God said "Do not eat from that tree"...

Gina read Elijah the story of Adam and Eve from his Bible the other day. After reading it, the following transpired:

Eli: Mommy
Gina: Yes, Elijah.
Eli: Mommy why they couldn't eat the apple?
Gina: Because God told them not to eat it
Eli: But the snake said they could eat it!
Gina: Yes, but if God told them not to eat it they shouldn't.
Eli: Oh
Gina: If Mommy and Daddy tell you not to do something but then your friends tell you it's OK, you still shouldn't do it.
Eli: Uh-oh
Gina: What?
(Note: we have a huge Mulberry tree behind our house and the berries started falling a few weeks ago)
Eli: Ummm....Mommy, I ate the berries from that tree, but Ammachi said it was OK, so I ate it, Mommy.
Gina (stifling back a laugh, I'm sure): That's fine buddy. Mommy and Daddy didn't tell you not to eat from the tree.

The poor kid thought he was in trouble with God because he ate mulberries from our tree....and was quick to point out that Ammachi said it was OK!

I'll get that squirrel!

Gigi and Elijah hung a lighthouse birdfeeder on the Mulberry tree in our backyard a few weeks ago, and everyday since Eli has been watching to see if any birds were eating. To his dismay, one day he looked out and there was a squirrel hanging upside-down trying his best to knock it over and get at the seed. Eli flipped out and we saw the squirrel trying over the course of a few days to get at the seed.

Today I noticed that the squirrel had succeeded. The birdfeeder was knocked to the ground and all the seed was gone. Elijah was really distraught when he saw this and the following transpired:

Eli: Daddy, Daddy! What happened to my birdfeeder?
Me: Looks like the squirrel knocked it over, buddy.
Eli: But why? Why he did that, Daddy?
Me: He was hungry and wanted to eat the bird food
(Then a few minutes explaining why a squirrel would eat bird food...ommitted)
Eli: But me and G-kochamami (Gigi) did make it for the birdies?
Me: I know, buddy and I'm sorry. We can fix it tomorrow, OK?
Eli: Daddy, tomorrow let's go to the store and buy more food and fix it.
Me: OK buddy, that's a great idea
Eli: Daddy, and let's make a sign too.
Me: A sign?
Eli: Yea....we will put a sign that says "No squirrels coming"
Me: You mean, "No squirrels allowed" buddy?
Eli: Yea, Daddy. We will make a sign that says "No squirrels allowed".
Me: OK, Elijah. That is a fantastic idea.

I promised I'd get him a BB gun if the sign doesn't work :)

Me Too, Me Too

The three of us (Gina, Eli and me) were sitting around that table while Eli ate his dinner. Gina and I were talking about my upcoming prelim exams for my PhD program at Michigan....so it was a fairly mature conversation. Eli was just watching us talk and decided he wanted to participate. Here's how it went:

Me (to Gina): so, I just have to know the IS literature like the back of my hand and be able to demonstrate to my professors that...(interrupted by Eli)
Eli: Daddy, Daddy!
Me: Yes, buddy.
Eli: Daddy at my school the tell me....they....buguz we should not....I...I...I was in the tot lot...Daddy, I should not pick my nose.
Me: (puzzled) That's right, buddy. You should not pick your nose.

He just wanted to be included, so we tabled the prelim talk for a while.

Theology

I was putting Eli to bed during our trip to St. Joseph, Michigan this weekend and we had the following discussion:

Me: OK Elijah. You know that Jesus loves you very, very much don't you?
Eli: Yea
Me: Good. Jesus loves you more than anyone else
Eli: Daddy?
Me: Yes, buddy.
Eli: Are you Jesus?
Me: Oh no....definitely not, buddy. But I love you very much and Jesus loves you very much too.
Eli: Is Jesus is sad when I make bad choices?
Me: Yes He is, buddy, but He forgives you and helps you make good choices.
Eli: Daddy, where is Jesus? Is he in Chicago?
Me: No, no, bucky. Jesus lives way up in the sky, above the clouds because Jesus is God.
Eli: No he doesn't, Daddy.
Me: Really?
Eli: Yea, buguz God lives in Heaven, Daddy, not up in the sky.
Me: You're exactly right, buddy.

So much for my three years of seminary....

How You Esplane?

I've been practicing "Listen To Our Hearts" by Geoff Moore and the Distance recently because I've been asked to sing it at a friend's wedding. The first few lines of the song are "How do you explain? How do you describe...a love that goes from East to West and runs as deep as it is wide". Well, I asked Eli to sing a song for the camera and here's his version...

Pobbly Mommy wouldn't do this

Eli and I were messing around after school and I told him a story about a little boy who ate some hot peppers. So then.....

Acting School

Eli shows off his acting skills in this short movie:

I like my water bottle

I heard this transpire this morning while I was half-awake: Eli had woken up and his grandparents were waking up with him. Here's the transcript:

Grandpa: Elijah, can you come to the bathroom for a minute so I can brush my teeth?
Eli: Can I bwush my teeth too?
Grandpa: Sure....where is your toothbrush?
Eli (excitedly): It's over in that other bathroom. I'll get it.
(thump thump thump of feet running away...then, from off in the distance)
Eli: Appacha, Appacha! Look what I found! It's my water bottle!!!
(thump thump thump of feet running towards bedroom)
Eli: Look! It's my water bottle!
(now Grandma jumps in...)
Grandma: Elijah. Elijah.....do you like me?
Eli: Look, Ammachi! My water bottle!
Grandma: Elijah, do you like me? do you like me, baby?
Eli: I like my water bottle.

Too funny, this kid.

Help You! Help You!

Not sure if I blogged about this before, but this one comes from when Eli was about 1. Whenever he would be trying to do something with his toys or books, we would ask him "Can I help you?" and help him do whatever he was doing. He soon learned that he could ask for help, but, naturally, he assumed the way to ask for help was to say "Hep you! Hep you!" while pointing to whatever he wanted help with.

Daddy I have that feeling....

Lately we've been trying to potty train Elijah. Part of his education has been to play and online Elmo game in which Elmo appears in various situations and gets the feeling that he has to go to the bathroom and quickly tells his Dad who helps him get to a bathroom. So Eli got the message and now when he "has that feeling" he lets us know. Well....

The other day we we're putting him in bed for the night and he's started to get more creative about extending his bed time. Typical strategies have been to ask for water or a pretzel stick, but now he's started saying he has to go to the bathroom. Well, on this particular night he had come out of his room at least 5 times and it had been over an hour since we initially put him down.....so I was a little frustrated. He came out of his room and the exchange went like this:

Eli: Daaadddyyy.....I have that feeling
Me: What?
Eli: I have that feeling I want to pee-pee on the potty.
(Pause....sigh.....)
Me: GET BACK IN YOUR ROOM RIGHT NOW.
Eli: But Daddy....I got that feeling (Me, interrupting:
Me: GET BACK IN YOUR ROOM RIGHT NOW. YOU ALREADY WENT. IT'S TIME TO GO TO SLEEP.
(Eli get's really upset and is crying and loudly exclaiming:)
Eli: BUT I HAVE THAT FEELING I WANT TO GO PEE-PEE ON THE POTTY! WAH! I WANT TO PEE-PEE ON THE POTTY!
(This goes on for a few minutes, then I go up there and pick him up and reluctantly take him to the bathroom. He then proceeds to do his best niagara falls imitation and then I apologize)
Me: Buddy, I'm sorry I told you to go back to your room
Eli: Yea....Daddy why you did say that?
Me: Well...
Eli: Daddy why you did tell me go back to my woom buguz (his way of saying because) when I have that feeling have to tell Daddy...
Me: I know, I know, buddy. Daddy was wrong to tell you to go back to your room. I thought you were tricking me.
Eli: Daddy why you thought I was twicking you?
Me: Well, I thought you just didn't want to go to sleep.
Eli: But when I have that feeling have to tell Daddy
Me: I know, buddy. I was wrong. OK? Daddy was WRONG. I'm sorry. Is that OK?
Eli: Yes Daddy. S'OK Daddy.
Eli: Daddy why you were wong?

This whole conversation took place with him on the toilet, too. Eventually he was back in his room and I was back downstairs. Then about ten minutes later he came out again and said he had that feeling. What could I do but take him to the bathroom again. Then he said:

Eli: Daddy? You think I am twicking you?
Me: No buddy. If you have that feeling, I believe you.
Eli: Daddy? You are wong?
Me: I was wrong last time buddy, but I apologized and you said it's OK.
Eli: Yea. S'OK Daddy.

And so on. Too cute.

What Eli Thinks I Do in Grad School

I'm a graduate student in the middle of a four year PhD program and most days I go into school.  Eli has been to my school a few times and he has met a few of my professors.  I think I might have blogged earlier about how he wants me to call my professor "Miss Judy" because I make him call his teacher "Miss Audrey" and so on.  Well, the other day I found out what he thinks I do at school.  Here's a transcript of our exchange which took place as I was pulling out of our driveway on the way to dropping him off at daycare:

Eli: Daddy where we are going?
Me: To school, buddy.
Eli: Daddy you are coming to my school?
Me: No, bud.  I'll drop you off, but then I'm going to my school.
Eli: Daddy why you have to go to your school?
Me: Because I want to learn new things
Eli: Daddy why want to learn new things?
Me: Well because I want to learn how to do new things and help people.
Eli: Daddy what kind of things you going to learn?
Me: Oh....daddy studies economics and statistics and...(Eli interrupts)
Eli: Daddy, Daddy! Pobally you can learn how to blow bubbles like this at your school?
Me: Yea, buddy.  That's what I do at school.
Eli: Daddy Pobally Mommy can teach you.
Me: Great....thanks for telling me, bud.

Hopefully you had already read the last post as background.

Bubblebaths

Eli loves taking bubblebaths.  Gina usually gives him a bath, but sometimes I do.  Apparently Gina is very good at getting soap on her hands and blowing lots of bubbles out of them....but I'm not quite so skilled.  The other day I was giving him a bath and it just wasn't working.  So Eli, always helpful, said "Daddy, pobally you have to do like this" as he gestures to me how Gina blows the bubbles (incidentially, pobally is how he says probably).  He adds "Daddy, you don't know how to blow bubbles like that? Mommy knows how to do that.  Pobally she can teach you."  Too funny.

Baseball Hats - Part II

Eli's been wearing his baseball hat to school every day this week....regardless of whether it went with his outfit or not.  He was wearing it while walking down the stairs with me (and I was wearing my hat too) and he said "Daddy I am so happy that we are wearing our baseball hats".....me too, buddy.  Me too.

Baseball Hats

Eli came screeching down the stairs (safely) the other day to let me know that he had a baseball hat.  He was SO excited to have one and I'm really not sure why.  The exchange went something like this:

Eli: Daddy!  Guess what I have
Me: What, buddy?
Eli: A BASEBALL HAT!!
Me: Really?  Let me see
(Rumbling on stairs as he slides down...he runs into the living room)
Eli: See.  Look Daddy....I have a baseball hat!
Me: That's great Buddy
Eli: Daddy?  Where's  your baseball hat?
Me: in the closet
Eli: Can you get it?
Me: Sure...you want me to?
Eli: Yea....Daddy...that's a gweat idea.  Let's play baseball.
(I get my hat while Eli yells....)
Eli: Mommy, Mommy!!  Me and Daddy are wearing our baseball hats.  We are going to play baseball.

And then we go in to the family room and I throw the ball and he misses and then our game degenerates into him playing keep away from me and me chasing him around the house.  I'm loving every minute of this.