Eli

An outing with Eli for his 10th birthday.

Along with a wrapped gift, I offered to take him out to eat to any restaurant of his choice.  He chose Red Lobster.  I couldn't wait and I was actually going to order lobster and a salad for myself.  But when I arrived to pick him up, he changed his mind and wanted to go to a Chinese Buffet instead.  I was shocked and surprised and doubled checked with Raina and she said "yep, he loves Chinese".  So off we went.

It was a very nice place with awesome fresh choices galore, and because he's under 11 years old, his price was $3.95 and mine was $7.95 which included a soft drink with unlimited refills.  Well, we were both in heaven.  He was not used to going through a buffet line and filling his own plate, but he mastered that and went back for seconds and got his own soft serve ice cream to top it off.  On our way home he wanted to stop for donuts, so we did and he ate one in the car and brought some home for the family (minus poor mom who can't eat them).

I interviewed Eli, he's soft spoken these days as he grows up, and here's the results.

Favorite Color?  White
Favorite restaurant food?  Chinese buffet or seafood
What radio station does he enjoy?  99.1
Birthday celebration with friends?  Party with friends Chase, Mitchell and Conor.  Playing soccer, bonfire, sleeping in tent overnight.
Favorite book/s?  Harry Potter series, and I read them all
Favorite computer game right now?  Ark Survival Evolved
What are you looking forward to at the cottage?  Catching fish, minnows and crayfish.  Selling crayfish to fishermen.
Since you recently went to Madison, what were your favorites?  Geology Museum, Dinosaur Fossils, and I want to buy the capitol building.  There would be so many places to hide.
Favorite friend in old school in West Allis?  Jack
Favorite friend in new school?  Mitchell
Favorite subject in school?  Math
Worst subject in school?  Handwriting

A song came on the radio on our way home and he remembered it from when he was younger and we both sang along:  I Gotta Feeling by the Black Eyed Peas ~~~  Lyrics to 'I Gotta Feeling' by Black Eyed Peas: Let's do it, let's do it, ... and do it, ... That tonight's gonna be a good night.

Gosh, I love this kid

And then while we ere up North, in the really deep water (2019):

Now it's summer 2020, times are very different.  I've been spending a few hours with only Eli on some days when Raina & Andy work.  The other boys go to daycare.

The first thing we do is play Nertz up to 50.  He beats me more than I beat him and I am not letting him win.

He made me an egg sandwich one day:

He loves to jump on the trampoline:

Here is a quote from a text his mom sent me last week:

Eli:  "I found a bunny, his name is Alfrado.  He ran and we watched him run and my eyes fell on a gigantic cucumber."

 

Other things we do is pick things from the garden, water the garden, wash green beans, write a letter to someone, check out the frog habitat, and drive somewhere for icecream.

33.  VOX by Christina Dalcher (wow, what a book)
34.  This is How It Always Is by Laurie Frankel (I loved it)
35.  The Tea Girl of Hummingbird Lane