Eagle Eyed Eli

Eli had his 4 year checkup on Thursday afternoon, and he did such a great job! His hearing is perfect (always a relief after all the ear drama of last year), and his vision is better than perfect at 20/16!!! Eli continue his trend of baby gigantico. He is 43 inches (95%) and 45.5 pounds (97%). Eli's doctor and I spent some time discussing how healthy he is now compared to this time last year. We are so thankful for his good health and for how much the tubes have helped him! Let's hope his 5 year check up is just as fantastic!

Picnic Lunch by the Christmas Tree

Look at that smile! He is such a nut!
Goofy boy always eating!
This is what they look like when I ask them to smile for me!
Trying to escape mommy's camera!

Such a gloomy winter day in the Midwest! We decided to have a picnic lunch on a blanket in front of our gorgeous Christmas tree! It was so much fun! The boys loved imaging that we were in a forest! Tomorrow is wednesday which means its Le Peep day! The boys and I go out to lunch together every wednesday at our favorite breakfast place. They even order for themselves now! I love going on dates (both at home and out and about) with my guys!

Oh Christmas Tree!!!

Christmas Grin!
Crazy eyes! I have no idea!
Cutie-Pie Santa!
Hanging ornaments with their daddy!
So focused on hanging the ornaments!

We had so much fun on Monday night! We went to our favorite tree lot and Eli picked out the perfect tree! Nate was too busy playing "ring around the Christmas tree" to help pick the tree this year! He was so crazy! Our King family tree decorating tradition includes pizza and Raffi's Christmas music! What a night!

Eli's 4th Birthday Party!!!

My Eli! He goes for the big bite every time!
Train roll! Look at those happy faces!
Parachute Time! They had the best time!
Eli was the leader of a game: Nate, really wanted to be near his brother!
Getting ready for the next game!
Airplanes on the ground!
Dinosaurs!
Warming up the legs!
Eli and his buddy from school swinging like monkeys!
Stepney the train and his dinosaur car circling around the volcano!

Eli had a great time at his party on Sunday at the Little Gym! We all did! 1, Sixteen month old, 3, two year olds, and 10, four year olds! It was a zoo! The kids were amazing and had such a fabulous time. They got to go on the great bounce track (giant trampoline), parachute, "What Time is it Thomas" game, and free time all around the gym! All of Eli's friends brought gifts for the Champaign County Humane Society and the boys and I got to drop those supplies off on Monday afternoon. The boys loved meeting the animals and seeing the good those donations will do! Happy 4th birthday to my sweet Eli!

No Nap Nate

Nate during naptime today

Conked out yesterday during nap

Waking up....

He loves me a lot

I sure love this little ball of thunder! Nate has not napped since we took his binky away in late August. He is a pretty adaptable kid and does a great job playing (not quietly most days) at nap. Very rarely he will fall asleep and put himself to bed. Just look at that sleepy, chubby baby face!

Today at the end of nap time I walked in to his room to find him curled up in one of his book boxes reading! He told me he was box-boy. I think he is nothing short of adorable!

The Mall Santa

The boys and I went to visit Santa at the mall today! They were so excited and very cute! This picture is the only one in which they were both looking at the camera! It's like catchy the lock ness monster on film!

Big Boy Birthday: Eli Turns 4!!!

Eli and Daddy setting off on their great bus ride adventure!!!

Nate and Mommy at Chevy's... my little monster!

My Eli ! Always the goofball!

Pure Joy! He couldn't believe it when the Chevy's Employees started singing "Happy Birthday Chevy's Style" to him!!! could he be any cuter?

Daddy and Eli making a silly face! They call it "speaking in a series of grunts and clicks" I think it is supposed to be man talk!

Eli going nuts-o in the bounce house on his birthday! Burning off that sugar high!

This is how Nate looks, with or without a sugar high... Crazy Nate!

My sweet boy!

How in the world is my sweet baby Eli 4 years old? That seems impossible to me as I so vividly remember awaiting his way-over-due arrival four years ago! We should have known by his stubborn refusal to be born in his own time, and in his way that this little man would be a true original! From the moment I held him (broken nose, giant chest, and punk-rock hair, and all) he blew my mind and still does every day! We love Eli beyond limits (good thing we had Nate to temper our baby Eli obsession).

Here comes the bragging portion:

Eli is such a special kid! He can count to 50 (most days), can add by 1 (4 and 1 is 5, etc...), spells his name and writes any word if you help him. He has nearly every book in his library memorized and is so close to reading (sounding words out, etc...). His greatest love right now is art, which is such a new and wondrous surprise for us! HE loves painting, drawing, cutting and gluing... any art medium at any time. He is still so in love with stories and not only loves to read them but loves to tell great big whoopers to us! He is an empathetic, loving little boy who is sweet to all. Eli is all boy with his love of vehicles, diggers, trains and construction. He is a wonder with building materials (tinker toys, lincoln logs, little legos, duplo, etc...). Just like his daddy. My Eli can sing with the purest little voice and loves to entertain! Eli has a completely wicked sense of humor and takes great pride in cracking us all up. He is such a ham!

I have been so emotional the past week missing my baby Eli and taking total joy in the boy he has become! What a ride it has been!

In honor of the birthday boy there have been many celebrations with more to come! On Saturday, Eli and his Daddy rode the public bus (yes, I really let him do that) to sam's office. They had so much fun, they checked out the creek with fish in it on campus went to the robotics lab and drew on sam's white board. On Sunday, Eli and I went to the "paint your own pottery place" and he chose to paint a guitar shaped treasure/trinket box). So much fun! On his actual birthday, Monday, he got to have cake for breakfast and then I got to spend the first part of class time (choice time) running a craft table in his preschool classroom. Eli chose the craft! We used nuts, bolts, and springs to paint/stamp robots on paper. It was an awesome mess! On Monday night we went to Chevy's for dinner and Eli got serenaded by the employees which he loved. His friend party is next Sunday! So stay tuned...