Why?

Eli has now entered the questioning stage; "Why?" is becoming his favorite phrase.  He also likes "what?" questions (particularly "What did you say?" even though he knows exactly what I said), but "why?" is definitely his favorite.  I can't get through a story now without him asking a bazillion questions.  In fact, as cute as it was in the beginning, it is now quite annoying.  Here's a typical exchange:

Me:  (reading from a story) "The man went to find his animals."

Eli:  "Why, Mommy, why?"

Me:  "Because he needed to take them back to his circus."

Eli:  "But why, Mommy?"

Me:  "Because they were lost."

Eli:  "Why?"

Me:  "Because that's how the story goes."

And so on and so on.  Many times I just have to say, "Let's read the story and find out." 

Of course, it's not just with stories, it's with everything.  Gone are the days of simply telling him something and having him be content with it.  He wants to know why for everything.  I know it's good because it shows his development, but it reminds me of when I was a young girl and my brothers would ask why after everything I said just to tease and annoy me.  In fact, though it's usually sincere, sometimes even Eli does it to tease me.  He'll ask why, and I'll respond, "I told you why."  Then he smiles that mischievous little grin at me and says, "Why, Mommy, why?"  Sometimes I respond with, "Why not?"  Unfortunately, that has now backfired on me and he uses that when I genuinely ask HIM a why question.  I think he's trying to prove he can outsmart his mom, and it's working.  I'm not sure how much smarter and more creative I can get, and he's only three (well, in a month anyway)!

Visiting Grandpa and Grandma Grant

It's been two weeks since we came home from visiting family in St. George, but I haven't had energy to blog about it.  We had tons of fun, but unfortunately, we brought a bug home with us, and it was particularly nasty.  I'm just now beginning to feel better, though I still have headaches, dizziness, and feel very tired.  I haven't been in that much pain for a long time, and nothing the doctor gave me relieved any of it.  Josh managed to evade the illness, which is typical for him, but Eli got it too.  He's had several doctor's appointments canceled for weather-related reasons, so I have to call again on Monday and hope he can get an appointment.  Nobody knows what to do down here when there's snow and ice, so everything gets shut down.  Josh was supposed to fly to San Fransisco last night, but his flight was canceled, so he's leaving tonight instead.  I get four days and nights alone with Eli.  I can't wait.  He's been tired, sick, and cranky; I've been tired, sick, and cranky.  It's been a rough couple of weeks.

However, we did enjoy a fun-filled week with the Grant Family before we got "attack of the nasty."  Here's some of what we did:

*We were expecting cold weather while we were there but were blessed with warmer temperatures, so we spent some time outside.  We had an enjoyable picnic with the family at a local park. 

*We tried to go hiking in Zion National Park, but because of the previous cold temperatures, there was a lot of snow and ice on the trails.  I think it's the first time I've heard Eli complain about hiking.  It was just too cold for him.  It was still beautiful, though, and we did enjoy a nice picnic there. 

*We went bowling.  It was Eli's first time since he was a baby, and he helped me knock down nine pins! 

*Josh and I went to the St. George temple, which we always love visiting since that's where we got married.  

*We had lots of fun talking, playing games, and meeting the new babies in the family!  Eli especially enjoyed the company of his cousin Sophee, who is just 5 1/2 months younger than he.