8 Loves of Eli

My tradition of sharing my "loves" as a child of mine turns another year older . . .

1. Your laugh.  It is such a fantastic sound to hear you laugh, Eli!  That might be partly because it doesn't happen often enough.  ;)  I just love to see you happy and enjoying life!  Watching you play gaga ball with your pals at recess and laughing with a huge smile across your face was the best!  And you always get a good giggle out of you when you get tickled, or tickle ME!  :)

2. Your love of literature.  Eli, you are such a reader!  You take a book with you in the car, to the park, to bed, and you love to curl up on the couch and open a book.  It's a wonderful, beautiful thing!  Even though you are such an awesome reader on your own, you still love to sit and have me read aloud to you.  I treasure this special time together, and I am so thankful that you love to read!

3. Your grand ideas.  You think so far ahead in the future and have so many plans for yourself!  You love to talk about buying a truck and moving to Montana and living on a farm.  :D

4. Your missionary example.  After you received your own set of scriptures, you started bringing them to school every day to read when you were given silent reading time.  This was an idea all on your own and it makes me so proud of you!  Your neighbor buddy, Kyler, was invited into our home while the missionaries were teaching us a lesson. It's so important to always stand up for what you believe in and teach by example!

5. Your scientific mind.  Collecting rocks.  Picking up dead snakes and larvae (that you OF COURSE think you should be allowed to keep in your room.  No way, Jose!).  Mixing potions at your desk in your room.  You love to dissect and discover!

6. Your sweet hugs.  We all hear too much of your gruffness, so it definitely makes receiving your affection so much the sweeter!  One thing you say to me is, "Hey, Mom, guess what?  I love you!"

7. Your love of exploring.  You have a nose for adventure!  You love to bike over to the woods near our house and play there for hours.  (We finally wisened up and bought you a watch so we could actually tell  you a time to be home instead of having to go search for you!)  You also love to explore in the creeks and are quite a good scavenger!  You have an amazingly observant eye in nature and you are definitely your most pleasant when you are "let loose" to roam and search outdoors!

8. Your playful spirit.  Always the jokester!  You love to make time for playing, wrestling, playing board games, etc.

Eli, you can certainly be a challenge!  But you make me think and assess how I'm doing as a mother.  Hopefully we'll both keep improving!