Eli's new things + before and after pics

So here are a few things Eli has picked up in the last week or two. He can now say mom, dad, dog, ball, girls, and bus (although they are not perfectly clear as you would expect). He will also look at things if we ask them where they are, such as: the fan, his water, and any of the above words. I'm sure I am leaving things out, but it is fun to keep a date on this type of thing. Also, he is now crawling as fast as possible and still walking with his walker. He recently learned to turn his walker and to pull it backward if he gets stuck. It was fun to watch him learn it. In 20 minutes he went from unable to turn to turning 180 degrees (once) and making small turns with ease. He was very excited and didn't want to stop (thus the 20 mintues).

Below I have some pictures of our yard last year about this time and then this year. It didn't look too good all last year, but finally finished coming in this spring. We got a decent amount of rain (for Tri-Cities) this year, so these pictures are without the yard being watered. Thanks to everyone who helped install the sprinkler system! There are some recent Eli pics too.

Before

After (the weeds you can see belong to the neighbor) :)

Getting ready for the soccer game

Discovering the unending roll of fun

Playin' in the water

Helping dad outside

Eating a burrito (he actually took bites and ate it like this)

The age of development

I'm not sure how many people still read this since we don't update it enough, but here are some pictures and videos from March and April. As for updates our little Eli is working on tooth number six (five just broke through). He is a speed crawler and can walk with the help of a walker. He loves older kids still and loves to play with the kids in the neighborhood. His first word was dog (thanks to his grandpa and his love of dogs) and he will just sit at the window and yell dog repeatedly at the top of his lungs if he sees one outside (most of our neighbors have one). These pictures are in order by date with the top ones from early March going through Mid April at the bottom.

Superbaby

At the park with mom

At the park with Mallory and Scott

One of his first attempts down the slide, trusting Dad and having fun!

His first trike (can convert from dad (or mom) powered to baby powered, pretty cool). Eli loves to go out in it when the neighbor kids are riding their bikes around.

He would rather push the stroller than be in it.

At the zoo with grandpa

Enjoying the penguins

His favorite stop

Pretty bird...

Eli likes to challenge himself by trying to pick things up while he is walking

His first Easter basket from his grandparents

Helping out

Ready to eat an entire basketball

Driving with aunt Ki

More driving

Wearing grandpa's yellow belt and getting ready to battle

The epic battle

The first time Eli truly could tell someone was on the webcam

Last are a couple of videos. They are both from April 2-3 weekend. One is Eli crawling to his walker, then proceeding to walk. The 2nd is of Eli enjoying the birds at the zoo. Enjoy.