In other news on the homefront, Eli got his first haircut, a very minor one just to straighten out his bangs. I couldn't bear to trim off the curls at the back of his neck. One of my co-workers pointed out that short in front and long in back is a mullet. Great. My kid has a mullet and it is my fault.

Our backyard is really shaping up. I'll send some pictures whenever I get around to taking them. We now have a fully-functioning sandbox with a tarp cover (I built it myself!). It currently holds 650 pounds of sand. No joke. Sand is really heavy! We have a great veggie bed with tomatoes and peppers, a composter and compost pile and two rain barrels off the downspouts. And we're mowing the lawn regularly. Paradise! Seriously, though, it is really fun to have a functional backyard to play in.

Eli's just discovered that if he chases the dogs, they run away. This is a fun new game in toddler-world. Luckily, even as old and arthritic as Gennie the greyhound is, she is still faster than the kid.

Finally, the most recent accomplishments in the world of learning are:
counting to 4
A,B,C and D (usually in order)
"I love you!"

The last one is my favorite.