Breakin'

I daresay even Electric Boogaloo would be proud of Eli's breakdancing skills, as showcased here in his Sunday afternoon performance. (What a great way to unwind after all those church meetings, right?) The kid can catch some serious air as he hops from "down dog" yoga pose --the one with his booty up in the air--to his knees, all in an effort to grab whatever toy he has in his sights. And while Ei's determination and breaking skills are highly entertaining to me and Stephen, poor Bennett's frustration continues to mount as more and more of his toys are hijacked by the drool king. If you set something on the floor, Eli will move to it and have it in his mouth within mere minutes. Yes, that includes your favorite pair of flip-flops that you wear and leave by the front door every day!

43 Years

Stephen's dad is retiring this year after teaching for forty-three years as a third, fourth, fifth and sixth grade teacher (in the same district, no less). Many of his former and current faculty/colleagues had a dinner in his honor last night, and it was fun to hear all of the stories and accolades. I barely survived five years of teaching high school kids, so to think that he' s been teaching energetic elementary kids since 1963 . . . well, let's just say I think the man should be translated!

Boy Oh Boy

From swashbuckling with sticks to obsessing over anything with wheels, Bennett is a little boy through and through. He aggressively growls and hollers at his friends, and they do it right back, but before you know it they're cracking up together over something the rest of us have missed. He wakes up and runs in the room with a loud roar, he lives to play cars and trains, he tries to wrestle one of us any chance he gets, and he's currently addicted to riding his trike every day. Did I mention how much he loves throwing and kicking balls? The funny thing is how few of these interests and characteristics were taught to him or even observed in his environment. (okay, maybe he's seen a few balls thrown and kicked...) I guess it's in his little boy blood.

Daily Darwinism

It's survival of the fittest around our house these days, or at least every time poor Eli is left alone with Bennett. Yesterday marked the climax in a series of abusive events that Baby Eli has suffered at the hand of his older brother. While I was unpacking the frozen groceries in the kitchen (we had just come home from the store), I heard Bennett laughing and Eli wimpering out on the patio. Nothing strange about that: Eli was sitting in his stroller and Benito was supposedly playing basketball and riding his trike. I figured Eli wanted out of his stroller and Bennett was performing his usual antics for his baby brother. Not quite. I walked out to check on them and found Eli flat on his back on the cement of our front patio. "What happened?!" "I slide Eli out of stroller" was the nonchalant response I received from Bennett. "Did he fall down?!!" "Yeah, he bonked" as he tosses another ball into the basket. Aaaaaaah!! I'm still not sure why Eli didn't cry, and thankfully there was no concussion or anything serious, but 'Good grief, Charlie Brown.' The poor kid now sports bite marks on his arm, squeeze welts on his leg, and now a bump on his head. We may have to remove the toddler from the island before our baby becomes extinct!

I like to move it move it

Gone are the days of cuddling up in our arms or relaxing on our laps (enjoy them for us, Jenae and Bret) . . . now it's stiff legs, standing on laps, and rock climbing up waists and chests. Eli is all about grabbing and moving and working on those washboard abs of his. We used to call him the " Pilates Master" because of the way he'd lift his head and legs off the floor at the same time. Now he's our "Push-up Man" who is literally on the cusp of crawling. It utterly terrifies me that my four-month old baby could be mobile soon. It's bad enough the way he scoots backwards around the living room . . . He also loves to stick his feet in his mouth, of course. He's just trying to keep up with his tornado of an older brother, I'm sure, but I sure do miss my little lap baby . . .

Musical Beds

You'd think we're a family of sleepwalkers the way we all go to bed in one place and wake up in a completely different one. It's nothing quite that glamorous, I'm afraid, just the juggling act we call getting through the night. Here's how it works: Bennett falls asleep in his bed, Eli falls asleep in his crib, and Stephen and I fall asleep in our bed. All's well in the Geddes home. Then comes 5 am. Eli wakes up to eat, so into our bed he goes. Stephen realizes there's a kid in the bed (he can't sleep with either of the boys for some reason) and heads to the couch. 6:30 am Bennett comes barreling out of his room, hollering, "Daddy, I'm hungry!" After making breakfast and turning on "Arthur" (B is now on the couch), Stephen heads back to the boys' room to sleep in Bennett's twin bed. Goldilocks would be proud, wouldn't she?

Brotherly Love

I never realized just how much Bennett and Eli would love each other. I was so worried about the older being jealous of the younger and the younger being trampled by the older that I didn't have time to consider the possibility of their being best buddies. Yet here they are, Eli only four months old, and they absolutely adore each other. All Bennett has to do is walk in the room and Eli lights up with excitement, and all Eli has to do is wake up and Bennett is rushing cribside, gleefully exclaiming, "Eli's awake! Eli's awake!" Sometimes Stephen and I get a little jealous, in fact, of the way Bennett can make Eli laugh. Not even we, his devoted entertainer parents, can get those kind of belly laughs from the baby! All in all, however, it warms our hearts to see Bennett choose playing with Eli over playing with any of his other toys, and then see the way Eli cranes his neck to find his brother and smile at him. Each seems to be the other's biggest fan, and we love watching them love each other.