Elijah Vincent Turner - 3 Years

It's REALLY hard to believe that Eli is already 3 years old! He's getting so big, and is really coming into himself. He has his the "terrible threes" (which by the way is SO much worse than the terrible twos)! We are learning to address these issues and learning day by day. Here's what he's up to these days:

He's 32 pounds, 37 inches tall

He's still a picky eater, but among his favorites are:
Yogurt
Cheese
Pizza
Chicken Nuggets
Hot Dogs
Cheese Quesadillas
Grapes
Strawberries
Apples
Carrot Sticks
Jello
Grilled Cheese
Bananas
Chocolate & Lollipops :-)

He's a sneaky boy too! He's figured out a spot where he can't be seen in the dining room and will sneak a lollipop out of the candy dish, and go to his hiding spot to eat them! We've figured out his tactics though, and we can pretty much find him before he devours the sweet treat! Although, the other day when I was cleaning in the dining room, I found 3 lollipop wrappers in his spot. Sneaky guy!

Eli is still potty training. It's a never-ending process I think! He knows what to do, and does it successfully just about all the time. He'll get there. I'm not going to stress over it, because that will just stress him out more.

He LOVES singing and dancing. He is always asking to get down from his bench and dance. It's SO cute! He's got some good rhythm too!

Eli is a great big brother and constantly hugs and kisses Ethan. I am thankful that he loves his brother so much.

Eli will start preschool on September 7. He will be going on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 9-12. He got a spot in my first choice preschool, which I am THRILLED about! I really think this will be something great for him, especially in the interaction with other kids area. He doesn't have much interaction with other kids his age, so this will be a great thing. He has started interacting with kids his age at his new babysitter's, and is doing really well with it. I've already requested the day off from work because I know I'll be a basket case sending him to preschool for the first time!

He loves being in his pool. I'm hoping that he does well on vacation. He's been afraid of the ocean every year that we've gone, but I'm praying this year he's better. We'll see!

He loves playing outside and going down his slide. He also loves playing with his bubbles. I think we had 4 bottles and toys out the other day playing with bubbles. Needless to say, he was wearing a lot of the bubble solution by the time we went inside.

Here's some of his newest Elijahisms:

"I like Grasshoppers singing." Translation - "I like Bluegrass music."

Elijah - "Mom, I have to talk to you about something (said very seriously).
Me - "Ok, what about?"
Elijah - "About Twizzlers."

I accidentally poked him in the eye the other day when he was pulling my arm around his neck. I apologized, and then he looked at me and said, "I have a black eye!"

He constantly asks, "Will that make you happy?" And if we answer yes, then he'll do what he's supposed to (mostly when we're trying to get him to use the potty)!

The other night I asked him what he wanted for dinner. He told me, "Hot Dogs, Hot Dogs, Hot Dogs." I asked how many, and he answered kind of indignantly, "2 Hot Dogs!" Like I should have known that already :-)

We started packing his bag for the ocean, and then we had to run to Kroger to get a few things. When we were getting back to the van, he was getting out of the cart, and he asked, "Now are we going to the ocean?" He was so broken-hearted that we still had a week before we were going!

This is the conversation most times that he calls during the day when I'm at work:
Me - "Hi Buddy."
Eli - "Whatcha doing?"
Me - "I'm working."
Eli - "Where you working at?"
Me - "At the hospital."
Eli - "Aw, you sick?"
Me - "No, I work with sick people."
Eli - "Oh, whatcha do at the hospital?"
Me - "I work in my office on the computer."
Eli - "You work on the puter?"
Me - "Yes."
Eli - "Whatcha doing?"
Me - "I'm working."
Eli - "Where you working at?"

It goes on and on. At least he knows that a hospital is where sick people go! I guess he learned that quick, seeing that both his parents work at hospitals!

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Eli is definitely tender hearted, and asks a lot of questions about Jesus. I love that he asks so many questions, and is already seeking. He's so much like Vince, it's amazing! Eli is a great boy, and I am so thankful for him. Just seeing him run down the hallway to me when I get home from work and giving me a big hug and kiss makes my day. What a blessing!