What Is This?

Eli has had several sick days lately.

* These are days that we don't get to get out much and play
______Especially when the fever is high, and he needs to rest.
* These are days when the TV gets too much airtime
* These are days where patience runs thin. (For all of us...)
* These are days of reading book after book after book after book
* These are days that we exhaust our imaginations in play

Thus the question titling today's post....

WHAT IS THIS?

Well, to Eli, it can be one of many things. With a twist, fold, click, or snap....it takes on a new shape and purpose.

And I'm sure this is just the beginning of what this toy can and will be. Santa brought it to him in his stocking. What a fantastic toy to stretch the mind of an exploring, creative toddler.

What do you think it is? What can you make it do?

The possibilities are endless...as is the energy of a child fighting the crud with all he's got...until the fever wins in the end. :(

***NOTE: Eli's fever has been coming down all day today. This may be the last of whatever he had. Doesn't look like mono after all. YAY!***
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Maybe Mono?

Eli has had a fever since Saturday and then yesterday began complaining of a sore throat. He had eaten little and even looked as if he was swallowing fluids gingerly. I decided that it must be strep throat and made a trip to the doctor as soon as we could get an appointment today.

First let me fill you in on the fact that Eli completely remembers what happened the last time we were at the doctor's office. SHOTS! As soon as we mentioned going to the doctor last night, he clearly expressed not wanting to go. When we could get him to verbalize why, he explained, SHOTS! Even today, as we pulled down the road to the office, he fearfully asked from the back seat, "SHOTS?" I told him, "No shots today, buddy."

Well, that eased his mind only temporarily, as he freaked out when the nurse called us back. And much to my dismay, they had to do a finger prick (not really a shot...so I didn't lie...) to check his white blood cell levels to determine whether he had a virus or something bacterial. Eli did NOT like the finger prick, cried the entire time...more due to the fact that we had to hold his cold little hand for so long trying to get enough blood to squeeze out. Thankfully the nurse let him pick out as many stickers as he'd like for being so brave. Eli loves stickers.

The doctor came in with the news that his white counts were indeed elevated leading her to believe it might be strep. She did a throat culture...only after the two of us had to force the crying toddler's mouth open to do so. But that test came back "negative." I'd be thankful except for what news came next...that it might be MONO!!! Are you kidding me???? We won't do a blood test as there is no real treatment for mono except rest and treat the symptoms. We're gonna hope that it is just a virus after all, and that we didn't infect my entire family...including the pregnant sister who is in her third trimester. Ugh!
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A Shower for T

Last week was busy with errands, baking, and last minute arrangements for my dear sister, Theresa's, baby shower. Her little boy, who they lovingly call RJ (Ricky Junior...a nickname, nothing official yet!), will be here before we know it. She is due in May, so the final trimester is here!

We had a fantastic time showering the beautiful mother-to-be with all kinds of yummy treats and adorable gifts.

We can't wait to meet the lil' guy!

Cute story: One of Theresa's closest friends, L.A., who helped us throw the shower is also pregnant. The two are due just three days apart. I can't help but share these sweet baby belly pictures!

(Can you tell which one is having her second?)

Pretzel Time

After watching Eli delight in playing with some Play-Doh and inspiration from a friend, Eli and I decided to mix up a batch of pretzels* on Friday afternoon. Aunt Kristi came over just in time to join in the fun.

We used this recipe:

Materials:
• 1 cup warm water
• 2 T sugar
• 2 packages dry yeast or 4 ½ tsp
• 1 egg
• 4 cups whole wheat flour (I definitely didn’t use this much!)
• salt
• mixing bowl
• rolling pin
• cookie sheet

Directions:
1. Place the sugar in the bowl and add the warm water. Make sure the water is warm, but not hot. Stir it once or twice to help the sugar dissolve.

2. Add the yeast. Let the yeast sit for about 15 minutes. The yeast should look foamy after this time.

3. Stir in the flour gradually until the dough is thick enough to knead (you may not need to add all 4 cups of the flour). Knead the dough for a few minutes, sprinkling flour on it to keep it from getting too sticky.

4. Grease the bowl. Shape the dough into a ball and put it back into the bowl. Cover the bowl with a dish

towel and put it in a warm place for about an hour, or until the dough has doubled in size.

5. Punch the dough down and roll it with the rolling pin. Watch out for fingers! Cut it into strips and make shapes.

6. Put your shapes on a lightly greased cookie sheet. Beat the egg and coat the top of each pretzel with it. Sprinkle salt on top if you like.

7. Bake for about 12 minutes at 400 degrees F.

Eli had an absolute blast playing with the dough. Besides cutting out stars, I don't know if he actually ended up making many of the pretzels. He was too busy destroying whatever Kristi or I made...and adding it to his ginormous ball o' dough. What a goof!

*And if I'm being honest...the pretzel recipe is not quite perfected. Our pretzels turned out somewhere between doughy and crunchy...not a good place to be for a pretzel. I'd either undercook them next time...or cook them longer. They lacked a little pizazz in the flavor department as well. I'll have to think about what I would add to help them taste a little better. And I don't know if my substitution of WHOLE WHEAT flour made a difference at all. Overall, it was worth the fun even if the pretzels are not that tasty!*

3-in-1

I have three totally unrelated topics to blog about. I feel silly creating 3 posts on the same day, so pardon the randomness...but I wanted to share!

#1
Whoops!

This is what happens when you let toddlers drink hot chocolate out of a mug instead of a sippy cup.

From February 2009

Ahhhh...the joys of motherhood.

(and I could not even be mad...It was bound to happen, right?)

#2
Look What He Can Do!

The weather has warmed up a lot this week, and it has been beautiful. I think Eli and I have spent over an hour outside the past two days, and mostly on his bike.

From February 2009

He has officially figured out the whole pedaling thing.

From February 2009

Sometimes he needs a little nudge to get started, but his little legs have got it down and are getting stronger everyday!

#3
We're In!

It is official! For our faithful blog-followers, you may remember Matt's practice batches of chili during football season in hopes of entering the St. George Island Chili Cook-Off. Well, we're in! Matt sent in the registration this week. Now, it is crunch time... We have the final weeks before the cook-off all scheduled out. The batch this weekend was nearly perfect.

From February 2009

Good to the last drop!

Just a little tweaking to be done this weekend, a weekend off, and then a dry run of what will happen on the actual day. We'll cook that batch outside, within the time limits, the real deal. Let us know if you want to come over and be a taste-tester. We love input!

And if you happen to be in the area and want to come on down to St. George Island the weekend of March 7th, we'd love to see you. You won't be disappointed...great chili, and even better people watching! Truly an experience. Last year, the weather was picture perfect, so we're hoping for more of the same. We are getting very excited!
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He's At It Again...

Yup, it's true, Eli loves to help out in the kitchen. Yes, he has his own kitchen, but for some strange reason, Eli would prefer to be in my kitchen with me...as long as I'm in there trying to get something accomplished. The usual scene when I'm finished cooking dinner or cleaning up from a meal, is a messy battleground. He pulls all of his toys and some non-toys (yet still fun kitchen gadgets) out and leaves them strewn (is that a word?) about. It is a miracle that I haven't broken an ankle yet.

Anyways, Eli is getting better at sorting the silverware, isn't he? This time, all of the utensils ended up in the correct spots...just not all going the same direction. And all of the spoons and forks kinda got lumped together no matter what size, but hey, he's improving! This time, I didn't change a thing...this is exactly what it looks like in my silverware drawer each time I open it....and I smile.

February is in full swing, and my birthday came and went. If you know me well, you know I adore birthdays, especially mine. This year, I was hoping for a do-over. As the week went on, it did get better. Last night, we celebrated my dad's birthday with him too. Yummy dinner, yummy cake, fun presents, and best of all, each other's wonderful company. We love you, Grandpa and hope you had a super duper birthday!

A few more more fun things: Eli has started music classes again...and just in time. I feel like he is singing all the time these days. Singing his favorite tunes, learning new ones, and even inventing his own. The ABC's have been his favorite of the week. He is learning new letters everyday and can now actually identify over half of his letters. He is also experimenting with sounds and words that start with each letter. I guess it is true, he really is ready for preschool. That is another biggie. After much discussion and debate, we decided to go ahead and enroll Eli in a 2-year old program for the fall. Everyone keeps telling me he is ready, socially and academically. I think the interactions with his peers will be where he grows the most...i.e. learning to share, wait his turn, clean up after himself, etc. As excited as we are, we are also in SHOCK that we have a child old enough to be in school. AAAKK! Our little baby is growing up so fast!

Here is the link to January's pictures.
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Champs!

I think Eli is turning into a good luck charm!

Since his birth, teams we passionately root for have won championships.

And we can add the 2009 Steelers to that list.

What a game, and to think that Matt and Grandpap were THERE!

They were AT THE GAME! How insanely amazing and cool is that? (I promise I'm not jealous anymore.) Needless to say, the boys had a blast at the Super Bowl. And Eli and I had a blast hanging out with the rest of the Carson/Ward Crew in Dunedin.