Happy Birthday, Elijah Joseph!

"On the night you were born, the moon smiled with such wonder that the stars peeked in to see you and the night wind whispered, 'Life will never be the same' because there had never been anyone like you...ever in the world."

Two years ago today, we received the gift of a beautiful, healthy, mild-mannered baby boy.  It is true; life has not been the same since, but we couldn't image it any other way.  The blessing of motherhood has been the greatest gift I have ever received.  

"Heaven blew every trumpet and played every horn 

on the wonderful, marvelous night you were born." 

We are looking forward to celebrating your 

second birthday with your tractor party tomorrow!

   

 

A Little Adventure

This morning, Eli and I took a little adventure to a couple of places in town.  Our first stop was to a park, which, after checking out a couple of different ones in town, proved to be our favorite.  Eli is a big fan of the slides, and the height of the really tall ones does not even seem to bother him.  He tends to steer clear of the tunnel slides, though.  

Climbing is also something he really enjoys.  I was a little reluctant at first to even let him attempt to climb up this, but once he got started, he seemed to know exactly what to do and made it to the top quite fast.  

After a little encouragement, he finally crawled through this tunnel.  I think he was relieved to get out the other side.  

Trying to tell him this was a "big kid" slide did not deter him from wanting to climb up, although I stayed right behind him until he got to the top.  He would always say, "Wheeee" all the way down.  I think going to the park will be a weekly outing. 

Our next stop was to the local Hurstville Interpretive Center (click for link).  There were a lot of different exhibits based on native wildlife in the area and the lime kilns, which Hurstville (click for link) is known for.  The outdoor area had a few neat things to check out too including a large pond and play area.  

The honeybee hive attracted our attention first.  The display included live honeybees within a 2-sided glass enclosure.  The bees came in from outside through a tube that was attached to the display.  Eli spent a lot of time checking it out; quite the little scientist using the magnifying glass.  

This guy looked a little too life-like and kind of creeped me out, but he was representing one of the lime kiln workers.

Eli loved the stuffed animal area...

...and quickly found the books including a gigantic version of The Very Hungry Caterpillar.

Naturally, he wanted to touch EVERYTHING, including the animal dioramas with prominently displayed signs warning not to touch.  Of course, in the sensory area where they had animal pelts and shells from turtles you could actually touch, he had no interest.  There were also a lot of nature-themed puzzles and other hands-on activities. 

They kept live turtles and snakes behind glass that were used for demonstrations.  

This was my first time visiting the center, and I was quite impressed with the variety of exhibits and even the age-appropriate toddler activities.  Best of all, admission is always free!