Summer Fun

Eli has been enjoying his outdoor toys lately.  He especially loves to splash in water!  

Getting ready to head outside

His sand and water table is filled with just water for now until he gets a little older when he can play with sand.  

He will get a lot of use out of his new sports center as he gets older, another birthday gift he received.  For now, he likes to play with the different balls that came with it and go down the slide.    

He moved up to the next bigger size for his swimming pool since the one he had previously he had grown out of; it was more like sitting in a puddle than a pool.  The water was still a little too cold for his liking today, though, so he will have to wait until it warms up a bit to get in.  He liked to reach in it with his hand and stand in it, but he didn't want to sit down in it since it was so cold.

Speaking of pools, on the Fourth of July, AJ wanted to put a tarp in the back of his truck and then fill it up with water to create a pool, but he soon realized it wasn't going to work so well since it started leaking.  Then, he had the idea of getting a swimming pool, so Ian and AJ bought a pool and set it up that day.  (As a side note, we had been talking about saving up and getting a nice above-ground pool some day, but this pool they got is NOT exactly what we had in mind, but it will do for now...)  

Lesson 1:  Back float

It wasn't long after it had been filled that we noticed the water was a swampy-looking brown color.  My mom had suggested, and I later confirmed by Googling, that the water has an overabundance of iron, which is creating the brown color.  From what I have been reading online, it can be quite the challenge to fix it, but hopefully between the filter and adding some chemicals, it will get a little better.

For now, Ian and Eli are really enjoying the new pool (and AJ, too).  

Enjoying a ride in the swing before heading back in to cool off

In other news, Eli experienced his first full day of daycare this past week.  I was a little uncertain how it would go since he cried quite a bit during our initial visit, but when I dropped him off this week, he smiled at the other kids when we got there and started playing with the toys right away.  He seemed to be doing okay when I left.  This was the first time someone other than a relative had watched him. 

When I picked him up, he had a good report:)  The daycare provider said he played well with the other kids.  Her napping schedule is a little different than what he is used to.  She lets them sleep for only an hour in the morning and then wakes them up so they are ready for a nap again at 1:00, whereas at home, he will usually sleep for 2 to 3 hours in the morning and then take a later afternoon nap.  She said she laid him down for his morning nap, and he fussed a little but then seemed to be doing okay.  When she went to get him an hour later, he was already sitting up awake, so she is not sure if he took a morning nap, but then he did go to sleep in the afternoon and was still sleeping when I came to get him.  He must have been worn out since he kept yawning all the way home.  He must have enjoyed the snack and lunch there too, since she said he gobbled it right up.  Throughout the day, I kept thinking about what he was doing and how he was doing, but it was definitely a nice little break, too, so I could get my transcription work done.  I think it will be good for him to be able to interact with other kids on a regular basis as well.