Yiy-Yiy

Paisley calls him Yiy-Yiy, Adren called him Eeyiy and he's still Eli Pie to me. Oh how I love this little guy. It seems Eli has just made us chuckle from day one. I remember saying when he was a newborn he was a pure pleasure. I've missed his lisp dearly, and still try to remember how he'd say "thooths" for shoes. He was so excited to turn five. I kept saying, "Eli, don't turn five, I like you at four. Stay four forever." He'd reply, "Noooooooo!" The truth is, I've said that about every age he's been: There's no one cuter than Eli at 3. There's no one cuter than Eli at 2...... etc. I just can't believe my little Eli will be going to big Kindergarten at the end of this summer. He couldn't be more excited, his blue eyes get wide and just sparkle when we talk about it.

One funny thing about Eli is he loves to read the Dictionary. He lugs this big book to me and says, "Mom, lets sit down on the couch and read this whole thing together" Uhhhh, ok. He never notices I'm turning 80 pages at a time. Sometimes he comes in from playing and finds me and asks if we can sit and talk together. He wants me to tell him stories of when I was little, or how happy dad and I were when he was born, but my favorite is looking at his face as he tells me his days adventures out riding bikes, or his conversation he had with his friend. It seems he pronounces every word an "Eli" way. Like I pass out plates at lunch, he puts his on his head and says, "Look, I'm valancing!" He tells me at least 50 times in a day he loves me, that I'm the most beautiful mom in the whole world, he loves me up to the mountains etc. etc. etc. He's still pure pleasure!

I remember saying when he was a new little toddler that as he passed through rooms of the house items crashed to the floor, blew up, exploded and spilled. It hasn't changed! Whenever I hear something crash 99% of the time I hear Eli's wails right after. He is the most accident prone! One day he came up to me very sad, when I asked him what was wrong, he replied, "I'm just having a bad day. Everything keeps hurting me. Like the walls, the floor, the chairs....." He still makes the most messes, and is just constantly a mess. I'm still waiting for the day he doesn't have jelly smeared ear to ear and a filthy shirt by 10am. Jon and I have discussed starting all over potty training him because he still does not have that down, and just makes such a mess! I'm sure in kindergarten the teacher will wonder why an entire roll of toilet paper is shredded all over the floor, the mirror and walls are dripping with water- at least I tell myself it's just water- when Eli was only in there for 30 seconds. I remember quickly ushering everyone out to the car out of a sparkling house ready to show when we were selling, and Eli squealed he forgot his toy and ran back in. He was climbing back in the car in no time, but I know the damage potential I'm dealing with and ran back in the house to double check. Sure enough he'd bonked into the table holding a vase with flowers that had toppled over, a pillow had sprung off the couch as he ran by, I found a chunk of mud on the stairs, and he'd thrown everything off his bed onto the floor to find what he needed.

Eli is pure boy, through and through. He loves bugs, digging in the dirt, playing with guns and swords and spitting everywhere while he makes the sound effects. He loves his bike, he could ride it all day long. He was so determined last summer to learn to ride it without training wheels and I thought to myself that probably by the next week he'd have it down when our neighbor took them off. Well, he was sailing away down the sidewalk on his own by the time Jon got home from work! He was so determined! I watched him wobble off, fall and just get right back on. I was so impressed!

I love when he gets in his own little playing/building world with his lego's and he'll start singing this same song over and over softly to himself: "I don't know why,- I do my best! I don't know why, - I do my best!" If Jon or I sing it he gets embarrassed and want's us to stop. (don't worry- we don't torment him) Sometimes he'll ask me to sing "his song"- a song I sang just to him as a baby: "Eli, Eli, he's our guy. Eli, Eli, he's our guy. Eli, Eli, oh my, my! I love you! Yes, yes I do!" He still loves "warm "manilla" milk, to be wrapped up in his cozy and rocked. I tell him Eli hugs are the best! They really are! He hugs so tight! He prefers to kiss my cheek, if I kiss his, he quickly wipes it off and looks at his hand because he doesn't want any lipstick on him and he'll ask about 10 times if there's lipstick on him.

No one laughs as loud as Eli, no one cries and screams or spits as loud as Eli, if someone's done him wrong the house down the street will hear it. None of my kids are as stubborn, there's no convincing him of anything. I usually smell him before I see him, he could use 2 baths a day. (he's actually on a pretty regular shower daily schedule) I remember even as a newborn his feet were always sweaty.
Recently we were talking about the importance of being reverent in Primary (he needs this little chat weekly) and how we need to be respectful of others trying to feel the spirit. He had so many questions about this, so I explained to him the best I could of how I feel when I feel the spirit. He said in such a soft voice, that when I talked like that it made him want to cry. I told him how it usually makes me cry when I feel that warm glow of the spirit, and how it's a happy cry for me. He then said he felt warm inside and got all teary-eyed and was giggling, saying, "I love to feel the spirit!" He has since come to me several times saying he has had this feeling and I love our talks about it.

I've loved Eli and Adren's relationship. I don't know what they'd do without eachother. I'd say their day is 50% playing, laughing, being silly, talking, building etc. and the other 50% fighting, crying, and hitting.

But I love when I hear them say they are "best brofers" and we'd drop Adren off to school and Eli would say, "I hope you have a great day, Adren! I'll miss you!" It's crazy how we've put these two together, and they will grow old loving eachother. (Hopefully!!!)

I could go on and on how much I love our Eli. His face is home to me. I can't explain it, it's just home. I hope he feels the love we have for him and it helps mold him into a great man one day. It's going to be interesting to watch!