My Mac.

I got a new computer!  It's a Mac and I LOVE it.  I've ben having so much fun with it I can't even tell you.  I have already made a DVD slideshow of Eli showing what he did the year he was 4. He really liked it. (Mostly because it had the song "smoke on the water" on it. )  I have tried uploading it to YouTube but the internet here is SO slow so it hasn't worked.  Maybe when I am in Utah I can get it uploaded.

Anyway, I've been editing my pictures of Eli to get them ready for the slideshow.  I have had so much fun making bad pics turn out better.  These are my favorite changed pictures. I realize that some of you have been photo editing for a long time but I haven't except with really complicated crappy programs that just came with my computer.  

So far I love my Mac and I have a sneaking suspicion that I may be a lifetime Mac user now.  If that makes me a snob* then so be it!

*Stewart's been calling me a Mac Snob

The Phone

Why I like talking to my sister on the phone:

1-She lets me talk about all the reasons that I think I might be pregnant and confirms all the reasons and encourages me to believe that I really might be pregnant...every month.  You might think that she should try to not let me get my hopes up but you would be WRONG!  Having someone listen to all my "symptoms" makes me feel better and even thought I know I'm not really pregnant the feeling that someone believes that I COULD be makes me feel better. 

2-She listens to me talk about gross things like...ew I started typing them but it was too gross. They are things you shouldn't ever say to another human being but I can talk about them to her and she listens.

3-I can be talking to her and if someone calls that I want to talk to her I can say, "So-and-so* is calling, I'll call you back." She doesn't get offended. She can do the same to me. 

4-She lets me brag about Eli...incessantly.  She makes me believe that she loves Eli as much as I do. 

5-She listens to me describe why it will be better to just have one kid when she has 3 and she knows I want more.

6-We can talk for a long time about so many different things.  People, places, dreams, and people to name a few.

Here a snippets of a few of our conversations this week:

Me: Don't get your hopes up I'm just asking a question.

Stacy: Ok

I proceed to ask her what her symptoms were were in early pregnancy with her latest pregnancy. Because I think that I'm pregnant even though I have NONE of the regular symptoms.  She names some and I ask for specifics on breast tenderness. 

Stacy: Not very much. I didn't really have that until later.

Me: Well I'm not having any at all.

Stacy: Yeah, OK then I didn't have any. 

It was so nice to encourage my insanity. I'm not pregnant by the way.

We are having a conversation:

Stacy: Hey Alli's calling. I'll call you back.

silence

She called me back 10 minutes later.  

I just love my sister. I'm so glad that we outgrew the raging hate we felt when we shared a room. NKOTB must die!

 

*I don't actually know any one named So-and-so

I'm so proud

This is the rating of Stewart's blog! It really made me proud.

Here is my rating. I'm going to have to swear more.

Happy Birthday Blog

Eli is 5!  It's so crazy for me to think that I have a five year old. He has informed me that he know everything because he's 5 now.  I thought that he knew everything when he was 4 but I guess there were a few things that he didn't.  He had a really good day, I think, and got spoiled.  It's so easy to spoil him because it eases my guilty conscience for not giving him a sibling.  Ha Ha

I had fun with his cake this year because it wasn't as technical as the last 2 years.  Eli got Legos, Bionicles, clothes, Build-a-Bear stuff, books, and a crazy mask.

We have had a great time with our 4 year old and I can't wait to spend the year with a 5 year old. 

This Blog May Rot Your Brain!

Sometimes I make Eli cry. I know, I'm really rude. Here is the story of how I made him cry Thursday.

We had been home most of the day, and weren't going to get to see Stewart so I figured we needed to get out of the house. There was a 9/11 concert here on post so I asked Eli if he wanted to go see it. He was watching cartoons and was so torn! He wanted to watch cartoons but he also wanted to go to the concert. He said that we could go to the concert later and I had to explain that we couldn't go later it was starting now and it would be over soon. So I said, "Eli, TV is going to rot your brain." Eli ran out of the room and started crying and holding his head. He was saying stuff like, "is my brain rotten?" and "I don't want my brain to rot." When I tried to get him to come in the room to talk to me he said, "I don't want to see the TV because it will rot my brain."

Ha ha I guess I know how to cure him of his TV addiction. It was so funny. I did feel a little bad because I didn't think that he'd actually understand what I was saying or take it to heart so much.

Another little naughty thing Eli did was last night he painted his arm with fingernail polish. He was supposed to be going to sleep in my bed. We put him to sleep in our room and then move him to the fold out bed in the front room when we are ready to go to bed. Well about an hour after I had put him him bed I heard him in the bathroom washing his hands. I'm sure the panic set in here when the polish wouldn't wash off with soap and water! I went in to check on him and felt his arm that had the nail polish on it. I said, "Eli what did you do?" He immediately stuck his fingers in his ears and started crying. I pulled his fingers out of his ears and asked him why he was doing that and he just kept saying that he needed to plug his ears. Finally he said that he didn't want to hear me yelling.

Since I was laughing at this point I don't know why he was crying and I really try not to yell anyway. I told him not to play with the nail polish and to go to bed. He cried and said, "what if I get distracted and I can't help it!" I guess the nail polish was calling his name and he just had no choice but to paint his arm. I removed the polish from the vicinity and he was able to fall asleep.

When Eli is spazing out and I tell him to calm down he sometimes says "I'm out of control!" He knows his weaknesses and I think that can be a strength!

Phone Call

Eli likes talking on the phone. He can't hold still and talk on the phone at the same time. If the conversation is REALLY exciting he runs back and forth. If it's really boring then he walks around and tries to think of thinks to talk about...like the fold out couch. (sorry mom) Here is a video of Eli talking to his friend Anna on the phone. They talked about their Halloween costumes and yes, Eli is talking about sucking Betsy's blood. He's going to be a vampire and goes between WISHING that everyone really turned into what their costumes are to thinking that he actually WILL turn into a vampire. They also talked about what they are going to do when Anna and Betsy fly on an airplane and come visit...they aren't actually coming to visit but Eli thinks they will.

Our Fish Update

One of Eli's fish died. I noticed it when I got home from taking him to school. I saved it for him because I knew that he would want to flush it. After picking him up I told him that I had bad news and that his fish died. He said "oh that's too bad. I'm not going to cry." Then he said, "can I hold it? Can I flush it?"

Hmmm that was easy. Stacy's kids cried when their fish died. I wonder if Eli has my emotional attitude. I used to have a really hard time crying and I remember thinking, "I should be crying right now" when something sad was happening. I'd then try to squeeze out a few tears.

I guess I'll wait to see what happens when the second fish dies.

Kicking Me Where It Counts

Eli is so sweet as you all have read on this blog once or 200 times. Sometimes he says sweet things that make me so happy and smile and sometimes he says things that make me want to cry.

Today while we were getting ready for the day Eli said, "Mom, can you pray to Jesus and ask him to put a baby in your tummy?" Gosh what do you say to something like that? Do you use the opportunity to teach your child about prayer? Is this an appropriate thing to use as an object lesson? I did tell him that I could pray for that and so could he. He said that we should pray for two babies " a brudder and a sister."

I have developed some really hard feelings about prayer as of late. If you remember this blog Eli said something cute about going to buy a baby. What I didn't say was that the morning he said that Stewart and I were going in for artificial insemination. The odds of it working were slim but I had hope...or faith...I'm not sure the difference right now. Well it did work! We did get pregnant but it was a tubal pregnancy. Anyway a few other things have happened that have really SUCKED with trying to have another baby.

I don't know how many prayers have been given on my behalf but I know that it's a lot. So what do you tell kids...or yourself? Your prayer will be answered in the Lord's time? It's not in the plan? Have faith. It all seems like cop outs when it comes to having a baby. I don't think that in a few years I'll be able to look back and be glad that things worked out how they did. If we do ever have more children I'll be SO happy and if we end up adopting that will be SO wonderful but I just don't see how this is all part of a plan. Is it all in a plan to "bless" child abusers with children?

Tonight Eli prayed a sweet little prayer about getting "nice babies so that he can play with them." and I hugged and kissed him and secretly hoped that this sweet little prayer would tug the heartstrings of a superior being that would magically put a "baby in my tummy." I will also be saying my prayers for a baby tonight. After all it can't hurt.

The Best Penny Spent

Saturday night we went to dinner at a new Italian restaurant on post. Outside of the restaurant there was a fountain and Eli asked for a penny to make a wish. I didn't have any because I gave him my last 4 pennies the other day. He then remembered that he had one of those pennies in his pocket!

He ran over to the fountain and made his wish. It went like this: "I wish that I had a pet fish." then as he ran back over to us he said: "I'm going to miss that penny." Stewart and I started feeling guilt because we told him that he could get a fish when we moved to Kentucky. We quietly decided that we would head over to Walmart and get him a fish right after dinner.

You can't see them very good but he picked two cute fancy goldfish. He is so happy and keeps checking on his fish. He gets to feed them twice a day and has named them Swimmy and Fishey. I know, really original. I'm absolutely certain that these names will change. So if you ask me, Eli's penny wish was one penny well spent and he hasn't talked about the penny being missed! :)

Eli says:

He has been pretty dang cute lately and this post will be about funny things he has done as well.

Eli now opens my door about 70% of the time. It started with Stewart telling Eli that they had to help me get in the car. Then they started racing to see who could do it first and now Eli does it by himself a lot of the time. It's about the cutest thing I've seen. So now Eli's going to be a husband that opens doors AND sends flowers.

When we pulled up to go bowling Eli sighed and said "are we going bowling? That sounds boring." We know for a fact that Eli loves to go bowling. We, of course, said that if he didn't want to go bowling we would go home. He replied begrudgingly that he would go bowling even though you can tell thta he really wanted to go. I call these "teenage moments." I don't know why he is having them now at this age but it drives me nuts. Why does he have to think he's too cool for stuff already?

While watching cartoons the other day Eli asked if he could eat some spinach when we got home from church. The boy on the commercial ate spinach and got super powers so Eli thinks that it's true. He also has to drink a Coolaid Jammer when he sees that commercial.

When Eli talks on the phone he can't hold still. Instead of pacing like Stewart he runs back and forth in the front room. It's pretty funny to watch.

After getting ready for preschool on Wednesday Eli said "I think I'll be the coolest kid in town." He was wearing Transformer shoes and a Transformer shirt and he had his Thomas book bag full of his cool school supplies. That is pretty dang cool!

When Stewart and I are in the car Eli will come up from the back seat and put his arms around our shoulders and say "let's hug each other." It's SO cute.

Our Labor Day Weekend

Yeah. I know. It's almost NEXT weekend but I'm still going to talk about LAST weekend.

SATURDAY we went hiking to a place called Saunders Springs. It was really pretty and fun but too humid! We went and bought ice cream and cones after to enjoy a cool treat at home. We also went bowling and Stewart won one game and we tied one game. I still got my side of the bet though so it was ok.


MONDAY we went to Louisville and went to the Louisville Science Center. It was SO much fun. We saw an IMAX dinosaur movie and played a dinosaur video game where you pretend that you are the dinosaur and you have to survive. It was incredibly hard and I don't know how the kids figure it out. We got to see what Eli will look like as he ages and built some cool towers. Eli and Stewart made a big bubble around themselves too. It was a really fun busy day.



When Eli grows up he'll be handicapped and Stewart will be a killer. There was a cool program that would show how you would age. Some peoples looked real but Eli's picture wasn't good so he looked "special" and I guess what more can you do to a bald guy but make him look scarier.

We had such a fun weekend. Stewart isn't going to have another day off all month! We will still get to see him at lunch and at night but no weekend trips for a little bit. We are still having a lot of fun here and are so glad to be in KY.