Eli

I was worried about Eli getting bored this Summer, but he is having a great time!  T-ball has been a fun adventure for us all.  After a month of playing one game a week and one practice he really understands the game and is enjoying it.  Our whole point of putting him in t-ball was really just to be with his peers and have some fun.  It has been great!!  He loves his coaches and cheers his other team mates on.  He has really improved on hitting and will tell you what his coach told him that made all the difference to "get MAD at that ball".  The outfield is a whole other story.  At the beginning, he just stood out there bored and would sometimes cover his face with his mitt or throw his hat in the air.  Now, he will get the ball if it comes to him and throw it to first, but if the ball doesn't come near he is still pretty bored.  This week he actually starting eating grass :-) ha ha.  It has been a lot of fun for all of us!  I had a special date with him this week (leaving Asher for the first time).  We went to his t-ball game then out for ice cream, then let him pick out a little toy.  I just love talking to him.  I can have deeper conversations with him than most adults.  He is so smart and funny.  I just love him!  He has taught me SO much about God, love, and sacrifice.  I am so thankful.  Besides t-ball, Eli is doing a LOT of bike riding.  He is obsessed.  He will ride on the riverwalk clear to downtown and beyond (up to 8 miles) on his little bike with training wheels followed by Brandon pulling Cora in the trailer.  He also practices on one of my niece's old bikes without the training wheels and is improving all the time.  He also likes to ride his scooter up and down the sidewalk.  I love watching him get to enjoy all these new things as he gets older.  It is so much fun!  He is into dinosaurs, animals, biking, playgrounds, trains, airplanes, swimming, fountains, trampolines, marbles, and all things BOY!  He is a great big brother to both little kids and helps me out a lot.  Him and Cora are best buddies and play all day long (with a little fighting in between).  He starts games and she just tags along for the fun.  Last week Eli went to Vacation Bible School at his preschool.  Although it isn't our church, I knew he would have fun with is preschool friends and be in a familiar atmosphere.  He had a great time!  He went for a couple hours every morning and learned a lot and got some social time.  The greatest part of it all is that he asked Jesus into his heart ALL on his own.  Proudest moment of my life.  We were in the car driving home from VBS and he asked me about the verse for the day, which was about salvation (he just didn't know what the word "saved" meant).  He knows all about the birth, death, resurrection of Jesus, Holy spirit, etc.  I just told him what the word meant and in a few minutes I overheard him praying on his own, "Dear Jesus, please come into my heart.  MOM...Jesus heard me!"  I was so suprised...it was wonderful.  We made cupcakes to celebrate!