new house

As you have probably already figured out from a previous post, we moved. Ryan got a job at Trinity Church in Livonia, MI, and we moved into a rental house not far from the church and not far from the Grandparents with whom we spent the previous year. The house sits on a half an acre of land right next to a day care (which we are not using at the moment).

Elijah loves his new house. If a cashier at a store strikes a conversation with him, he immediately informs them that he lives in a new house and that he loves it. He also tells them that there are two fans in the house!

We (the parents) like the house, too. It has lots of natural light and is located in a quiet neighborhood. Most of the pictures below are from an online profile of the house when it was advertised for rent. The dining room picture is the only exception.

three years old

We were hoping to have a gathering of friends and family for Elijah's birthday, but schedules didn't quite line up this year. And even a small family celebration was thwarted by Elijah catching a stomach flu. He was just over his vomiting bouts by the time his birthday arrived, so we felt a cake was a bit of a risk still. Thus, the three candles went into his pancake. Below is a little clip.



Daddy ended up having to blow out the candles, although Elijah practiced on other candles earlier that week and was able to blow them out.

The breakfast was followed by opening of a new set of Lego's and spending the next 30 minutes building two construction vehicles with Daddy.

Aunt Chelsea came to visit the next day and we did have a small celebration with a cake. This time Elijah managed to blow out his own candles.

not quite a big boy yet

We haven't really started potty training yet. With our move and settling into a new house there were plenty of other things to keep us busy. Plus, we didn't want to introduce a new thing while everything else in Elijah's life was new as well (new house, new room, new bed, new fans). However, we have been preparing. First, we bought family toilet seats. Next, we bought a potty training book, since neither of us have any idea how to approach the project. Then we ordered some training pants from Amazon. And finally, the potty training date has been officially set for this coming Friday.

Meanwhile, we'd have Elijah sit on the toilet every once in a while before his bath. But nothing ever happened until two days ago, when all of a sudden he peed. Mommy was on the couch sick, but Daddy was present and made a huge deal out of the event. "What a big boy!" he said. "What a big boy!" echoed Elijah.

Two minutes later he was in the bath tub and... peed again. Noticing what he'd done, he looked up at Ryan and triumphantly exclaimed, "What a big boy!"

Well, not quite yet.

to Bethlehem!

Two wooden figures of Mary and Joseph from our nativity set are traveling from window sill to window sill of our living room. If you ask Elijah, "Where are Mary and Joseph going?" he will promptly inform you, "To Bethlehem!" (They will "arrive" to a stable on Christmas Eve, and Jesus will make an appearance in the crib on Christmas morning).

A couple days ago during bath time Elijah decided to stay in the tub until all the water ran out (he usually wants to get out as soon as we pull the plug). When all the water finally drained, Ryan asked him, "Where did all the water go?!" Elijah didn't hesitate for a moment, "To Bethlehem!"

Or should it be "Bathlehem"?

conversations in church nursery

It may be hard to see, but the little green thing on top of the rhino is a small turtle. Someone was talking to Elijah about this toy in our church nursery, and asked him, pointing to the turtle, "And what is this?" His quick reply was: "Guacamole!" (He usually pronounces it "guacakome").

After he played with a number of plastic animals and named all of them "mama," the woman in the nursery thought she noticed a pattern, and asked him, "Who is your most favorite person in the whole wide world?" My son's response? "Elijah!"