The fort!

Probably Eli's favorite part of his new house is his very cool fort! There's a space under the stairs that was built
with the intention of serving as a storage closet. However, Ryan and his brothers (who were kids when this closet came into being) quickly decided that it was much better suited to be a fort! It's a very cool fort, indeed, and Eli has made himself quite at home in it. At least once a day he goes and plays in his fort, which is equipped with a light, a rocking chair, pillows - and thanks to Eli, a firetruck and guitar! It's a great space for a little boy, and our long-term plans for the house include finishing the walls in the fort a little more so that Eli can paint his fort whatever color he chooses. Lucky (and happy) boy! The guitar (aka, "tahkitar"), by the way, is currently one of Eli's very favorite toys. It's actually a little ukelele that was being stored in the closet/fort, which Eli claimed as his own when he discovered the fort!

Another overdue blog post...

A week ago Saturday we woke up to snow; but we were not to be deterred from our mission: to meet the Mariner Moose! We headed to the "Fun to be Fit" fair in Redmond where the moose was set to appear, and it was worth it. Before we even entered the fair, Eli was delighted to find a "BIG firetruck!" And though he was initially disappointed that he couldn't drive it, he seemed just as happy to just touch it! We then headed inside to meet the moose, and we weren't surprised that Eli became a bit shy once he saw the giant furry friend. He had talked about giving the moose a high-five, but decided that Mama should do it instead! He was even a little unsure about taking this picture with Dada and the moose, but after we said goodbye he kept asking to "find moose 'gain." He also received an autographed photo of the moose, which is now hanging in his fort (that'll have to be another blog post!) - and every time he goes in the fort, he points at the picture, says "from moose; sank you moose!"

"Saw at zoo!"

Two weeks ago on Saturday we had record high temperatures, and Eli and I headed to the zoo to see the "amimals." We had a great time, and Eli especially enjoyed the hippos - and like cousin Lucas did at this age, decided that "potomus" was a better nickname than "hippo" - so cute! We visited the "potomus" three times in one visit to the zoo! Of course, Eli also loved the lion, giraffes, and zebras. We got to see an adorable baby gorilla, and watch an elephant get a shower and eat carrots. Thanks to that elephant, Eli has been eating lots of carrots lately! It's been two weeks and Eli's still talking about all the animals he "saw at zoo!" The other day we heard a Jaguar car commercial on the radio and Eli shouted "Jaguar! Saw at zoo!" We'll definitely be going back - especially thanks to Nana & Pa's wonderful early birthday gift of a zoo membership!

So sorry!

Okay, I know I'm long overdue on the blog posts! In my defese, I've been injured, and though it might seem like being on crutches would afford me lots of time to work on the blog, trying to manage a toddler on crutches is an exhausting feat that left no energy for blogging! I am grateful to God for the quick healing, and am glad to say that although I'm still sore and wearing my brace most of the time, I am functioning without crutches now! I'm also sorry for the rather uninteresting photo of my brace, but I figure it's well-balanced by the rather amusing photo of the outfit Dada dressed Eli in my first day of hobbling about on three legs. :)

Little Drummer Boy

Our little man is definitely musically inclined (much to Nana’s delight!). He plays the piano almost every day with Nana, and he always points out other instruments that he sees (and he seems especially partial to the guitar - aka "tikitar!"). Our playgroup this week was hosted by a friend whose husband plays both drums and guitar, and Eli was in heaven! Though we didn’t let him use the guitar, he did get a chance to try his hand at the drums, and he had a great time! Thanks, Emily and Myles, for letting our little guy play! :)

"Outside!"

We're settling into our little "apartment" in Nana & Pa's house, but Eli's favorite part of his "new house" is definitely the backyard! Eli always wants to "go outside" (yes, he's moved beyond "owside") - and fortunately we've had enough breaks in the rain that he's been able to play in the yard at least for a little while most of the days we've been here. He's been hard at work ("wooking" to "help Dada" or "help Pa") much of the time, from building fences (with his own hammer and chain saw!) to mowing the lawn - which he adamantly wanted to "do by self!" He sure is a great helper, and having a great time exploring his wonderful new backyard! To top things off, today he got to see a real deer in his backyard, and he's been talking about it ever since!

For sale!

Anyone looking to buy a great house in Redmond? :) Our house went on the market Thursday, and we're really excited about what a great job our realtors did getting it ready and marketing it. Their stager and photographer are great!



















I know it's kind of random to include photos of our staged house, but for those of you who've been in our house, you'll be amazed at how it looks right now (particularly the lack of toys!). :)















Speaking of our realtors, we just wanted to put in a little plug for them, because they've been absolutely amazing (both when they helped us buy this home, and especially now as we're trying to sell it. They're an amazing husband and wife team, and we highly recommend Rich and Nanette Bergdahl (http://www.northwestrealtors.com/?aid=008500117&chome=1&odoor=). :)

We appreciate your continued prayers for a quick sale!

Playdate

Eli and I enjoyed a fun playdate with our friends Michelle and Kendall a few days ago. Eli and Kendall played on the boat (http://eliandzoe.blogspot.com/2007/09/playdateon-boat.html) for awhile, then we all went for a walk in the mall. How cute are they?!

Kendall and Eli had a great time together walking through stores, eating their pretzels, and playing (they were running around giggling and sat on the ledge just long enough to pose for the pic). I, of course, really enjoyed the time with my dear friend who is expecting her second daughter on Eli’s second birthday!