Happy Birthday, Elijah John!

My sweet Eli turned eight! Can he already be old enough to be a scout? How did we get here so quickly? Sometimes he still seems like my little boy, and sometimes he seems so grown up. Today I lifted him up on my lap at church, and he laughingly said something like, "I can't sit on your lap like a baby." What?! He still sits on my lap, doesn't he? (I don't know why I can't accept the passage of time in a positive manner instead of turning everything into a melancholy trip down memory lane. Sorry!)

Eli is a bright, creative boy. He still spends a good chunk of each day building with Legos. He goes over to the window seat or Lego table where all of his Legos are spread everywhere, and just quietly goes to work. He claims to not like to read, but I think that is the product of having reading as part of his homework. We go to the library every week now, and he always gets non-fiction books about Tsunamis, gila monsters, or Greek myths. He doesn't pick out story books anymore, but he always reads all of the books the other kids get.

He and Jonah can clash, but the two of them can also play really well together. Eli can be such a great helper for me and such a fun buddy for the others. And he's always my little buddy.

We had a Lego party for his birthday. He made a Lego vehicle for the top of the cake, and we put Lego candies on the edges. The kids played some fun Lego games, and did a Lego Mad Libs story that I made up. It was fun. I was very grateful for Kimberly's and Mom's help.