Elijah Kevin at 3 1/2

I try to keep an update halfway through their year to keep  tabs on what's new with them. Eli is something else. He is a thrill seeker. He loves roller coasters, climbing tall structures, going down water slides, and being spun in circles. He has this energy I have a hard time keeping up with!

Merry-go-round

Eli is getting so tall. If someone guesses his age, it's usually 4 years old. We just hit 3 1/2 but this was going on for a while. But getting taller is perfect for riding rides at Sea World, haha. Sam and I will soon have someone that will go with us while the other stays with the others (it would be a miracle to get Joey to go with us).

Turtle Reef at Sea World

This kid is super smart. He loves doing puzzles and problem solving. Eli can also sit and entertain himself very well, something people have commented on when they see him. He knows all his letters, upper and lower, as well as recognize 1-10. He's starting to draw shapes now and it's getting easier to see what he tries to draw. I'm attempting to put him in Preschool this coming fall.

Little Town at the DoSeum

Some things he can work on: potty training. We had a solid two month run until I broke down and took a break...and never started back up. We'll see if we can train him before I write his birthday letter! He can also work on his social interactions. He doesn't have a huge interest in other kids. He and Joey are getting better at pretend play with each other but they fight often. 

Showing me his hurt lip, still a happy boy.

He had a speech evaluation recently, but it turns out he is right where he needs to be with his speech. But they decided to go forward with summer sessions so we do that 1-2 times a week.

Playing in the River in Austin.

His favorite things include puppies, robots, saying the word poop, riding rides, construction, going to the pool, building rocket ships with couch cushions, and playing on the iPad.

Said he was going to sleep here and fell asleep he did.

Three is the hardest age for me, pushing a lot of boundaries and not understanding consequences (he always acts so shocked when I follow through with something I warned him about repeatedly). But boy is he a ball of energy and imagination. He still likes to cuddle with me in the rare moments we can, and it's crazy to see how big he's gotten. And the fact that he has lived in Texas longer than New Mexico now. We love you Eli!

(This is Kiley, BTW, not Sam)