sea!

Birthday Adventuring

Okay, when I said we were having a birthday week, I actually meant a birthday month.  This past week has we have moved away from Victoria, vacationed in Sandpoint, Idaho, and tried to put our lives back together in Calgary again.  So, this next week will be a catch up week to get us to all the exciting things we're doing all summer.  I've got some reviews, a giveaway, and some potty training adventures ahead!

So, without further ado, let's talk about Eli and his incredible, adventuresome, triple wicked awesome birthday adventures!!!

On the day Eli turned four we woke up early for some "Birthday Mush." This is a tradition I had forgotten about until my sister-in-law mentioned that this year was the first time she didn't do "Birthday Mush."  As a kid we always ate oatmeal for breakfast on our birthdays. If we ate our entire bowl we would find that the birthday fairy left some money for us at the bottom. If we didn't eat our entire bowl, all the money would disappear!  So, on the morning of Eli's birthday we started the tradition in our own family, and sat down to some "Birthday Mush."  And let me tell you, the birthday fairy was generous this year and Eli (and even Silas) really cashed in. 

 Then Eli opened his birthday present, which he still insists on wearing as much as possible.

 Jared went out to the car for a few minutes, and when he got back he found a pirate map on our door step!  Naturally we frantically got dressed and headed out to see if there was pirate treasure where X marks the spot. 

 We'd never been to the beach that early, or at low tide, and it was a whole new adventure!  The pirates knew what they were doing when they hid their treasure. 

 And there's the X!

 Just where the map said it would be.

 Real pirates don't need shovels, let's find that treasure!!!

 There it is.  Golden (which happens to be Eli's favourite colour right now... that's right, golden) chocolates!!!  This pirate even conceded to sharing a bit of his treasure, for fear that it might disappear, just like the money in his mush.

With our booty in hand we loaded in our car and drove to what we called, "The Sea Star Beach."  At low tide you can go and see whole groups of sea stars stuck to the underside of rocks.  Eli LOVES sea stars, so it seemed a natural thing to do on his birthday!

 There they are. 

 Okay, so there were also hundreds of those nasty snot like things. Guess what they are?  Anemones!  At high water, when they are all opened up they are really quite beautiful.  But at low tide they kind of deflate and really grossed us out.  If you touched them though they would suck up all tight and stick to you, so at least they offered some entertainment!

Sadly Jared had to go to school during Eli's birthday celebrations, so we went home for a nap and waited for him to finish. 

When he was home we headed back to  Fisherman's Wharf to see if we could see some real pirates.  The pirates were apparently off pillaging some village, because they were nowhere to be seen, but we did see our seal friends again!

 Eli spent some of his birthday mush money buying some fish to feed the hungry seals. 

 

 Our meal was worthy of any pirate.  We ate real fish and chips right in the harbor. 

We checked out dead fish under the docks.

Then we imagined what it would have been like had the pirates been around to take us on a pirate adventure.  It would have been pretty awesome, we imagine!

When it was all over we headed home to bed, to dream of pirates, and seals, and all other exciting things. 

It was wonderful.  I love my Eli so much and am grateful for the last four years and all he has taught me.  Here's to many more wonderful birthdays and adventures with my boys.