My Elijah Assistant

Newborns are hard in their own way. Toddlers are hard in other ways. Like the 'I am always by your side to assist you' ways. It really is adorable and I know I will miss it, but...it's still really hard to do things like put in lid racks for pots & pans with a toddler literally on your back:

One down, three to go...

His most favorite task is helping me make bread. Every single step is endlessly fascinating to him, from the grinding of the wheat (the mixer is a "Roomba", I guess because it spins?)...

...to the putting of ingredients in the bread machine (also a "Roomba")...

...to the watching of the dough coming together.

I actually really enjoy his help making bread. It's adorable and not nearly as inconvenient as the "climbing on my back while drilling in screws inside a cupboard" type of assisting. 

Also really great at helping eat icing:

Not pictured: helping with the laundry.

As soon as I start the water I know he'll come running within seconds to help toss clothes in.

Thankfully, I also have assistants who help me with my Elijah Assistant:

Napping with Seth

Sledding with Catherine and Elise

Catherine would drag him up the ice/snow, then let him go.

He LOVED it!

The toddler years are not easy years, but they are sweet ones.